I used to really suffer a lot of anxiety when the JWs talked of persecution.
It's so ridiculous and for the sole purpose of keeping you in line.
my dad recently found out i wasn't coming to meetings and going out in field service.
he found an excuse to get me alone in his car and just lit into me about it.
he said that if i'm not going out in service that i'm not one of jehovah's witnesses and the brothers won't be able to trust me when the time comes to go undercover due to being attacked by the authorities.
I used to really suffer a lot of anxiety when the JWs talked of persecution.
It's so ridiculous and for the sole purpose of keeping you in line.
there have been a few threads asking how to help someone leave, and i get asked that regularly by email.
i have posted a new article at http://jwfacts.com/watchtower/helping-someone-leave.php.
please feel free to offer any suggestions or point out any errors.
gosh i wish i was better at having religious discussions with jws.
this evening, as i am at home trying to relax, i get a phone call from the local jws who are evidently sitting in their kh dialing out.. i got this man who starts off by asking me if he can ask me a question.
"okaaaaay..." i say slowly.... "do you think..." he starts... and then stops... obviously losing his place in his pre-prepared sermon....
Jim -
That was excellent. Definitely gave her something to think about if she ever lets her guard down.
I remember asking my parents if they'd kill me if Jehovah told them to.
Parents : "He'd never tell us to do that."
Me: "How do you know?"
No response.
i grew up hearing that over and over.
i used to think about those bumper stickers that say i would rather be golfing or fishing.
jw's should have bumper stickers that say i would rather be going door to door.. once i got old enough to understand it, i used to beat myself up all the time because some of the most hellish days of my life have been out in service.. for so many reasons even more then i will list!.
Yeah every day spent in the ministry is a good day. Spending hours on end as a young child listening to middle-aged underachievers talking about all that is wrong in the world. Complaining about congregation politics and gossiping about those getting reproved and disfellowshipped. Hearing about how Satan and the demons will try to tempt you away from Jehovah as you grow up. Listening over and over again to those recycled recorded talks given by WT heavies.
This elder gave an experience of a longtime pioneer who died while in field service. The question he posed to the congregation?
"What better way to die?"
Seriously?
i grew up hearing this all the time.
it made me wish my life away, not look at the small joys every day of life brings to all of us.
instead i looked at all the bad there was in the world, my life, etc and blamed it all on satan.
LITS that is such a good point about the cult affecting your thought process and the way your mind is wired. When I finally woke up from the nightmare of the religion, I realized just how altered my reality was as a JW. Nothing is ever right or good enough. We were taught to never get comfortable in this system. If you're never comfortable then you can never be at peace.
A beautiful warm and sunny day is ruined by a long day in field service trying to convince people of how horrible the world is.
i spent a fortune on transactional analysis in the early 90's.
dont regret one penny of it.. i have had a paralysing depression now for about two years.
i cant write, dont enjoy my job anymore, and uninterested generally.recently i have even started saying "jehovah let me die" as i get into bed.. i considered going down the counselling route.
hamsterbait - I'm with talesin on this. You've got to get relief asap. Get to the doc and get some meds. No need to suffer through a major depressive crash. I have had many in my life and they are pure HELL.
All the other stuff you can add to your regimen as time goes on.
Please let us know how you're feeling.
i spent a fortune on transactional analysis in the early 90's.
dont regret one penny of it.. i have had a paralysing depression now for about two years.
i cant write, dont enjoy my job anymore, and uninterested generally.recently i have even started saying "jehovah let me die" as i get into bed.. i considered going down the counselling route.
I've had acupuncture treatments for anxiety/depression. It was definitely helpful. I also started exercising 1-2 hrs a day and changed my diet. Lots of leafy veggies and quality protein. Few carbs and very little sugar.
I think it's the overall tuning into your body that helps most. You'll definitely feel better.
jesus, the easter bunny, and other delusions: just say no!.
video of the lecture at the link below:.
http://vimeo.com/philosophynews/justsayno.
Somewhere in Thessalonians it says that "faith is not a possession of all people."
That scripture always sat funny with me as a JW. I always felt it unfair that people are judged based on their "faith". I agree there has to be something more reliable at reaching a truthful conclusion. Take any topic other than God/religion and faith would not hold water as proof of anything.
Good post.
i was always scared somewhat by who i might meet at the door.. where i live we just had a mom murdered with her two young sons.
it is really sad, from what i just read in the paper the husband and wife took in this young man he was 22 years old and needed a place to stay.
he had been with them for months and had celebrated christmas and thanksgiving with all the family, etc.
LITS - I know. It is all so clearly crazy and wrong now. I totally agree with you that writing about it and sharing the experiences helps so much.
Here's to our making it out alive.