How Many?

neyank

Hi All,
Reading the 1914 thread brought a question to mind.
How many of us became JWs because of witnesses coming to our doors telling us that Christ came into power invisibly in 1914 and this generation that saw those events would not pass away untill all those things took place?
i.e.The New System coming.Satan bound for a thousand years.People becoming perfect.ect,ect.......
neyank

Simon

There should be a sale of goods act to cover stuff like that shouldn't there !

mommy

Neyank, I was raised a jw so basically I had no choice. What I can tell you is how that affected me.
Everytime an older person in the congregation died, I went to sleep scared fearing tomorrow was gonna be armageddon. This was not the only time growing up I had fear. I was frightened alot.
I also was looking forward to perfection as well, My mom had a disability and was unable to do alot of things, and I was excited to be able to run dance and play with her.
mommy

neyank

Hi Simon,
That's what I was thinking. If we fell for their (the WTS) teaching on 1914,and we became involved with them because of it,and it proved to be a false teaching, then shouldn't we,those of us who left because they were wrong about that date,be free to just walk away?
After all,didn't they (WTS) get us involved with them under false pretenses?
O.K. Any lawyers here? lol
neyank

neyank

Hi Mommy,
Sounds strange saying that to someone who's not my mommy. lol
I know how you feel. Even though I didn't grow up in the org. my kids did. I remember telling them arageddon was just around the corner. All the badness was going to be wiped out. Ect....
Now I have to tell them something different.
neyank

mommy

NEYANK,
What do you tell them now?
mommy

Xandit

Not me, the date thing was never important to me. To be honest I have never been convinced that the chronology was reliable, and that's from the beginning.

neyank

Hi Mommy,
As they got older they decided that they didn't want to be involved with the WTS even though at that time I still thought it was the "truth".
They had their own reasons for not wanting to become JWs.
But they still remember everything that they were taught when they were younger about the WTS being the "truth",that we were in the last days,ect,ect...
Now that I have found out everything that I have about the WBTS I have to tell them that I was wrong to have forced them to believe that the JWs were the right religion,That they (WTS) were the only way to God.
The bad thing about it is, I can never give them the childhoods that they didn't have.

(if that makes sense)

neyank

RR

Good question, I would have to say that their basic theology is what attracted me to them. Granted I didn't have much knowledge of the Scriptures, but much of what they had to share with me, made a lot of sense.

1914 played no issue with me, as I could see from scripture itself that we were living in prophetic times.

"People in glass houses, shouldn't throw stones"

ZazuWitts

Neyank - I have been thinking about your posts off-and-on since yesterday.
Even though I can provide no concrete
'right' answer I'm just going to say what comes to mind and hopes it makes sense.

Re: "The bad thing about it is,
I can never give them the
childhoods that they didn't
have."
Your concern about this makes perfect
'sense.' You now realize that you have been duped - and are refelecting on 'what could have been' for your family if so much time, energy, and thinking hadn't been taken up by the organization. Many of us have been there and we surely can't change the past. As to what you can do - well,
I think one good thing is that your
children didn't become 'slaves' of the
WTBS and they were gloriously free to
walk away. If you disassociate yourself, or whatever happens, you
won't face having your children not be able to speak or associate with their own father.

Tell them briefly of your research, what led to this, and your current feelings. You don't have to go into
everything - they'll ask if they want to know more.

Explain a little about why you were
attracted to the Jw's in the first place. Express your regrets at what might have been, I think they will appeciate that...sorry is as sorry does
and for the immediate future try and
spend time with them individually and collectively, doing things that each/all would find interesting.

They probably have feelings/emotions that will
'come out' and you'll have to deal with that one-on-one - they may surprise you at this point, because if they had their own reasons for not wanting to
dedicate their lives to the organization, you can bet they didn't share all of them with you - perhaps to
spare your feelings???

Neyank, I'm sincerely glad you brought this up - I'm proud of you and encouraged that you feelings extend to your children and what could have been. I think that once you share with them, they, too, will be greatful.

JAVA has a web-site that contains the various stages individuals go through when they deal with situations of this sort. It might be on the hello, hello
thread - if not, JAVA help?

Feeling for you Neyank, we all do, most of us have been there in one fashion or another. (((((((HUGS))))))).

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