well I met my hubby there and have 2 wonderful grown children and 2 even more wonderful, if that is possible, grandchildren.
Has anyone got anything positive from the WT organisation?
by BloominMarvellous 46 Replies latest jw friends
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mouthy
Yes I thank them for much
1 Stopping smoking( 2 packs a day)
2 Public Speaking, (Spoke in many many Churches,T.V. & groups now)
3 Being able to speak to any one,no matter what they are,( drunks, prostitute,drug addicts)
only because I wanted to convert them LOL)
4..Cleaning up my mouth ( used to swear like a trouper)
5..Learned how to be a punching bag for Jehovah!!!! ( with out responding
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Now let me tell you what that cost me!!!!
The love of my Daughter,Grand-daughter,my dear friends,
who are still JWS....
You win some & lose some.... So Life marches on.... -
GoddessRachel
Okay, fine, I'll play.
I know most of the books of the Bible and their proper order. I have a bunch of useful scriptures memorized. I know the fruitage of God's Holy Spirit (and I also know that many JW's do not demonstrate genuinely that they have the fruitage of God's Holy Spirit within their hearts).
I did pretty good in my Speech class, I think, as a result of having parts on the TMS.
And for better or worse it has made me who I am today, so I can only appreciate that as well!
Rachel
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purplesofa
I did,
I needed some discipline in my life in the beginning, I met some wonderful people that helped me through very difficult times, some of the things they teach helped me very much in the business world that proved to be beneficial. I broadened my world as far as meeting people from all over the world, making friendships of JW's online!!! and meeting them in person.
I was glad to learn that there was no hellfire and that when we die we are unconscious.
Unlike the Catholic religion, which is what I was raised..........I was able to divorce with a clear conscience. I was able to Scriptually divorce, until I studied the bible I probably would not have divorced and my witness friends helped me through that time in my life.
I became more gracious, humble and learned humility living my life as a JW. I also got to know people I would have not ever had associated with prior to the experiance, I looked at people for who they were in their heart and not the social way I had prior to it.
I guess I was pretty messed up before becoming a witness. I am sorry it was not all that it projected to be.......coming in I had alot of personal stuff going on.....so much was appealling that I did not really pay attention to the bullshit until later when my personal life calmed down.
Sometimes I feel ungrateful, then I have to remember being a part of it, gleaning the good is all part of my personal life journey.
purps
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OUTLAW
I did`nt learn anything,I could have learned someplace else..Without all the damage...............................................OUTLAW
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yknot
Hmmm.
First I must tell the WTS thanks for my pissed off former Bethelite and GG elders! They taught me the ways of the WTS ladder, said I should be a Berean, the mediation interpretation was crap, that the pubs were written by people and to always choose God over Organization.
Next I must thank them training me to endure and stand up to peer pressure (even under long periods of isolation)
Third thanks for teaching me how to spot propaganda (especially WTS's!)
Fourth thanks for insisting that I pay attention to global events.
Fifth thanks for the sales training, I can easily use the same methods now to get JWs to indulge in their doubts!
..... this all said I still am thinking my life would have been much sweeter had I been raised a Southern Baptist or Presbyterian like my parents!....
I would have figured the no hell, Arianism and soul sleep until resurrection on my own!
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villabolo
I learned that evil people don't wear black robes and helmets but are ordinary next door neighbors. They taught me about the banality of evil.
I also learned how to spot contradictions and lies much easier.
villabolo
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Blithe Freshman
I learned how a cult works.
BF
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Heaven
I wouldn't say I have received anything positive from them. Because they exist and have exacted an influence over my family, I have learned much.
My father received something positive from the WTS... but it had quite a large cost.
After he retired, my father decided to dedicate his life to 'Jehovah'. This was because he had no plan for what he was going to do in retirement and was having a lot of difficulty dealing with this enormous life-change. And his marriage was not working well. They found him at a vulnerable time.
The WTS gave him what was missing in his life. They replaced the working organization my father had left with one that had a similar form in terms of having goals, processes, and structure. They gave him something 'important' to do. They gave him an excuse to get away from my mother. These things may have saved his life back then. However, in the process of executing on the WTS's processes and goals, his family was destroyed.
What I have learned is that when you ignore your problems and don't deal with them, they just get bigger and uglier. My father used the WTS as a reason not to deal with the issues in his life. Couple this with their 'everyone is bad if they aren't a JW' , you have nice recipe for a holier-than-thou attitude. And this has destroyed much for him.
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mraimondi
If you say you havent gotten anything positive out of being a witness or being associated with them, you either havent paid attention or might not have the fortitude or intelligence to make your own desicions or learn from ANYTHING.
for me? I view the witnesses like a school I graduated from. Public speaking, check. Talking to strangers about controversial subjects, check. Learning about the Bible, check (and then learning more after my association with the witnesses). Getting a decent work ethic, check. Staying out of politics, (even though it is in doubt the org itself did) check. Paying attention to history and world events, check. Travelling around the States, Canada, and mexico, check. Learning what a cult is like, check. Being able to develop friendships WITHOUT conditions (unlike the witnesses) check. Becoming closer to my family due to the witnesses (in my area) speaking of the importance of keeping contact with "worldly" relatives, check.
It was an experience i would trade for nothing. Of course, i seem to have been more "free" than most people here, and able to make my own decisions, unlike apparently some of the others here, who insist they were FORCED not to go to school, date a worldly girl, etc...