If you "chose" this religion, as I did, do you remember the moment you "bought" the religion?

by Muddy Waters 10 Replies latest jw experiences

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  Muddy Waters

  
  

  If you "chose" this religion, as I did, do you remember the moment you "bought", or believed, the religion?
  

  For me, it was during one of my studies with a knowledgeable, lovely pioneer sister who looked like her life was so perfect and wonderful.

  I was coming out of a terrible situation in my life, very vulnerable, being abandoned by a husband during my pregnancy and with other little children to look after too. And wonder of wonders, I had been praying for God to help me and please give me some sign (ugh) - where are you, God?, etc. I was very young (20-ish) and very lost.

  They don't get you trapped in their cult all at once though. Oh no. I had questions. I had objections. There were things that didn't make sense. Was told that I needed the spiritual milk before I could digest the spiritual "meat", etc. all that blah blah blah. And all the scriptures to back up these truths and explanations. Etc.

  It really sounded lovely, and my life was such a mess. All I could see was darkness and pain behind me and the promises of a bright, beautiful, new, wonderful world in front of me. I wanted to be like this sister. So spiritual and good. Her life was so clean. Blah blah blah.

  But I'd heard some things about the Jehovah's Witnesses of course, and my family and friends were really trying to get me to stay away from them. One of the things they brought up was 1975.

  
  

  So I mentioned 1975 to this sister and asked her about it. By then, I'd come far into my "study" and knew about the verse in Deuteronomy about false prophets. (Deut. 18:22 - "When the prophet speaks in the name of Jehovah and the word is not fulfilled or does not come true, then Jehovah did not speak that word. The prophet spoke it presumptuously. You should not fear him.")

  Her answer? -- was the spiel about how even Jesus' disciples made mistakes, and how they were so eager for the kingdom they reached wrong conclusions - "... Are you restoring the kingdom to Isreal at this time, Lord..?"

  
  

  I realized that her explanation was faulty and did not exactly explain the same situation, but I wanted to believe all those things so bad, they sounded so good. I think now that THIS was the moment I "bought" the religion, the moment I allowed myself to be led by their propaganda & explanations and to believe them - telling myself, like so many others, that even if they get some things wrong or didn't understand everything, it was still the best, the closest religion to the "truth", the best way of life more than anything else out there -- and then to become so indoctrinated that it would take me nearly 30 years to get out.
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  truthseeker100

  Thank you Muddy I am always curious what it was or is that causes people to finally accept the brain washing of this cult. My parents accepted it hook line and sinker and I am still some what puzzled as to what exactly it was that caused them to accept it.
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  FreeGirl2006

  Thanks for sharing your experience. My mom bought the cult card when I was two and it was all I knew the majority of my life. I have wondered what was going on in her head to make her buy in. She was a very bright lady, but she had just lost her husband via suicide (my dad) and grew up in poverty and abuse with no real religious affiliation or education. I think the bright shiny future they painted coupled with the promise that my dad would be resurrected made her blind to the rest of the crap. Preying on the downtrodden has proved quite successful for them
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  Ucantnome

  I was raised in the 'truth'. However when I was about 20 and had been baptised for some years and served as a regular pioneer I reviewed whether I believed it and wanted to stay. Although it felt like trying to find the start of the sticky tape I came to the conclusion I did. I was on the tube into London.
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  Saintbertholdt

  I was brought up with the religion so I guess there was never 'that' moment.

  I can tell my mothers story though:

  My grandmother was a devoted catholic and she had gotten a divorce because of my grandfather's infidelity. According to the Catholic church at that time, divorce was a mortal sin and so she would burn in hell for eternity. My mother could not understand how her mother, who had given everything to raise her children and who was such a gentle soul would end up in hell. (Later on the Catholic church would popularize special dispensation and so my grandma would no longer be going to hell by necessity.)

  One day my eldest brother was playing in the driveway. At that time he was still a toddler and I was still a distant future accident waiting to happen. While looking out the kitchen window my mother noticed he was coloring something in with a crayon. My mother went outside and saw that it was a book. She thought it looked pretty expensive and so she took the book away (probably to his woeful disgust). Turns out it was Witness literature. She started to read and lo and behold she stumbled upon a section on the fate and state of the dead. She was instantly sold on the religion because now there was a way to solve my grandmother's eternal damnation dilemma.

  Since that fateful incident the 'Truth' has dominated our family history to this very day.
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  LoveUniHateExams

  Excellent and original OP.

  My mum and dad had studies before I was born, then the 3 of us had bible studies when I was about 8 or 9. These eventually petered out.

  I 'chose' the watchtower religion when I was 13.

  I'm not completely certain as to why.

  The watchtower religion had always been presented as the truth, so that must have been a factor. At 13 years old and half-way through puberty, perhaps I was vulnerable - I was certainly inexperienced in life. Maybe I was also looking for some meaning in my life.
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  freddo

  My grandmother (mother's mother) died relatively young (early 50's) when my mother was pregnant with me. My mother bought into the resurrection hope from "two nice ladies" - who were so confident they would see their dead loved ones soon - at the door. She was baptised when I was one year old ...my father followed five years later when his brother died. Just as Freddie Franz's ramping up to 1975 was in full swing ...

  Then the failed 1975 prediction morphed into the generation that saw 1914 that wouldn't pass away ...

  I don't know that I ever "bought it" or really loved Jehovah God, I just believed it was true and that I should love him. It just made sense to me as a mid-teenager when I went for splashdown.
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  Freeandclear

  When I was very young, like 3 or 4 my mom read me the story of Abraham and Issac and I remember thinking to myself that I would do that for God if he asked me. So I guess I'd always had a deep spiritual need and wanted to please God.

  I come from a broken home. No dad to speak of, he was a real pos and never did anything with us kids except berate us and put us down and make us feel worthless. My mom remarried a guy when I was 12 and he and I didn't see eye to eye at the time, so I really had no father figure.

  About the age of 13 I talked to a lady who was just studying at the time and she told me all about the paradise earth and I thought that sounded great. That was the first seed planted.

  I was not a popular kid in school. Very much a nerd and a teachers pet. My mom never showed me the dark side of life only life through Rose colored glasses, so I had a lot of trust for everyone and took everyone at their word.

  Enter the JW's. They came to my door, a study was started and I really looked up to the man who was studying with me. Little did I know I was viewing him as a father figure of sorts.

  I was very trusting, very hurt by life (I'd just gotten my heart crushed by a girl in hs who I dearly loved at the time), I had no father and I had this deep desire to please god.

  All these factors pushed me right into the JW religion.

  The moment I bought it was at a District Convention in Pittsburgh PA in the old 3 rivers stadium. It was hot, I was miserable, I was sitting all alone way up in the nose bleed section. I didn't want it to be the Truth. I wanted to live my life, be free, love someone, travel, go to college, etc..... but as I sat there it just all made so much sense. Everything was proven from the bible and I believed it all.
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  Doubtfully Yours

  Never bought it, like ever, just went throw the motions since I can remember; a born-in with such strong family affiliation with the WTBTS that in order to keep peace and togetherness, I need to remain confined to this 'spiritual jail'.

  If there was no shunning, my last day stepping foot at the KH would've been yesterday afternoon in the middle of that awful WT study regarding loyalty.

  DY
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  RubaDub

  Never bought anything. Just a third generation born-in (wait a minute, with the overlapping generation thing, I am really just a first generation since I overlapped with my grandparents!)

  Anyway, I was handed a booklet about life in the new system as I was exiting the womb so I never knew anything else.

  Rub a Dub