Are you sure leaving the JW religion has made your life better?. Lurkers think twice

by mankkeli 260 Replies latest jw experiences

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  man in black

  I have several good friends who in the past had problems with drinking, and went to AA.

  Their drinking problems could have ended their lives, but because of their will to turn their lives around, they went to AA ( some because of prodding from other family members).

  I found out that if a person goes to the AA meetings, it becomes a lifelong commitment This is needed to help the person to remain "above" the drinking

  problem.

  I was a witness for around 30 years, and the lack of brotherly love and hypocracy completely turned me off and I walked away.It was painful for

  several years since all relationships during those years came to a screeching end that day, This site helped me tremendously to finally see that many other people have difficulty adjusting to life outside of the wtbts mindset. So just like an alcoholic who needs help adjusting to reality and remaining above the problem of drinking, I see many on this site reflecting many of the AA principals of helping :

  admitting that one cannot control their addiction

  recognizing that a higher power can give strength

  examine past errors with the help of a sponsor

  make ammends for those errors

  learn to live a new life with a new code of behavior

  helping others who suffer from the same type of problems.

  I greatly appreciate the ability to come here, and read/comment/laugh/shudder/cry, or sometimes get mad when reading some of these posts. In fact there are many who comment here that I feel a real kinship with,,,, and I have never even met them.

  As a witness EVERYTHING was filtered in someway by the elders, or wt administration in NY. So when it comes down to actually thinking about life outside of the wt world, yes it is unsettling at times, but isn't anything worthwhile pretty much along the same line ? When a child learns to walk, or when he/she learns how to ride a 2 wheel bike that is scary. realizing that other people are there to offer support is a real comfort, as this site was for me after leaving the witnesses.

  I find the original comment for this site to be an excuse for people to remain stagnant, and blinded. DONT move forward, just stay on the treadmill and waste more time from your life supporting a lie.....

  Many people are happy living as a jw, more power to them. But those who are curious as to what exists outside of the bubble, this site ( in my opinion) is the most level-headed discussion board for people who want to learn how to ride a 2 wheeled bike.
• 

  ShadesofGrey

  Negative view of life

  From its inception the Watchtower Society consistently has been preaching doom and how unliveable life is.

  Watchtower 1894 July 15 p.227 "… Our readers are writing to know if there may not be a mistake in the 1914 date. They say that they do not see how present conditions can hold out so long under the strain."
• 

  Quendi

  You have started an interesting thread, mankkeli, as the flood of responses proves. As a gay man, there was absolutely, positively no place for me in this homophobic organization. Its hypocrisy on matters of sexism and racism are sickening and disgusting as well. I saw how its tenets and practices contributed to the suicide of the best friend I ever had. I saw this organization rip families apart with its hateful shunning practices and how those self-same practices ended lifelong friendships. I saw people die disappointed because their dreams of a post-Armageddon paradise were not realized. I saw others waste their lives in the vain and false preaching work. Others threw away their God-given talents and abilities because they were told that pursuing their development was "worldly" and a snare laid down for them by Satan.

  Is my life better for having left this God-forsaken cult? Absolutely!! I have found a spiritual community where I am accepted and my abilities are wanted. I have found the inner peace that eluded me as a Witness because the organization taught that people like me were lower than the scum of the earth. My self-image has improved dramatically since I left. I am now pursuing things in life that the WTS condemned because they weren't related to "the preaching work". I have discovered new friends and cultivated new relationships in which I am free to be myself.

  No, sir, there is no going back for me. I have the strength now to face the problems and challenges life presents because I am no longer chasing rainbows and mirages. Instead, I have learned to use my God-given abilities much better than I ever did as a Witness. Nor have I had to rely on my own perceptions of the positive changes in my life. Those friends who knew me as a Witness say they can tell I am much happier now that I am out of the cult than I was while within it.

  I've used this comparison before, but I believe it is accurate. Your beliefs in the "benefits" of remaining in the WTS suggest the symptons of someone suffering from the Stockholm Syndrome. Freedom is always preferable to imprisonment and slavery, and remaining with the WTS is both of them. Let me strongly, but kindly, direct you to look deep within yourself and answer the question of why you would prefer the living death being one of Jehovah's Witnesses is to the challenging but worthwhile life that awaits those who get the hell out of this cult.

