Some apostates are more equal than others...

by slimboyfat 63 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  Confession

  I'm in agreement with the "lighten up" sentiment. He did not assert anything here...just asked a question--and I think it's okay to do that. It's oppressive organizations that discourage the open asking of questions.

  Me? Brought up a JW. 38 years old before I figured out it wasn't the Truth. I do not look down on you for not being brought up "in." For most it's envy I feel, since usually you still have non-JW family and friends to turn to upon leaving. My entire immediate family--but thirty family members total--are in.

  Under the right circumstances, would I have become a JW on my own? Very possible. Just so glad I'm free now.
• 

  Kudra

  I think we're all geniuses for leaving...
• 

  wednesday

  years ago a pioneer sister told me the "born-ins" were a spoiled brat variety.,. They expected the org to do eveything for them and held the org responsible for everything. She said that most of the things they complained about were not the orgs job,it was the parents job. so the org tells your parents wha tto do, and they make you do it.If you complain, you are a spoiled brat. you shoud have to get out in REAL world and see how it really is. She and her hubby came in as a young couple and thought the born-ins really were very unappreciative. This was related to all the goings on in the early 80's wth the "great apostacy" .She was actaully counselling me b/c I was at times already complaining about thigns, and she wanted me to know I was just a spoiled brat that had been well taken care of and had no right to complain.
• 

  AuldSoul

  sbf,

  I was raised a JW. In my opinion anyone who chooses to leave is smarter than the average JW. Those who get DF'd because of what the JWs consider a "sinful" lifestyle may or may not be smarter, but anyone who chooses to leave seems smarter, whether they were born in or chose to leave after choosing to join.

  Anyone who chooses to never join also seems smarter than the average JW.

  Respectfully,
  AuldSoul
• 

  aniron

  Ever noticed that the most cleverest apostates are the ones that were "brought up in the truth"? I mean people like Little Toe, Leolaia and Narkissos who provide the most intelligent dicsussions on the forum - they never chose the Witnesses, but were dragged up in it. Do you think maybe they can't help but look down on the rest of us who were stupid enough to actually choose to become Witnesses? Is their a hierachy among apostates - between those who were brought up Witnesses and those who converted to the Witnesses?

  I wasn't brought up a JW. I became one after being contacted by them at the age of 20. I was then a JW for 30 years, having reached the dizzy heights of Min Servant. Then left after learning the Truth about the "truth".

  I know of JW's "brought up in the truth", baptised when in early teens, then left when in their late teens or 20's, a couple in their 30's.

  So according to your analogy because they where "brought up in the truth" these ones should give more "intelligent" discussions on this forum. My 30 years as an adult in the JW's doesn't count. Because I wasn't "brought up in the truth".

  Where they taught something different from those of us who "came into the truth" from the outside?

  Did they study different books and Watchtowers than us "outsiders"?
• 

  slimboyfat

  Narkissos - you are exactly the same as me. I became a Jehovah's Witness when I was 13 even though my parents aren't Witnesses. I followed some in my extended family who are Witnesses, and was baptised when I was 15. It seems we have a lot in common.

  But I was sure I remember you saying your mum was a Jehovah's Witness. Did she become one after you, or am I not did I not really read that?

  Slim
• 

  daystar

  I mean people like Little Toe, Leolaia and Narkissos who provide the most intelligent dicsussions on the forum

  I'm sure they appreciate your comment. But it's rather disingenius to characterize them as harboring feelings of superiority over others simply because they were raised in the religion where others were not.

  Perhaps you are experiencing some form of psychological transference here? I don't know. I'm not a phsychologist. I've been know to transfer myself though, on occasion.

  Do you think maybe they can't help but look down on the rest of us who were stupid enough to actually choose to become Witnesses?

  I don't know from where you get this generalization. If I hadn't been raised JW, I can't say I would not have been convinced later in life to join. I would be an almost entirely different person than I am now. I'm sorry if you feel like you were "stupid" to choose to become a Witness. The only way I may agree with you is if you were to go back after having left.

  Is their a hierachy among apostates - between those who were brought up Witnesses and those who converted to the Witnesses?

  Most certainly not an hierarchy. However, there is a definite difference, just in terms of psychological makeup, between someone raised in and someone drawn in later. It's just the way it is. People raised in have a slightly different perspective on things. We weren't brainwashed into believing. It was all we knew from childhood on. When we left, we didn't have a "before" to fall back on. We had to recreate ourselves completely. It makes for a very, very different experience.
• 

  itsallgoodnow

  If there is a heirarchy, it's probably more centered around what your position was within the organization multiplied by the amount of time you spend posting on message boards or writing essays.

  I try not to look down on people who joined. Nah, we all make mistakes. We're all in the same place now and at least we're not still completely ignorant.
• 

  M.J.

  Ex-JWs on these boards are pretty smart in general, IMO.

  Dogpatch is another notable "apostate" who wasn't born in.
• 

  Forscher

  Some apostates are more equal than others..

  
  Me thinks you've been reading too much Orwell, Slimboy. Of course some folks will think they are better than others. That is just human nature. One fellow suggested a pecking order that I like. By that list I am pretty low-down on the food chain, but I'll accept that for now.
  Forscher