What Fears have you Overcome that the witnesses put in you? (page 2)

flipper

Feral- We really can learn from imperfect, sinful,knowledgeable men and women, can't we? Nice knowing we can take care of ourselves. Nice not to browbeat others with a Bible or be browbeaten ourselves by a Bible!! Loosie- Believe me- God wants you to have pleasure and enjoy being happy!! He wouldn't hold your enjoyment of something natural against you! He told me last night in a dream!! Just joking!! Peace out, Mr. Flipper

Frequent_Fader_Miles

I'm no longer afraid of having "worldly" entertainment on a meeting night or Assembly/Convention day. I watch R-rated movies and listen to "worldly" music. I'm no longer afraid of the CO and what he thinks about my "low" service hours ... or the resulting ~~badgering~~ sheperding call. I'm no longer afraid of making friends/ fostering friendships with "worldly, demonized" persons.

brunnhilde

Trusting my own inner voice.

John Doe

I've overcome my fear of stumbling others and then being responsible for their actions. My entire life as a jw, I was constantly in peril that what I was doing might look bad to someone, even normal activities. Now, I don't really care. It's nobody's business if I watch an R rated movie--Romans 14:12 is a great scripture. I know I don't have any kind of universal truth, so I don't feel inadequate if I can't explain some obscure religious question that may be asked of me. I have nothing to justify. I constantly try to improve my understanding of the world through education and discussion, and I'm open to reasonable argumentation. I'm not afraid to learn something that might conflict with what I think--I invest nothing in my beliefs other than the question of whether they make sense. Well, that's a few rambling thoughts on the matter anyway. ;-)

WTWizard

Thinking for myself. Once I analyzed all the possibilities (either the Tower was the truth or it wasn't X either I stayed or I left), I realized that the worst outcome was if the Tower was real and I stayed. Worse than getting destroyed. Remaining in a world where there would be nothing but other men (yes, that is what they offered me--they set the opposite sex to reject me even worse than normal, and then claimed that they were going to die for it; effectively setting me up for all men in the "new" order). The stagnation. The rules and even worse tyranny. Having every thought and word being censored.

Once I realized that I would be better off dead than living in this sterile, blah tyranny (people have been known to commit suicide in other tyranny states that aren't even as bad as what the Watchtower managed to paint), I lost all fear of apostates. And I didn't have any effects whatsoever when I started listening to demonic music, watching R-rated movies (and even porn), and even the ultimate slap in Jehovah's face: the Ouija board. And nothing bad happened from clicking onto an apostate Web site (on purpose) and reading it through. That effectively sealed the decision: death at Armageddon or not, I was at best wasting my time in the Witless disorganization and possibly setting myself up for the ultimate nightmare from staying.

Now, I am more afraid of the Witless organization and the new order itself than of dying. I have seen their use of initiatory force and threats of force when fraud fails, and they have been known to harass people into staying. Getting dragged back, taken to some town in the middle of nowhere, and getting into a sterile blah new world is to me worse than getting destroyed. And especially once I see all the blown predictions on their part.

R.F.

I've overcome the fear of apostates.

I was once led to believe that apostates were on the level of demons, but in disguise.

LtCmd.Lore

All of the above.

jibberish

I too have overcome my fear of the "Big A".

I've heard all my life how the JW way of life was so much better than the churches and their "false" teaching of hellfire.

You know what? One day like a slap in the face I realized...the dubs are NO different then the churches they call "Christendom". The dubs simply scare you with dieing at Armageddon instead of in hell !!

Now I've decided it's too hard to live in fear and try to be "perfect" so I am going to enjoy life now and help my kids to do the same.

Jib

flipper

Mr. Flipper here again. Thanks for your replies. Yes folks, we don't have to be afraid of apostates.Or dying at Armageddon, it's not real. Don't have to be afraid to think for ourselves. We are capable. All these were good thoughts by you guys. Keep the thoughts comin'!! Thanks, Peace, Mr. Flipper

greendawn

I got over the fear of a vindictive, severe and exacting god early on. The important thing to notice here is that the FDS relies on the old testament to create that very negative and damaging god image and purposely downplays the new testament image of God where God is seen more as family, as father, rather than lord as he had been under the Mosaic law. That doesn't suit the intimidating tactics of the FDS.

For good measure they even cut off the dubs from the new covenant because it is through it that the christian becomes a child rather than slave of God.

What Fears have you Overcome that the witnesses put in you?

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