by lfcviking 24 Replies latest jw friends
Once having been a member of the JW religion and now that you have left, what is the worst thing that you realise it has done to you? I.e has it left you mentally scarred? Has it left you with serious family trouble? Has it cost you many precious years of your life?
Thoughts and experiences please....
LFCv
It stole my childhood. And I'm not talking about every witness child's lack of holidays and b-days, I mean everything. It stole my parents, as their life was dedicated to pursuing kingdom interests which left them little time or energy to devote to thier only child. I was just along for the ride.
changeling :)
Yea I'd love to recover my 20's while in the jws. But Because of what all happened and how it happened, I tend to not trust women so much. I mean if I were to get into a real relationship again leading to marriage I'd be terrified. yea it has left me with trusting issues. I believe it's called "baggage" ?
The JW's took my youth and robbed me of an education.
It took my childhood, my self-esteem/confidence/worth, my parents' ability to act NORMAL (despite the fact they faded shortly after my DFing they are still controlling people who refuse to form a real bond with me or my children), my ability to form long-lasting friendships, my right to believe in God as I choose (now I struggle with whether I should even bother to believe anything at all), most memories of my childhood (I barely have any), my ability to form healthy relationships with the opposite sex (many hurtful encounters/relationships, one divorce, and an unhappy marriage that is most likely a result of my screwed up past), my ability to give "meaning" to any holidays celebrated with my own children, and probably a lot more.
My youth, my love, my belief that people are logical... my family...
It has taken my mother, the woman who was my greatest inspriration. It has changed her liberal, free thinking ways to fearful, self-righteousness. God, I miss her so much.
I've noticed that too, Am. Everyone I know seems to have a really close family with lots of friends formed over the years, many from childhood (school/activities/etc.). Me? I have made friends with some neighbors in previous neighborhoods I lived in but it was superficial (they already had their own CLOSE friends) and I always lost track of them when I moved. Now I have one friend where I'm at, my husband's ship's former ombudsman, who I met when she drove me to the hospital while the ship was deployed for my baby's birth. She also helped with my near-death experience shortly after that. Except now her husband is getting kicked out of the Navy and arrested for abusing her kids (she had no idea, JUST found out a few weeks ago)...she's divorcing him and dealing with a bunch of her own crap...and our friendship appears to be going down the tubes as she struggles to form a "new life" outside the military. So pretty much that leaves me alone, once again. :(
All of the above . .
Fuckers
Very nearly took my wife away (blood doctrine). It has resulted in no future children (wife needed hysterectomy due to blood doctrine). My 2nd child did not have a mother for his first 2-3 months of life, due to her condition. No health benefits of breast feeding. There have been multiple health issues stemming from this episode (spanning several years), which affects my wife more than it affects me, but it sure has drained our money and resources.
On the bright side...she survived. There are others on this board who have actually lost loved ones over this.
