When did you realize that you were part of a cult?

by JH 48 Replies latest jw friends

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  DanTheMan

  2001 District Convention Drama "Respect Jehovah's Authority". Hated every second of it, it made me sick. Never had they played their authority card so brazenly and heavy-handed as they did with that drama.

  Here's the theo-crackhead program from that day, ahhh the memories

  SUNDAY

  BE TEACHERS IN VIEW OF THE TIME -- Hebrews 5:12

  Morning

  9:30 Music
  9:40 Song No. 209 and Prayer
  9:50 The Daily Text Helps Us to Teach God's Word
  10:00 Symposium: Malachi's Prophecy Prepares Us for Jehovah's Day
  Meeting Divine Requirements Magnifies Jehovah
  Jehovah Hates the Course of Treachery
  Who Will Survive the Day of Jehovah?
  11:00 Song No. 74 and Announcements
  11:10 DRAMA: Respect Jehovah's Authority
  11:50 Loyally Submit to Godly Authority
  12:10 Song No. 8 and Intermission

  Afternoon

  1:30 Music
  1:40 Song No. 195 and Prayer
  1:50 Public Discourse: Who Are Teaching All Nations the Truth?
  2:35 Song No. 158 and Announcements
  2:40 Summary of The Watchtower
  3:10 Urgently Fulfilling Our Teaching Commission
  3:55 Song No. 212 and Closing Prayer
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  GoingGoingGone

  I knew they were wrong for a long time before I stopped attending meetings, but I've been fading for a couple years now, and just recently admitted to myself that they are a cult. Once I allowed myself to see it, it's become more and more clear. The more experiences I read here, the more I realize the depths of the cultist thinking that goes on in the WT.

  Scary.

  GGG
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  Lo-ru-hamah

  Sad to say, I was a JW for 32 years and was suckered in for the majority of it. It has been just recently that the realization has completely hit. It took looking up information about what a cult truly is and then looking at how our life was to realize it. Looking back, and seeing the micromanagement of our lives, every little detail, even your relations with you spouse, it is easy to see now but brainwashing is such a powerful tool. It really takes getting out to understand what is really going on. And even then it is difficult to understand why and for what reason anyone would ever willingly do that to people. But I guess that that is the nature of the GBeast.
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  Think

  After learning about children rape cases and covers up, and learning about others cults mind control crap, like Waco/Koresz , Heaven/ Gate Applewhite, Jones/Suicide, I was in shock and did not believed in the begining, that so much rape on innocent children can hapen in JW "HOLY ORG". So I started to pray to God for the truth. I have to say that I was not looking for any faults, discovered everything by accident. Prayed more for the truth, regardles how painfull the truth was.

  Then the light come very clearly, that for the EvilEmpireTower to keep false IMAGE about the worldwide Empire is more important that the raped children and the TRUTH. My heart was broken. The feeling of betrayal of the smallest ones was the last strow. I lost any trust in them. God is not with them.
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  Grace

  I always knew they were weak-minded people hiding behind the veil of pre-programmed verbal regurgitation (I was not raised a JW); however, when 9/11 happened, I knew it could have been witnesses flying the planes because 1) the witnesses live only for after they're dead; and 2) they blindly follow orders.

  This scared me into reality and I left, putting my marriage into jeopardy.

  Grace to you.
• 

  Think

  They are one of the most DANGEROUS AND DESTRUCTIVE CULTS.

  Because they do the dirty work under God name, and cover up everything without shame. They are good at keeping the false IMAGE of holiness in front of people. They are also one of the most agresive cults in spreading the LIE about the whole "THE ONLY ONE HOLLY HAVING THE ONLY TRUTH".

