Craziness and JW's

joelbear

Okay,

A simple question.

Does being a Jehovah's Witness drive people insane or are insane people attracted to being a Jehovah's Witness?

drooling hugs

Joel

philo

The only technically sane JW is a newborn dub-baby, and they soon get THAT worldly trait drummed out of them.

philo

hey ! thats US your talking about right ? ... maybe not as i guess we ain't there anymore ... anyways i reckon that the nutter quotient of my ex-congregation was about 37% - much higher than the 'control' group - ie the rest of the world ... the mentally-challenged ones are attracted to the watchtower as they tend to be the main ones willing to respond to the door-to-door stuff and they are sooo out of touch with current affairs i guess they never heard of JWs before ...

Francois

Broken record here. Only people who have a particular psychological makeup join and stay in a religious cult. These characteristics can be found, along with great descriptive detail, in Eric Hoffer's "The True Believer."

One of the main characteristics of a cult joiner seems to be that the person feels like his is a ruined life, one that he can submerge and find new meaning for in a great holy cause. Of course, there's more complexity than that simple explanation, but there's the bare bones.

People who join a cult can be converted easily into another cult, but it's very hard to get them into something more normal, more mainstream.

People who were born into the cult have a better chance of getting out and living a normal life when they reach or approach adulthood and their critical thinking facility exerts itself.

So that's my $0.02 Joel ol' buddy. You maybe oughta think about picking up that Hoffer book. It's not very big, but it's straight to the point.

Francois

ChuckD

I agree with Francoise on this one. People who are predisposed to a negative view of "the world" are the most likely candidates for enlistment. People who have a normal, well-adjusted life are not going to be receptive to the "good news" to begin with - The idea of the Earth being destroyed doesn't strkie them as good news at all.

cd

jurs

Hi Joelbear,

I think it drives people who were born into the borg insane and that fragile or vulnerable people can be recruited and drove to the same insanity.
Witnesses knocked at my door and started a study with me when I was 24 , I was baptized at 27. I grew up in an abusive household and my mother was mentally ill to boot. I was completely messed up when witnesses came to my door. I had been fresh out of a treatment center for drug addiction and was just starting to deal with issues with my mother. I was scared shitless that I would be mentally ill , I craved a NORMAL life. JW's had the answer to my greatest fears. I had 2 babies and didn't feel confident about being a good mother. I was so scared I'd be like my own mother. An elder shared the scripture in Isiah 30:21 it says.....and your own ears will hear a word behind you saying: "this is the way. Walk in it, you people ." in case you people should go to the right or in case you people should go to the left."
That scripture gave me such confidence !! I didn't feel confident about being a mother but now Jehovah will help me ! He will whisper it in my ear so I don't go to the left or to the right. I now had the way in which to walk. It was so easy , all I had to do was go to meetings and do what the watchtower told me and I would be a good mother and wife and human being.
Before I started searching for truth about the org. I was feeling really good about myself. I can't exactly articulate the change in myself but I felt stronger than I ever had before.
Sorry to make this so long.
Jurs

larc

I don't think more JW's become schizpohrenic or bipolar, because these major illnesses are primarily genetic. The tragedy is that people who fall victim to these illnesses usually don't help early on, and therefore, their illness gets worse.

I do think that the rate of depression, anxiety disorders, chronic fatigue, psychsomatic illnesses and suicide is much higher among the Witnesses.

trevor

Joel Bear

There is no such thing as an acceptable level of service within the organization. There is always pressure to do more. Members are told that they cannot stop moving forward, because however much they do it will not be enough to earn their salvation, if there is any chance they could be doing more. There is an overriding feeling of guilt and fear that permeates the whole movement, and a feeling of isolation from the real world around, which is going to be destroyed at any time.

This is bound to affect the mental balance of some members. A study of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Western Australia showed that they are more likely to be admitted to a psychiatric hospital than non members; three times more likely to suffer from schizophrenia; four times more likely to suffer from paranoid schizophrenia. The study carried out by John Spencer concluded that:

“The study does not shed light on the question of symptom or defence mechanism, but suggests that either the Jehovah’s Witnesses sect tends to attract an excess of pre-psychotic individuals who may then break down, or else being a Jehovah's Witness is in itself a stress which may precipitate a psychosis. Possibly both of these factors may operate together.”

In my own experience some members have a tendency to develop illness, as this is the only acceptable reason for missing meetings or door-to-door activity. After many years of offering illness as an excuse, some come to believe they really are unwell.

Living in anticipation of such a frightening event as the Witnesses vision of Armageddon and longing for a better world - just around the corner - is a recipe for mental strain and frustration. Coupled with this is the totally negative view a Witness develops towards the present world, believing it all to be a giant failure, too bad to be evolved into a better world. Rather the people of the world are beyond hope and the best thing that can be done with them is to destroy them all and start over again!
A proverb in the Witnesses own Bible explains:

“Expectation postponed is making the heart sick, but the thing that is desired is the tree of life.” (Proverbs 13:12 – NWT)

Mazza

+++++++++ There is an overriding feeling of guilt and fear that permeates the whole movement, and a feeling of isolation from the real world around,

Trevor, But surely that's balanced by them knowing that they are God's special people, set aside for great things? They aren't too negative about the numbers they anticipate being axed at Armageddon, because most of what is anticipated is IMHO a bit like a dream state - it's not real! Maybe I'm more crazy than them, but I suspect that most JWs know it's not going to happen. I asked one recently this very question, and of course he told me that 100% without a doubt that it was going to happen <SOON>. Well I knew he was going to say that, but I still think that deep down JWs know it's a big ol' game of pretend.

My history and the history of those I conned into joining, convinces me that being a member turns JWs minds. It's temporary and quickly passes when JWs exist the faith. It's just a cloud of craziness that JWs live in and quickly come out of once they've shaken off the JW fairy dust!

Marilyn

Francois

So jurs, you were living what you felt was a ruined life, one that you could find meaning and direction for in the Borg?

How are you doing now? Apparently better since you're here and presumably not in the Borg anymore. Congratulations!

Francois

NOTE TO GOVERNING BODY: You've been challenged to a debate, boys. Dont you have ANY balls?

Craziness and JW's

joelbear

philo

alliwannadoislive

Francois

ChuckD

jurs

larc

trevor

Mazza

Francois

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