Honestly, Did Jehovah's Witnesses Do Anything POSITIVE For You?

by minimus 38 Replies latest jw friends

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  Dagney

  N.O.
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  OUTLAW

  Honestly, Did Jehovah's Witnesses Do Anything POSITIVE For You?

  .....

  ...............................
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  talesin

  
  
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  OnTheWayOut

  I am not a fan of this type of question.

  If my father divorced many times, and I determined not to be like my father, does my one successful marriage give all the "credit" to my father? Or can't I say I did that despite my father?

  I could state other examples, but my point is that the credit goes to the one who accomplishes something despite the JW upbringing. Minimus gets the credit for his good qualities, not the Watchtower.
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  ShirleyW

  I agree with what Village Idiot and Finkelstein said.
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  Wasanelder Once

  Would you trade one decent HS dance with a nice girl for all the talks in the ministry school? Hell yes. I think if I had more social contact i would have been a more open person instead of a gifted speaker. I would have had more fun in my teens and that would have been good. Most JW children are social cripples in the real world. Nothing I gained from JW's couldn't have been gotten elsewhere. Even Community College teaches public speaking, its a requirement by the way.
  
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  TMS

  In fifty years of JWdom I learned to "conduct myself as a lesser one," not be assertive, downplay my skills, not pursue educational, business or money-making opportunities. Yes, I did learn "repetition for emphasis, modulation, use of illustrations, condensation and pausing for emphasis."

  Now, nearly twenty years out, I've been unlearning JW bullshit, frequently reliving my entry level employment and JW conflicts in nightmares, while finding my energy level and strength depleted.

  Increasingly, I find nothing positive about my JW "heritage."
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  Crazyguy

  One can be moral with out even believing in God so I guess the answer is No!
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  Makemeanunbeliever

  Yes. Several things.

  Public speaking

  More personable

  Made bible easier to read

  Kept my family together

  Helped me live within my means

  And more.
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  Alive!

  Yes, various brothers and sisters were kind, supportive and I had a full life....

  I stopped smoking and never smoked again - never want to and happy with that.

  In turn, I had opportunities to help others, providing shelter and care - I wouldn't have been in a position to help some dear people if I hadn't met them through being a witness.

  There were many happy days, great shared holidays and more.

  I loved talking about God, Christ and sharing a faith that we are part of something much bigger.

  I Loved the feeling of being part of a 'great crowd' (which was negated by my anxiety that so many were not part of the great crowd, and how could we expect those ones to trust us given the organisations 'tactics')

  I'll leave it at that - there were 'good' elements as there are in many aspects of life....