  Quendi
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  exwhyzee

  I remember when Communism ended in Russia, many felt like orphaned children and longed for the old days. Empty store shelves and standing in long lines for poorly made bread and fear of their government was preferable for those who were afraid of living without constant direction from authority. For them, the end of Communism didn't improve their lot but that doesn't mean it was a mistake to end it. Many women in abusive relationships are better off economically if they stay with the abusive spouse. All they have to do is keep their head down, don't make waves, nod in agreement and hope for the best.
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  No Room For George

  I have to respond to this. Spiritual nourishment does not come from an organization. It comes from Christ my Lord, THE LORD. Accepting Him as my only mediator as the scripture says has changed my life. My heart sings with gladness and light.

  That's proposterous, absolute madness. What you suggest regarding your emotional and spiritual state is what is commonly referred to as Fool's Gold! You can't be full of gladness and light at the same time when you're not concerned about what Jesus referred to as, "the least of my brothers( Matt. 25:37-40), that being Christ's annointed brothers as comprised of and represented by the "Faithful & Discreet Slave."-Matt 24: 45. The light you refer to is, Luminescence. Many have made the mistake of equating Luminescence with pure and natural Light. How wrong they are! Luminescence is the emission of light not resulting from heat.(Rev 3:16) Think about that, it's the emission of light, just like the toxic emissions of a car without a catalytic converter that hasn't passed State Inspection. It may look like pure light, similar to how counterfeit Christians claim to be concerned with God's Word, but when put to the test, they fold in the presence of True Christians. It is commonly known that Luminescence can be the result of stress on a crystal. What do we know about crystals? Crystals shine, they can capture our attention, but the value of a crystal is often overestimated, and as a result many buyers are taken advantage of. Fitting it is then, that God's Word talked about the luminescence emmitted from The Devil as "shining like an angel of light."- 2 Cor 11:14, 15. Just like luminescence is the result of a crystal stressed, the Devil himself is stressed because "he only has a short period of time."-Rev 12:12

  I have gone to a church about 4 times because it is hard to come out of a cult and have your family to deal with, but Christ led me to that church after I was born again. When I have gone I am very encouraged and strengthened. For years while I was in the JW org I would have to strengthen myself to withstand the negative onslaught from the meetings.

  Our faith and determination is strengthed by being refined while in attendance regularly at our Christian Meetings as we're taught from God's Word as explained to us by the Faithful & Discreet Slave (Matt 24:45). There, and only there amongst our fellow brothers and sisters, can we recieve the necessary support thereby "encouraging one another" and assisting us in the task of "putting on the new personality." (Eph 4:22-24) What you consider onslaught, True Christians view as refinement by fire! (Zech 13:9) The onslaught that you felt when at the meetings attended only by True Christians was unpleasant, but that malaise would soon pass upon you accepting the discipline we recieve from the Faithful & Discreet Slave. (Heb 12:4) I beg all of you to come back to the True Christian Congregation as found only at the meetings of Jehovah's Witnesses. I promise you, you'll feel similar to a frightened child who feels comforted by the bosoms of a short and stout, yet busty Polish woman.- Luke 16:22
• 

  shamus100

  NRFG,

  Drink the pain away. If you lived close to me I'd even drop off a 12 pack of Canadian beer.
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  mrsjones5

  Dreaming about the boobs again, eh Misery?
• 

  sizemik

  just like the toxic emissions of a car without a catalytic converter that hasn't passed State Inspection.

  Ha ha . . . that's good. The GB is like a "spiritual catalytic converter" . . . crack me up some more Miz . . . you're in good form today.

  But that crystal analogy . . . you plagiarised that one didn't you? Heard it in a PT recently?
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  JonathanH

  I can't tell if george is being a parody of a model witness, or if they just broke him. If it's the latter, the results are disturbing.
• 

  No Room For George

  But that crystal analogy . . . you plagiarised that one didn't you? Heard it in a PT recently?

  Ya know something man, seriously speaking, I didn't plagiarise that. That's what this organization does to people, particulary born-ins. You're taught how to take common and even obscure subjects, and illustrate it in a manner that reenforces support for the organization. I can stand on a stage and use that illustration, and I guarantee people will lap it right up. It hasn't been until the past couple years that I've felt guilty for what I've done, even though it was in ignorance. I did some training at work recently, and ummm, the new hires were looking at me and taking notes, and it made me feel real crummy because I've seen the same look in people's eyes when I'm on the platform at a KH or the Circuit Assembly, or the District Convention. It's enough to wish somebody would shoot me in cold blood. It's crazy man, it's why I drink like I do anymore.

  You lurkers, be thankful if you haven't stepped too far into the abyss known as, exemplary.