5 Ways our Lives are Better Since We Left the Jehovah's Witnesses
by KateWild 13 Replies latest jw friends
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KateWild
Ahh ok cool, I cant see the picture of the video on my screen like I normally do. Ahh well not important.
Ways My life is better
1. Nicer unconditional friends
2. More rewarding job than pioneering
3. Great new posh apartment
4. Dating guys heee heeee heeeee (premaritals lol)
5. The best of all. A really great relationship with both my kids, and they are awake and pursuing great goals.
What about you, what are five ways your life is better?
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blondie
Without seeing it, getting up whenever I want on Saturday and Sunday. No more calling on strangers imply that they can only be paradise if they are jws. Not going to meetings were I am always told I have not DONE ENOUGH. Walking into a room and not have a soul say hi even though I am not inactive, df'd, or da'd.
Enjoying our garden, taking vacations where I don't sit and listen to BS all day (except for a few work meetings). Knowing our non-jw neighbors from 5 different culture groups sharing food. Our culture food is chocolate chip cookies, popular with every culture.
Retiring and knowing I won't be pressured to regular pioneer but can volunteer for literacy groups without filling their heads with WTS nonsense.
I am healthier than I have ever been for 20 years.
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Xanthippe
1. I don't have to listen to stupid idiots patronising me just because in a woman .
2. I can work for the money to go on holidays without the CO telling me I should be pioneering instead.
3. I can read whatever I bloody well like.
4. I can have whatever friends I like of all colours of the sexual spectrum.
5. My daughter can go to university and get a first, which she did!
Kate I'm so glad you got a job and a new flat and it's working out with your kids.
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Saename
Here are the five ways my life is better:
1. I can think on my own. I can do my own research. I don't have to look at the Watchtower publications to "know" things. This was especially troubling for me because I have always enjoyed learning about the early Christianity and the New Testament in the context of the first century. Whenever I found out things that were contradictory to what Jehovah's Witnesses believe and teach my mind always tried to shut down, figuratively speaking. The same mechanism applied to things I learned that suggested that the Bible may not be the inerrant word of God.
2. I am a much more tolerant and acceptable person. When I was a Jehovah's Witness, I had to believe that things and concepts like homosexuality and women in positions of power were wrong. Then, I had to "reason" to convince myself that having such Christian attitude was neither homomisic nor sexist but was actually good. However, now that I am free from cognitive dissonance, I realise that those Jehovah's Witness positions are in fact extremely offensive. Whenever I think of the past when I still shared said attitude I am utterly ashamed and disgusted of myself—not to mention the fact that I even preached about it publicly.
3. I can have higher education and become an English teacher that I want to be in the future. Whenever I told this to a Jehovah's Witness, they always said that I was already a teacher of the good news. Well, that's not exactly the teacher I want to be...
4. Whenever I feel attracted to a non-Jehovah's Witness girl I don't have to feel guilty that she is not "Jehovah's servant." I can date whomever I like.
5. I can read any books, watch any movies and TV shows, and play any video games I like and are comfortable with, even if it is in disagreement with the Watchtower teaching.
BONUS
6. I can write short stories and attempt to construct my own novels. When I was a Jehovah's Witness, I always felt guilty about it. Why, you may wonder? Well, I believed—because of the influence of the organisation—that writing fiction that involved romance and violence of however small degree was wrong. Additionally, I was continually bombarded with ideas such as the imminent apocalypse. I often asked myself, "Why would I feel the need to write fiction if the real world was yet to come—especially if it was so close?" Now, however, I am free to write. A month ago I even finished my Creative Writing course, and currently I am contemplating publishing a book in the future.
I didn't think my post would be so long... Well, I hope some people will enjoy reading it. After all, I should already start sharing my own experiences that I had with Jehovah's Witnesses, shouldn't I? :D
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KateWild
Blondie, they mentioned in the video about weekend mornings too. They also mentioned the field service. Good point about pioneering, WT really do try and take advantage of pensioners to do their recruitment work. I hadn't really thought about this before.
Xant, it's so good today for the kids, I just mentioned in another post that they are out today with each other. Reunited for the first time in two and a half years.
Lol I love your number one, your number two is good, but I pioneered and went on holidays so you were too lazy the CO was right lol, only joking. I wasn't actually appointed as a pioneer, but they didn't mind me doing the hours and giving up my job, I wasn't submissive enough. What? Who? Me?
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Saename
KateWild - I wasn't submissive enough. What? Who? Me?
And then they argue with perfect logic that they're not sexist.
Speaking of perfect logic...
That I used to accept that.........
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Giordano
1. Having left the so called 'truth' my wife and I could, in good conscience, pursue personal happiness without having to compromise our happiness to fit into a religion.
2. Coming to understand that we could question......... that we had a right to question.
3. To realize how much unbelief was needed to make JW beliefs real.
4. Dropping a false hope for the future in return for the enjoyment of the present.
5. As JW's we thought we were in possession of an absolute Truth .......unfortunately it was a truth that distorted reality.
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Xanthippe
your number two is good, but I pioneered and went on holidays so you were too lazy the CO was right lol, only joking.
Well how very rude 😄 Perhaps a little explanation is required. I am the idiot that pioneered for ten years when it was 100 and then 90 hours a month. ☺️ When I wanted to stop because I was so exhausted and getting ill the CO said we're all tired. Then we wanted to go on holiday and the CO said you can do that in the new system. So I go abroad once or twice a year now.
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corruptgirl
1. Not having to worry about my babies becoming good spiritual jws, this worried me alot. I never even liked the idea of teaching them that certain cartoons and holidays r wrong. I dreaded when those days would come, "thank god" I woke up before they did! 😉
2. I can have goals that I actually WANT to have, not ones I'm pushed to want...even though my husband was a pioneerand we were in very good "spiritual stance"in the congregation, we never felt like pioneering was for us but we felt guilty because this was a natural goal every jw should want in life!
3. Not feeling guilty for every little thing or feeling like you're never good enough. ....you can always do more!
4. Appreciating the beauty of life a lot more and living in the moment! Enjoying truly every minute! Life's too short!
5. Knowing that I will give my kids the true best life ever and knowing that no matter WHAT they do, I will always love them and they will ALWAYS be in my life!
