Why did you choose Jehovahs Witnesses? (page 3)

Still Totally ADD

I was a born-in. Born in 1954 my parents was told I would never go to school. At 16 years of age got baptized. In 1972 I graduated from high school. Got married in 1974 mostly because of 1975. With that said why did I become a Jw. The example I will use may help many understand why born-ins become JW. Growing up being a JW was all I knew. Nothing else. Being told what to do and when to do it was normal for me. Like it is was normal for me to eat meat for food. It was not until I was in my late 20's I heard about people who did not eat meat. I had no idea there was people like that. I knew the Wt. taught in the new system we would not eat meat any more but didn't know there was ones who did that now. This is a simple example that may help others to understand why many born-ins become JW. They know nothing else. They had never experience anything else outside the box of the JW cult. You may ask why could you not reason you was in a cult or something was wrong? You can't because your thinking is the thinking of JW cult reasoning mind not a free critical thinking person. It took 55 years before I woke up and that is only because I broke down and got help for my depression. I was able to see outside the box for the first time in my life. I hope this helps. Still Totally ADD

oppostate

I was about ten when my mother and grandmother studied the "Truth" book and I sat in on some studies when I'd rather be outside playing soccer.

As I grew older I fell for the lie that there was a spiritual paradise to be had if you associated with JWs and went to meetings. I sat on the fence for quite a while and even studied and made the meetings while going to college.

I got interested in a sister and she in me, but I'd have to be baptized and regular, reaching out, the whole works. So I got baptized and tried to be a good example of a good do-bee Witness. Once baptized we dated, with chaperons of course, and we got hitched some months later.

We celebrated our silver anniversary a couple of years back. But for a while I was wondering if we'd make it to our 25th anniversary due to my waking up and my wife hunkering down even more on being loyal to the WT.

If I was to say there was one thing that got me into the JW religion I'd say it was hormones, and I'd qualify that with WT's teachings and decrees that I put faith in and allowed to rule my body and mind--and my hormones.

adjusted knowledge

I was sorta of a born in. My parents began studying when i was around age 4-6 can't remember exactly. I became inactive around age 18 and stop believing completely at 22. I did make the truth my own around age 15 to 16. But began having doubts.

I didn't learn TTAT until many years later on this site. I do recall visiting here maybe 1999 I think and there was a discussion about 1914 generation that further my doubts. Can't remember if it was this site. It was not completely anti jw at the time but a mixture of people. I'm just glad I didn't waste my youth on JW, instead I wasted it on online video games :)

tidalblitz

Also a 3rd gen born-in. I can't say that I ever made the truth my own. I got baptized because it was the thing to do. I'm not sure that I would have gotten baptized if my friends around me weren't getting baptized. 5 teenagers in our hall, including me, got baptized at the same convention. Truly, what happened with me was an indoctrination. My entire life and most of the people in it were witnesses. What else was there? Thinking back, I can honestly say to myself that I never really believed in any of it.

How anyone today can be called on by witnesses without looking them up on the internet blows my mind. Every company or product I never heard of before gets searched in Google before I do anything. I've been saved a lot of wasted time and money because of it. STAY AWAY!

Ucantnome

If you were born in, why did you make it "your own"?

Because I loved God and believed it was the right thing to do.

Same with leaving, Because I loved God and believed it was the right thing to do.

Doubting Bro

Born in, went along for the ride. Got serious around 20 and got appointed a MS. Really believed at one point until my mid-30s when I woke up.

sparrowdown

The way I see it I didn't choose JWs they chose me. They came to my door uninvited. Then they set about convincing me that they were on a mission from God and I was young and vulnerable enough to believe them.

Once they had me in their sights the couple that studied with me were relentless, calling several times a week and telling me how smart and special and loved I was for accepting the study. Looking back now, they were so attentive to my every need it was creepy and stalkerish I should have known it was too good to be true.

So in a way they chose me.

NewYork44M

I was a born-in. As I grew up I bought into the religion. It was not until I was in my mid-30 when I began to have doubts. My exit took well over 10 years. I have read enough experiences on this board to simply say my experience was not anything extraordinary.

mimimimi

I sure as fuck did not choose that shit - I was born in due to my nut job mother deciding it was the "truth"
Even as a child I was bothered by the attitude we were supposed to have toward worldly people and as I got older the doubts increased and got stronger and encompassed more teachings. Thank God I finally broke free!

Phizzy

Mrs Phizzy was almost a born-in, but actually baptized a Catholic, before her mom joined the JW's. I tease her about this now, saying the Inquisition is after her.

I was born in. We both decided when we married, that though we had been rowdy teenagers, we would "make a go" of the religion, really to please our parents I guess, as well as believing it was the truth, because that had been drummed into us as soon as we were old enough to think.

Neither of us really "made it our own" in the sense of believing all of it, or being model JW's.I always struggled with the sillier teachings, and spoke out against them, and Mrs Phizzy hated DtoD and Meetings to a degree, so was irregular with both.

What surprises us with that history is that it took us so long to wake up, but Indoctrination and Mind Control are powerful things.

Why did you choose Jehovahs Witnesses?

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