My experience has been completely different!

Silent_Scream

I read a lot on threads where people are feeling like a lot of you feel like many are waking up to this garbage and starting to think. But thus far, I am ALL ALONE. Let me give three examples:

1) Knowing the Bible speaks of not saying a greeting to the anti-Christ, WTS applies that to all df'd people. So i said hello to a df'd person I see regularly when passing by (after months of ignoring him). I know he was caught off guard. The more we passed each other, he started taking initiative to greet. Never anything more. Then I get talked to by two elders in his hall and they reminded me of the df'ing guidlines. How'd they know? They said he told them and I was making it hard to come back. SMH!

2) There's some young ones in my hall they want to go to college, prom, and do normal stuff. But they also cuss and go out with 'wordly' kids from High school. They are young, and I'm not about trying to snatch up the minds of minors. But I try to help them reason, because they can never come back to this point. I'll say show me in the Bible where Jehovah says you can't do such. I've even told them about when I was in school and some did go to college and prom, etc and it turned out great! (Because I served in Bethel, them and their parents do like to get my opinion and I use it to point to Bible, not GB). Thinking they would at least figure it out and make an informed obvious choice without looking to men for approval on such personal decisions, they told me I was talking against the slave and I need to stop. REALLY??!!

3) I am 4th generation JW. So all my cousins and aunts and uncles and grandparents grew up in JW land. But most never 'did anything'. One of my cousins started re-attending meetings, but realized its not the truth and made it clear he wasn't going back. So the family shunned him! He's not baptized and the great majority of the family isn't either, but they feel its the truth. This one developed in the past month. Unreal!

I need to read Combatting Mind Control. This is ridiculous, I dont plan on being in more than a month from now, but talk about Silent Screams!

Anyone else have everyone else around them getting duped? Whether currently in or out?

NewChapter

Hi Silent. They are simply Captive to a Concept which is another book. Even though they are DF'd or inactive or doing "wrong", they still believe. This is why you are getting the responses. I have a friend who is 4th generation and was DF'd for the most ridiculous reasons (I can't share because of privacy) but trust me, you would hit the roof. No fornication, no drugs, no violence---a truly ridiculous reason. She does not know that I'm apostate, and I've sent out a few dog whistles and she immediately closes me out. She honestly feels she has let Jehovah down and that it is still the truth.

I know of one sister who was DF'd and a brother called her and invited her to something secular. She asked if he knew she was DF'd and he said yes. She said she was deeply offended that he would invite her anywhere while she was DF'd.

NC

cantleave

It's quite common I'm afraid. These ones will scuttle back to the WTS teachings when they feel they are being endangered by an apostate.

Silent_Scream

Wow. Thanks for sharing! I will have to pick up that book.

Band on the Run

Wow. I thought I was the only one whose family made me do all the cruel JW things while they paid lip service. My father was a Bethelite for fifteen years. He did not participate in Ministerial School. Once he gave large special talks. MS terrorized me. The female role was very odd, not natural. It was so much easier for my brother. I was going to be pulled out of high school. Never had toys. Yet they preached to me about it being the only religion but most of what I heard was how corrupt the society was and if the local people only knew.

I now realize from reading posts how fortunate I was in a way. It made it much easier to heap contempt on them. The situation reminds me of living in Manhattan. If you don't run around and access the cool things in Manhattan, what is the point? The living standard is creepy, otherwise. Why subject yourself to all the negative aspects? Cognitive dissonance. I could die for JWs but my parents could not go to KH and ring a bell.

wannabefree

I don't see the great awakening either. I can't wake up my own family. Different ones in the congregation that I have subtly tried to reason with who seemed to be doubters turn out not to be doubting, two brothers that I thought for sure woke up and were disfellowshipped, one has a JW wife, other than that they have no family in, both are jumping through all of the hoops to return.

After the assembly all I heard was how good it was, as usual, best ever, end must be close .... etc.

Are lots waking up? Maybe. It seems to me with different ones I have spoken with, the more controlling the GB gets, the more the average JW thinks the end must be close, Jehovah is getting us ready, must be obedient, must accept change, must not give up.

Maybe it seems like there are more waking up because we have forums like this where we can interact with one another.

ABibleStudent

Hi Silent_Scream. Thought reform is a lot more insidious than many people are aware. I know an exJW who has been Df'ed for 20 years, doesn't believe that the Bible is God's word, probably doesn't believe in God, and believes that the WTBTS is teaching the "Truth" if there is a God. Go figure.

Besides reading Combatting Cult Mind Control, you shouldl also read Releasing the Bonds: Empowering People to Think for Themselves to help you communicate with JW family and friends after you fade. You may not help other JWs to awaken, but you can help yourself to have a happier and more fulfilling life. Good-Luck!!

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert

lisaBObeesa

Such an interesting post. I have not seen any change in my family over the last decade, either. :(

Then I get talked to by two elders in his hall and they reminded me of the df'ing guidlines. How'd they know? They said he told them and I was making it hard to come back. SMH!

I would asked the DF person if this is true. Did he REALLY go to the elders and say that you saying "hello" to him was 'making it hard to come back' or did they twist his words?

tec

What Lisa said. He may have told them (the conte x t might be misconstrued though... he may have confessed it after some prodding to how he was 'getting along', or he may have mentioned how much he appreciated it, or he might have gotten into trouble for attempting to greet someone else, and then he confessed that you had said hi to him, so he thought it might be okay... or any other number of things). He might not have said that it was making it hard for him to come back (that makes no sense), but they might be telling you this, as it is what they think.

Peace,

Tammy

Silent_Scream

tec and Lisa - excellent points.

im thinking of simply mailing a letter of my stance to those whom are the closest to me and walking away. I feel like a hypocrite.

My experience has been completely different!

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