The Difference between being a Convert and being raised a Witness

by The wanderer 31 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  lonelysheep

  If you were a Witness convert, how do you think your life
  differed to someone born and raised in the "truth."

  I started w/jw's at 21. During that time, though with guilt, I felt that those raised in the "truth" were not able to have compassion for those who were not (me) and hold the understanding of what life's challenges were really like.
  
  I felt like since they grew up with only the jw program, that they were looked at as better then me since "they were raised in it".

  There were a lot of times when I felt such bitter resentment to those raised in it because they were not intentionally away from their family get togethers on holidays & birthdays like I was in order to serve jehovah.

  My life differed from those I knew who were brought up in it by the fact that I was able to enjoy holidays, birthdays, Saturday mornings, weeknights and even those things religious.
• 

  reneeisorym

  I have noticed that most of the converts never felt good enough. As a born-in I felt like I was missing out from not having been converted. I think the truth is that no matter who you were, you never felt good enough when you were a JW.
• 

  AuldSoul

  Following in FerrousOxideGirl's footsteps:

  reneeisorym: no matter who you were, you never felt good enough when you were a JW.

  Needs to be bigger / is important.

  ...no matter who you were, you never felt good enough when you were a JW.
• 

  The wanderer

  Dear Board:
  
  I need to say this:
  
  Thank you for all your perspectives regarding this
  matter. There is no way, I would be able to under-
  stand what a "born and raised" Witness experienced
  because I was a convert.
  
  Very moving and touching experiences.
  
  Thank you, again.
  
  The Wanderer
• 

  lonelysheep

  Converts have no clue about the amount of pressure on JW kids.

  I agree. I had NO idea until I started reading all of your experiences here!!!!! I was going to make the choice to put that type of pressure on my kids.
• 

  jaguarbass

  Questions to Consider

  1. If you were raised a Witness and you knew someone that was
     not, what differences did you find between yourselves?

  2. If you were a Witness convert, how do you think your life
     differed to someone born and raised in the "truth."

  Being raised a witness, the society was all I knew, they had a tremendous amount of influence and control of my life. I didnt care to be a jw ,it was a burden. I was always trying to find loop holes to break my bondage from the borg. The borg gave me my freedom when they misfired on 1975. They'll never catch me again. I would think anyone who was not raised as a witness came into the organization on their own free will. They would have been there voluntarily, they would have had freedom to compare their enslavement too. Sooner or latter no matter how one enters the borg, the jw's will misfire on false phrophecy or change direction and the thinking person will be free. As god does not change, or make mistakes or phrophecy falsely.
• 

  LongHairGal

  Finally Free:
  
  I agree and relate to everything you said even though I'm female. I was not born a JW and came in when I was in my 20s. So, I was in the wicked world and had my taste. You are absolutely right when you say that they look differently at you than if you were born there or had family there.
  
  You are right about how the phone only rang when somebody wanted a favor and I am sorry you were so exploited. I saw the handwriting on the wall early on and I was determined NEVER to do favors except in rare instances and only for people I liked. The nerve of them! I felt that they thought they would exploit the single ones there (especially the women). I am sure I was criticized for this but TOO BAD! Maybe they thought they had an endless supply of drudges to do favors. And to add insult to the injury, they didn't believe in higher education and looked down on secular work unless it was "housecleaning" and I heard my share of stupid remarks which I disregarded.
  
  
  LHG
• 

  AK - Jeff

  Though my extended family was not involved, other than my Mother, who began to study when I was four, I was powerfully 'imprinted' at a young age.

  When one is told that certain ideologies are 'truths' from such a young age, the effect is momentous IMO. It has the effect of a bird in a cage, with no view outside. The doctrines and foolish thinking patterns become 'normallized' in a closed environ and impede the ability to really think clearly. Those raised to adulthood, and later becoming witnesses, have a differing point of reference in that regard.

  Jeff
• 

  TheSilence

  When I'm trying to explain to someone who was never a witness and doesn't understand I use the following analogy:

  Remember when you were a kid and absolutely terrified of the monster in the dark... and you would be so immobilized with fright you called out for daddy to come make sure the monster wasn't there? My dad told me my monster really was.

  Jackie
• 

  XJW4EVR

  Remember when you were a kid and absolutely terrified of the monster in the dark... and you would be so immobilized with fright you called out for daddy to come make sure the monster wasn't there? My dad told me my monster really was.

  That is the clearest anology of the JW fear based mindset I have ever heard.