by under_believer 21 Replies latest jw friends
It's been pretty well established that all religions use fear as a motivator, to some degree. The JW's have honed this practice to a near art form. What were you MOST afraid of when you were a JW?
The fear of losing out on everlasting life, displeasing Jehovah (I felt being watched all the time), demons- especially at nights as a child, to be deceived by Satan and every now and then having nightmares “what if this is not the truth?”! Fear of death I still have. Freetosee
1. Jehovah
2. Demons
3. The World
It's been pretty well established that all religions use fear as a motivator
I disagree with this statement. It is not well established. Mainstream religions today, most of them are love based, not fear based. They are charity oriented not works oriented.
Being birdfood after armageddon.
When I was really a "true believer" , I had no reason to afraid of anything. I was resolved to 'keep integrity' so , nothing could touch me. I was a servant of the true god, my god was stronger than anybody else's . As long as I did what he said. I was assured of eternal life. Even death could not keep me down . In fact I was invincible .......
Poor deluded fool that I was
DEMONS!!!!
I remember reading a "contributed life story" in a 1986 awake! entitled "the demons controlled me" and being so terrified. Every time I heard a tree branch brush my window on a windy night I was sure it was demons rapping on the glass trying to keep me awake so I would be tired for service the next day. It was only Jehovah's spirit that kept them out and kept me free from being raped by them and giving birth to Nephilim.
Also I was warned that homosexuals carry around needles filled with sedatives looking for young boy victims. I was more scared of demons though.
Big, angry dogs in FS. There were some mighty vicious apostate dogs out there who would have liked nothing better than to tear a few strips off me. It got to the point I couldn't go to the house if it had a "beware of dog" sign on the gate. People missing out on the "Truth" and being destroyed at Armageddon because they owned large dogs -- there's theocratic justice for you.
I started to say "demons" but I think that comes in 2nd or 3rd.
After thinking about it for a moment, I'd have to say the organization itself. As a kid, I was scared of elders, later, I was intimidated by COs, DOs and Bethel heavies. Then, as a young adult, it was fear of being disfellowshipped, not that I was carrying on in anything that would get me DFd, but because I was so scared of it, I avoided certain things that would lead to a DFing. It wasn't love for Jehovah, it was fear of discipline, fear of embarrassment and fear of being cut off from family and friends that caused me to feel that way.
What a way to raise a family, to fear an organization and dangle the prospect of being shunned as punishment for not obeying the organization as God's messenger.
Being here now shows that I got past all that for the most part, but it took years before I started thinking for myself and realized that something was wrong.
I definitely also had that vibe of never being able to be good enough, being flawed somehow, and getting DF'ed and destroyed at Armageddon. I was also terrified that my children would be tortured in front of me during the Great Tribulation and I'd cave in and "sign the document denying Jehovah," (there's always a document they want you to sign in these delusions) and then my family and I would all be destroyed at Armageddon.
