Sounds like you have a very wise, and loving father..please listen to him and run the other way. Many of us here sure wish someone would have intervened when we began to study with JW's. Good Luck!!
Leslie
to join or not
by dontknow 71 Replies latest jw experiences
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MeneMene
You ask, "Will JWs allow their family members be abused and turn the other cheek?" The short answer is YES!
I don't believe anyone yet has mentioned the pedofile problem within the Watchtower Society. Many experiences of abuse that has been covered up is on the website www.silentlambs.org.
Also on www.freeminds.org is Barbara Anderson's story. She was working at Bethel in NY when she found the almost 24,000 case files. Barbara's story is in the list in the center of the main page. Click on the blue pointer to open the story. -
Lady Liberty
Dear Now Do Know,
I just got through catching up on your recent posts. I cannot tell you how relieved I am that you are wise enough to weigh all the evidence. Like you said they don't tell you all the facts before you are baptised. They tell you that Saten will try to draw you away as soon as you are baptised, and he often uses wordly associates or family to do this. So to be very cautious, and limit your association with them. As they are now BAD association. So, right off the bat they use fear to scare you. Because it is only natural to want to protect your relationship and your dedication to Jehovah. The techniques they use are the techniques of a cult. I would have NEVER believed it when I was in. Yet I was reading a book on cults, it never named Jehovahs Witnesses, but named a couple of other groups. The things they did to brain wash people were so simular it freaked me out! I read the paragraphs to my husband, who assumed they were talking about the Witnesses. He was blown away when I told him the book was talking about 2 other groups. The techniques are subtle, that's why they work so well. The first thing they want you to do is to isolate yourself from friends and family who are now titled as "wordly". Now you have two classes. Those approved of and those who aren't. Then the fear comes in. The fear of becoming a bad associate yourself if you associate with wordly friends and family too often. Fear of displeasing Jehovah. And so begins the viscious cycle of always being afraid of something. I could relate to Synergys part of her story when she discribed the organization like she did. She was right on the money. I too was raised in the organization, and I tell you it is EXACTLY like she described. It reminds me of that Eagles song "Hotel California"..the words say.."you can check out anytime you like, but you can NEVER leave"! Once baptised, you can never leave without reprocusions. And if they were sucessful, then if you were to ever leave, you would have NO ONE, because you have burned your bridges with all wordly friends and family.
Anyhow..I am just so thankful you checked things out. Here is a great place for some awesome audios of experiences from those who have left. You may really enjoy them. http://www.jwinfoline.com/Page/audio.htm One of my favorites is under Specialty Tape by Rick and Lavern Townsend. It is amazing to me the research this man and women went through to come up with the very same things we have today. Yet they did not have the internet like we do. Also, here is an excellent video entitled "Jehovah's Witnesses Exposed" http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6861723185926041712
I wanted to also say I think it is great that you have family that has helped guide you in your decision. ANd that you are not too proud to listen to him. Thank you for sharing. We hope you keep contributing to the forum.
Sincerely,
Lady Liberty
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Brother Apostate
Some things to consider:
Are you willing to mindlessly obey the Watchtower instead of the Bible?
Are you willing to lose your friends you have now?
Are you willing to avoid questioning any JW teachings under threat of disfellowshipping?
Are you willing to live a double life if you decide they are wrong about certain teachings?
Are you willing to become a robot and surrender your free will?
Are you willing to give up your free time to spend at meetings and driving around knocking on doors?
Are you sure that becoming a JW will save you?
Your call.
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Lady Liberty
Dear Brother Apostate,
WELCOME to the forum!!!!!!!!!
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itsallgoodnow
Hi don'tknow,
I'm glad you found this site and probably others to help you make a decision about joining the JWs.
I wanted to say, I don't know if anyone else already said it, but - I don't think the JWs would ask you to cut off your family, not lend them money and never associate with them if they are not witnesses. They would only discourage you from spending much time with your family, but they wouldn't ask you to withhold anything from them. What usually happens is families get frustrated when you won't participate in holidays and birthdays, and then the new witness attitude where you are preaching to them all the time gets old really fast and it's your family that would probably cut YOU off, not the other way around, in most cases. The pathetic thing about this is witnesses consider it a great honor to be able to brag about their families cutting them off. It's the persecution complex, and all witnesses have a little bit of that in them.
They would only discourage you from spending much time with non-Witnesses. They would be a little wary of you if you mentioned any outting with a non-witness and would probably "offer" counsel if you had "worldly" friends where you went somewhere for fun or something "unnecessary" like that. They wouldn't disfellowship you for it, but you would still feel bad because they would give you a guilt trip over it. What you can't do without catching a lot of crap is dating or marrying a non-Witness or associating with a non-relative disfellowshipped person.
I completely understand why you would think twice before joining a judgemental group of people who are convinced their manipulatively controlling leaders, whose only claim to any authority over them is an extremely unlikely claim that a few of their long passed leaders who did some time in 1918 fulfilled a prophecy of some vague and unverifiable sort, can accurately fortell the end of times even though these same people have got it wrong for over a century, at least. This is just another adventist group which is long past it's expiration date, and thus, the foul smell.
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becca1
Welcome BrotherA, interesting first post.
