Were you ashamed of being a witness?

by sleepy 47 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  BONEZZ

  I should add that I think it's easier when there is more than just yourself as a lone Witless in a class or school. I remember one year I had a Witless friend that went to my school. That year was not as bad. But when you're all by yourself, you get this overwhelming feeling that it's you angainst the world. Of course all the meetings and my parents would reinforce that I was special for being "persecuted". Funny, I didn't feel special. I would have rather felt special by having my birthday celebrated.

  -BONEZZ
• 

  Farkel

  : Were you ashamed of being a witness?

  Yes, very much so. After all, I was in a self-glorifying, two-bit CULT that hated everyone else, wished death upon all who disagreed with them and wasn't ashamed to say so. Plus they didn't allow blow-jobs. Shameful. Very shameful.

  Farkel
• 

  zev

  Were you ashamed of being a witness?

  most definately. hid it from as many as i could and would not talk about it.

  How did you feel about identifing yourself as a Jehovahs witness to others?

  i didn't unless i didn't have a choice. sometimes i would lie and say something else instead of "j.w."

  I often used to hide it because of the stigma attacthed to it.

  makes perfect sence to me.

  Was anyone actually proud to be one?

  nope.

  years ago, when Gwen first made contact with me via email, i told her i would be willing to talk about ANYTHING, except for religion, and especially jw's. i had no idea what her views were, but mine were not of the "acceptable" variety, and rather than talk abou them, i just bluntly stated we wouldn't be discussing it at all. at that time i hadn't faced my own realitys, and it would take years before i did, and finally started to talk about it. i'm very glad i had her to talk to.
• 

  Incense_and_Peppermints

  ashamed? i think we both know the answer to that question.

  (but in case you don't................................................................... yes .)
• 

  starfish422

  I'm never ashamed now to tell people what I used to be; because it wasn't my fault. I was raised in the Borg from the day I was born, so what choice did I have until I reached legal adulthood?

  Often people who are just getting to know me, notice that I mention my inlaws often but never my own parents, and they ask where my family is. I jump at the opportunity to spread the truth about "the truth". People are always shocked and saddened to hear that my parents have disowned me, and it always leads into a good opportunity to "witness" to others.
• 

  Englishman

  Farkel,

  You need to meet a lady who majored in oral sex. Admittedly it's not easy to ask a lady how rough her tongue is when you've only just met. As a rule of thumb I would say that any woman who can lap up a saucer of milk gives a great blow-job.

  Englishman.
• 

  abbagail

  From reading Page 1 of this thread, I thought I was going to be the only OddBall, until top of page 2, Rodbar, Dismembered, and Salud all said they were never embarrassed. Neither was I. Was wracking my brain to try and remember one instance where I felt embarrassed (11 years as a JW), and cannot think of one. I liked being a JW. As HomebutHiding said, it gave purpose to life, etc.

  Funny story about Rodbar finally smacking the baptists in the john. :)

  I think any kid in school who feels different is gonna hate whatever it is that makes 'em feel different. As a Catholic kid, we had to catch the Catholic school bus to go to school, so we huddled on one side of the corner every single morning in our catholic UNIFORMS (try coping with that for seven long years!), while the public school kids were across the street on the other corner. Talk about EMBARRASSED and hating every second of it, every day at the bus stop, swearing to myself that No Way was I going to Catholic HIGH SCHOOL, TOO! I was desperate to be just like the "regular public school kids." So when it was time to go to 9th grade (either public junior high or Catholic High School), well, public school here I come!

  It must have felt similar for JW kids, if not worse.

  Good topic for a thread, though. Had never thought much about it. Thanks!
  GRITS
• 

  GeddyLee

  Ashamed? Embarassed? How about Demoralized, or Shellshocked!! From the welts on the back of my head from erasers being thrown at me as I walked out of the classroom during the anthem, to the day after Christmas where the teacher would go up and down the rows asking all the kids what they got for Christmas, I would beg her to let me go to the washroom while this was going on, she hated the witnesses,and made me stay, and made me stand up and say"umm no I didnt get anything, because I dont believe in Christmas" It was ok after the laughter let up ten minutes later. They even made up a song for our family during halloween, and would circle our house and sing it for hours,, The tune was from an old Christmas carol, I cant remember now, but I remember the words as they are emblazzened on my brain.... It went .."Its Halloween the (our last name) dont go out, they turn out the lights and they dont shell out" I also remember getting jumped by a couple of the local neighbourhood thugs once when we were working my street in service, they got a hold of my service bag and threw the magazines all over the street, punched a couple of times in the face, and stoled my clip on tie and strung it up in a tree. Oh ya life was great as a witness.
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  dottie

  Embarrassed?? Hell yeah!! Humiliated, abandoned, insecure, lonely, but hey being the only witness ina an entire elementary school (except for my younger brother) is no big deal; just more kids to "witness" to right???
• 

  Mulan

  I wasn't embarrassed in school (or ashamed) but then, I went to school in the 50's and 60's (class of '63)and the Borg was very different then, more liberal. Many of my friends in the congregation played sports, and some of my friends in other congregations were cheerleaders, class officers and leaders at school. I dated 'worldly' boys and was very involved in school things, with my parent's blessing. My friends all knew I was a JW, and to them it was like being a Catholic.............no big deal.

  There was no stigma in the congregation for having 'worldly' friends, so I had a lot of them, and we would get together with the other witnesses and were all just friends. We liked people back then.

  I admit to being embarrassed if I ran into someone from school on Saturday mornings, but they were always nice about it, and it never followed me back to school Monday morning.

  I am ashamed now, and can hardly believe the mind control that was at work in me from the age of 4.