What's the worst thing the JW religion has done to you? (page 2)

Layla33

I don't like looking back and feeling regret, at some point you have to make peace with the life you had. I'm not angry, I accept it for what it is - I just know how I will live, how my family - the one I create will be. I accept my parents, grandparents and extended family belief system, I don't agree with it and I welcome the day if they should ever walk away. With that being said, there's no worst, just things I wished were different.

The one thing that I must say felt kind of sad to me was when my grandparents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. I remember sitting with my grandmom and grandfather talking about it, but I wasn't invited because I wasn't a JW. I heard it was fantastic. Lots of dancing and just a whole lot of fun. I have to tell you, I wished I was there to see it. To me, sitting with my grandma and listening to her plan it, but knowing I couldn't be there simply because of my difference of religious belief was really ridiculous to me.

flipper

LFC VIKING- Good thread ! It has taken my 2 beautiful daughters 21 and 20 , and turned them into mind controlled slaves of the Watchtower magazine printing company. What's twisted is they think the Watchtower society is God Jehovah - they don't see the difference. And that's the mind control at work. And because of this - my daughters won't return my phone calls ? Yeah, I'd say I'm a little bitter. You bet. Peace out, Mr. Flipper

fern

Reading peoples responses to this question makes me so sad I want to cry. I guess I'd have to say the JW religion has left me with an overall bitterness over so many things. I don't like feeling bitter but I can't help it. From not being able to eat the cupcakes brought in for your classmates birthday and then having them be mad at you because you don't eat one, to being a teenager and not be able to play sports, go to dances, date, etc. All the normal things the other kids did, I didn't get to do. It does alienate you and you never quite fit in. Even after I left at the ripe old age of 18, I still felt years behind in many ways but especially socially and its something I still struggle with. Here's to hoping we can overcome these feelings eventually.

Fern

beerose

LIED !

metaspy

Took the girl I loved and crushed her.
Crushed my self esteem.
As others have mentioned - Trust issues.

IreallydidwalkoutofaKH

Fern, you really took the words out of my mouth. This is why it was easy for me to just read all of your comments for close to a year. Your expressions are right on for alot of us!!! Your take on, not only being excluded from eating the cupcakes at the class birthday party, but being ridiculed was right on. Not participating in extra events at school keeping us from fitting in, was a very potent expression for me. Although some wordly kids took it easy on me.....LOL

mustang

I like this question: good one. There are so many things that could be said, but...

Reaching for the worst one, here goes...

My father was a fire-breathing JW zealot and power-hungry; so when he ran into limitations in his 'reaching out', he started living vicariously through my brother and me. He figured we would do great things and he would achieve through us. When both of us blew that nonsense away, I became just 'an objection to be overcome'.

Mustang

gloobster

Hmmm. Let's see.

The JW religion has . . .

Took my mother's childhood. . .prevented her from going to college (she was college aged shortly before 1975) .... made her hate her mother and father . . . . made her miserable all her life, which she in turn took out on me. Fortunately she realized what life was really about before she died, and I had at least a couple of good years with her. It made me hate her for a long time until I realized better. It took a good portion of my childhood, made it very difficult for me to make good choices as a young adult. Made it impossible for me to this day to have a normal romantic relationship . . . made it so I have no contact with any of my extended family . . . made me go through therapy . . . I almost wish I had been beaten instead. At least those scars heal. I have very little self-esteem, I try to deny it and tell myself that it's not true, but I hate myself.

Maybe this sounds like I'm trying to blame everything wrong with me and with my life on JW's. I have a lot of weaknesses, and a lot of the bad stuff that's happened to me (and there has been plenty) has been my own fault. The JW's and their effects on my parents, my mother in particular, which was then projected onto me, have left me feeling totally incapable of doing anything for myself, which has led to me making a lot of very bad choices to assert my independence.

Nazi bastards, all of them.

caliber

I don't like looking back and feeling regret, at some point you have to make peace with the life you had. I'm not angry, I accept it for what it is - I just know how I will live, how my family - the one I create will be. I accept my parents, grandparents and extended family belief system, I don't agree with it and I welcome the day if they should ever walk away. With that being said, there's no worst, just things I wished were different.

The above quote is from Layla 33 ... I absolutely agree with every word of this quote .. It's like it was right out of

my own mind......... amazing ! ( only exception I now see, the family I did create rather than will create )

Caliber

mustang

Maybe this sounds like I'm trying to blame everything wrong with me and with my life on JW's.

Gloobster,

They have a talent for putting you 'behind the power curve' and you can practically never recover. My father spent his all preparing me for something that wasn't me, didn't help and didn't work. All you can do is move forward, with the realization that you have gained. Thankfully, support groups like this can help.

Mustang

What's the worst thing the JW religion has done to you?

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