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dontknow
Thank you all again for sharing, I am becoming more aware and getting a much clearer picture of the WT society especially the baptism part which says:
Do you understand that your dedication and baptism indentify you as one of Jehovah's Witnesses in association with God's spirit-directed organization.
This God's spirit-directed organization is obviously the WT society which one must agree with its governing conditions or laws. How can someone agree to something they don't know about? The JWs only speak to you about Jehovah and Jesus when they knock on your door. These governing laws are not made known to the uninformed before baptism. So basically your enter into a blind agreement and if you're fortunate enough to realize you have been "led up the golden path" it will be too late because you have lost all your family, friends and associates you have known and spent time with all your life. Not only that, but you're stuck with you are a devil worshipper not worthy of anything. You become trapped within the organization not knowing what to do because of the immense fear that has been instilled within. If this is not oppression I don't know what is. If JWs agree to turn their back on the WT society and preach exactly to the letter according to Jesus's teachings I will join up quicker than an eye blink. But I cannot see that ever happening. I find it very comical when I'm told if I convert I will be saved when the war begins. Do I know that 100% ? Nobody does; only Jehovah.
Brother apostate, in your post you state;
Some things to consider:
Are you willing to mindlessly obey the Watchtower instead of the Bible?
Are you willing to lose your friends you have now?
Are you willing to avoid questioning any JW teachings under threat of disfellowshipping?
Are you willing to live a double life if you decide they are wrong about certain teachings?
Are you willing to become a robot and surrender your free will?
Are you willing to give up your free time to spend at meetings and driving around knocking on doors?
Are you sure that becoming a JW will save you?
Your call.
All these things I did consider and was willing to do at the drop of a hat until my father gave me insight into the clearer picture because my mind was clouded and after reading the horror stories on this site. No way in the world will I do any of the above. The JWs will come knocking on my door again, I know it because they gave me the book of Revelation with the red cover to read and will ask me what I think of it. That is when I will ask them what do think will happen to you with the things the governing body of the WT society instructs you to do. If they stay around for me to elaborate I will unleash everything to them and point out that their practises are not in accordance with bible principles. But I'm very certain they will not wait around to hear what I have to say; they'll be gone faster than lightning.
Lady Liberty,
you state;
The first thing they want you to do is to isolate yourself from friends and family who are now titled as "wordly". Now you have two classes. Those approved of and those who aren't. Then the fear comes in. The fear of becoming a bad associate yourself if you associate with wordly friends and family too often. Fear of displeasing Jehovah. And so begins the viscious cycle of always being afraid of something.
Who on earth are they to dictate to you to slowly seperate from family? If my mother is ill does it mean I am required to ask for permission to see her and explain in detail why. I am definitely not a person who discloses any family domestic details to anyone. They are much too busy bodies for my liking. It is very interesting that they demand you to isolate yourself from worldly people except those whom you are employed with even if they may be of very worldly influence, such as drug users, adulterers, thieves and trouble makers (I have been employed with them many times over many years, but I've never had any issues with them, got along well). Why is this so? Because if you isolate yourself from your employer, you have no job, therefore no food on the table. But I have been shown in their literature many times that JWs go out of their way to help people; but they will not feed you; oh no, no, thats is something you are responsible for. This is the only time you are granted permission to associate with the worldly. Far too many double standards for me.
Itsallgoodnow,
in your first paragragh you say;
I wanted to say, I don't know if anyone else already said it, but - I don't think the JWs would ask you to cut off your family, not lend them money and never associate with them if they are not witnesses. They would only discourage you from spending much time with your family, but they wouldn't ask you to withhold anything from them. What usually happens is families get frustrated when you won't participate in holidays and birthdays, and then the new witness attitude where you are preaching to them all the time gets old really fast and it's your family that would probably cut YOU off, not the other way around, in most cases. The pathetic thing about this is witnesses consider it a great honor to be able to brag about their families cutting them off. It's the persecution complex, and all witnesses have a little bit of that in them.
To me it makes no difference who cuts who off. The fact is they are the driving force behind it; the third party which influences the divide. I have no intentions to associate with anyone or any organization that tries to influence me in that manner. Family is far too precious.
Thanks again people, stay tuned for more as I gain more insight and become stronger in my convictions.
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dontknow
Hello MeneMene,
in one of my posts I asked;
"Will JWs allow their family members be abused and turn the other cheek?"
and you replied with; "The short answer is YES!"
Are you serious? There must be more to this; Jesus does say if someone slaps your left cheek turn your right cheek also to be slapped. When does it stop here on earth? If your answer is until Armageddon do you know any human being on this planet who will wait until then to stop being slapped by an adversary without defending themselves? Again, are you serious?
Sounds interesting, and Jesus also said to be pure in the heart; ah yes indeed, but Jesus was not born of man but born of God which explains he didn't inherit sin; he was and is the only pure one; the perfect one.
I cannot believe your short answer statement because no human likes to withstand pain and it is a basic human function for one to raise their hand to protect themselves and their loved ones from any threat. I would say that if they do accept being abused physically without being defensive, they are very disillusioned.
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dontknow
Hello Salmon,
I would definitely like to hear more about your experiences if permissable; wish I had you all at my place face to face to exchange experiences for as long as it takes. This issue is very sensitive affecting ones life for many years and sometimes irreversable due to the the stigma one carries permanently on their shoulders.
Cheers, now I do know