The pro's and con's of being in the truth

by The wanderer 24 Replies latest jw friends

  • blondie
    blondie

    Reasons why people stay in the organization. If you want to be a better speaker, it is cheaper to take a class and emotionally safer.

    Reasons why women stay with an abusive partner

    There are many reasons for staying with an abusive partner. The abused woman may fear what her partner will do if she leaves, or she may believe that staying with him is better for the children.

    Fear of the effect of being shunned by every person/relative they know because the abusive organization directs them to do so.

    There are also practical considerations to take into account. She may not have access to money, or anywhere to go.

    Many JWs are tightly connected financially to other JWs and would lose their jobs or business if they separated.

    She may not know where to turn for help, particularly if English is not her first language. And when she is emotionally and financially dependent on her partner she can be very isolated.

    The world outside the organization is demonized by the WTS and it isolates its members from family, friends, neighbors and workmates as agents of Satan.

    Women from different cultures can find it particularly difficult to leave an abusive man as this would bring shame on both themselves and their family. They may feel they are betraying their community if they contact the police.

    Leaving brings shame on family and the organization.

    An abused woman's self-esteem will have been steadily worn down. She may not believe she will manage on her own, or that she has any other options. She may have been brainwashed into thinking she's worthless. She will feel ashamed of what has happened and perhaps convinced it is her fault.

    She hopes her partner will change. She remembers the good times at the start of the relationship and hopes they will return. In emotional terms she has made a huge investment in the relationship and she wants it to work.

  • Double Edge
    Double Edge
    Admitedly, an individual who did not have a very good education
    or who lacked good study habits or disipline, being in the organ-
    ization did teach these skills. Honestly, there were certain things
    that were advantageous such as public speaking, oratory and
    commentary and the courage to go door to door with an unpopular
    message.

    If these skills are applied correctly in life, they can enhance you in
    your career or in everyday life.

    An individual can get the same 'skills' at night school and skip having to carry all of the negative baggage. In fact, think of all of the free time they would have to apply those skills and move forward with their lives.

  • Asheron
    Asheron

    Your right wanderer There are alot of "pros" and "cons" My widowed mother was "Pro-ffesionaly conned" into donating all of my fathers life insurance money to help build a new hall while I and my brother went to school hungry. My brother was "Pro-ffesionally conned" into believing he was a dirty minded person for having normal sexual thoughts and now he is dysfuntional. I was "Pro-ffesionally conned" out of a colledge education. Right now my poor brother is being "Pro-ffesionally conned" into going to bethel to scrub toilets because he was denied any training or schooling in life.

    In total my family was conned out of 75 years of freedom.

  • serendipity
    serendipity

    I agree there are pro's for some people. There were pro's for my family, as I mentioned in this post:

    http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/6/103000/1779428/post.ashx#1779428

  • Odrade
    Odrade

    It is a mistake to assume that just because there were positive results from an experience, that these positive things could not have been gained elsewhere and at less emotional and psychological cost. Sometimes we attempt to put a positive spin on a bad situation simply because it is easier than facing the task of processing that bad situation - as if somehow this so-called "good" tempers the entire damaging experience into something that is "okay," and therefore unnecessary to resolve, "get over" or otherwise "process."

  • penny2
    penny2
    Admitedly, an individual who did not have a very good education

    or who lacked good study habits or disipline, being in the organ-

    ization did teach these skills.

    Having discovered that these "good study habits" didn't lead to accurate knowledge was most disconcerting. More like brainwashing than study.

    certain things that were advantageous such as public speaking

    This may be so for people who are outgoing. For others, the fear of public speaking and field service can be crippling and lead to depression, low self-esteem, anxiety and panic disorder. ALL FOR NOTHING.

    penny2

  • looking_glass
    looking_glass

    Wanderer - although I understand what your trying to get to, there are many people here that have been seriously hurt by the WTBTS and the beliefs it promotes. So you will be hard pressed in getting people to admit that there are pros to the religion.

  • Reefton Jack
    Reefton Jack

    The only benefit I took away was learning how to speak in public. But even that proved to be a bloody expensive course in public speaking!

  • Wordly Andre
    Wordly Andre

    Pro = Acting like your better than everybody else

    Con = Looking like and Asshole

  • nsrn
    nsrn

    I can see some pro's, but they aren't exclusive to witnesses. Sure, I can speak in public. I can adapt to my audience. I can read aloud REALLY well...but my morals and values were from my parents. They were real. I saw other families in the congregation with totally different experiences.

    My biggest negative was feeling 'different' from 'the world'. I didn't fit in, and still don't... Not even after 25 years.

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