I was never a JW, but man, I can tell you I had lots of positive experiences in my college fraternity.
There's gotta be some kind of similarity...
Have you a POSITIVE JW experience??
by ScoobySnax 59 Replies latest jw friends
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moshe
I learned critical thinking skills in my last few years as a JW. Having my "crap filter" activated has been a real help in life. I only wish it had been turned on before I read my first piece of WT crap. This should be a mandatory class in High School- Critical thinking skills. Of course, Politicians and Corporations both ,all want us to stay dumb and fall for the crap they tell us.
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IMustBreakAway
I can think of a few things. I am a great public speaker, something i use now at work when giving training classes. I am fairly confident about my critical thinking and research abilties. (just don't limit them to WTBS sanctioned material now.) And i have a wife and some good friends.
I think about my first few months at bethel which were the worst of my entire lide. But the months before i left i was able to look around and see people that were truely my friends and liked me for my nerdy self. (most even i am still in contact with.)
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IMustBreakAway
Actually though i lost some friends as well. Had some very important people in my life go, "apostate." And i miss them terribly. If anyone knows of some people in the Atlanta/athens area PM me.
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wednesday
I believe I have offically seen a sign my mind is becoming "unbrainwashed." . The new poster,"Job", I was thinking it was job, as in "I have a job" instead of the Bible character, Job. Yeah, my brain is getting free.
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trevor
OK! Things move on and we have all become more enlightened and aware of how conditional our little club was. I am also aware of the huge cost of maintaining those friendships and the wasted years while I pined all my hopes on a new world. But I still have some very warm and wonderful memories of the times I had with my JW friends. At the time I was a JW and birds of a feather flock together. I shared their hopes, values and beliefs.
There were some very loving and kind people in the set up. Some of the greatest moments in our lives turn out to have been illusions built on sand. To find real happiness once youth has passed is a deeper and more deliberate pursuit and it take courage and maturity.
We must never forget that despite all its faults and waste, the past got us to today.
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AnnOMaly
Good thread. Too often we dwell on the negative.
I wouldn't have met hubby if it weren't for JWs.
They also taught you not to be too afraid of standing out from the crowd for conscientious reasons.
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lilybird
I was a JW teen in the late 1970's. In our area, we were allowed to have house parties and met lots of JW friends this way. We also went out in groups to discos (hmm,now I feel really old lol). We partied and went rollerblading and didn't get involved in drugs, smoking or sex. I had a lot of fun as a teen witness with lots of good friends and married a guy from our group eventually. So I guess i would say I had a positive experience as a teen, it was after my husband and I were married and joined the real world of grown-ups and having children that we realized a lot of the hippocracy of the Borg. Also lost all the friends I made as they are required to shun us...oh well.. met lots of really great "worldly friends" after we left.
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Think
Yes ! I was ADMIRED BECAUSE OF POSITION, and have 6 or 7 sisters around trying to have s** with me and marry me, no kidding, but I never give much of crap for this, anyway. Sisters giving me gifts of love and coking for me and offering to to laundry and ironing... sometimes I have to run away, i was feeling that the gifts was more like engangement gifts, not a gift of love.
WHat a " Positive" crap ! LOL I am happy to be done with this hipocrisy.
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alamb
Growing up a JW I had to be fearless in the face of being different. I was by nature shy and this forced me to stand for something...even if it was something wrong. That later gave me the courage to leave.