Are JWs more negative than normal people? (page 7)

LoisLane looking for Superman

BugBear , That is funny... Out of Order. But you are right.

Loislane

They are! I never knew such a sick bunch of people in my life as jws. Sure, I've worked with people who've got sick, injured or had cancer, and also my family members (none of whom are Jw) but rather than making their lives about it an thus getting worse, they do what they what they can and get what joy they can. My late uncle died to a terrible painful cancer after years of struggle happier than a Jw lives with an ingrown toenail.

jemba

lol, I was just at Australia Zoo on Thursday.

Vidiot

Bugbear - "...I have noticed, that almost every one of the congs, members are in some way 'out of order'. I hear dysfunctional diseases, such as ADHD, Paranoia, fibromyalgia, headache’s, depression, a.s.f..."

Way back when I was still in, my kids' babysitter - a devout JW woman - nevertheless mentioned once that she had noticed a distinct upward trend in mental health problems among JWs... especially women.

It was at that time I started seriously asking myself if particular aspects of WT ideology might not be so beneficial to the mental or emotional health of certain individuals...

adamah

It's not surprising, when you consider the emotional state of the writers of the Tanakh and NT: they were desperately looking for an explanation of WHY God had foresaken them, after having been crushed in military defeat and taken as slaves to Babylon/Assyria, or in the case of Jews/Christians, the crushing control experienced under the Romans which led to the destruction of the 2nd Temple, and the Roman-Jewish wars. Seeing your family die at the hands of overlords tends to not put one in a positive mood!

A millenia of that kind of under-dog powerlessness and inability to control one's fate DOES lead one to adopt a VERY-REAL persecution complex, which only becomes true as you buy into seeing yourself as a perma-victim mindset; it's easy to slide into a World based on fantasies of what we'd LIKE to be, etc.

That toxic mindset of spiritual escapism permeates the OT and NT, and it's no surprise that JWs suffer the mental and emotional problems associated with adopting an underdog Worldview, since it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy (we are what we think) and we all know that JWs see themselves as the Spiritual 'Chosen Ones'.

Hence, it's not surprising that if you watch "The Fiddler on the Roof", you see the same familiar behaviors and personality traits of the JWs which ring as quite familiar, once you adjust for the superficial cultural differences (eg the rampant gossiping amongst the women, a Pharasaical concern for little rules, the threat of marrying a goye which implies the loss of a cultural tradition being passed on, etc).

Adam

flipper

JULIA- Very good thread. Thanks for posting. Great comments by you and others. I agree, JW's are some of the most negative minded people on the planet. And as some have stated the WT Society indoctrinates them to BE that way so they won't be influenced by the outside world to BE happy ! It's like a narcissistic, martyr type mentality that if JW's suffer first through alleged " persecution " and survive the alleged " Armageddon " - then peace and happiness will be theirs by inheriting the fictitious " paradise " so they won't die and be sick anymore- allegedly. So maybe that's why JW's are so into being sick right now- because it still fills their heads with the illusional fantasy that gives them something to look forward to in their own minds in the future " paradise " of not being sick anymore or dying. WT Society should be held on charges of fraud for duping people like this. My older JW parents in their 80's almost relish watching the news to see the earthquakes, wars, weird crimes - so when it comes up in conversation when I talk with them on the phone they tell me, " You know what all these things happening means don't you ? " Then the drumroll comes and they say " it's getting close to Armageddon ! " I just roll my eyes and usually tell them that more earthquakes happened years earlier and more people died violently in the middle ages than now. I mention violent things such as the U.S. Civil War, how Native Americans were chased and killed off of the land in the 1700's and 1800's. So now my parents don't mention it much to me about the end because they know I don't buy into it. But yeah, the thing about JW's being sick all the time- I have two older JW sisters in their 60's and they suffer from depression, fybromyalgia, lupus, arthritis, cists in the stomach lining, post traumatic stress syndrome ( my sister who stayed married to an abusive JW man for 20 years ) - I mean it goes on and on the ailments and sicknesses these people get. My opinion is that they are so stressed from the intense pressure put on them psychologically and physically from performing WT functions that just the emotions of constantly feeling fear and guilt alone can cause them to be physically and emotionally sick if they do NOT perform these functions. They fear the disapproval of WT leaders or elders which puts even MORE stress on them ! All I can say is I'm glad me and my son are out of that cult and that many here have escaped. These JW folks are slaves and they don't even REALIZE that they are slaves. It's disgusting and sad how manipulated and controlled they are. It's destroying them literally as human beings. Peace out, mr. Flipper

flipper

Weird. I wrote my reply in paragraphs, but it didn't paragraph. Sorry about that. Don't know why it did that. Peace out, Flipper

Gypsy Sam

Great topic. I wrote down outsmartthesystems comment because it is so true! My dad drives me crazy with his negative, waiting on the world to end mindset. So detrimental.

Julia Orwell

Flipper, you're spot on that years of the pressure of Jw life n negativity n constant expectations to do more makes you physically ill. It's happened to me. I once had to spend three nights in hospital because of an infection and I remember those days as being like a holiday rather than a miserable time because in the hospital there was no pressure and I could lie down all day and just read and sleep. Sure, had iv lines in me the whole time and had to sleep with them in which is uncomfortable, but I felt like I was on a holiday because I had the perfect excuse to rest guilt free. Now if you remember your hospital stay where you have an operation and iv drips in you as a holiday when you're a Jw, something is seriously wrong with being a Jw...

Bugbear

When I was in and an elder 10-15 years ago, the preassure on me as an elder coused severe high blodpressure symphtoms. All speaches you was expected to hold, all commities, talk at circuit meeting, eldershools, this together with a full time job and being the father of 6 children, was simply to much.

The result was 5 hearth attacks, 3 emergency ambulance transport to a specialist in cardiology. The cardiologist understood my situation, and said you need not only hart surgery, but cognitive behavoiur therapy CBT. I went to the phsycologist for more than 40 hours. Coming out from this therapy I had learned that I must say NO THANK to every engagement that did not interested me. So instead just fading away from the cong. I resigned and openly said that I will never ever come to a meeting again nor will I report any field service. The other elders in the Circuit didnot dfsh mee. I think the scandal had been to big. Maybee they hope that I some day will be back again.

Is there anyone that have the axperience as me?

Bugbear

Are JWs more negative than normal people?

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