Ex-Christians being angry

by Jonathan Drake 27 Replies latest jw friends

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  Jonathan Drake

  I know I'm angry. I was curious if others are too.

  i feel completely justified in my anger as well. I was angry enough at the Jehovah's witmess religion for causing me to throw away the potential I had to be anything. Now I'm angry about Christianity being a big huge lie. The relatives I've lost and can never see and won't have a relationship with makes me angry. The way billions still believe it makes me angry, and the fact that all of those people are being victimized by a lie, robbed of their intelligence and stripped of their reasoning ability makes me angry; but the fact that I was one of them just pisses me off.

  I can completely understand the reaction of some ex Christians to posts about faith and God and the future now. I'm not even sure I can post on such topics without coming across as aggressive to that person when I'm honestly just trying to help in what small ways I currently can.
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  sparrowdown

  Yes, some days I feel right royally pissed off with all religion.

  Like days when I see some witness and they scurry past me like I have the plague. Or when I read of some abuse case or some JW needlessly dying because of blood policy.
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  cappytan

  The anger passes as you continue to explore and expand your world view. For me it took about 6 weeks from when I admitted to myself I no longer believed to when I stopped being angry. (I am likely an exception as I just hate feeling angry. It angers me to feel angry :P)

  I do still have some resentment. But that's different than anger.

  Meditation has helped. Not the weird, transcendantal, metaphysical kind of meditation. Just finding a quiet place, being alone with my thoughts and focusing on nothing but enjoying each breath even for as little as 15 minutes a day has helped ease the anger and resentment.

  I actually feel more of a pity now for those that still believe. It's a sad sad thing to see people waste their lives trying to please a made up thing.
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  Jonathan Drake

  Or when I read of some abuse case or some JW needlessly dying because of blood policy.
  

  And this is happening more and more often. Each time I want to just smack my parents and all the people I've callled friends and say, "READ THIS!? SEE THIS!? THIS is what this religion truly is.

  sometimes a very tactfully do that, and then I get even more angry because, "I know it's wrong and Jehovah will take care of it." Just passing the buck and continuing to donate, idiots.
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  William Penwell

  I too at times think about what this religion robbed me off. I feel as a young teen what I could have done if I was allowed to apply myself. Growing up it was never encouraged because the Kingdum work was the most important work. Even though my teens and early twenties was wasted on a deluded dream, I am glad I got out when I did. I cannot change the past but I can look forward to a future where I can still fulfill some of my dreams without a cult telling me its wrong. I once heard it said that the biggest tragedy in life is looking back and realizing there were things you would have like to do but never did it. Like I said the only thing I can do now is look ahead and not behind.
  
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  Chris Hannover

  I wonder if it is less anger and more suffocating frustration.

  I was angry and/or frustrated because I still believed in their opinions on morality, good, and bad. Christian morality only supports victimhood, self shame, and condemns everything normal for humans. For example, money is bad, sex is bad, self esteem is bad, being a doormat is good, blindly doing what im told is good, being the victim is good, standing up for myself is bad, etc.

  I was trying to be healthy, but every healthy move I made violated the backwards morals of Christians. Incredibly frustrating.

  Only when I realized that their submission based morals were unhealthy did I start to move out of the anger. I am replacing the unhealthy, self loathing Christian morals with morals that appreciate anything that supports a healthy life.
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  Jonathan Drake

  Meditation has helped. Not the weird, transcendantal, metaphysical kind of meditation. Just finding a quiet place, being alone with my thoughts and focusing on nothing but enjoying each breath even for as little as 15 minutes a day has helped ease the anger and resentment.
  

  I will try this, if it'll help me not be so pissed then thats good. I don't like having such a short fuse when it used to be much much longer.
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  bradford

  Jonathan,

  I think I'm more angry at myself for letting myself get sucked in and not waking up sooner. As for the organization and the people in it - I try to think how I was a year ago, five years ago, and how I would be the same as them, trying to be more zealous, following all the rules of the organization that Jehovah has chosen. I guess I can't be mad at them because they honestly believe it and I can't see what the GB gains except the power trip. They are blind themselves. You can't be mad at someone who is blind for not being able to see. They went through decades themselves of the same brainwashing techniques.
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  William Penwell

  I was angry and/or frustrated because I still believed in their opinions on morality, good, and bad. Christian morality only supports victimhood, self shame, and condemns everything normal for humans. For example, money is bad, sex is bad, self esteem is bad, being a doormat is good, blindly doing what im told is good, being the victim is good, standing up for myself is bad, etc.

  My big pet peeve with religion. I once heard it said that religion appeals to your approval seeking self. In the real world to get ahead this does not work whether in business, romance or friendships. People only want a door mate if they want something but someone they can walk over it not attractive. In the end they do not respect you. They look to people that are assertive and know what they want in life. Religion or any cults like a passive person type of person as they can control them. This is something I have being fighting with all my life.
  
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  snugglebunny

  JD, hopefully in time you'll come to the conclusion that all religions are just plain tedious. Once boredom settles in the anger quickly evaporates. At that point, everything you do and conclude really is of your own free will. Without the reward / punishment expectancy of a typical Xtian, life can be so much better.