Do you think ex Jehovah's Witnesses make better people?

kriptonian7

I am new to this forum and I just stumbled upon it and have been intrigued with the comments and experiences. I have not been envolved for a long time now but my entire family is still is. grandparents, mother, my step dad, and my entire family on my grandmothers side.

But most everyone here, from what I have noticed, has strengthened my belief that if you were a JW at one point, you now are a stronger and better person for it. I have taken some of the teachings and held them to heart for all of these years, and my problems were more with the inner workings of the men that were attempting to lead and instruct me. They teach us all these things that make us question why other other religions teach a certain belief and then train us to counter their responses. but that eventually leads to free thinking in my opinion.

Being a JW my entire life i feel has helped me with many things.

1) strong bible knowledge base. I feel comfotable having a conversation with anyone of any religion about any bible belief

2) people skills...wow how cn you not have people skills? We went door to door and spoke to perfect freaking strangers at their homes..on a sat...in the morning...about god..and how thier beleifs were wrong. i attribute my excellent sales skills to this.

3) A solid core of beliefs that is true with any religion. JW's for the most part are very caring people and will do most anything to help. They just tend to get a little mis guided with their approach on how they should handle things.

4) my ability to question and reason. I had this trait any way, but i feel growing up and being taught to read deeper into Bible teachings has helped me to uncover my own truths and to rely on my self when it comes to my faith in anything.

5) Ex JW's tend to have a good grasp on life. They seem to enjoy it more and appreciate the little things. I like to enjoy a nice cigar from time to time. Sittign with my friends around a poker table having a drink enjoying a 40.00 cigar. if you ask my mother doing this is a slight against jehovah and if the borthers were to see me ...OMG! im sorry i seriously doubt that Jehovah, that God, cares if I that I enjoy a nice smooth Don Pepin with a glass of johnny walker. im not talking abotu drugs or hookers...just enjoying life. its nice to be able to do this without looking over my shoulder.

what do you guys think? theres more im just gettig presed for time. But beleive that once we have broken free, we used what we were taught and our experiences to better ourselves..

leavingwt

Survivors of any ordeal may be stronger people.

However, I don't wish upon anyone the victimization that I received at the hands of WT. I would prefer that everyone be ignorant of such distress.

snowbird

I strongly ... agree!

Sylvia

SixofNine

I think you're just trying to figure out how you got to be so awesome. You're "selfropomorphizing" the WT ;)

Taken more literally, my daughter proves that ex JW's make better people.

VIII

Why do the JWs discourage upper level education?

Where in the Bible does it say women cannot wear pants out in Field Service?

Why must JW adult women put a napkin on their heads to show deference to a male child when praying?

Why did the GB, as late as the 1960's, compare women to Cows?

There are so many examples of sheer stupidity on the part of the totally uneducated GB I could go on and on.

I don't think the JWs make someone better in anyway, shape or form. They encourage brain dead following. Like all Cults. They are a C-U-L-T.

And, no, I don't think learning how to sell magazines door to door is a good skill. Unpaid labor for a book publishing corporation. It's called Slavery. Cult Style.

OUTLAW

I think Dr.Frankenstien did a much better job..

Frankenstein(1931)

...............

OnTheWayOut

1.Former JW's often have a strong Bible understanding. But those that don't become former JW's (they stay JW) only have snippets of Bible understanding. Also, there are plenty of people outside of JW's/ex-JW's that have a good Bible understanding.

2. They do have people skills. You could get better people skills from Toastmasters or from a good college education.

3. "JW's for the most part are very caring people and will do most anything to help. They just tend to get a little mis guided with their approach on how they should handle things." I disagree with this statement partially. JW's are caring people, true. They become more than a little misguided. WTS makes them think that only WTS-related things are good deeds to help people.

I mention this specifically because I think that being a JW made people worse. They hate charity, they hate religions that are charitable. They tell someone they cannot help them because they have to go to meetings or field service. Former JW's may be much better, but I bet the person would have been more charitable and giving if they were never a JW.

4. Ex-JW's certainly do generally question and reason better than many people. But some ex-JW's question themselves and their own judgement. I would say they are like other people- all over the map on faith, beliefs, looking deeper into things. If you notice some of the bestsellers at the bookstore, plenty of people are looking deep into their spiritual path.

5. Similar to No. 4. People are all over the map on that. I tend to agree with you a bit though. I don't think anyone who was not a JW can appreciate fully what it's like to relax on the weekend in the same way.

kriptonian7

Why do the JWs discourage upper level education?
Where in the Bible does it say women cannot wear pants out in Field Service?
Why must JW adult women put a napkin on their heads to show deference to a male child when praying?
Why did the GB, as late as the 1960's, compare women to Cows?
There are so many examples of sheer stupidity on the part of the totally uneducated GB I could go on and on.
I don't think the JWs make someone better in anyway, shape or form. They encourage brain dead following. Like all Cults. They are a C-U-L-T.
And, no, I don't think learning how to sell magazines door to door is a good skill. Unpaid labor for a book publishing corporation. It's called Slavery. Cult Style.

yeah...thats why i said EX JW's People that have been freed from that ridiculousness. And VIII, if you used to be a JW, then my thread is actually complimenting you. i bet you will never let a person or an organization control any aspect of your life ever again. I bet you now scrutinize and dig deeper than you did before when presented with information...

I know that after my experience, i look at things differently. i know i listed a few physical things that i feel were bettered, but now that i can look back on that whole ordeal, I know that spiritualy and emotionally i am a better person...im stronger and i will never let anyone, let alone outsiders from my core of people, dictate my life ever again. And i thank them for that, for opening my eyes.

And leavingwt, I would never want anyone to experience what I went thru either especially at a young age. but you are right anything that we experince makes us stronger.

man oh man i should have taken the red pill :)

AllTimeJeff

I catch both the content, spirit, and intent of your post kriptonian7 and agree.

It is inumbant to find meaning to our lives, and that includes mining what we can from our JW experience.

That doesn't mean we allow JW's a free pass on any of their BS. Far from it. Nor does it mean that what we learned as JW's we could have learned elsewhere. But since this is our common place, where we all at one time or another were at, it is healthy to take the good out of it....

AudeSapere

Leavingwt wrote that survivors of any ordeal may be better people.

I agree with that. Also, people who consciously leave the org (or attempt to recover from being tossed out) become more cognitive in general.

I think it's the awareness and conscious living that make people 'better'.

-Aude.

Do you think ex Jehovah's Witnesses make better people?

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