Breaking out of the Judgmental WTS mind set

by Maverick 11 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Maverick

  Gretchen's post got me thinking about how people view each other. There are a lot of factors that have to be considered, culture, education, and location to name a few. But I wonder how much of an ex. JW's views are "colored" by the WTS? I know in my own case, when it came to views about things I had little or no exposure to I just went along with whatever I thought God wanted. Which really means, as a JW, whatever the Governing Body felt. After waking up to the truth about the "truth", I was able to purge a lot of their imprinting without too much trouble. I was always uncomfortable with the JC and the "judging" part of the WTS. That is why I was an Elder for only a short time.

  Now I try not to get into the Judgment Game at all. I'll leave that up to a higher source. It's not my problem and I am OK with letting it be. I opt for tolerance. Now I'm not a push over and will protect my family and loved ones from criminal behavior acted upon me and mine, but as for things in the gray area, and that's most things, I try hard not to judge.

  From the comments I have seen here I wonder if some of our fellow poster are not still hanging on to the WTS's imprint on being judgmental. Any thoughts? Maverick
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  codeblue

  I am pretty new to this board....but I have to say that I think some have a tendency to be judgemental that are posting here. I found it rather shocking when I started posting because I thought this board was a place for comfort and support. I am not saying, a person doesn't have a right to "their viewpoint"...but at least show some dignity for how other people view things.

  I am trying very hard to break loose from that "mindset"....Years of indoctrination plays an impact on one's thinking process---I know that I never thought I was judgemental...until I took a few steps back and saw the "real colors".

  Thanks for starting this thread....Maverick!

  Codeblue
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  Xena

  Everyone is at a different place and everyone reacts differently to leaving the dubs....it's what keeps things interesting. lol you can't force anyone to change their views (although some will try and try...and you can't convince them either that it's useless) IMHO you can gently nudge but no one is doing anything until they are good and ready to...

  We are never going to ALL agree on anything....from what kind of person we find attractive to if there is a God or not...there are to many variables involved in making us who we are and influncing what we believe....so you discuss...you disagree...and you walk away sometimes with a different perspective and sometimes not...

  such is life
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  dustyb

  i'll admit that i do judge people once and awhile, but its funny judgement. like brownboy is Freddy Franz and JCanon is "the messiah".....
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  patio34

  Maverick,

  This is an interesting subject and I agree with you. However, I'd take it further and say it's a human tendency to be judgmental of other humans for many reasons. One of them it would seem to be to elevate ourselves. When we criticize, judge (outside of criminal behavior), and condemn, then we are saying we're much better than that, therefore, we're superior humans.

  It would even seem to be in other animals, such as chimps, that group together and tribes (?) and then war with other groups. Actually, in that case, it's xenophobia, which humans have too. Fear of strangers (outside our own gene pool, lol), leads to keeping our gene pool safer.

  All this would lead me to be much more tolerant of others because it's a strong tendency in us, it seems to me, to be judgmental.

  Add to that, a very strong fundamentalist, cult-type, religion, and it would seem to make it that much stronger. After all, many religions (Christian, Jewish, and Muslim) have the philosophy of the "saved" and the "damned" (or the infidels). I don't think Buddhists do this though and other Asian religions.

  My two cents,

  Pat
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  Elsewhere

  I've had a hard time with this... People have had to "smack" me a few times to get me to see it.
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  BeautifulGarbage

  I think it's GOOD, not bad, to be judgemental. It may be a game of semantics, but I think the ability to use judgement to be a positive trait in a human being. It's no different than having an opinion on a particular situation. Judging, IMO, is not the same as condemning. Though, that seems to be the meaning of the word now.

  How an individual decides to express their judgement/opinion is another story. Self-righteous public condemnation of whatever situation/lifestyle/decision is annoying, to say the least. Especially from those who believe their opinions come direct from "god" via a many- time revised ancient text.
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  patio34

  Well, BG, I amend my post to use the words critical and condemnatory. That's how I took it in Maverick's title, using it as "Judgmental WTS Mind Set."

  It's good to see you again too!

  Pat
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  BeautifulGarbage

  Yo! Patio!

  Good to see you too!
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  Maverick

  Thank you all for your imput. Xena brought out a good point about us all having different veiwpoints and not agreeing on things. That is one of the aspects of the JWD I love. Many a time I have been "hit in the head" by someone posting a belief or viewpoint that totally came at me from a direction I would have never seen. It would bother me until finally I could see their point! Even if I did not share it. I needed to see it as something as valid as my own. This is so different from the borg-like, hive-mind of the WTS! And as BG mentioned the interpretation of judgmental I was using was to the negative. There are forms of judgment that serve us and allow us to function in society at large. But there are prejudices that stifle and stunt us as human beings. This was the connotation I had in mind here.

  I excepted the WTS view of gays, other religions, and governments in general when I was a drone. I was never a hardliner but I did not oppose them either. I had little exposure to the JC's and the DFing of the membership so I never looked too close at the whole system the WTS put in place. It wasn't until I was involved personally that I started to wonder what they were doing. I am guilty of not really wanting to know about such things. Now I question the very foundation of the whole process. This is the place I hope all ex JW's will get to and sooner rather than later. We must be willing to question where we got our values and on what are they based! Maverick