I wonder...

braincleaned

I wonder about why so many of us stick to the "truth" within the frame of the Jehovah's Witness religion.

Of course, the WTS has authority over our minds thru the control of information, demonizing any "worldly" knowledge that might jeopardize our faith in this entity.

Thru my own experience, I understand how we can stick to this Organization; because of a life's investment in serving, and the close ties of family and peers we do not wish to abandon or upset. So we are here on sites like these, to understand the mechanisms of the cult… to try to make sense of why we should stay, or why we should leave.

The consequences are too important to take this lightly, or too swiftly.

If I may share a bit of my journey, I did not have to worry too much about the cult at first, because my main battle was based deeper than that. After all, the root of any christian religion is in the Bible itself; faith in Jehovah and Christ; trust in the idea that the Bible is inspired by God himself.

So yes, my quest went to the base, the root of the JW faith… the Bible.

Since childhood, the character of Jehovah was a problem for me. The "God of Love" was capable of the most violent and cruel actions deemed to be "perfect justice" — unquestionable — too high to be understood by us mortal sinners.

And this always bothered me.

Why was I expected to have a double standard of understanding when it came to Jehovah? What logic was there that genocide, homophobia, jealousy, slavery, vengeance (to name a few) was ever acceptable?

Since I was 12, the story of Elisha and the 42 kids mauled to death for teasing him horrified me. That wasn't justice. The punishment did not fit the crime (if teasing was a crime)! To this day, the story still angers me. (2 kings 2:23-25).

The Bible is filled with horrors like this, from a "loving" god that prides himself to be jealous and vengeful (sic).

I won't go into more detail (I could go on a whole book's worth), but this is why leaving the JWs was not the biggest problem (although it was still a problem). By the time I clicked on my first "apostate" site, I was already on way to being an atheist.

Somewhere in between, I read enough on evolution to realize that the Borg has fed us with dishonest quote-mining and blatant lies on the subject. Reading it from the horse's mouth blew my mind! It was simply one of the best moments of my life.

All this to say, I was not "lost", finding myself with nowhere to go with my theism. I was an now atheist, loving the one life I had, enjoying it more with knowing that all I had to care for are my loved ones, and leaving this life with the cleanest footprint I could leave behind, even maybe with something for my kids to be proud of and remember me by.

Sorry for the long post. I just hope my journey helps someone out there. Maybe someone relates to my story, and just needs a little nudge to question the validity of all this. I read every day of those who are outside the WTS, left alone and wandering with their theism in a bag… looking for another religion to fit the need, while forgetting that there is a whole world of beautiful reality out there, waiting for them to use their life to the full, unhindered by religious protocol.

Much love and Peace.

Vince.

DesirousOfChange

Sorry for the long post. I just hope my journey helps someone out there.

This is the perfect (and perhaps the only) place for such vents. We all understand exactly what you are saying and feeling.

NO ONE ELSE (without prior JW affiliaton) could begin to understand it all.

Doc

confusedandalone

" By the time I clicked on my first "apostate" site, I was already on way to being an atheist."

I found this to be true in my case as well. There were actually times while I was still very active that I felt like I was just spinning my wheels working for absolutely nothing. Remembering also how little I actually prayed if ever

Island Man

I read enough on evolution to realize that the Borg has fed us with dishonest quote-mining and blatant lies on the subject. Reading it from the horse's mouth blew my mind! It was simply one of the best moments of my life.

That's exactly how I woke up about a year ago.

Why was I expected to have a double standard of understanding when it came to Jehovah? What logic was there that genocide, homophobia, jealousy, slavery, vengeance (to name a few) was ever acceptable?

JWs (and pretty much most Christians) seem to have sold out their inherent human morality and sense of justice for the sake of eternal personal gain - or to save themselves from eternal punishment. They will never express it in such blunt terms but that is what their defense of the indefensible atrocities of the OT ultimately boils down to. Because they believe God is the Creator of the universe and life, and most importantly, the one who can give them eternal life in the future, they are willing to humor his inhumane conduct and requirements and even stoop to using rather disingenous reasonings and twisting of scripture to gloss over his brutishness. "Well they weren't really slaves, the word "slave" was just a word for worker". "That account only looks harsh because you don't have all the details. Could there have been something more in Uzzah's heart that Jehovah saw why he struck him dead for just trying to steady the ark?" But isn't it funny how the God of the bible who supposedly inspired its writing, and who is supposed to be supremely wise , and who wants people to draw close to him, would do such a piss-poor job at PR by having his writers portray him as an exacting brute, by leaving out critical details necessary to see those harsh accounts in a better light? Where's his wisdom? ?????!

