What has hurt you the most for being a JW?

MsMcDucket

Or what do you regret most about being a JW?

For me it's being alienated by my twin daughters.

unclebruce

G'day MsMcDucket,

"...being alienated by my twin daughters."

That's truly shocking - ... I was going to say "my disconnectedness with my large 'fleshly' family and the world in general but after reading about your girls my troubles seem insignificant.

I have two beautiful adult daughters who barely escaped being "raised in the truth".

We haven't met before but my heart goes out to you sis, I don't think I could bear the pain.

(((((hug)))) unclebruce

joelbear

no question it is being shunned by people i love because as i grew up i realized i didn't want to be a witness.

Losing my childhood, adolescence and young adult hood. I would have loved to have had the kind of life that my worldly mates had. Behaving like a kid instead of an adult all my life, the discoveries of adolescent life, hanging out with mates that *I* liked instead of people that went to the hall, awkward fumbling around with the opposite sex, getting drunk (chucking up because of it) experimenting with life and growing as a person, period.

I resent the dubs for taking that away from me.

elliej

The very worst thing that hurts every day is that I subjected my children to this religion. The pressure they went through because of my bad choice, the loss of Christmas, birthdays, all celebrations that make a childs world fun and memorable, the pressure to conform at the KH and sit like the "good" witness children, the questions from classmates about why they don't do things, etc., etc. The fact that now they don't know what to believe because we are starting over and they went through it all for nothing. I hope I haven't damaged them forever. That is the worst thing, worrying about what I've done to my kids.

Gopher

As a child, I was taught that the "end was near" -- perhaps 1975, maybe even 1974!! And I was taught that all religions but Jehovah's Witnesses would be destroyed by the United Nations (or its members), and that when we JW's were the only religion left, EVERYONE would turn against us. We'd escape by the "skin of our teeth" only through angelic protection at Armageddon.

I was led to believe that all the nice kids around me were untrustworthy because they would all soon turn against me. I formed very few friendships, and I became uptight and withdrawn around others because of the cultlike mentality imposed on me by the Watchtower Society.

I will never regain that lost childhood.

FairMind

What has hurt me the most is the cold unloving treatment heaped upon those who don’t toe the party line.

DannyHaszard

Lets nail the bastards to millions of viewers http://www.drphil.com/plugger/respond/?plugID=9833 In a cult and want out? SIGN UP DR PHIL SHOW ON CULTS all it takes for evil to triumph is for good men/women to do nothing-Danny Haszard Bangor Maine

undercover

I was raised as a JW, so first came the fear...fear of displeasing Jehovah, fear of Armageddon, fear of dying, fear of persecution. Then came guilt. Guilt for liking worldly things, for having wordly friends, for having a sexual drive while single, for not doing enough in service to the organization. This fear and guilt didn't come naturally, but were taught, by parents and the congregation.

Being raised in a world of fear and guilt is not healthy.

Something that some may find minor but can be tough for someone who has been raised to distrust almost everyone outside of the faith is social skills. I feel that I am socially inept at times because of never being taught how to act nor ever thinking I would need to know how to act in social settings. I avoid some situations not wanting to have to deal with it. It has gotten better over time, but there are times that I'd rather just stay home rather than deal with a business party or event.

Honesty

Thanks, Danny. I just signed up.

With enough exposure the only JW's who remain in the Watchtower cult will be those who are either so hardened against humanity or who God is allowing to believe the lies because they do not want to serve Him.