Since leaving the JWS I have become fascinated by the LDS church, because of the similarities both organisations have. In reading X-mo forums I get the impression that they tend to be not as bitter and as twisted as xjw. This is surprising as I think the lds is a bigger con than the jws. "Hey Joseph Smith was a bit of an unsavory character. But I can still live in Utah, move on and lead a happy life". BTW doctrine aside, and based purly on life style I would choose to be LDS. So are JWS more twisted with their religious experience. Yes Cold Steel and smiddy I welcome your comments.
X/LDS vs X/JW!!!Who is more twisted and bitter.
by joe134cd 14 Replies latest jw experiences
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OneEyedJoe
I'm not sure I see what makes Joseph Smith a bigger con man than CTR/Russel. Sure he claimed to have received a revelation but I don't see how that's much different than claiming to be the FDS and spirit-directed, at least in practice.
I do think it's a little easier to fade from mormonism from what little I've read about it, and they're not discouraged from seeking education so ex-mormons are probably in a slightly better situation because of that. Both of those could probably lead to less bitterness. Mormonism seems a hair healthier to me due to the strong emphasis on family.
I'm certainly no expert, though.
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joe134cd
Charles Russell & judge Rutherford where saints compared to the things Joseph Smith and his predecessor Brigham Young got up to and the BS they propagated.
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Crazyguy
The LDS isn't a strick as the JWs and I believe there's a little more free thinking allowed. JWs are zombies Mormons are brainwashed.
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Gayle
how many hours a week of meetings do the lds kids have to sit thru that are not age appropriate? how much unnatural work do they have to do, like jws kids having to go door to door, lds kids are big time into organized sports, birthdays, holidays. most lds kids encouraged to go to college. most lds don't completely shun their kids, if their kids aren't active. "Jack" Mormons are accepted.
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Bungi Bill
While I have known a number of LDS people, I have yet to meet an ex-Mormon, so cannot comment there.
From all that I have been able to glean from observation, the LDS is quite family-oriented. That does contrast strongly with the JWs, whom I consider to be extremely unfriendly toward families (I could almost write a book about that, but not right now!)
Noteworthy, too, I think are certain remarks recalled by Raymond Franz in Crisis of Conscience.
According to him, the WTS's then president, Nathan Knorr once even volunteered that " the Mormons look after their people better than we do."
Another once highly-placed Jehovahs Witness, WC Stevenson, summed up the whole JW experience as follows (quoting from his 1968 work Inside Story of Jehovahs Witnesses):
"No other religious group would demand so much from its members, in return for so little."
This may well explain why ex-LDS people don't harbour the same ill-feeling towards the religion as we ex-JWs tend to do.
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sparrowdown
I think WT and ChuckyT and JudgeR are more of a con because WT has always sanitized and whitewashed their characters and their history. So much so that they will spread deliberately confusing, misleading propoganda about the two complete with legendary anecdotes to members and to others. It's not beneath WT to feed "wordly" historians or jounalists the same whitewashed "official" versions of the "truth" to give their fabricated past credibility.
Ex LDS at least know, probably not all but much of the the dirt on the of their history and founders. JWs do not. They only ever have the WT "official" versions of events.
WT has a very effective disinformation program, I'll give them that!
WT's versions of how, who, where, and what are scant, sketchy and confusing - for a reason!
With so much of WT's history smelling like bullshit it's hard not to be angry!
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Simon
The impression I get is that exLDS members feel less resentment than exJWs who do seem to be more bitter by comparison.
I don't know if it's the education / career impact that causes JWs to feel worse - Mormons seem to be better educated and acceptable to have a successful career than in the WTS world.
Do Mormons have to do the same amount of preaching (all the lifetime) or can they get it over in a couple of years?
Also, the Mormon teachings don't seem to have changed at quite the rate as the JW ones do. Coupled with the fact that some of those changes are clearly transparent in order to silence dissent (Apostates) and it could easily lead to greater resentment from those who leave or are forced to leave for the WTS to retain its control over people.
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Pete Zahut
It seems to me Mormons are able to live a day to day life that doesn't shut out and condemn the rest of the world in terms of Education, School Activities, Sports, Careers etc. Perhaps Mormons who leave the church have an easier time assimilating into normal society because they've got their bases covered in terms of work and education and how to mingle with others.
We former JW's have never even so much as celebrated a birthday or been part of anything that didn't revolve around the meetings. When we leave, we loose not only our friends and family but we are recovering from the loss of a false hope of everlasting life.
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Chook
JWs are the king of the cult tree, their family destruction is unprecedented on a worldwide scale. They have fragmented the family structure as to those in the " truth" or those out, the Jw church precedes family blood.