How Screwed Up Are You Because You Were A Jehovah's Witness???

minimus

After reading so many experiences about how being a JW affected a person's life, I wonder how your life has turned out because you were at one time a Witness.

drwtsn32

I think I'm lucky. I turned out very normal despite being a dub for quite a while. It probably helped that I wasn't too deep in the organization.

My wife, on the other hand, has suffered greatly because of the crap her parents pulled. I so wish I could take away her pain...

Ghost of Esmeralda

How screwed up am I???

very!

...but I'm working on getting better every day.

~essie

Actually, I was more affected by the alcoholic and abusive aspects of my family. Being a JW didn't make it better or worse. Learning to deal with effects of that made me more than equipped to deal with the abuse in the WTS.

Blondie

fairy

i think it did screw me up..........

when i stopped going to the meetings, i didnt know how to live "a normal life". i was too scared to do anything because i thought everyone from the meetings was watching or scared i would get told off for doing something even though i wasnt going to the meetings anymore........i put up with some crap from others that went and nice little ol' me wouldnt answer them back, even though now i would. too many pent up emotions...it did no good for my head....did things because it was what everyone else wanted me to do...

ChrisVance

extremely.

freedom96

I personally am not messed up because I was a witness. Did I miss out on things as a kid? Sure, but it is time to get over it, and I will not allow the WTS to dictate how I feel about things now. I am a grown adult, and can make adult decisions, and one of those decisions is to become a better person than I was before, partly by using what happened as a child and making it a learning experience.

I will not use the WTS as a crutch to complain about my life. If there is something I don't like about it, it is up to me to change it. Life is too short. I will continue to make the most of my life, regardless of my past.

outoftheorg

I think I am just about as screwed up as you are Minimus.

Actually I am an entirely different person in many ways, from what I was as a member of the Borg.

I only wish it had come about sooner. Life is much better now and improving as time goes on.

Outoftheorg

OrbitingTheSun

It's not their (the JWs, the WTBTS) fault in my case. They contributed to it, but I was already screwed when I got involved. What's important is that I am so much better now, even better than I was before they were around.

fjtoth

Thanks to the WTS's false prophecies, I gave no thought to preparing for old age and have hardly any pension to speak of. I also have no trade and have to be content with just a little more than a minimum wage. However, after throwing away more than 40 years of my life into "full-time service" to a man-made organization, I still have much to be grateful for. I inherited good physical health, and I also feel that I'm emotionally and spiritually stable. Though my relatives and friends of a lifetime will have nothing to do with me, I now have a good number of friends around the world who are genuine and trustworthy. Best of all, I can truthfully say that my life is pleasant due to the constant feeling that God is near and that he will never leave in the lurch any who fully trust in him.