by return visitor 20 Replies latest jw friends
I know many have been hurt by association with the WTS, but I was just wondering, are there any truths that you accually can take away from your association with it. For instance, before becoming a JW i would recite the Lord's Prayer, and had never read in Matt. that is was not to be recited, but that it was mearly there as an example of how to pray.
Can anyone else relate a gem of truth that they would not know of except for the WTS?
RV
My father taught me how to do woodworking but I don't think it takes away the pain of sexual abusing me.
Blondie
I have to give the same answer to this question "NOT ONE THING"!!
Hi return visitor, and welcome to the forum.
To be honest, I don't think the wts teachings contained any gems that I brought out with me when I left. I learned how to manage on not very much money when I was a pioneer, but that's about all.
Here's a gem of truth that I learned from a 16 year old JW who had been raped by a JW, then turned in by the rapist and was consequently disfellowshipped (she not he)...if it weren't for nice (wordly)people like me who could befriend and accept her as she was and have a strictly platonic relationship with her...she would have killed herself. That was an important lesson that the WTS taught her. We remained platonic friends for 3 more years, and have been married for 27. (I asked her permission before posting this.)
I was raised a witness, but how about: no hellfire.
Blondie
i'm not saying that one thing justifies the other, I am on my way out of the organization because it doesn't. Guess I'm just trying to see the bright side of a bad situation.
RV
There are some things I "observed" (not learned) that the WTS "promotes" (not teaches) that I can agree with. Dressing neat for business occasions for instance, was something I never really applied myself at until getting in the routine of wearing a full suit as opposed to looking at who we have our haynes on now watching football on Sunday. Which reminds me, what I am I doing on this computer... the Jets are beating the fish... But in the bigger picture, the false hypocrisy outweighs the appearance of good character and love shown on the outside. Inside they are full of all sorts of treachory.
I was raised Catholic, and did not have much bible knowledge. For me, doing away with punishment in hell was a relief. I am still filtering out the BS. In the Catholic religion I believed you did not divorce at all........At least I found out that the bible did give a blessing in the way of adultry, so I got a "scriptual" divorce.........Now I really don't care about it.
I think without the JW experiance I would not have been freed from organized religion as I am now. The Catholic religion would not have pushed me to learn more and more and become so sick of it.
I think I am more interested in whats going on in the world, because of the experiance.
And I have gained strengths I did not know I had.
I suppose I could have learned all this without the help of the organization. I don;t know, it has affected my life for 20 years.
oh, and it broke barriers for prejudices against different races.
purps
Believe me, for every "good" thing you think you see in the Borg that you learned, you could have learned it some way else, with less pain.
The best lesson you can learn is not to get involved with an organization or group that abuses its members like the WTS does. It is at best a negative lesson, not in a positive way.
Blondie
