I ask this because many religious people i speak to seem traumatised by there x religious beliefs,there minds seem unbalanced not being able to deal with reality.They also tell me they have nightmares about things like end of the world,being at their old church,etc etc,are any of you on here going through things like this.They also seem confused in what do with there lives and in what directions to take.
Did your religious belief affect you mentally!!
by haujobbz 9 Replies latest jw friends
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Mary
It only affected me mentally once I realized that this was not the "one true religion".......before that (and I know this may sound bizarre), but I was actually a happier person than what I am now. When I "believed" whole-heartedly that we were living in the Last Days, I took alot of comfort in "knowing" that I was in the right religion. I went out in Service on a regular basis (I was one of those people that actually enjoyed going out in Service and it never bothered me knocking on people's doors as I thought I was giving them the opportunity to be "saved"). I was popular in the congregation and I had a full social life with lots of friends.
When I found out (by reading "apostate" literature) that this was NOT the one true religion, I basically went into some sort of shock as I had believed it totally and completely. For someone who's never experienced this, it may be hard to understand, but this is what being in a cultish religion does to you. It's drilled into your brain that you are in "the truth", and there is security in having alot of friends and people that you can turn to in a moment of crisis. Take that away and you're left dealing with reality which can be harsh compared to the Fool's Paradise that you came from.
It's almost like being born and raised on the HoloDeck of the Enterprise where everything is hunky-dory and then when you're an adult, being forced to go out into the real world. It can do alot of serious mental damage to you realizing that your parents ARE going to die one day and that YOU are also going to die one day.
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Valis
greetings hauj... part of the answer and the problem reside in the statements you made. One might liken it to having a clean slate, which for many is wonderful and helps them rejoin humanity, get on w/thier lives, go to college, make real friends, and have real relationships w/people without the pretense of God's watchfull eye, but for many the clean slate causes complications. All the neatly written rules and directions for living are gone like dust in the wind, which for many cases an unstable person to have compounding problems, and why this board/user patronage exist in part. I have run the gammut, going off several deep ends, experienced relationship probs because I had no decent modelling to look to, have suffered depression occassionaly, been in trouble w/Ceasar, and to the tops of the scale as well. I now have 2 lovely kids although not w/me, a good job in academia, lots of friends XJW and otherwise, sent myself to college, have travelled quite a bit (will use extensively when I visit other continents), and have healthy self esteem (most of the time....ehehe). Hope to see you posting again soon..
Sincerely,
District Overbeer
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Gopher
Here's a recent thread on the subject of our poster's nightmares as a result of the teachings of the JW's: http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/forum/thread.asp?id=25728&site=3
As far as "what direction their lives should take", it's normal to be a little disoriented after leaving such a high-control religion. For the first time in a long time (or the first time ever), we've had to take control of our own lives and destinies, rather than having such things basically decided for us. So if there WASN'T some initial disorientation, that would mean that someone isn't beginning to think for themselves, and perhaps they jumped into another high-control group.
However, after a while, everyone seems to find their direction -- and our posters end up all over the spectrum, from atheist to Christian. Which is to be expected.
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minimus
YES, NOW WE ARE ALL MENTAL.
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VeniceIT
umm uhh I umm uhh uaa what was the question???
Ven
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outoftheorg
I had the misfortune of being raised in the troof? So my mind and mental awareness were you might say hard wired to believe the wbts in spite of real life experiences that told me otherwise. This type of conflict and the arrogance in some elders caused me to be a very angry person with no known reason to be angry. I did not know the source of the anger because my hard wired brain would not aim it in the correct direction. At the wbts. With the failed 1975 prophesy I lost any trust I had for them. Yet I had this anger and a desire to walk away. Then there is the issue of a wife that had more respect for the GB as she told me than she had for me. On top of that I still had an 8 and 5 yr old to raise. So I did not want to cause problems in the family at this point. My children tell me now that I was always so angry. Well when I found out one of my daughters had been molested by a so called respected elder several years ago I went to the elders. They believed her and one other sister that also complained and said they would do nothing since some time had elapsed. Well now you can imagine how angry I was.Yes this religion has affected me in an adverse manner. If I had not been in it I would have been a much less angry man and father. My children would have been treated with more kindness and loving. When you have several children and a religion that demands many hours of your time to please them one can not be the father he might have been. I truly do carry a load of grief and guilt over the fact that I did not give my children what I could have and what they most surely deserved. A better father!
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LyinEyes
I agree with Gopher and Valis. Yep, sure do.
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mommy1
Yes, I went through years thinking I was good as dead and evil. It wasn't until I met my husband and we had our first child that I got over feeling so bad about myself. they gave me unconditional love that I had never had before.
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Incense_and_Peppermints
I ask this because many religious people i speak to seem traumatised by there x religious beliefs,there minds seem unbalanced not being able to deal with reality.They also tell me they have nightmares about things like end of the world,being at their old church,etc etc,are any of you on here going through things like this.They also seem confused in what do with there lives and in what directions to take.
yes, yes, yes, no, no, yes, no, yes and yes.