  When I look back, I see so much pain, tears and destruction, broken families, friends in mental institutions, on drugs, on pain killers, unhappy, angry, confused, out of money, greedy, out of their minds,

  divided, not eating, not sleeping, not taking care of themselves, families, children, homes, waiting fearfully for the Armagedon, freaking out at storm that Armagedon is coming, Running like crazy Lunatics arround and trying to grab somebody to listen to the " TRUTH" they believe they have as the "CHOSEN ONES", trying to sell the slicky magazine to somebody or get bible study, so they can write something in the time raport... and so on... and so on. I feel so sorry for them, my heart is broken when they slave so much for nothing, for Barons in Empiretower, I cry many times for them, The Eviltower programmed them for selfdestruction.
• 

  rebel8

  there was this pioneer sister in my congregation and years ago I told her that someone at a door asked me about selling the books and I thought they were always free. She became so full of righteous indignation and exclaimed "We are not peddlers of God's word!"

  elliej, here is a story for you on that subject. I was a regular pioneer briefly in the late '80s (never made my time requirement though). That was in the time where publishers would buy the magazines at face value and ask for face value from the householders. Householders would get po'd and say we were peddling, and the publishers' response was, "No, we are just asking for reimbursement. We are not making a profit." OK.

  The thing is, regular pioneers got a discount at the literature counter. Granted, it was small--I think the mags were like $.40 at the time, so we'd get them for maybe $.25. Anyway, we were instructed at pioneer school not to ever give discounts to householders, because it would give a "bad witness" when the publishers would offer the mags at a higher rate. So we pioneers were making a profit then. At pioneer school we were instructed to respond to the "peddling" allegation by giving the same response publishers did (above), which was a LIE. The school instructors said it was ok because Jehovah knew we were using the pocketed profits to reimburse ourselves for field service gas. So apparently it is ok to lie if it's a white lie.
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  skeeter1

  It hit me one day in the KH. We were going over a WT/Awake magazine...and it said, "Most Christians (i.e. Witnesses) [blah, blah]." I stared at the words "Most Christians" Then, went on! I HAD NEVER BEEN ASKED MY OPINION. I HAD NEVER SEEN ANYONE ELSE ASKED AN OPINION. THERE WERE NO "VOTES" OR "SURVEYS" AS TO WHAT THE FLOCK THOUGHT.

  So, how did the WTS know what "Most Witnesses" would think or do? This is top down thinking, where the WTS is telling trying to use "group pressure" and "group thinking" to tell me what to do...when they never asked the group. The WTS was controlling ALL of us, by using the words "Most Christians" and NEVER asking us what we thought.
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  Sunspot

  I was a pretty "loyal and obedient" (TM) braindead clod for almost 30 years. It was when I was disabled with several illnesses that overtook me all at the same time--did I have the chance to do some serious reflection. I was ignored by ALL, and I was called only when I hadn't turned in my time slip. (I hadn't attended meetings from March until July by this time).

  I went to another board (H2O) and went there AS a "loyal and obedient" (TM) JW, and began to be made aware os so much that I had no clue about and also began to check things out for myself. This was long before the UN LIES and business, and before the Pedophile coverups came to light....but there was enough shown to me that this indeed was NOT what I had signed up for!

  Actually it was during and after I read COC. I collapsed on the floor and cried like a baby.......seriously.

  Someone suggested that I read "LIFTON'S CRITERIA" of a cult....and I truly did the same as GumBabe, and felt as if I had been kicked in the stomach by a horse. The physical pain and the mental anguish were indescribable to anyone who was not a JW and could never understand the horror we are then faced with and must then deal with.

  I didn't read COC for a few months after this happened but it was sure an eye-opener for me too. I feel so awful for those of you who are just starting to realize how this evil cult sucked you in and used yo to peddle their wares while the high mucky-mucks sit it their relaxing atmosphere in their tower. They sit there and dispense their crap-filled orders and the JWs lap it all up and are GRATEFUL for doing so!

  It DOES hurt...and it WILL for quite some time, but you KNOW this is all behind you know and you can breathe in the sweet air of freedom FROM that evil Watchtower CULT!

  hugs,

  Annie......another victim of the Watchtower.

  "A victim stops being one when they stand up and DO SOMETHING about it"