Great stuff.
You Can Overcome WT Phobias!
by leavingwt 54 Replies latest jw friends
-
-
troubledfiancee
Good bump: this is a great post. I'm attempting to help someone manage these phobias.
-
scooterspank
Fear of "worldly" people
Overcoming that fear was my first step to freedom. Great post!!!
-
tracylee
9 years after getting out, I still have the occasional irrational fear that something I buy from a vintage flea market might be "demonized". That's the one stupid WT phobia that I still haven't shaken completely, as stupid as it sounds!
Great post!
-
Palimpsest
In addition to LWT's excellent advice and comments (as always), I just wanted to point out that this type of fear-confronting is exactly what cognitive-behavioral therapy does. It's consistently proven to be the most effective form of therapy for people dealing with anxiety, including post-traumatic stress disorder and other problems common to ex-NRM members, so if you're considering seeking formal help, it's definitely what you want to look for from a practitioner. I'd be happy to communicate with anyone about my experiences with it and how it helps you accomplish exactly what LWT describes.
-
manthedan
During my exit, a couple elders came over warning me that I "will see my wife die", it "may be to late" to return to the organization and be saved; and me and my wife's marriage will dissolve if we stay out of the Jehovah Witness religion.
My Jehovah Witness grandmother also told me several times she didn't want me and my children to be killed when Armageddon shortly arrives. She was in tears at one point.
My wife's parents questioned her repeatedly if she wanted to see out kids destroyed during Armageddon.
The realization that Jehovah Witnesses use Fear as control was clearly exposed to me during this time period. They claim to be a loving people, but not one of them appealed to us with love, it was all fear and destruction and death.
-
JimmyPage
When I first came to this board someone said that the U.N. turning on religion was an old JW myth and I was shocked into reality by that statement.
Leaving WT you have also been very blunt with many of your posts questioning the existence of God and I really appreciate it.
I greatly value you as a poster and a person!
-
JimmyPage
They claim to be a loving people, but not one of them appealed to us with love, it was all fear and destruction and death.
This is so true... a friend of mine left the borg and his room mate said "Oh well, if he wants to die at Armageddon that's his problem." No real concern or love for the guy he'd been living with, just "screw him".
-
leavingwt
bttt for the newer members.
-
Ding
I'd like to highlight a couple of specific fears I've seen over and over.
1. Fear of church buildings
Ex-JWs often have a huge fear of entering a church building for any reason (even weddings and funerals), as if they are going to be chained to the wall and tormented by demons.
So what if you don't agree with everything?
To be sure, a "test all things" attitude is fine, but irrational terror of churches is part of the WTS indoctrination to keep JWs thinking they have nowhere else to go.
Besides, if you enter a church building and don't like what they're doing, you can leave at any time.
2. Fear of persecution
The WTS has instilled in JWs the view that the world hates them and can't wait to persecute them.
In fact, most people don't know what JWs believe and don't care. They just want them to stop peddling books and magazines at their door.
It's not the people on the outside that create the friction. It's the WTS that drives a wedge between JWs and everyone else by instilling in them a "we're in the truth; you're about to be annihilated for your wickedness" mindset. No wonder people don't like that. As soon as you give up that attitude and stop viewing other people as worldly scum, you'll find that most of them are kind and friendly, even when they find out about your JW background.
3. Fear of a downward slide
Many JWs think they have two life choices: the legalism of the WT or life in the pig sty with the prodigal son.
Not so.
You're an adult; you can lead a moral lifestyle without going to meetings 5 nights a week and having the threat of judicial committees to keep you in line.