ex mormon learning a little about JW

by curious777 4 years ago 7 Replies latest 4 years ago watchtower beliefs

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  curious777 4 years ago

  Hello friends. I am an ex mormon who got a little bit obsessed with cults and how they work, after leaving the church.

  recently i have been very interested in learning about the structure of JW because i find it very similar in some ways to how the mormon church is organized, except with different names for everything.

  I have some questions:

  Does the love bomb stop the moment you get baptized? I mean, do they pressure you to baptize by loving you a lot, then after you take the bath, they discard you? Thats what happened to me in mormon church in some ways. The missionaries were always loving me, but the moment i got baptized they stoped giving a .... about me.

  Do they force you to speak publiccly, even if you have difficulties doing it ? (It was one of the reasons i left the church)

  Do they force you to give public speeches about a theme, or force you to go give a prayer to everybody as soon as you are a newly convert, and extremely introvert with stage fright and anxiety? It happened to me, I was called to speak publicly i refused the calling (it is all done before the church services, during the week), then they started to talk to me like i am some sort of rebel.

  I went for a bible study for a while, knowing it was a cult, but it was just for the lulz, they are actually really nice ppl, and i went just to get a taste of what JW meetings feel like, and their social dynamics, etc.

  What i noticed is they are exactly the oposite as mormons, they didnt make me feel welcome in the meetings. I mean they all greeted me, and showed respect, but they all looked scared of me or something. Mormons are the oposite, the whole church love bombs the new potential convert. What i noticed with my short experiment with JW is that the only people who love bomb you are your bible teachers. am i correct here? Do they start to love bomb you as a whole congregation as soon as you get baptized, or become more "Advanced" in your studies? Do they approach you more after that?

  Finaly, is your average JW also a double standart type of person? I mean: Do they actually follow what they preach? Do they really believe in their hearts what they teach and learn? Because most mormons i knew were all preaching the law of chastity (no fucking till marriage), but they still did it in secret with their girlfriends. They all dont drink alchool it is forbidden by the church but i knew i lot of mormons who drinked in secret... Hypocrisy

  sorry for my imperfect english. I am from an european country.

  best wishes and peace to all

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  joe134cd 4 years ago

  Interestingly after I left the JWs. I attended the Mormon church for a couple of weeks, just to settle my curiosity. I found the lds to be like how you described the JWs. I attended in my street clothes. So it was obvious I wasn’t a member and virtually no one come up and said hello. To be fair, however, it was quite a big ward. I’ve done quite a bit of research into the lds. Basically the lds doctrinally wise is more fanciful, and more disprovable e.g book of Abraham and people who lived on the moon that looked like quakers. But the JWs are more harmful and destructive e.g blood transfusions and shunning. That been said if it was a life style choice. I would choose to be lds, and I’m sure many would agree with me here. The lds view on higher education and secular advancement would certainly be making my life easier now.

  Basically the bonnets may be different but the engines, in how they work, are the same. The tactics they employ and methods they use are very similar. When I left the JWs I honestly believed that no one could be more bat shit crazy in their beliefs than the JWs. That was until I discovered Mormonism. Lol

  Are the JWs any more likely to keep their pants up than the Lds , or for that matter the general population. From what I personally saw I doubt it.

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  truth_b_known 4 years ago

  Curious777:

  There was a time about 30 to 40 years ago where an entire congregation would be encouraged to love bomb a newly interested person. My father forced me to do so while I was growing up. This often made me feel uncomfortable. Things did change. It did get to the point that the love bombing circle shrank just to the person who was studying with the newly interest person.

  You are also correct - once that new person is baptized they often soon found themselves alone. They might be able to engage in conversation before or after the weekly meetings at the Kingdom Hall. They invites to people's homes or other social events would soon disappear after baptism.

  I do recall many new converts disappearing within a year of baptism. What do you expect when they are told to cut all ties with non-Witnesses and then they are starved for social interaction after baptism?

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  LoveUniHateExams 4 years ago

  Does the love bomb stop the moment you get baptized? - yes. At least they stopped love-bombing me after I got baptised.

  Do they force you to speak publiccly, even if you have difficulties doing it ? - not literally 'force' but they expect you to and 'encourage' (cajole) you to speak publicly.

  Do they force you to give public speeches about a theme, or force you to go give a prayer to everybody as soon as you are a newly convert, and extremely introvert with stage fright and anxiety? - similar to the above answer, they cajole you to give a group prayer as a newly-baptised member.

  is your average JW also a double standart type of person? I mean: Do they actually follow what they preach? Do they really believe in their hearts what they teach and learn? - I don't know the percentage of JWs who ignore the rules and the percentage of those who obey. What I will say is this: the JW leaders do a good job of scaring ordinary JWs. Most JWs who secretly have sex outside of marriage would be terrified that they will die at Armageddon.
  

  Re the lack of love-bombing you experienced in the Kingdom Hall, this was because you were a curious outsider. If you were a person who was studying the Bible with JWs (a 'bible study') you would have been love-bombed. The JWs are stingy with their love-bombing, lol.

  BTW your English is good.
  

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  truth_b_known 4 years ago

  Is your average JW also a double standard type of person? I mean: Do they actually follow what they preach? Do they really believe in their hearts what they teach and learn?

  I forgot to answer this question. It is a good one.

  I think this is the hallmark of all Christian sects. You are hard pressed to find any Jehovah's Witness, including the 8 members of the Governing Body, who practice everything they preach. Most Witnesses regularly practiced something that goes against the religion's doctrine. This is done even in groups with a wink and a nod.

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  Overrated 4 years ago

  JW's and Mormons seem the same except one is more dangerous then the other but both goofy.

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  Vidiot 4 years ago

  Like I've said before... the LDS is the WTS's weirder but nicer older cousin.

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  Vidiot 4 years ago

  And on that note...

  ...(mainstream) Protestantism is the WTS's slightly out-of-touch but generally well-meaning mom...

  ...Catholicism is the WTS's old alcoholic uncle who's finally going through his twelve steps...

  ...Judaism is the WTS's eccentric but surprisingly insightful grandfather...

  ...Islam is Judaism's nephew from his first marriage (who's a little behind the rest of the class, but catching up)...

  ...Buddhism and Hinduism are Judaism's laid-back college buddies...
  

  
  

  ...and Scientology is everyone's crazy, mean-as-fuck neighbor from down the street.

  
  

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