A perfect example of the low levels that the JW organization is willing to go, can be found in a recent public edition Watchtower (a year or two ago) where they refute the "myth" that God is vengeful. Can you believe that? They actually have the nerve to explicitly deny that the God of the bible is vengeful when their own bible makes it clear that he is vengeful. And how do they do it? By conveniently and implicitly redefining the meaning of the word vengeful. Unbelievable! I exposed this issue in a Y!A question, and you wouldn't believe the dishonest answers that the JWs gave:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20130118121151AAMiCpD

Simon

Like most high-control groups, you can even have the situation that given a free choice many would chose freedom but few dare take the step alone and everyone is ready to turn in anyone who shows a hint of defection. It's like East Germany or Russia at their worst moments.

If you've been brought up 'in the truth' and no know nothing else and no one else then you do risk losing the world you know. It's why the WTS is so against further education where people can make outside connections and roots (as well as being educated to see through the holes in their literature).

But I don't think you can really beat the ability of feal to control people.

Of course, once you leave you realise that leaving isn't so bad ... but there's a reason why it takes people a while to get to that point and often requires several poor experiences to push us along.

talesin

I was reading today about how captive elephants are trained. They are tethered with a chain when young, and controlled using a vicious 'hook', whilst unable to escape.

When they are mature, the tether need only be a rope, fastened to the ground with a peg. Although it would now be easy for the powerful adult to break free, the elephant perceives that it has no freedom, and cannot escape, because that's how it was raised. So sad.

A good analogy for someone who is 'brought up in the Lie'. I understand the OP, and felt the exact same way growing up. Fortunately for me, the vicious hook and tether did not work, and was able to leave as soon as I was legal (18), reborn,, an 'instant atheist' for the same reasons - I soaked up enough in the sparse education allowed by my parents (and I use that term loosely) to know, with certainty, that religion was nothing more than a 'snare and a racket'. (haha, I love using that old drunk's words against his LIES, mwah haha!)

Good post, BC.

braincleaned

I admit that it feels good to know others out there have come to the same conclusions.
THANK ALL OF YOU for your precious input. It means a lot to me!

Island Man, I'm bookmarking your link. Wonderful job at wrangling up some essential scriptures! I also commented this to those who were questioning the meaning of the word "vengeance":

" Anyone can play semantics. Fact is vengeance (or a synonym) is clearly a trait of the Abrahamic God. In Hosea 16:13 states Jehovah's idea of justice: "The people of Samaria must bear their guilt, because they have rebelled against their God. They will fall by the sword, their little ones will be dashed to the ground, their pregnant women ripped open.”
2 Kings 2:23-25 tells how Jehovah mauled to a horrific death 42 children for TEASING Elisha!!!

So please go on with the semantics... facts of vengeance are all over Bible — and reveal what kind of 'love' god practices."

About Samria, the irony is that Jehovah HATED the sacrificing of newborns to their god. And WHO may I ask, invented the idea of blood sacrifice? Was God jealous that people were doing exactly what he was aiming to do with his own son?

braincleaned

" Of course, once you leave you realise that leaving isn't so bad ... but there's a reason why it takes people a while to get to that point and often requires several poor experiences to push us along."

It's sad, but true Simon. The effects of mind-control from a young age are incredibly hard to shake... and I noticed that it seems like it may be even worse for those who enter later.

Great analogy talesin! Stealing it for my future discussions... after all, there IS an elephant in the room!

DS211

I feel sad but exhilarated at the same time...i feel like we are all in 1984 or V for vendetta...except instead of "remember, remember the 5 of november" its 1914. The falsehoods and changes and mind control...i never put much stock nor thought id ever be a victim of mind control...hm

DS

braincleaned

That's the strength of mind control. It is invisible. The 'parousia' of brainwashing.

I wonder...

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