Endure or Enjoy?? (page 3)

Xanthippe

The cult demands they live a weird life that deliberately separates them from family, neighbours and colleagues. No birthdays, holidays, college, constant KH attendance and FS. Being forced to be no part of the world their lives are hard, being different from all non-cult humans is hard. So the cult turns that into persecution and endurance. Result - fear, paranoia and more separation. Trapped for life.

carla

Thank you for your response dubstepped. I have to disagree though on how other religions see it, many Christian's see it as having abundance (however one defines 'abundance') now, in the living. Abundance can mean love, finances, joy, health, etc...etc...

Some will want to bring up death as not having life abundantly but to a Christian there are worse things than death. Christians who feel that upon their death they will be with their Lord (heaven) they do not fear death and only view their life here on earth as soul having and earthly experience.

Remember Mouthy (Grace)? she couldn't wait to die and go home for quite a number of years before her death.

(and yes, I am in the camp that jw's are not Christians)

Ding

Despite the talk of the organization being a spiritual paradise, it's hard to convince anyone that it's enjoyable to live a life characterized by never-ending field service, meeting attendance, repetitive literature reading, and organizational rule-keeping.

Easier to sell that it terms of enduring faithfully to the end...

stuckinarut2

So I was just talking with my father who is still very much "in". He was speaking of how "tough things are getting in this system"

Then he was speaking of a friend of his, a witness "brother". This "brother's" wife is not a witness, and my father says "But she is nice though".

I pulled him up and said "why wouldn't she be nice? Why did you draw that negative conclusion that because she was not a witness, that she might not be a "Nice" person!

Mind boggling!

smiddy

The paradise JW`s envisage ,during the 1000 year reign of Christ , many will not want to live under that system ,why do I say that ? because according to scripture at the end of JC`s reign their are multitudes who rebel at a theocratic rule by God and their is a final war against Satan and his demons .

This is going to happen a thousand years in the future after Jesus Christ`s 1000 year reign ,

So all these hordes against jesus christ millenial reign are still alive after his rule finishes ,so that must mean they are active during his 1000 year reign ,doesnt sound like paradise to me.

So the paradise JW`s think they are going into in the very near future wont be for at least another 1000 years away.

Jw`s never enjoy their worship it is always something to be endured for the percieved reward ahead which is always just out of reach of the JW.with the promise of it`s just around the corner.and is never realised ..

In the meantime Jw`s lose out on a life worth lived., their only one.

Xanthippe

I pulled him up and said "why wouldn't she be nice? Why did you draw that negative conclusion that because she was not a witness, that she might not be a "Nice" person!

Yes Stuck I'm glad you pulled him up on it. It's so bad for their mental health to have an us and them attitude to people. No wonder so many JWs are depressed. People are never a sea of faces, they're individuals.

pale.emperor

How many times have we heard that "we're looking forward to when we can enjoy the real life!" ?

It's a shame. Since leaving i've lived so much more in just 2 years than i ever did in 31 years!

All or nothing

This was a huge cognitive dissonance subject for me personally. Despite being raised as a JW, I am inherently a positive person. I used to completely dread a Sunday talk speaker going on and on and on for 15 minutes at the beginning of his cult talk about horrible world conditions- I used to turn to my husband and say- he hasn't opened his bible yet. Of course I felt guilty for not wanting to be there forced to listen to it...I also remember a series of wt study articles about joy and how it is a fruit of the spirit and we should cultivate it blah blah- as I looked around The KH for one example of someone doing that- no one was there. I think most JW are really jealous of people in the cong that are trying to be happy- a lot of them are self made martyrs

Whynot

I remeber back in the 90s the JWs were accused many times of being a negative religion. I'm glad you pointed this out. I know several JWs who are always focused on themselves and how hard their life is. Good post.

When I was a teen and pioneering, a bitter JW told me I shouldn't travel or have plans/goals in life until we're in paradise. Ugh! I hated talking to her.

EverApostate

Whenever I hear JWS say that "We are living in Difficult times, I truly wish that they should be taken back in time and left in the middle ages to experience :

How life was so tough, insecure, No Medical care, Back breaking jobs, abuse, food shortages, partiality, Slavery, No human rights activists to defend, No Electricity, Only horses and donkeys to travel.....

Endure or Enjoy??

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