The way I see it, as children we believe what we're taught by our parents. 'Worldly' kids believe in Father Christmas/Tooth Fairy etc until they reach a certain age (it's ok Ninja, just kidding - Father Christmas DOES exist!!) - but they don't feel stupid for believing, it's just (once a year) harmless fantasy. WT is dangerous fantasy, and kids born into it are subjected all year round in nearly every aspect of their lives. They're not allowed to develop normally to cope with the 'childhood lie'
Forget all of the stages: Denial, Anger, Sadness - Don't you sometimes just feel STUPID for having believed in the Organization?
by BonaFide 48 Replies latest jw friends
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slimboyfat
Mostly I feel stupid for thinking other people were so wrong. When I look back now it strikes me that I never realised how tolerant friends at school were of my obnoxious certainty.
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Narkissos
"I was stupid" and "I was fooled" are the two sides of the same coin imo. You may actually feel less stupid saying "I was stupid" than "I was fooled" -- depending on your degree of self-consciousness and sophistication...
What both leave out is, (why) I chose to get/be/stay there. Old discussion, fewer takers.
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chickpea
reeling from the deaths of
a brother and a son.....the perfect low hanging fruit......
that is how they got methe chaos of 4 kids and the
pre-digested "we'll do the
thinking for you" material
and the mindset of living as
"theocratic" a life as could be
managed effectively disengaged
my intellect ....not an excuse, an explanation
for how STUPID i was!!!!
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gubberningbody
No. I did all the investigating I could before becoming one. The internet wasn't a resource then, there weren't any books around besides what looked obviously slanted, like "Kingdom of the Cults" whose author was pushing mainstream Christianity which seemed obviously wrong and stupid. Later after spending a significant amount of time observing JW's I felt convinced that they were convinced. I wasn't giving them any money. They seemed unconcerned about my joining. They didn't vote, salute the flag, go to war or have paid clergy that I was aware of. Later after I requested a study it seemed that all the answers came from the bible. When I later became a pioneer, I spent a lot of time with people whose goal it was to prove them wrong (and all they focused on was the trinity, hellfire and the immortal soul doctrine, all of which seemed unbiblical and stupid). No one effectively dealt with the 1914 issue, and the organization as vicar of Christ or that Christ wasn't my mediator, so all I felt I had was confirmation when I finished arguing with them.
Actually, many of the people I knew who were the most active and vocal were the most intelligent. Now, after reading the book "Why smart people believe stupid things" I believe it's because when you are effective at arguing a position, you can easily come to imagine that you are likewise correct.
How wrong I was. (I suppose also having a high level of self esteem from acing tests in school and generally outperforming almost everyone I came in contact with made it that much more difficult to see how a person with poor argumentational skills and no knowledge of how an argument ought be conducted, could in point of fact be correct.)
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slimboyfat
What both leave out is, (why) I chose to get/be/stay there. Old discussion, fewer takers.
Well I explained what I think are my reasons once. It can all be traced back to my mother.
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leavingwt
Once I read Hassan's books, I felt lucky to have escaped.
7 million are still enslaved.
They're earning that Paradise Earth, knocking on doors at this very moment.
Meanwhile, "Jehovah" is sitting in Brooklyn, counting his money, laughing.
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chicken little
My therapist told me that as a 2 year old I was ran over by a truck. That was his comparison for my parents accepting the Jw beliefs when I was so little. He said there was no way I could have reacted any differently, you believe your parents..full stop. I stayed a witness when they left..why? Because I felt like I belonged to a group that gave me an identity. My self worth was very low, coming from an abusive family, being a witness filled a need at the time. As the years past my doubts became more and more difficult to ignore. When I left I wanted to embrace strangers on the street and ask for forgiveness for judging them. I feel shame to think of how I thought about certain groups of people, now some of those groups are my dear friends. They have never once said a bad word about my past and what I was before. Amazing really. I think stupid is not the correct word...uninformed in general...a little better maybe?
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JustHuman14
For sure I feel agry, hatred towards the leadership of the WT, and the fact that they have stolen my life and my best years. I wish they rot in hell those louzy false prophets...
But I'm feeling blessed since I'm no longer slave of the WT and I'm free, free in Christ
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AllTimeJeff
What both leave out is, (why) I chose to get/be/stay there. Old discussion, fewer takers.
This is a more constructive question to ask. It allows you to learn about yourself, and apply some great (and well earned) life lessons.
As a practical matter, the emotions I know exist and are strong, but the truth of the matter is, stupidity as a personality trait has nothing to do with it.
We were all fooled, because the information presented to us was not forthcoming, and it was very much doctored. There is a clear indoctrination agenda involved with the GB. It is a decades tested approach of offering everlasting life and presenting Jehovah as a loving god, only to learn that membership to the club involves a great loss of autonomy and control in your life. They want to keep you so busy, you have no time to think and act..... The more free time one has, the worse off it is for the GB and its relationship with the flock.
There may be stupid JW's, just like there may be stupid people anywhere. But I personally wouldn't view it that way. You were fooled by a very insidious cult. We all were. No one likes to be made a fool of, but that wasn't your idea. You are only a fool if after looking at all the evidence, you chose to stay.