Living with family who believe that you deserve to die

by jambon1 15 Replies latest jw friends

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  jambon1

  I always had a problem with the idea that everyone except JW`s deserves to die at armageddon. I used to think; "what about all the really nice people? Mrs so and so, my magazine call. Or my workmate Bobby who works hard and loves his family". Do all these nice people really deserve to die?

  Obviously I now view people properly. I love people and see the good that is in most of humanity.

  My view of myself has improved. I have no feelings of guilt or low feelings of self worth that are so common among many JW`s. Not that I am full of myself. I just like myself in ways that I never could as a JW. But isnt it hard to live with family who still feel that you deserve to die at armageddon?

  I am an honest person. I am pretty decent. I love my kids and work hard to provide for them. I treat others nicely and with respect. But why cant my family see this? Why cant they take pride in me or my achievements? Why do they believe that the world would be a better place without me? Why would they 'praise jah' for his murderous act against me? Why do they feel that this 'god' would be fully justified and correct to bring my life to a sudden an abrupt end?

  Doesnt it get to you? How do you deal with it?

  Best,

  J
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  megsmomma

  That is the biggest thing that P*sses me off. They think they are so much better than you are no matter what they are "really" like...and they usually like to throw it in your face that you are going to DIE!!!!

  I guess I don't deal with it too well....LOL
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  BluesBrother

  My wife is sure that I will on a vulture's table menu pretty soon. It goes with the territory of being an ex dub with a believing wife.

  I cope with it easier these days. In fact I can cope easier than I could when I was a dub. In those days I had a deep belief that things ought to be the way that the WT said that families should be, and it bugged me that they were'nt. Now I find it easier to rise above it and let comments ride over. It is not her. It is the misguided teaching from WT land that is talking .
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  fullofdoubtnow

  I am an honest person. I am pretty decent. I love my kids and work hard to provide for them. I treat others nicely and with respect. But why cant my family see this? Why cant they take pride in me or my achievements? Why do they believe that the world would be a better place without me? Why would they 'praise jah' for his murderous act against me? Why do they feel that this 'god' would be fully justified and correct to bring my life to a sudden an abrupt end?

  I guess they don't share your view (or mine) of non jws.

  Let's face it, they were taught, as we were, that only jws have a chance of surviving armageddon. We don't believe that anymore, but they do. They beleive, because the wts tells them, that jehovah is a god of justice, and he will punish all those who deserve it,which is everyone but his so-called people, with death.

  As to how any of us can deal with it, I guess we can't, really. All we can do is live our lives, and hope that they one day see the wts as we do.
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  carla

  But isnt it hard to live with family who still feel that you deserve to die at armageddon?

  I wish jw's would get it together with their unity crap! My jw still insists that jw's do not believe this. Yes, yes, I have shown him the wt's that say this (long ago) and yet he still claims it is all taken out of context, etc... you apostates..... damn, that brick wall just gets harder!

  Back to the question of the thread, yes, I feel quite insulted by it sometimes. Mostly I just think what a bunch of nut jobs. Nuttier yet is how he can claim they don't believe this!
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  Rebirth

  My husband likes to toss this out when he is feeling especially overwhelmed by my "worldliness." Something about how it saddens him that I'm going to die at Armegeddon. I keep wondering why he is so freaked out about it when I could get in the car and die today. The same result would happen according to JW: I wouldn't be his wife in the new system. So why worry about tomorrow or what "could" happen. Religion in general likes to mitigate their guilt over acting a certain way by talking about some future life. Hey, wake up, what about the here and now?

  JWs like to pat themselves on the back for their horrendous treatment of others thinking that they will get a pass into the new system for treating people like they aren't worthy of the oxygen they breath. One word: Dillusional!
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  Jourles

  I was just thinking about this the other day. If at any time we end up with jw relatives having to live with us, I will make them sign a letter stating that they will not view me as a "spiritually dead" person, will include me in any extracurricular family activities, etc, etc. I want them to know, without a doubt, that any religious discrimination towards me will not be tolerated and is punishable by immediate eviction. Plus, if the elders ever hear about our little family outings or whatever(which are a no-no according to the WTS) and come calling, I will show their signed letter to the elders. This will leave them with two choices: They can snub the elder's "advice" or they can leave. Simple as that. It's my turn to lay down the law.
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  mrsjones5

  How do you deal with it?

  I don't. I now live over 2000 miles away from those family members (on mother's and father's sides) who are jws and believe that I'm birdfood. I don't even talk to those people.
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  Honesty

  It's easy to deal with once I figured out that JW's have invested so much time, energy and emotions into the Faithful Slave that they can't just walk away like we did.
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  restrangled

  It boggles the mind that family members can really believe this about those who do not share their beliefs, much less strangers.

  It was pounded into our heads as kids we were going to die unless we got babtized and followed the "narrow path to life.".....you get my drift.

  At age 13, I was caught trying cigarettes by someone in the hall. When reported to my mother, this was her statement....("I don't care if you wish to die at Armeggdon, but I for one am going to be in the New Order!) This only underscored what we always knew was always the bottom line. Its a weird feeling to be resigned to an early death at that age. Because it was instilled in me from a small child on up, its a tough feeling to shake. It was hard looking at all my school friends thinking they were going to be falling into that pit pictured in the Paradise Lost book. (That was the big book in place of the Bible back then, especially for kids. We studied it over and over with my mom.)

  Seems this belief just became a fact of life...like taxes.

  r.