"Worldlings" - What was your opinion when you were in the Org?

by Jerohobobonadad 11 Replies latest jw friends

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  Jerohobobonadad

  Hello all.

  Although never a fully paid up, dunked member of the club, I was at times very keen on the whole JW thang.

  When I was in, I thought all worldly people were lying, cheating, alcohol and drug addicted, sex obsessed gambling criminals who should be treated with ,at least a very high degree of suspicion. As per the classic pictures in the 80's books - all women looked like hookers, all men were pictured smoking or with a whisky bottle.

  Did others here have similar opinions.

  I remember being 8 or 9 and my idea of a worldly man was a picture in the pale blue (Creation book) or the red one (dunno the name) - I'll try and scan the picture I mean one day, it's brilliant. It is a chap with a black moustache and a white shirt sat at a circular table looking all forlorn. There is a bottle of grog and a tumbler on the table. Brilliant. I suppose I'm that man now. Except no moustache!
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  Zico

  I had the same opinion for years! I thought they were all evil, and couldn't be trusted. I'm still trying to rebuild this opinion... I'm a lot better now, but I still have difficulty trusting people.
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  fullofdoubtnow

  I never totally subscribed to that view, although I didn't think the "world" had much to offer me when I became a dub. I guess that's because I had been part of the "world" before becoming a jw at 21.
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  AgentSmith

  I had an image of people conspiring a way to 'catch' me and drag me kicking and screaming into 'the world'. Distrust? Oh yes. I was supicious of everyone that was not JW. They were ALL out to get us! Talk about having issues. No wonder I was almost Pshycho... LOL.

  I feel so much better now!!
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  I.Wonder

  I never totally subscribed to that view, although I didn't think the "world" had much to offer me when I became a dub.

  I could never completely view "worldly" people as being "evil" or "bad" either. I think it was because I came from the "world" as well and had met some truly amazing people. People I much rather spend my time with than almost of the dubs I know. I also felt and still feel like I was never totally excepted as being a "real witness" because I came from the world.

  All of my hubby's family were born and raised as witnesses. Some of his family members (including himself) married people who were not baptized yet and were viewed (by the rest of his family) as marrying "out of the Lord". I remember my hubby's parents not being at all happy about him and I getting married because I was not baptized. He was not baptized either! It was simply because he had been raised as one and I had not. To this day if problems arise it is quite often attributed to the fact that he didn't obey Jehovah or listen to his parents when he married me.

  Makes me sick!

  I.Wonder
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  Woofer

  I had a hard time thinking of all wordly people as evil because I had a lot of friends in school who were not Witnesses. They got good grades, never caused trouble and were not back stabbers like so many in my congregation. I used to get mad because I couldn't associate with them outside of school just because they were not the same religion as me.
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  daystar

  It's ironic that now I have a harder time trusting the words coming out of a Witness's mouth than I do "worldlings". (Is that word a regional thing? I was a JW in Texas, in the 70s and 80s and never once heard "worldly people" referred to as anything other than "worldly people".)
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  dobbie

  I was 20 when i joined up and none of my families are jws so i never thought worldings were all evil.In fact as times gone on my husband has often commented on the fact that my family are the ones who act as christians should although they are not religious, and his family who are jws are v selfish and couldn't care less about him.
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  Kudra

  Yeah, for us it was "worldly people".
  
  "Worldlings" sound like a little race of fairy-type goblin people that have high tinkly laughs and hide behind trees when they see you coming...
  
  or something.
  
  -K
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  XJW4EVR

  I had that view of people, until I actually moved away from home, and began to work in the real world. I found that nothng I had been taught about "the world" was true. It was another epiphany in a long line of epiphanies.