Maybe being a Witness wasnt so bad? (page 4)

freydo

The whole experience reminds me of high school. I would never want to go back, though there were some benefits. The structure forced you to learn and field circus was like jw sports. I would think that being raised in a military family would have many similarities.

freydo

duplicate

Doubtfully Yours

I value my family and lifelong friendships tremendously, more so than the freedom that comes with not being a JW; think of it as a sacrifice for what's really important to me.

I, as do many others, take most of their stuff with a grain of salt; dismiss a lot of their crazy dogmatic ways and keep moving along. As we all get older, it's becoming easier, because the guilt trips from the platform aren't working as well as before. Just another religion and nothing else.

DY

designs

It is a mixed bag. Another time and another place I would not have my children, serendipity.

Now its time for all of those pursuits that were put on the shelf for way to long.

independent_tre

When I think back to my childhood, the ONLY time my entire family was together including my grandma was at the 4 day conventions. I got to be around my cousins, aunts, mom, etc... It felt wonderful and I still have fond memories of fruit bags, Swiss miss pudding and my grandma whom I loved dearly (now deceased). We never had family reunions and of course didn't celebrate any holidays, so to me this was the one big chance to be around everyone I loved. Up until my teens, I never wanted to miss one.

When I became an adult, and understood and saw the manipulation and pressure for what is was - those warm fuzzies vanished.

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BTW - The "was-there-anything-good-about-being-a-witness" threads pop up from time to time. This is not the first nor will be the last. People are people and the resulting emotional state of anyone exiting a cult can run the gamut from severly bitter, to depressed, to just thankful to have finally learned the truth. Ex-witnesses, just like anyone else leaving a high control group, try to make sense of that experience. They wonder how in the world they could have stayed so long or joined in the first place, was there anything good, etc..etc...

I believe it to be a very subjective and personal healing process, so I really don't understand why people feel the need to reject someone else's experiences as crazy, insane, or wrong. It's just how they feel. That's their reality for now. And even that may change as one experiences more of their life w/o the witnesses.

Farkel

:So what positives have come from your Witness exsperiences?

Getting out of it was the most positive experience of my life.

Farkel

acolytes

I think I titled this post incorrectly.

But the positives that came from my witness exsperience.

A. I now treat everyday as very persiouse. (Iam now very unsure of an afterlife)

B. I still have good friends thst I made through the door to door work.

C I have many ex-witnesses as friends

D I have helped people in their recovery from Jehovers Witnesses -

E I learnt critical thinking (All be it as a result of questioning the organisation as opposed to what I learnt as a member)

F I am more tolerent of other people and their beliefe system

G I discoverd how many people who really loved me. Accepting me as I was before during and after my witness exsperience. (I feal ashamed of having judged them as a witness)

H I gave up smoking (Stupidly started again after leaving)

I I learnt to stand up for myself against bullying elders-

J I didnt loose my wife because of being a witness. It actually made our love stronger.

K I have learnt many interesting exsperiences and knowledge from people who have been through the exsperience of leaving.

Yes being a witness was bad. But I have always triead in life to be positive. Life doesnt have to be perfect to be wonderful. A sick person in hospital can be very inspiring depending on how they cope with their sickness. I regard myself as having been sick during my time as a witness.But I also want to try and take positives from that time.'

Acolytes-

sammielee24

Just another religion and nothing else.

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This makes all those who died because of Watchtower doctrine, seem somehow.....of less value. To insist that the Watchtower is 'just another religion' is a testament to the brainwashing that they have mastered. To insist that this is 'just another religion' while it keeps grandparents from grandchildren, parents from children and brothers from sisters - is again, a testament to that brainwashing. We could go on but there is no logic and reason when trying to discuss those issues from within a cult....and no, there is nothing special that comes from being a JW. sammieswife.

leavingwt

This makes all those who died because of Watchtower doctrine, seem somehow.....of less value. To insist that the Watchtower is 'just another religion' is a testament to the brainwashing that they have mastered. To insist that this is 'just another religion' while it keeps grandparents from grandchildren, parents from children and brothers from sisters - is again, a testament to that brainwashing. We could go on but there is no logic and reason when trying to discuss those issues from within a cult....and no, there is nothing special that comes from being a JW. sammieswife.

My thoughts, exactly. Thank you, sammieswife.

There is no need to polish turds or paint lipstick onto pigs. Destructive mind control cults suck. Big-time.

stillin

sometimes you HAVE to polish a turd. It's all you have to work with.

Maybe being a Witness wasnt so bad?

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