Are we all bitter?

LouBelle

I posted a link on Fb that lead to a topic here. I then had one of my 'friends' start having a go about how bitter everyone is here....FACT he said. (he used to be a JW elder but left a while back, not sure why he left or if he has even researched the faith since leaving) The more I tried to reason with him that actually it is a support forum, the more he lashed out that everyone here bad mouths the JW's and only attack the JW's. Again I tried to explain that it is an ex JW site / forum and thus the experiences are JW related and that many on here put a lot of time and effort in exposing the true facts.

I felt like I was back in the kingdom hall speaking to a person with blinkers on...it was so frustrating, he kept saying this was fact that was fact when in fact he had no bloody clue.

I ended up saying: "again you state that everyone is negative as a fact. As much as a fact that Jerusalem was destroyed in 607bce. Some people don't like to hear the truth about the truth"

Witness My Fury

I'm pretty pissed off that I wasted the best years of my life stuck in a stupid cult that I just happened to be born into, yes. I dont think i'm bitter about it though.

I just think of others in worse situations and count myself lucky to know the real TRUTH now and can move on.

Amelia Ashton

To an extent but it wasn't all bad.

Finding out it was all a lie is a shock and bound to leave a nasty taste, how can it not?

whathappened

I spent the first 56 plus years of my life in a cult, yes, I am very bitter.

Satanus

There is bitterness and anger, here. It's not a bad thing, as a phase to go through. In therapy, a person needs to unload it, so to speak, put their feelings into words as a way to move through and passed them. Most people move on to more positives, afterwards. Perhaps he has. Or, maybe he is trying to move on without dealing w it. Perhaps he is afraid of facing his past. Perhaps, he prefers carrying around ticking time bombs.

I still learn things, here, occasionally, recently, a couple of major things.

S

LostGeneration

I try to reserve my bitterness for WTS literature/talks/and procedures. Nothing wrong with calling a spade a spade, and holding them accountable for what I consider disgusting actions.

I try not to generalize about elders being "janitors" or things like that. In the end, they are people too, and like the rest of the world some are good and some are jerks. I know plenty of nice guys who are "in" that I would love to see out of the org. I also know several jerks and I would rather they waste their lives away as WT slaves, they deserve it. Several are smart dudes who run businesses without the benefit of a college education. Necessity forced them to figure it out and support their family.

The bitterness subsides the further away you get. Some can't escape though, living with active JWs can be tough. Being shunned simply because you don't believe the WTS is God's mouthpiece is a bitter pill to swallow. I totally get why some are pissed decades after leaving, if you kids or parents won't talk to you simply because of your beliefs, that really sucks.

cedars

I think the majority of Ex-JWs are bitter, and for good reason. If someone took your family hostage, would you say, "Ah well, no hard feelings!" and let them get on with it? Likely not. Especially if you love and care about them. So why is it wrong to feel bitter if your family is taken hostage by a cult, and the chains it uses to bind them are lies and manipulation? Especially if, to further rub salt in the wounds, the cult is even turning your family against you by stigmatizing you with hate speech.

It's not a question of whether or not we are bitter. It's a question of whether we channel our pain and bitterness in a way that is positive or harmful.

Those who try to stigmatize us for being bitter and blame us for feeling pain at our situation are likely under the Watchtower's spell themselves.

Cedars

EmptyInside

Well,if your facebook friend could move on without looking back and being bitter,good for him. Some of us aren't so lucky and it stirs up some strong emotions.

It is a bit like therapy here. Who else would understand? Where else would we go? lol.

Roberta804

Bitter???? You bet I'm bitter. I would not be human if I was not bitter. But at least I can direct my bitterness towards the borg and to those I hold responsible.

NVR2L8

All attacks against the WTS are perceived as personal attacks by individual JWs...even someone who is inactive may not feel the same bitterness expressed here against the lies and spiritual betrayal of the WTS because he as not yet broken free from the mind control of the cult...Also they he has been taught about us bitter apostates...

Are we all bitter?

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