It was torn, stained, and coming unraveled, but my little brother drug the blanket everywhere he went. He couldn’t go to sleep without it. He curled up in it when he watched cartoons. He held the corner of it while he sucked his thumb and fell asleep in its cozy comfort. At about age three, my mother decided she needed to just throw it away to rid him of the false security it provided. I don’t remember the effect this had on him, but I’m sure he cried and suffered through the detachment phase of letting go of something near and dear that brought him this strong sense of security.
This is the same brother that got disfellowshipped as a teenager and deteriorated into a lost soul because his security blanket religion abandoned him. It was yanked away from him suddenly and there was no one there out of all his JW friends and family to wrap him up in the blanket of loving familial bonds and bring him through it safely. By the time my mother and I realized our error, he was "sick" and he never recovered from the abandonment.
I think for most JW’s, the religion is their security blanket. They find the ritual and routine comforting and familiar. They like all the predictable spiritual meals and the warmth of the same old worn-out, stained, and coming-unraveled teachings. Many of them really don’t care if it’s a false security or not.
What are your thoughts? Do you have some kind of security blanket of your own?