1. Getting baptized at 14 and not knowing WHAT the heck I was 'signing' up for
2. Dating worthless, lazy, no work ethic, SELFISH 'brothers' who were supposedly approved all because they were baptized - but in the end - were a waste of my time and YOUNGER years in dating.
3. Subjecting my bf (back in the day) who was a non-JW to the whole JW experience! I demanded that he study, I demanded that he change his religion in order to be with me, I made him sit with my parents and listened to them berate him (and myself) while they fed him all their haughty beliefs and requirements in order to date THEIR JW daughter. In the end, I chose the religion over him...all because I didn't want to lose my family.
4. Confessing EVERYTHING to the elders and expecting them to be loving and compassionate instead of cruel and demeaning.
5. LISTENING and believing that I needed to stay with my abusive JW fiance all because we're taught to 'let your yes mean yes - no no' and that I needed to be MORE in subjection and not provoke HIM into hurting me!
6. Never taking the time to really get to know my non-JW family on a personal level...was always taught they were 'worldly' and so we as JWs should NOT associate with them. Of course NOW I do talk to them - regularly.
7. Treating people that were DF'd like they didn't exist. Guess you never know WHAT it feels like until YOU'RE in their shoes - and now I know. But I feel bad that I ignored them in public or stopped talking to them AS IF I was better then them...so digusting to even think about.
8. NEVER questioning things....and accepting whatever I was told from the platform.
9. Comming across as 'snotty' or standoffish to certain people because I refused to hang out with them or get to know them (scrips say bad association spoils useful habits). Instead I formed conditional 'friendships' with people who could've cared less about ME in the end
10. Allowing my parents to use the religion to manipulate and control me
11. Judging people and feeling I had the right to do so...I mean, I was a JW - we truly believed we were judge & jury!!!
I can think of more, but they will come to me when I have a little peace in my area. Anyone else care to share what they regret?