by minimus 56 Replies latest jw friends
Witnesses say that when people leave "The Truth", they get involved in a debauched life, misery, and general unhappiness.
They give experiences of some that left the "sweet fellowship" of the "brotherhood" and the awful results because of it. Then, they come back and their lives change 100% for the better!
Have YOU found life to be miserable and unproductive since "leaving Jehovah"?
I never left Jehovah (except for that year or so I was an atheist), I left the man made organization that claims to be his mouthpiece on earth. And yes, I am happier and more productive since I left the org.
The miserable things that have happened in my life are not because I left the bORG. I think if had been in the bOrg when all the events that led to losing my house I and my family would be worst off.
Lately my mother has been trying to push a friendship with a lady who studying on me. Mother believes that we both left "the truth" for the same reasons and thinks that I need to "network" with this woman to get the help I need with my youngest son Joshua. No thank you Mother, I'm doing fine finding my own network and resources. I'm not gonna be dragged back to the bOrg that way.
I mentioned "leaving Jehovah" because JWs equate leaving the Organization the same as leaving Jehovah.
I am MUCH happier. My parents joined this when I was about 12, and although I did eventually get brainwashed into being a JW, I was always sort of an unhappy JW - someone who really missed not being part of normal human society.
Things are great now, and I just don't worry about the JWs any longer.
I think there may be some percentage of ex-JWs who are a lot like me - who were really unhappy as witnesses and never truly bought into all of it.
I'm happier.
But it doesn't come immediately. When you first learn the lies of the "truth", there is a down period. You question, not only the religion you knew, you question almost every value you held. That's especially true for us born-ins.
That's where sometimes some people go off on wild tangents, trying to re-discover themselves. I've seen it in people I know. I've been guilty to a lesser degree myself. That's why I encourage people to take things slow and to let time heal wounds.
It takes time to find who you really are. Once you do that, and you've put as much of the WT influence behind you, you find contentment and happiness that you never had as a JW. The reason that is is because as a JW, you were always prodded to keep looking to the future...and to keep working hard to garner favor from God (read: the organization). That treadmill way of life did not result in happiness. It was a false sense of security and joy. You thought you were happy as a JW because you were told that you were. But for most JWs, they had nothing to compare it to...again especially for born-ins.
Looking back on being a JW, I sometimes wonder how I ever felt happy. Always worrying about stumbling people, worrying about sinning, worrying about persecution. How can you be happy when you know you're supposed to be persecuted and hated?
I'm in my 50s but I enjoy life as though I was in my twenties. I love music and socializing and literally being able to say something without fear of "stumbling" someone.
I mentioned "leaving Jehovah" because JWs equate leaving the Organization the same as leaving Jehovah.
Yah, I know what you meant. It's a pity, reallly, that JWs think that way.
When I was in the Borg I was miserable, plus the last few years of being in nearly broke my marriage.
So am I happier? Hell yeah!
So life isn't perfect that's ok at least when things go wrong I no longer think I am being punished or tested.
UC, it's f*cked up.
