Question to adult convertees

expatbrit

I'm going through the forehead smacking phase of WT recovery.

How could I ever have believed this stuff? (smack!)
And for so long? (smack!)
Why didn't I investigate properly sooner? (smack! smack!)

I suppose the answer is that I never had much of a chance while I was younger. Kids have the indoctrination forced deep,a powerful cocktail of fear, guilt, superiority and social isolation.

But, my question is to those who were converted as rational adults. How on earth did the WT ensnare you? What was the hook that drew you in? Why didn't you see through them until years later? And what was it that finally broke the attractions of the org.?

In no way am I making negative implications about anyone's intelligence or reasoning ability. Some of the most intelligent people I know are active witnesses.

But, perhaps if I can better understand why and how adults are converted, I can be more effective in talking to my family.

Replies appreciated,

Expatbrit.

TR

expatbrit,

I was 22 when I became a JW. My brother had become one a few years earlier. The change I saw in him was phenominal. I didn't study with him, but with others in my area. I was hooked by the questions answered, the clear hope of salvation, and the seemingly logical way the JW's worshipped. I hated the emotional mumbo-jumbo I saw at the other churches. Sadly, I did no research. I bought the idea that no other religion was doing God's will. I was stupid, because I chose(unconsciously) not to research the WTS.

I finally drifted away. The stress of being a JW male with cong. duties, kids, and an "unbelieving" wife was too much. For two years I lived with the thought of dying at armageddon. Funny though, because I knew I couldn't go back for some reason. Then I got on the net and received the most important education of my life, an education still in progress.

TR

neyank

Hi expatbrit,
I was born and raised Catholic. Went to Parochial school. Was taught by the Nuns. So I had a limited knowledge of God.
The teachings of the Catholic church didn't answer the questions I had about the deeper things of God and His Word.
So as I was growing up I always had a love for God but no black and white answers to the questions I had.
I always enjoyed talking to people about God though.
When I was in my early twenties,living my life day to day, A couple came to my door. And guess what they wanted to do.
Yep. You guessed it. They wanted to talk about God and His purpose for us.
Well,they questions I had were being answered so I thought.
And to the questions they couldn't answer, I was told that Jehovah would answer those in due time.
Well I was as happy as a pig in poop to have finally found a group of people that believed in God and wanted to do His Will.
So as my studdies (I shouldn't call them that because we only studied JW publications.) progressed I was MADE to feel that I should get baptised. Well as everyone knows, if your not baptised you will die at armagedon. And you know,the 1914 generation was dieing out. So I got baptised.
The questions I had that they couldn't answer still went unanswered. And I started to come up with some new ones. And as you know,you can't ask questions about the History or the failed prophecies or the flip flops in their teachings. I wish I asked about those things before I got baptised.
Then when the 1914 generation teaching changed I decided to search elsewhere for answers. And I came across a lot of answers on the web.
And decided to get Rays' books. Crisis of Concience and In search of Chistian Freedom.
After learning the things I did about the WTS,I knew that they weren't what they claimed to be. Just like many others, I could not continue to be a hypocrite and sit there at the meetings and go out in service teaching people that you had to become a JW to please God.
Because I still love God and Jesus Christ I had to seperate from the false teachings of the WTS.
I still believe some of the teachings. Hell,trinity. But I knew that the WTS was just another man made reigion.
And yes. I still smack myself for being so gullable and blind for believing the WTS.
Wait a second, I feel a smack coming on . Ssssmmmaaaacccckkk!!!!!
I feel better now.
neyank

Simon

I was raised a JW so I was never converted myself but I think the mind games start quite early on:
"Your friends and relatives may try to stop you studying...this is Satan trying to stop you coming to know God"
Of course, becuase they DO try to stop you, it reinforces what you've been told. A lot of cults use this trick and turn 'persecution' or 'objection' into a confirmation that they are the 'true religion'.

