I believe Jehovah's Witnesses are TRAINED to learn how to live a double life. We were trained to use subterfuge with teachers, the law, doctors and the courts. We were trained in "theocratic strategy" . We learned how to tell a lie and then justify that it wasn't REALLY a lie, after all. And the Organization wonders why so many Witnesses lead double lives???
Did You Lead A "Double Life"?
by minimus 24 Replies latest jw friends
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Trojan
Nope. I never do that......
I guess writing at this board doesn't count towards double life..... It's my own theocratic warfare....
Trojan.
(Blast! My nickname doesn't help me on this thread.....)
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greendawn
Actually I had the opposite problem of being too perfectionist with everything something that deep down made me feel insecure and stressed out because you can't afford to do that in this kind of a devious world. I realised in time that the GB themselves were full of lying and deception despite appearing as super defenders and promoters of moral values.
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Nosferatu
Not sure if the org (unknowingly) teaches ones how to live a double life, or if it's a survival tactic that people learn on their own. I believe the org DOES teach people how to lie to themselves, and even convince themselves that their own lies are truth.
Anyway, yes I lived a double life, especially when I changed high schools. There were no kids there who attended my cong, so I could get away with stuff. The surprise came when I ran into some of my classmates at the convention. Oh my, the shocked looks! I was known as one of the most worldly at school, and here I am at the convention!
My personality came through when I was living the worldly part of my life. I became incredibly talkative, funny, and exciting to be around. At the meetings and on service, I was quiet, shy, and shared very little of my true personality with others.
It just becomes natural. You subconsciously know who you can be yourself around, and who you have to tiptoe around.
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wheres caleb?
We learned how to tell a lie and then justify that it wasn't REALLY a lie
So true.
This all started with our lying to ourselves first. We have the truth so our view of things can never be wrong, or questioned.
The organization is deeply entrenched in 'damage control'. Elders who no longer qualify as elders (by their own standards) remain elders because the image of the organization is already crumbling. I was told this by an elder.
A prominent elder giving circuit assembly parts was caught watching porn on his computer. Did he suddenly have a moment of conscience and turn himself in? No, his wife did.
Was he living a double life? Hard to say. It's not appropriate to judge a flawed individual as it is not my right. On the other hand, getting up in front of an audience and representing the organization makes the organization look bad. The real question might be how this individual saw himself. Perhaps lying to himself?
Starting on the road of truth which begins with a lie leads to men worshipping men.
Did I lead a double life? No, staying in the org would require that I lead a double life now.
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primitivegenius
sorry lost ya after ya said porn hahaha jk. i never led a double life, now i wont say that i didnt have things that bothered me such as f&^%ing cussing and other things. yet i didnt go out and do what lots of others did, reason being i truely felt it was the truth and squashed my doubts. thing is i had the normal feelings that god put into all of us........ and i was forced to bottle them up inside. can you say depression, feelings of unworth ect. i felt i wasnt good enough because i had such a hard time just accepting things. SURELY other witnesses didnt have to struggle with _______(insert subject of choice) like i did. now i cussed and OMG watched R rated movies occasionally, but i didnt smoke or do drugs or have sex. i did drink a little but no running around partying. now much of this is what i shoulda been doing as a normal person. i should define what leading a double life meant for me i guess. i always thought that was when you just didnt give a f*&^ and did whatever you wanted without regards to consequences, except when you were at the kingdom hell. i heard all the damn preaching about how horrible it is for people to live that double life and how bad they were for leading it. i was always afraid that i was in fact to close to leading one because of my language and the people that i always became friends with at work. but anyways thats how i looked at it. i wasnt perfect by any means but i didnt go all out seeking a REAL NORMAL LIFE while still going to the dingbumb ball. afterwards......... heck i aint gonna lie, i still didnt go out hard core partying but i damn sure made my own decisions as to what i should watch or what i should do.
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anewme
No I have always been a truthful person. Im proud of that. My Dad taught me to be truthful and take my lumps if I had to for the truth and that I have done.
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littlerockguy
While I was active, I didn't lead a double life. I was baptized in 1987; around 1990 to 1992 I became inactive so I guess you could say I lived a double life during that time. I went back and faced the elders in the congregation and told them about some of the conduct "unbecoming a Christian" I had done during that time I was inactive. I did this since I lived in a small town and some of the stuff I had done was widely known by some and I wanted them to hear it all from me instead of second hand. I was counseled and privately reproved, became active again and then started to fade around 1998 after some things about the WTS didn't set well with me.
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ferret
I led three lives.
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jojochan
DID I???
As long as one is a witness, one will live life of dualism to some extent.
My dad said those words.And I agree...When I was in I did'nt wear my belief on my sleeve like so many of my peers at that time.
When I did, my ass was beaten EVERYDAY. But the thing was, I liked it. To me it was all for their god's glory. At least in my mind anyway...
But then I snapped, and after that it was off to continuation school I went.
When I went to one of the worst continuation schools here in the bay, that's when I got smaet and kept things to myself. I was never messed with though, i just did'nt try to change the world like so many others at the time were told to do. I did though give positive vibes and words to those around me.I never smoked, never drank, never caused problems. They knew I was different...they just put a finger on WHAT made me different.I never told them.
jojochan.