For those of you raise in the "truth" a Question

by obiwan 38 Replies latest jw friends

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  ozziepost

  Life is full of "what ifs" and I take the view that everything is for a reason, even the bad things. Our discussions with others have concluded that "Jehovah" has a reason for allowing the WTS just as He has a reason for us being raised Dubs. It certainly taught us many skills that we are now using in quite a different way!

  If I hadn't been raised a Dub, I do believe that I would have been a communist! Some might say it was better that I be a Dub!

  I cannot imagine that I would have been "sold" on the allegiance to the Brooklyn organisation....but who knows? And I guess it doesn't matter. What matters is what we're doing now.

  Cheers, Ozzie
• 

  CoonDawg

  Just wanted to say Hi! and welcome you here. Good to see you make it over here too. Look forward to you posting.

  Ern
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  Mary

  I would have belonged to some sort of religion, simply because I'm the type that enjoys church services as well as the social aspect of it. As to whether I would have become a JW, the answer would be a definite NO. I have never agreed with their insane policies of: no birthdays, no Christmas, no Mothers Day, Fathers Day, Thanksgiving........plus the whole "invisible, 1914, turning His attention" doctrine never struck me as having any basis whatsoever, and is one of the most stupid, embarassing doctrines I've ever encountered.
• 

  justhuman

  That is a question that I'm always thinking...don't know the answer, but my life would have been different for sure
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  WantTheTruth

  Hi,

  Virtually everyone here appears to have been raised a JW. I on the other hand have only recently started to consider it; although the more I visit this forum, the more I have my doubts.

  I have considered it because the JWs seem to follow more of the Bible than any other religion, they seem to have good morals (generally). Also I want a hope for the future.... my best friend of 13 years died last month in a car accident... what does he have now???

  By the way, I am in my 20s.

  Thanks for your time.

  WTT
• 

  kat_newmas

  Dear "want the truth"..... next time you consider becoming a Jw... turn around and do not walk.... run. It is often in times of the loss of a friend that makes humans, seek out god, and seek out each other. I was raised as a JW, and I can see where you might think that they are sincere, caring people... and for the most part they really are....

  The problem with the whole thing is this.... When you join the mass of any religion, especially this one.... "I believe" becomes "WE believe". Just ask yourself if you are prepared to change what you believe. With these people there is no "half way". You must at least claim to believe everything that they do in order to remain in good standing. Everything... you cant just say," I believe in the bible and God and that should be good enough" .. Are you prepared to let your child die if it needed a blood transfusion? Do you believe 144,000 people are all that will be with god? Would you turn your back on your wife if she chose not accept these teachings? ...your mother? your father or child? I hope so, cause if you become a Witness... this will be expected of you. They may not word it so bluntly... but just be prepared.

  Everyman must make his own decision, and choose his own path to god, and I suppose my first sentence of this post is wrong of me to say. I cant tell you what to do ... no man can. But please learn all there is to know about them, before you take that swim in the baptism pool... cause once you come up out of that water..... your first breathe of air, will be a breathe taken in captivity.
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  kat_newmas

  Francois, Too funny man. But you are right!
• 

  rem

  Growing up as a JW kid I always knew that if I were not raised a Witness I would never believe any of the stuff I was peddling door to door. In fact, I used to think I was so very lucky to be born in a JW family because I would never have become a JW otherwise.

  One thing that I guess I could never grasp was the concept that my best school friends were going to die at armageddon. I remember trying to meditate on the seriousness of the situation so I could build the courage to save them, but it just seemed too unbelievable to me. So I never preached to my school friends, though I was the perfect example JW boy. I guess Pascal was wrong... you really can't force yourself to believe something you don't after years and years of conditioning.

  rem
• 

  cbew

  I was not raised in the "truth". I came in a young man in my late teens but I would like to offer you a different perspective of why anyone in the world would become a JW. The JW's called on me at a very vulnerable time in my life. I was living at home with my parents at the time and they were going thru a seperation at the time. A year earlier my younger sister had also ran away from home and we did not know her whereabouts. It was at this crisis time of my life that the JW's came with their positive message of paradise. This sounded very appealing and of course I fell for it hook line and sinker. Also, if you are a newbie to the Kingdom Hall you of course get lavished all the attention. A couple in the congregation took me under their wings and for the first time I felt like I had a stable family in the "truth". There was no internet available at the time nor did I have access to any critical information exposing the Watchtower, so naturally I took in everything they said at face value without examining the other side. Although I did have some doubts I learned to quickly put them aside as we were told to do and just "wait on Jehovah" for further clarification. So at first I did not see any of the negatives of the JW lifestyle nor did I know anything about the past history and teachings of the Watchtower. Had I known their past history and teachings I certainly would of hesitated in getting baptised. Once you are in, however, it becomes much more difficult to get out as your whole life now revolves around the JW cult. The first few years in the JW cult I was on a newbie high and I did enjoy my life as a JW. It wasn't until much later after being appointed as a MS, and elder that I began to see much of the hypocrisy and double standards. I was not until I got online with the internet in the mid 90's and after the change of the generation teaching that I began to do some serious investigation. Needless to say, once one begins to do this investigation it doesn't take long for one to discover the truth about the "truth". A year later after I had started my investigation I made my decision to exit the cult. So that is my story and how someone in the "world" can be hooked into this cult. In retrospect, if they had not called on me at such a vulnerable point in my life I probably would not have gotten involved. I did have many doubts at the time but had learned to submerge these doubts because of emotional and spiritual support they offered me at the time. I still have a great love for many of the brothers and sisters I left behind and it is my prayer that they too one day wake up and come out from this cult.