by KW13 17 Replies latest jw friends
I have had to mature quickly after leaving the witnesses i was almost 'lost' and spent sometime being stupid.
i have learnt that forcing religion on to people is wrong, if they don't see something themselves then its not true or honest. They need to decide everything themselves.
Parents are also in a position where they need to be careful, they take their child to a religion that affects the child in so many ways, it ruined my childhood and its now a rod for my mums back.
Most of my lessons have been bitterly learnt ones I think - but mainly that religion is a terrible thing. When people divorce themselves from rational thinking and devote themselves above all else to a concept to the exclusion of family it is horrible.
Good to see you have a good head on yoru shoulders and aren;t being "stupid". However you are 17 and its okay to be stupid - oh for at least another 13 years or so!
Thanks
I am sorry you've had the sad experiences, for most it varies from loss of friends to depression that you just can't shake off. But your a stronger person in the end as a direct result of what you saw/heard.
I learned that to a certain extent, there are individual versions of "truth". No, there can't both be a hell, and at the same time there not be a hell. But to the extent that all religion is a shadow of something else, each person enjoys standing in the shadow they happen to feel comfortable with. I've learned that it's to no one's advantage to try to lead someone away from the shadow they've picked, so long as it isn't hurting them.
I've also learned that I don't like standing in shadows.
Fortunately, I've also learned I can think I'm absolutely right, and still be wildly wrong. It's important to remember that.
Dave
Thats good stuff to know.
We can all be wrong, yes its sad but true. As long as our mistakes don't directly or indirectly affect someone then thats ok, if we hurt ourselves we have to take necessary actions to sort that out.
I think i am wrong more often than i am right actually lol
That the WTS is a cult that subtly brainwashes its members, they are a business rather than a spiritual entity their preaching amounts to commercial activity to make profit (for the org) rather than a genuine desire to help people, and that the JWs are going nowhere good.
As an Ex-JW what have you learned?
that there is more to being an apostate than just dropping the wts. once you start on the apostate journey, there are many doctrines to challenge, some religious and others not.
i have learned that to be an apostate is not to apostasize against the JWs. it's to apostasize against the world that made the JWs possible. only a human can do this.
ts
As an ex-JW I have learned to get every bit of enjoyment out of life that I can. Too often, growing up, I had to sacrifice dreams and experiences due to my circumstances or the "it will all be better in the New System of Things" mentality.
I treasure my husband, my friends who have become friends by choice, my life that I have built for myself.
I celebrate all the holidays and birthdays like I'm a little kid! I travel every chance I can get. I challenge myself to read books on varied topics - fiction and non-fiction.
In short - I'm taking advantage of the opportunities I have in life in ways that I might not have otherwise. It's like a little perk that got handed out to me becuase "I survived the Borg". That really should be on a T-Shirt - ya' know?
I learnt that the worlds not full of evil people, there are some nice people there / here and I've learnt that you can't judge people.
Since I was raised a JW, the last 12 years or so I've been out life has been a rollercoaster ride. However, I've learned that that is what life is about. It's not so neat and tidy as being a good JW person while attending and participating 5 meetings a week and getting 10 hours a month in field service and auxiliary pioneering every April. While that kind of lifestyle provides stability and security for some (well 6 million people I guess), it's not the lifestyle I want. Over-simplifying the entire nature of the JW religion, I would say that JW life is sort of like watching black and white tv. I want to watch color.
With that said, listed below are the things about life I've learned thus far (off the top of my head). They are not constant and unchangeable and I may change my mind tomorrow about some things, but that's what life is about:
Vodka martinis are much tastier with a twist rather than with olives
Fornication is wonderfully fulfilling and hot...just be safe and responsible, dammit
I get much more done when I take back my Tuesdays and Thursday evenings and Sunday mornings (sleeping in on Sundays is nearly orgasmic - plus I'm a much nicer person during the week)
The world is full of good things and bad things, stop harping on the bad things and try to make what's bad better
College Education is a Good Thing, it changes you and makes you a better and complete person
We are in control of our own lives and destinies (except for death of course), we have the power to make life wonderful or miserable
The existence of an omniscient God who's going to destroy the world is highly suspect
The Bible is primarily fiction but has some historical value
Religion is a medium to regulate behavior of the masses
Religion is a medium to provide stability and purpose for the masses (unfortunately most never become self-actualized individuals)
