You could look at being a JW in a negative or somewhat positive way. By that, I mean, for example---some say that had they not been Witnesses, they are sure they'd be in jail today. Others might say, their whole lives were robbed of fun and money---simply because they filled their times as preachers and meeting attenders. The Watchtower Society claims there is no better way of living, than being a Jehovah's Witness.....So, how would you describe your "investment"?
Was Being A Jehovah's Witnesses A Bad Investment For You?
by minimus 26 Replies latest jw friends
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czarofmischief
I guess it paid off - I have a great wife, two cats, a house, a brand new couch, a car...
Although I got all that stuff after I left.
dubdom was just a "money pit" where I kept tossing in bits of my life, hoping to reap some kind of return - but always winding up with a bigger bill than ever.
Nah, even the po folks life on the outside is better than that mental strangulation. I'd say that my return on any investment on the WT was about a compounded negative five percent, because no matter how much I gave, they always demanded more.
CZAZR
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minimus
"mental strangulation"....I like it. Now, Czar---How do you REALLY feel?
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muleskinner
I would describe it as the worst decision I have ever made. One that I and those I love are still paying for and will for the rest of our lives. The cult known as Jehovah's Witnesses are a black cloud with a dark lining. I guess the one that first started it was my grandfather. He was infected and it has spread through our large and once very close family like a cancer. If I could live it again, no child of mine would ever be left alone with a relative who is a Witness much less darken the door of a Kingdom Hall. M.S.
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Maverick
Not really, but MARRYING one cost me about a million dollars! Maverick
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Momofmany
I think it was the worst thing that ever happened to my family. My mother started studing, and then started taking us kids. We used to see my grandmom all the time, but that stopped. We had to choose between mom and dad. My brothers that did not study, well, we lost our close relationship. Now I am the enemy. My kids are confused about what is right. Sometimes I think I should stay. It's like the glue is gone from our family. (hope I am making sense here) But I do wish we never went to the kh.
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minimus
Mom---I understand because you don't see your family 5 times a week anymore. Everyone seems split up.
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Momofmany
Thanks Minimus, glad you understand my rants sometimes.
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seattleniceguy
Minimus,
I've thought about this a lot recently. It seems like there were good things. For example, after returning from my year-long trip to Japan (not WT sponsored), I spent about five years helping a Japanese language group here in Seattle. This kept me regimented and busy using the language, greatly improving my reading proficiency, to where by the end, I could sight-read for bookstudy (meaning, read fluently without ever having looked at the material) although, of course, I tried to be a good Witness boy and study ahead at all times.
I also lived with an 80-year-old man and learned a lot from him, such as extending hospitality to others. I've had many people, including homeless people, stay at my house, which I might not have done without the experience. And the old man finally sold me the house at a decent price, which I am eternally grateful for.
On the other hand, it's difficult to say whether things would have been better or worse in other circumstances. If I hadn't been so busy with meetings, I might have been able to stay in college. I might have got involved in a career that directly used my language abilities. I might have had the human experiences while living with non-Witness roommates. It's really impossible to say what would or would not have occurred on a different path.
My friend and I calculated that the average 10-hour-a-month publisher spends about 90 hours a month in meetings, service, preparation, commuting, etc. That's a lot of time that could be used to improve yourself, to go to school, or to work another job. And then there are the intangible benefits that would have accrued from being less closed emotionally and intellectually.
In financial matters, even a bad investment can teach us things. The one thing that I do think we have as ex-Witnesses is the very clear, personal understanding of how people can be controlled and what it is to be in such a group without knowing it. This one piece of knowledge is a gem that few people possess. It has certainly broadened my understanding and compassion in dealing with others. However, this one positive aspect is something that the WT Society did not intend to give us. Having it at all has depended on our own personal strength, not the goodwill of the Society.
So in the end, while I am happy for what I have now, I don't really feel like there is any basis for saying that my life was improved by being in the organization. The important thing, I believe, is that as humans, we have the ability to press onward and try to use every experience - both good and bad - to improve the lives of ourselves and others.
SNG
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Country Girl
My investment, when I was a Witness, was pretty good. I cast out my seed, and everywhere I could see black holes where the seed had landed, diving further and further into the flesh around it, making the flesh around it turn white. I thought that was a good sign. I would say that my investment turned out well, if I was a Witness. But I'm not a Witness, now. I noticed that all the flesh that was white and healthy, had turned black and filled with maggots, it just took a while.
No pain, no gain.
Answer your question?
CG