I like the way you think Women know your place (can we shorten that to Wkyp though? )
Does Our Being A JW At One Time Mean That We Now Have "Baggage"?
by minimus 30 Replies latest jw friends
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stillajwexelder
"damaged goods" NO - but some emotional baggage probably
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cyber-sista
When you became a JW you were instructed to strip off your old personalilty and replace it with a JW one. You were instructed to let the JW religious teaching permeate every aspect of your life and every decision you made. After 20 plus years of this nonsense I do feel that in many ways I was permeated with it--kind of like a program that entangles itself in your computer hard-drive. It's hard to get rid of. I'm working on cleaning it out and doing some reprogramming, but it's a big job. Baggage? Yes. Damaged goods? Well, the computer is still up and running, with some glitches, but I will have to learn to operate around them for now.
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Eddie
Im still so thick in the "muck" and "mire" that I am hoping to someday be able to rid myself of this "baggage." It is so incredible difficult when all I have ever know my entire life is this twisted life of hipocrosy. What is truth, I ask?
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minimus
I think that we (the majority) have no clue about the real world out there. We can easily be out of place. When some people realize we were at one time or are still JWs, they communicate with you in a different way.
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Carmel
When you've carried the "baggage" around the world for four decades, it tends to wear out and get replaced by new luggage. We all have our notions, many of which are formed as itty bitty wee ones. They tend to frame our view of the world. The further away you get from the exclusivist thinking of the JWs and its Chistian hot bed of exclusivity, the better off you are. I say that, not to condem Christians, but simply to say, most people never are able to step outside of the framework of Christian mind set and see the world more inclusively.
carmel
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minimus
Yes, Carmel---"Christians" are prejudicial.
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Insomniac
Ah, hell, everybody has baggage; ours is just more interesting than most. Probably the most harmful thing we can do to ourselves is to constantly dwell on it, so we miss out on the life we have today. I know, I went through a self-indulgent period when I talked about my horrible cult experience to all the new friends I was making- God bless them for letting me get it out of my system! After a while, though, I had to move on, and live in the present. Now my former religion is just one more piece of my past, and it has only as much effect on me as I allow it to. The baggage gets lighter every day.
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minimus
Anybody ever say, "Soooo, you were a Jehovah's Witness, huh?"
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onacruse
Only as much "baggage" as we chose to carry...and if we chose to haul the kitchen sink around, shackled to our ankles, then who shall we blame?
"Lo, now they have become like us, knowing good and bad."