Mine is a fairly simple story. My parents got it from their parents, who got it from their parents. 'The Truth' is *unfortunately* deeply entrenched within my extended family.
Themdoubts
JoinedPosts by Themdoubts
-
26
Born Ins, How Did Your Parents Get "The Truth™"?
by pale.emperor inborn ins are in a unique position in that we never knew any other way of life.
no birthdays, christmas and overly superstitious family just seemed normal.
when my parents talked about their pre-jw life it seemed like they were talking about completely different people (actually, that's true, the cult had taken their real selves).. so i'd be interested in hearing how your parents were indoctrinated.. my dad.
-
-
-
28
Were You Ever A True Believer?
by minimus ini was raised in the religion and for the most part believed that my religion was truth.
i recognized some mistakes were occasionally made but felt that nobody is perfect.
then i smartened up and realized how dumb so many of the beliefs are....was there ever a time that you truly believed you had the "truth"?.
-
-
Themdoubts
Yes i was definitely a believer although i didn't know any different - born in and my family has a long history entrenched with 'the truth' so everyone around me was a witness from birth. I didn't start having doubts till my teen years, but i wouldn't really ever look into them, just went through the motions. Became an auxiliary pioneer, then shortly after a scenario happened that made me question quite afew things and thats when i really got stuck into TTAT.
-
29
Parody of Song 113: "We're No Longer Witnesses!"
by TJ - iAmCleared2Land inbeing in "the truth" forever, i keep (frustratingly) finding myself humming kingdom songs unintentionally.
it frustrates me when i find myself doing it!.
so today i got this song in my head, and couldn't get it unstuck, so i decided to write alternate lyrics to it... when i get that tune in my head now, i'll have words that work!
-
-
Themdoubts
Brilliant!
-
20
Confused
by confused3426 ini am a newbie, and yes current jw.
i have been dealing with a lot confusion for months now.
i guess it started last year when i found myself losing my zeal, desire for spiritual things.
-
-
Themdoubts
Hi Confused!
I can so relate to you, my family is still in and i'm only about a year into discovering and researching everything. It can be a massive shock when you realise what your entire life has been based around is not true and i definitely took it hard. Everyone has given you great advice here (as they did for me and I always have received clear and concise answers in my posts), so just posting to send you some love and light and always remember to go easy on yourself. It's an overwhelming road to travel but we will always be here to listen x
-
80
Lots Of Whining And Complaining About Us JW's
by Deaconblues1914 inin reading these posts, it sounds like a lot of you are very jealous of the wt.
society’s annual income and the money they/we have in the bank.
jehovah has indeed blessed us.
-
-
Themdoubts
You have obviously never felt the pain of being wrongly judged by our elders for something you did not do and having it on your record for the rest of eternity. You cannot judge others as you do no know their circumstances as to why they are here. There are many on here who have never been disfellowshipped, myself included, we have just been fortunate enough to be exposed to a situation that has spoken volumes about what the organisation is truly like. I know God would not allow his beloved sons and daughters to endure some of the pain the dear people on this site have, to come to the conclusion they have now.
-
26
Observations from an Ex-Elder Part 2 - Cart Work
by doubtfull1799 inup until i left recently i was participating in the cart work.
in the location where we used to set up near our local mall we never had one person stop and take literature or stop and chat - other than fellow brothers.
i thought maybe it was just a bad location or something.
-
-
Themdoubts
In my city there is an area with a pedestrian bridge, with a different congregation territory at either end of the bridge. So of course both congregations put their cart at their end of the bridge resulting in the pedestrian being faced with a cart on entry and exit of the bridge...from what i hear there is not much of a response...what a surprise. They set it up and then sit on a park bench a few metres away, chatting with their cart partner and sipping on coffee where i'm from, knowing that they are 'doing their part to get Jehovah's name out there'. I have to stop myself from rolling my eyes into another dimension.
-
45
What's preventing YOU from stopping meeting attendance?
by nicolaou inwe all 'exit' in our own way and at our own pace but i'm curious, why carry on stuffing yourself into that stiff suit and tie or meeting dress years after you realised the truth about 'the truth'?.
they kept you a prisoner, what's stopping you from leaving now that you have the key to your own cell?.
loved ones?
-
-
Themdoubts
It can take time for some people to leave. In my case i have had to construct a plan that I can't even act on yet, but am slowly building up to. Family is the main reason i stay. I find the meetings now very very uncomfortable and the last place i want to be....i wish it was as easy as walking away but I love my family so for now, baby steps.
-
38
What Was Your Favorite Kingdom Song?
by minimus infunny but for whatever reason, i can't stop singing walking in integrity from the old songbook!
it's in my head and in my opinion it was one of the few songs i really liked..
-
-
Themdoubts
I liked the melody of Make the truth your own. Then they tweaked a note or 2 in the new version and it was really weird to sing after that.
On a different note I remember sitting with my friends in the KH and we all had a major WTF moment whenever we sang Jehovah is on my side - "I know that in this crucial hour my faith will yet be tested, Around me swarms the Devil's crowd - like bees that were molested"....
-
28
Fading or Disassociating
by Saethydd inhello, i'm new here.. i'm a college student who has been raised in the "truth" for my entire life.
i was baptized at 10 years old, and looking back now i know i didn't fully grasp everything involved, for one thing i don't even recall ever going to jehovah in a special prayer to dedicate myself to him, but anyway that's the past and my focus is really on the present.
i'm currently pursuing an associates degree, but i find myself desiring to pursue a bachelors in my chosen field so that i may have a somewhat more secure future.
-
-
Themdoubts
I'm still in for family reasons. I've found from afew years of lurking on here (before i got brave enough to make an account), that perhaps fading is the lesser of 2 evils.
I do believe it needs to be planned out and I'm in a similar situation to you where I'm planning to move away and start my fade. My entire family is in 'the truth' also, but I'm hoping the distance will create less issues once I'm in a different city.
Probably not much help but i wanted to comment anyway and say I'm thinking of you. I resonate with your story and you will find lots of help from folks here.
-
42
I feel really, really sorry for those born into the Jehovah's Witness religion
by jambon1 insome facts that make the difference between you and me:.
1 - as a person raised by non jw family, my parents have never loved me based on conditions set out by a group of old men who they don't even know.
how does it feel to know that you are in the unique situation where your parents brought you into the world and said 'i'll show love to you.
-
-
Themdoubts
My family has a long history entrenched in the witnesses, so other than myself and my siblings being born in, my parents were also! I look back and see how much of my youth was wasted and it saddens me so much. As it was all my parents ever knew, i don't feel animosity towards them as i do know that they did believe they were doing the right thing (1 is now awake with me!). Although, if i ever have children there will be no religion in my household and they will be free to be their authentic selves.