Gozz

Hello Expat,
you ask the questions I've been asking myself since. It was at College, very very far away from home. Stopped attending Church after leaving home. My dad was (is!) a Rev., a Pastor and cool preacher. But I could see through the politics in the Church. I was young but I knew it was a lie. And I'd read enough of the bible plus tomes of encyclopaedias to have tons of questions. The man and mother, they taught me the way of the Lord. I was a good boy. But with the freedom of college, I stopped going anywhere. Then I met witnesses. The guys seemed to answer all the questions I had, plus references from the college library. They supplied all the materials. And I was done in. I didn't understand many things though. And I never agreed with many too. Just reasoned they are the best yet (y'know, there's this reasoning about you eating good meals 99 times in a restaurant bla, bla bla...) So I looked around and started to become part of the group. Got baptised...

Then something really bad happened; used a search engine on the Net and my life has not been the same again. Lurked on Witnet b4 the shutdown...I didn't know nada! I didn't have all the info. Now when I try to preach to others I feel like I'm not telling the whole story...

Jr

Hello,
We all identified truths in the bible we've never seen before. No one else could have taught us truths about the paradise earth, Hell fire, the trinity, not going to heaven, who Jehovah is and not Jesus, what God's purpose is, and they taught us the bible in general. Where the "society" went wrong, and it's no fault of ours, is presumptuously attempting to prophecy. They were not authorized to do so. The truths still can stand under any scrutiny.

JR

Edited by - Jr on 21 February 2001 10:21:51

Welshman

My mother had a study with JW's when I was 14.They couldn't answer my questions then,but at 21 after finishing university,I had a study to give them the benefit of the doubt.Smack!!Smack!!Smack!!I can only think that they might have caught me at a vulnerable moment when I was pretty down at man's ability to screw things up,and I was idealistic.I still won't stand for injustice and that's why I left the JW's.Thank God that quality stayed with me.
The people were nice too,and that congregation was quite friendly and I was never taken in by some of the weirder teachings.But I committed the cardinal sin,unusual for me,of not researching all the facts or buying in to the putting away of doubts from your mind.Sometimes I feel like I could smack them one for fooling me with that,but most of them were victims too.
Once we moved to a new area,bigger house,at last room for a computer and internet access,it was chocks away!I was not a happy bunny when I found out about the truth about the ''truth'':(! and as an avid history student devoured every book going.I started taking Interlinears to the KH and the elders suddenly got a little worried.One of them then said in the talk that people would only be disfellowshipped for apostasy.No guess who he was worried about,especially when he inquired to CO about removing ministerial servants.He was,however,a coward and would not speak to my face.I made sure that my wife was on board and talked with her.I then resigned as a ministerial servant and stated that we were through and could no longer conscientiously teach their doctrines.The PO received the letter Wednesday and announced it at KH on the Thursday,just so that no-one would bother us at our home of course.You have to laugh,did he think that I had been taking stupid pills! :)

Regards Welshman

Edited by - Welshman on 21 February 2001 11:14:42

Edited by - Welshman on 21 February 2001 11:16:51

Welshman

Human all too human

Edited by - Welshman on 21 February 2001 11:18:14

RedhorseWoman

I was dragged along from the time I was 7, but I do remember the first time my mother had contact with the JWs.

My sister had picked up a couple of magazines from someone doing street work. She was 14, and very much into the searching phase. My mother had been sending us to the local Salvation Army branch simply because it was within walking distance of our house. She didn't really care WHAT religion we were in, as long as we got some Bible instruction.

An elderly brother called at our home one evening in response to my sister's interest (I think she had sent for a subscription). My mother mentioned to him that she was looking for something for her children, so that they could learn about God. Since my sister had shown interest, Mom was willing to give it a shot.

The brother invited her to the Hall. I remember her asking if the Sunday meeting was for children. Was it a Sunday School for children?
The brother told her that it was and that he would pick us up and take us there.

I can remember being totally disgusted about the "Sunday School", which was the public talk and WT study....totally boring. However, the brothers and sisters turned on the old "love bombing" to Mom, and she ate it up.

She and my Dad had a very stormy relationship. Dad was generally at work and was very seldom home. When he was home, they fought long and bitterly. Mom didn't drive, and was pretty much a prisoner in her home. Going to the meetings was her social life.

expatbrit

Many thanks for your replies.

Wow, this internet thingy really is the tool of the devil, isn't it?

Expatbrit.

Question to adult convertees

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