I've had 3 different JWs tell me this over the past few weeks.
Basically their thinking is non-JWs are not happy and when they appear to be its not real, its not a true happiness. According to them, non-JWs use drugs, alcohol and wild sex to make themselves happy. I mentioned that the same can be said about some JWs and that I know lots of non-JWs that do not lead this type of lifestyle but are very active in the community and do lots of charity work and have healthy well-rounded families. The response from each of them was that "worldly people may pretend to be happy by throwing themselves into charity work and community service to avoid facing the real issues. Shop, its impossible to be happy without Jehovah. When it comes down to it, Jehovah will get rid of all of them. Their charity work can't save them and it won't save you." This verbatim from one but the others gave very similar responses and they don't even know each other.
HOW CRAZY IS THAT? Actually its more sad than crazy.
I told one of them to think about, if you're an upstanding citizen in sound mental and physical health, with a good family and plenty of friends and you actively work to make the world a better place that its impossible to be truly happy and that you will die because you don't go to the KH. She replied with a definitive "Yes". I told her I don't buy it anymore. I'm sure its going to result in a few phone calls from elders or the end of the friendship. I'm sure she'll try to save me first.
Let me tell you guys something, since I've started "widening out" the more I realize that there a lot of upstanding non-JWs. I've met a number of folks that don't use drugs, profanity or have wild sex parties and didn't have sex until they were married (this actually surprised me) so JWs don't have a monopoly on religious morals.
It really hit home that JWs are very much like the movie "The Village". If you saw the movie then you know what I'm talking about.
This may seem trivial but thought it might help someone by sharing this. Plus it was theraputic for me because when you share stuff like this with non-JWs they look at you like you're crazy...kind of like the way I look at JWs now .
So do you guys know any happy "worldly people" or all they all druggies and sex addicts pretending to be happy?
Shop.