Would you have become a witness if not.. (page 2)

Englishman

No. I was never asked if I wanted to join, just shunned when I decided to leave.

Englishman.

BluesBrother

I was raised within , left for a bit when i was about 20, re joined and was active for the next quarter century . I said I had "Made the truth my own"

I re started because I did not fit easily into "Worldly company" I felt awkward and wanted to feel at home in the org. Later real faith did develop.
The idea of a New World, the belief that we were special people with special knowlege , all made one feel important. It is exciting to contemplate the secrets of the Universe !

home_and_dry

No, I would never have become a JW if I hadn't been raised as one. In fact, I used to sometimes wish I had been born into a non-JW family. When I still believed it all, I would wish that I had never known anything about JW's because then I wouldn't have had the knowledge that I had and the constant pressure to keep myself alive at Armaggedon.

I just wished I didn't know any of it, and when Armaggedon came, I would die but I wouldn't have spent my life living in fear. Always reminded me of the woman in 'Terminator' (can't remember her name) and how she knew what was going to happen in the future and she was pretty screwed up because of it.

We all make a mess of our lives from time to time
It's part of the process that you stumble as you climb

Tammie

I would defantly say HELL NO. When my mom first became a dub, she would try to study with me. I would have no part of it, and I was only 5. As an adult, I know I would have done research on it, if I was later contacted by them. That is just part of my nature. Beside I love the holidays too much, I even did when I was a child. Actually my grandma's religion intrested me more than my mom's.

teenyuck

Like everyone else, NO, NO, NO!!

The ideas that really bother me are shunning, no blood transfusions, no holidays, and so many more. They are just too different.

Then again, if Brad Pitt came to my door, I might invite him in for an in-home study!

SPAZnik

Good question.

I've wondered this myself for years.

I don't think so, but tuff to say for sure
when and how WTBTS woulda crossed my path;
who and under what circumstances
from what angle
if I hadn't been born and raised into it.

I AM an incredibly curious soul.
I may have checked it out.
Yes, I would have.
But whether I would have become one?
Not sure.

Mainly if not raised a witness
I would have simply been happy
to be involved in
various good "causes"
that crossed my path.

(and that's what i'm free to
look into now!)

SPAZ

Kristen

I don't know.

Matty

Kristen - I agree. Can anyone emphatically say “No, never, I would never ever have become a Jehovah’s Witness if I hadn't been raised as one!”? I don’t think anyone really honestly can say that, isn’t that being a little conceited? (Duck for flames)

All I can say is that I would certainly like to think I wouldn’t fall for it! It’s a lovely fantasy in my head - being able to live my life again as a normal person, and make my own decisions about my own life. home_and_dry’s answer struck a chord. Even when I was a staunch witness, I wished I had never learnt the troof, and never had been confronted with the decision to accept it or not. That way I would get through Armageddon, and learn it all afterward, safe in the knowledge that there was no doubts about the validity of the bible’s message!!

blacksheep

I seriously doubt it. In fact, one of the key reasons I decided it was no longer for me was when I considered having children of my OWN. It doesn't take much of a psych background to determine that it's NOT a healthy influence for children. Like many a child who was raised as a witness, I'm sure, I feel that I missed out on a lot of life. (No violins: I think my crazy upbringing has made me more sensitive and added other dimensions to my life...)

All the crap I never understood or agreed with, even as a child, but had to pretend to accept. Knowing that I was "different" from everyone else, but not really understanding why I had to be. God hated Chistmas celebrations, along with the celebration of birthdays (really? WHY, again?? No many how many times I was given the "answer" it never added up). Was the all-powerful God of the univese REALLY really that nit-picky???

All the hypocracy, the self-centered view of world and of history...no, I don't think so. I like to think I'm pretty balanced (maybe my background has FORCED me to be, though). It's just not something that I truly believe would appeal to me. It's too extreme.

garybuss

'
Sleepy wrote: Would you have become a witness if not raised as one?

No!

Nor would I be living in South Dakota in the United States if I had not been raised here, I suspect. I live 45 miles from the hospital I was born in.

My environment, as well as many of my beliefs, and tastes and preferences have certainly been influenced by my parents and how and where they raised me.

I suspect my parents did their best as parents. Unfortunately they were superstitious and ignorant and they chose to be that way and they choose to stay that way.

That, I can't change. It is a waste of time to try to re-write history. It has however, been useful to analyze my own history. A feature of analysis has been to choose for myself if I want to be superstitious or ignorant. The tactic has been that I can be brave and educate myself. Educate myself, not look for support for my existing opinions.

The benefit of the free choice of fearless education is I can behave rationally if I choose. The easy way is to fear what my parents feared, hate who they hate and isolate and shun and live biased and ignorant of objective reality.

More information almost always results in a different decision.

I am not glad I was raised as a Jehovah's Witness. I did not enjoy the sacrifices that lifestyle required me to make. I was not given the freedom of choice and my JW relatives still do not allow me freedom of religion or freedom from religion.

It could have been so easy. Just apply logic and reason and freedom of choice.

The sad part is that I infected and allowed my sons to become infected.

gb

'

Would you have become a witness if not..

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