Did You Believe That The World Adored JW's?

by mentallyfree31 13 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  mentallyfree31

  As a JW, I always believed that the outside world adored us. I knew that many people didn't care for us, and didn't believe our teachings, but I thought our conduct was a "bright light" shining to the world. From the stage, we heard endless stories of business people and other non-jws praising us because we were such nice people. The conventions presented example after example (in the concluding talks usually) of comments made by local people that seemed to think we were God's chosen ones.

  Did you feel the same way as a JW?

  I realize now that by using "Information Control", they fed us a very unbalanced stream of information, and this isn't true. As a non-jw for the last year, I find that there are plenty of negative perceptions floating around too.

  -MF31-
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  MrMonroe

  My wife makes the point that when she used to explain to teachers and other parents why our kids didn't celebrate birthdays, Christmas and Easter she got the impression they respected our stand as a matter of conscience.

  Since we left, we see it from an entirely different perspective. We hear other parents speaking with puzzlement and dismay that JW kids are denied these things and are victims of their parents' nutty and restrictive religion. Which mirrors our own view now!

  The barrage of talks claiming how councils, governments, businesses etc viewed Witnesses with such respect was pure self-reassurance. We all knew from the reaction at doors how exasperated and irritated ordinary people were with our religion, which insisted they listen to our views and also insisted OUR religion was the only true one. That private irritation would simply be a reflection of what the wider community, including schools, councils, doctors etc feel.

  Bottom line: everyone hates Jehovah's Witnesses.
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  peacefulpete

  I get what you're saying. I did feel that my religion's "righteousness" was a condemnation of the world and that sometimes the world had to admit it publicly. I suspected that they secretly admired us. Well, most folks actually do respect people who seem to be ethical and sincere. I do. Sadly some very good people have become convinced that they are lesser for not being religious. I think the Mormons today have captured the general public's perception of being highly ethical and family oriented more than the JWs or others. But at the same time I think those same people sense that the doctrinal baggage packaged with the ethics make the religions undesireable.
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  ziddina

  "Did You Believe That The World Adored JW's?..."

  Ah, HAH HAH HAH HAH HAH HAH HAH HAH HAH HAH HAH HAH HAH HAH HAH HAH HAH HAH HAH HAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  hOOOOO!! THAT was a GOOD ONE!!!!

  I saw the "worldlies" become VERY angry at JWs during the Vietnam War... I saw them ker-plunk JW boys into prison for refusing to go... I saw a "worldly" beat up a hippie for not standing during the flag salute - and I was REALLY glad that I'd decided to STAND respectfully during flag salutes...

  I've seen a preponderance of anger, disgust, hatred and contempt directed towards JWs when I went door-to-door...

  I also saw the wide chasm of discrepancy between the Assembly "experiences" and the daily behavior of the Jehovah's Witnesses in the Kingdom Halls - many of whom actually took financial advantage of their "brothers", sometimes even stealing their money or refusing to pay a fellow JW for labor performed on construction jobs - and I am NOT talking about "quick builds" or rebuilds here...

  Yeah, I became a hardened cynic about the "honesty" of Jehovah's Witnesses at a VERY early age...

  Strange that I allowed myself to tumble to Bro Dan's line of BS, though... I must have momentarily forgotten much of what I've observed, in the KH's...

  I'll trust a Catholic or a Baptist over a JW, ANY day...

  Zid
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  Broken Promises

  I always thought the opposite - that Satan turned the world against the JWs so they would hate us and persecute us. My mother lived during the ban in Australia during WW2 so I was brought up with the idea that the authorities could turn against us at any time.
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  Bungi Bill

  What a question to ask!

  At the very best, the "world" viewed us a maybe rather harmless - but still definitely on the lunatic fringe:

  - and this was at the very best.

  As there became more of us about, and we started covering the territory every month or less, we started to be regarded as a straight-out bloody nuisance around the place.

  From harmless lunatics to just a plain bloody nuisance - but NEVER (not even once) adored!

  Bill.
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  FreeAtLast1914

  Yep. As a born-in, that's what I was told, how the world hates us but at the same time highly respects our morals and values and way of life. What a load that was. Being out, I now see that not only does the world not adore JWs, they rarely take notice of them (unless their badgering them at the doors, which is thankfully happening less and less these days).

  It turns out JWs aren't part of this greatly respected religion, they're part of a cult that inflates their importance beyond measure.
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  Eiben Scrood

  Their endless self-congratulatory comments are sickening. No one likes a braggart. They obnoxious. It's especially noxious when there's nothing to even brag about in the first place.
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  ziddina

  Yup, Eben Scrood... Spot on!!!
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  OUTLAW

  It depends on what Time of Day you Talk to a JW..

  "The world Loves JW`s!..The world Persecutes JW`s!"..

  "No one knows who JW`s are!"..

  "Why am I so Confussed?"..

  

  ....................... ...OUTLAW