Obviously at some point you stopped believing the Witnesses had the Truth or else you wouldn’t be here.
But for the most part, were you a True Believer or were you typically a rebel or a doubter?
by minimus 43 Replies latest jw friends
Obviously at some point you stopped believing the Witnesses had the Truth or else you wouldn’t be here.
But for the most part, were you a True Believer or were you typically a rebel or a doubter?
How can you believe everything when it keeps changing?
Actually, a lot of people seem to be able to believe the latest version of "the truth" and forget they ever believed otherwise.
Orwellian...
Ding, interesting point! They will accept anything they are told. Anything.
Wow Ding , sooo not true . As you know obviously .
Jan
It wasn't that I believed it, per se, I just repeated back what I was told and followed the rules so I wouldn't get sent to the back room.
But one story is telling of how I felt. So, I finally place a magazine and the guy actually seemed interested in our religion. He had been looking for a place to worship. I remember not wanting to do a return visit because I didn't want him to have the burden of it all.
I thought I had to do it. I was trapped in it with no way out. It's like I was living out 2 lives at the same time. Always having to keep up appearances so you wouldn't be too suspicious but hanging out with the wordliest witnesses I could find because that's who I really was. But you wear your dress, do your talks, get a few hours a month, underline the whatever, answer sometimes...and as I type this - how far removed from a heartfelt belief in Jesus it is!
I am grateful for it (because I got out of it), it shaped me and I wouldn't be who I am today.
When I was in I would have said 100% yes I believe it. If anyone tried to convince me otherwise I would have turned them in or covered my ears and run away like a good JW.
Looking back I accepted it as the truth without any verification whatsoever.
In my defense, although I was raised as a JW, I was really only a believer for 5-10 years.
I spent most of my life not paying attention at meetings or family study. I got baptized at 18 or 19 having no clue what I was agreeing to. I got DFed at 27 or so. A few years later I finally did my verification and learned TTAT.
It definitely can be different for those raised in the religion. For some of us it takes longer especially if we were considered very respected people within the witness group
I had come to the conclusion, for about 2 decades as a PIMI, that Christ came to his end on a cross. It was the only reasonable conclusion.
The cedar point Ohio thing and the revelation book I though may of been pushing the boundaries a bit, but still towed the party line. I wish now that would of been the thing that woke me up.