atrapado's story parte dos

by atrapado 18 Replies latest jw experiences

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  mamochan13

  Atrapado - you are right that they will punish you for requesting justice and not being humble. You sound so much like me in that respect. I was way smarter than the elders in my JC and when I told them what the rules said (which they were not following) it infuriated them. Your story really exemplifies the way they like to beat people down and get them to conform. Like LeftIntheCold, I didn't have much of a voice as a female, which probably made things even worse when I tried to fight for justice.

  I love how the light came to you, especially how you no longer found anything worth commenting on after going to college (university). I was always one to pull out scriptures and try to expand my comments to try and make something simplistic have a bit more meat. Unfortunately I still stuck with it. You had the brains to get out!
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  kurtbethel

  It is telling that if you get an education you will not do well in the organization, but if you stay in ignorance and darkness your prospects in the organization are good.

  
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  Hermano

  Great read, thanks for the story.
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  Left in the Cold

  About education, the book I'm reading right now about cultish behaviors stated that when you limit someone's vocabulary, you limit their cognitive skills. That reminded me of the WT suggesting JWs use the simplified versions of the WAtchtower. I'm glad you got an education! I'm hoping to do the same now.
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  panhandlegirl

  WOW!,atrapado, you sure put up with a lot of nonsense.Of course, I understand how it was to be under their heavy hand. Also, being a female, I never had "reach for greater resposibility; althought some sisters could put you down for not going out in service enough. I was df'd when I was young, in the early sixties, and when I asked, after a year of going to meetings, sitting in the back, and being shunned, when they were going to consider reinstateing me, the young elder, my friend, told me that Jehovah may have already forgiven me, but they had not. I was too scared of dying in the big A to argue. I am so happy for you that you got an education and are on the right path. You sound like a very intelligent young man. I enjoyed your story and look forward to hearing more from you. Too bad your dad does not understand what you have accomplished and how valuable your education is. Maybe some day he will.

  PHG
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  free @ last

  Thanks so much for this Atrapado. Happy you were able to pursue your education while young. And glad to that you were able to help some family members to reason their way out of the mind-numbing maze.

  Gotta say JWFacts rocks! I'm sure if I came across it while still a dub it would have woken me up as well.

  Free
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  fulltimestudent

  Atropardo, go to your university library (or, any other good library) and search for the 'psychology of followers in religious cults'. Try the same for 'followers in Personality cults.'

  A lot of thinking and research has been put into the way 'followers' behave. Maybe, its as important to understand the reasons we became 'followers' as it is to understand how religious/political groups form.

  All religions do form in similarpatterns. Augustus, the first Roman Emperor, set up his Imperial cult that way, and likely the Jesus cult was in imitation of the Augustan Imperial cult. ( A Jewish version of the world domination dream) By the way, I use the word 'cult' in the classical sense, not with the meaning attached today.

  The strangest, no! the most humourous, was a cult established by the Emperor Hadrian, who set up the cult centre in Egypt, for his boyfriend, who died in a boating accident. A city (Antinopolis) was founded near where the young man died. Temples were built for his worship in Bythnia and Athens. The cult became extremely popular and its fair to say that the face of Antinous is the best known from the ancient world (whereas no-one knows what Jesus looked like). Even the Vatican has a very large bust of him. I've made a note in my 'want to do' research book, to try and find out why people became his followers. What, if you like, was their psychology?

  And, of course, the Personality cults of political leaders (Stalin, Chiang Kai Shek, Mao Zedong, Kim Il-sung etc) follow similar principles and techniques for the manipulation of followers.
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  atrapado

  Left in the Cold I am glad you liked it.

  mamochan13 I can only imagine what you went as a female. I cannot deny how as a man I liked the position women are put in. I did find a few things a bit too much. Like if an elder wanted to talk to my wife or wanted to give her counsil. They would ask me like if she had no saying about it.

  I also saw marriages were the wife was a lot smarter than the husband but just lived on the husbands shadow. When I was in I didn't think much of it since that was how I was raised. But now I look at it from a different prespective. In a marriage if they can agree the one that is better at something should be in charge of that. Like if the wife can make more money there is no reason why keep the traditional roles.

  kurtbethel One thing I encounter was that some witnesses are afraid of knowlege. They view it as a responsability, the more you know the more responsable you are. I cannot understand why but I remember a few telling me I rather not know.

  Hermano de nada

  panhandlegirl the df arragment is one of the cruelest weapons the WT has in their arsenal. One of my oldest sisters was about to become a JW. During that time another sister got df. She witness first hand how destructive it can be. She told me 'I cannot believe how they play with human lifes that way. Instead of helping them out they sink them farther.' She told me how someone could eaisly fall into depression and kill them selves because of that arragment. She only told me this after I had left the organization as she told me that anything bad she said about the organization only pushed us apart which she was right.

  free @ last Reading all the experiense from exJWs and howmany didn't see the light until they were old or when their children were fully indoctrinated and now they won't even talk to them. Makes me realize I was lucky to lived what I did. At times I think I should go thank those elders without their bad treatment it might have taken me more decades if ever to be free.

  fulltimestudent My theory as to why we become followers is because we are lazy or lack of education. Very few people want to do the heavy lifting. Its easier to follow orders and make others responsible for our failures than to make our own desitions and take full responsability of our actions. We like to share blame and need reinforcement to take decisions. In my case for example if I hadn't met or read all those the left the JWs I would probably be still stuck there because I could not summon the courage to leave. But since others have done it and they are doing just fine it provided the reinforcement needed.

  My brother when I first started talking to him about this. I was still going to the meetings etc. He told me you have doubts if you didn't and if things are as you say you would not be here. To him if I know what is right and I don't do it is because I don't believe is right. I told him that is not the case, you might know what is right but fail to do it for emotional reasons. I had no doubts that the WT was a major lie but I didn't know how my wife or my other family memebers would take it. I didn't want to loose communication with them and many other people. But he refuse to take me seriously without action.
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  vivalavida

  I just feel like I used to feel after reading the yearbook's experiences, only in reverse...

  Gracias por la experiencia Atrapado.

  Vivalavida