Is it possible for a child to be exposed to JWism and not be damaged by it?

Mickey mouse

What do you think? Were you raised as a JW and feel you suffered no ill effects? Or do you feel it had a negative impact on your life?

cameo-d

It is not even possible for an adult exposed to it not to be influenced by it in some way.

If not by the teachings of WT itself, then in dealing with the behavior of friends, family, and associates who have been caught up in it.

It's like catching a cold. Even if you don't catch the cold yourself, you are subjected to the symptoms of others.

Anything that touches your life has the potential of influence in some way. And I think with JWism that influence is usually negative.

I think its really admirable that so many here have been able to turn the negative around and use their background knowledge in a way to help others that are trapped. There are some things that only another JW could relate to.

slimboyfat

What can we truly know about the inner life of another person with any certainty? Not a lot I think.

But it certainly seems to me that many people live their whole lives happy as Jehovah's Witnesses. They have careers, friends, family, a place in the congregation, a sense of purpose, and an ideology that makes sense of the world around them. Sure some leave because being a Witness makes them miserable too. But we should be cautious about assuming our own thoughts and feelings about any given situation to be universal.

And incidentally, although many are happy to get free from the religion, some apostates are by all appearances miserable once they have left. So it works both ways.

LouBelle

I was raised one, been out for nearly 4 years, no damage done, in fact I love life more, have a great appreciation for it. Being in that faith help shape me, it is part of who I am, and I love me today.

Junction-Guy

For the most part--No, however some people are just lucky.

snowbird

I suppose it depends a lot on how much that child is exposed to alternative views and how much support and affirmation are received from outside sources.

A poster and I were talking the other night about how being a JW doesn't necessarily have to be all bad.

For instance, I raised my first child as a JW, and she rebelled something terrible. She got involved in all sorts of unsavory stuff and is still reeling from the consequences.

Her oldest child, never exposed to the JW's, is wild and completely out of control.

I raised my second child the same way, and she's the total opposite.

Relatively speaking, there are some things that are far worse than being raised a JW.

Sylvia

Junction-Guy

Sorry I can't quote you Snowbrd, but your first paragraph does say alot, and I agree with that.

snowbird

Is ok, Junction Guy.

My heart just goes out to all children who have been hurt or scarred in any way.

It often takes years for the scars to heal, if they ever do.

I apologized to my oldest daughter for raising her the way I did.

My youngest is so reserved and reticent that she fits right in the JW lifestyle.

Sylvia

Junction-Guy

Something else too I have noticed is that some people seem to have escaped it well, but when you dig deeper, they really did not escape as untouched, as was originally thought.

Junction-Guy

And there can also be outside help that factors into the equation too.

Take my Mom and Uncle for instance, both were raised JW, but my uncle seems relatively unscathed by it all, while my Mom's whole life has been heartache.

The difference being that my Uncle was able to get a really decent paying job with the help of my grandpa, while my Mom was excluded from that. My Mom had to work low paying jobs for long hours in order to support us, my Uncle "lucked out" and got a high paying job almost directly out of high school.

My uncle also found a good wife and that in itself goes a long way. My Mom's husbands worked against her, instead of with her.

My Uncle was also allowed more leeway in high school than my Mom and was allowed to play school sports. Alot of the extra curricular activities helped prepare him for life.

Is it possible for a child to be exposed to JWism and not be damaged by it?

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