Which of the SEVEN stages of post JW behavior are you in right now? (page 2)

Amelia Ashton

No. 7 but skipped No. 3.

Might try it if the opportunity arises. :)

Other than trying to understand how/why I allowed the Borg to control me, and the ensuring search for my own understanding (but NOT to find a replacement), none of the others apply. I hit the ground running. With a plan and a vision. And determination that success and happiness are the greatest 'revenge.' And I haven't looked back (except to wonder how I ever got involved in this nasty cult in the first place)>

I believe those who turn to this site - and then stay on it for years by doing nothing more than making this site their cyber kingdom hall where they discuss and angst about all things Borgian - are stuck somewhere in the continuum you describe, Terry. That's why I avoided such sites for 2 decades and spent the time living and learning. I would recommend my 'template' to everyone.

happy@last

I'm at the stage of being me. I've suffered with depression for 12 years, the deep abyss only occurs occasionally now. Is there such a thing as passive activism? I know it's a bit of an oxymoron but I keep quiet about JWs most if the time but once I do get going its all guns blazing.

Kate, hang in there, you are going through life changing stuff, small changes can be hard enough so just keep taking it one day at a time.

John_Mann

8- Give up trying to forget my JW past.

For those who are out it's not needed to consider JWism a complete bad thing, I view it as a culture (no pun! LOL).

In these days with plenty online information, I doubt if it's necessary some "offline" activism. The people who are now inside WT are practically those who want to be there. If they not want to be there they will find a way to discover the TTATT. The i-want-to-believe is a powerful effect.

Of course I want the extinction of WT, I want it turns to be just a curiosity in history.

I'm a born-in out since 2006 and even now I perceive my thought pattern is something molded by the JW world.

I think I got rid of most bad JW mentality. But I will always have the need to know what this world is about. I just can't act like most people and just not think about fundamental questions of existence. Once I thought I knew the truth of everything, now I really want to know if there's a truth at all.

Religion it's not a serious or valid way to search for answers.

I think science, philosophy and art are the right trinity to our quest.

Philosophy provide us the ability to make the right questions.

Science tries to answer the right questions.

Art give us motivation and some "mojo" hard to explain. In my world view I put religion into art circle. I do not regard religion itself as a valid tool, but it's valid as an expression of art.

WTWizard

I realized that they are a lie. At first, I did some thinking--either they are the truth or they are not, and either I stay faithful to the end or I do not. This resulted in 4 different outcomes, and the worst was if they were the truth and I stayed. That would mean the opposite sex would be destroyed, and I would be in a world with everyone potentially attractive gone and it would have been my fault. That would have been worse a guilt trip than "I should have pious-sneered while I had the chance". The pious-sneer guilt trip at least would have ended at Armageddon.

But, once I realized the washtowel was lies, I didn't stop questioning. What else was the Establishment telling that was lies? Stopping at just questioning the jokehovians would have simply led to stagnation, and the risk of backsliding into the cult or into an even worse one. Instead, I applied the same rule to everything else. The medical system, the fluoride in the water, using toothpaste instead of soap chips, whether the dollar was going to hold up, our energy security, and so on. I might still be preparing for a disaster that possibly will not come, but at least I am not wasting my time in spiritual stagnation waiting for it--and, I might be in better shape come a smaller disaster like a small ice storm that knocks out the electricity for a week.

And I didn't stop questioning religion with the washtowel. Instead, I questioned the validity of whether Jesus even existed. That thing was a fiction based on 18 pagan gods, and the whole of original sin was nothing more than a scam. I questioned the purpose of World War II, and even if Hitler was in fact the evil monster He was portrayed to be (hint: He pulled Germany out of hyperinflation 4 years before the war, He built the Autobahn highway system that is still regarded as the finest in the world, and He tried peaceful negotiations and only resorted to war as a last resort). I learned that everything that the Establishment teaches as truth has another side, and questioning it is healthy. Even questioning Einstein's doctrines! And not being thrown for that "political correct" crap--had I fallen for that crap earlier, I might well be knocking on doors to this day. And many of us, had we fallen for "That's not politically correct, so don't do it" smut just one step earlier, would still be worrying about that waste of paper distribution this coming August, traveling more than 400 km to the Grand Boasting Session, whether it is acceptable to listen to your favorite song or play Pokemon, worrying about the holidays, and being guilted into donating your whole life savings into the Worldwide Damnation Fund.

And, so long as I keep questioning things that people regard as sacred, the only way I will ever go back to knocking on doors is with a court order in Brother Hounder's hand and threat of lawsuit, forced observation of what I am doing so I can't fake it, and/or medication into submission. There is no way I can backslide into becoming a believing jokehovian (or, worse, joining another xian cult that is even worse) if I keep questioning whatever anyone says is sacred.

monis1

i skipped most of these, especially number 5. When i was still in but wanting out, i would pray to the universe for a way out. And i got it. I definitely went through a mourning of all the many years and opportunities lost. Then i decided that my whole experience has shaped who i am today, and that is a good thing. Now i dwell on those that are still in who may know TTATT.

GrreatTeacher

9. Let it go.

I've worked it all out and don't have nightmares anymore, but I still have JW family. I've learned to let it go and just try to enjoy the good parts of our relationship.

And I try to support others here on this forum, as well as JWS before this.

Finkelstein

7. For myself, I'm a humanist by nature so when I see things that harm humanity from man made corruption,

fear and ignorance, then I'm motivated to speak up and take action.

I hope everyone who leaves this particular dangerous religious corrupt cult has that same

personal endeavor.

DJS

Fink,

Nice post. Thanks. I'm not a humanist, but that's why there are humanists. I won't say I wasn't angry. I was. Very. But, being the rational minded person that I am who learned a long time ago to take personal responsibility for things I caused, I realized the anger should be at myself (and maybe parents for exposing me to the cult) for being deluded. I used that knowledge and the anger as fuel. Jet fuel. I still do some 20 years later.

Terry

8.) Path to true knowledge of the soul and spiritual growth.

Okaaaaaay, so that would be number four, then.

( 4. Big search/Big decisions )

Incidentally, it is a really good and strong sign of emergent individualism to refuse to reply exactly in compliance with form.

The first thing that annoyed me when I went to a Kingdom Hall for a "Bible study" was the idea THEY got to ask the questions and THEY got to print the

answers leaving me with the only job left: parrot their ideas and let go of my own.

Which of the SEVEN stages of post JW behavior are you in right now?

Share this