Well...well...well. Look what you've done to this place!

journey-on

Hello, everybody. Ex-JWDer here. Been awhile since I participated. Like what you've done to the place, Simon. Seems a bit tamer than the old board though.

Need the board's input on a sociology question and wonder if some of you might respond.

I can't tell you how many conversations I have had with witnesses and ex-witnesses where the subject doesn't inevitably come up about who is still 'in' and who has 'fallen away'. Recently, I realized that out of the many JW families I knew growing up, it seems to be the first born child that remains in. In my own case, out of four siblings, only one remained faithful to the WTS...the oldest. I have to wonder if there is some sort of correlation or "first born personality complex" that is in play here, or is it just a coincidence. Thanks in advance for responding with your personal observations.......journey-on

compound complex

Welcome back, Journey On:

No thoughts yet on your question, but you're correct on something I hear all
the time from JWs regarding other JWs they may not have heard from in awhile:

"Is he/she still in the Truth?"

CoCo

journey-on

Thanks, CoCo.

Even though I've been out of the org for a long time, when the name of an old friend comes up in conversations with those still associated, I'm guilty of asking that question, too...."Is he/she still a witness?" (I refuse to call it The Truth, however.)

SnakesInTheTower

welcome back journey on..

I was the first born that stayed in from age 4 until age 40.

My younger brothers were never baptized and walked away as soon as they were adults. I don't know why I stayed in. I didn't know anything else and was (and maybe still am) socially inept. I figured I better keep what little social structure I had because I wouldn't find one when I left. Though I was an elder for 5 years, I was still on the outside socially.

I figured freedom to look for an alternative social life was better than the sham social structure I grew up with.

Snakes ()

besty

one sibling - older brother by 2.75 years - both brought up as JW

he is an Elder PO

I'm an apostate

anecdotal evidence :-)

journey-on

Thanks, Snakes and besty.

Anymore anecdotal evidence out there regarding first borns?

Awakened at Gilead

Michael Shermer in his book Why People Believe Weird things, explained soem sociological evidence why Firstborns tend to stay in the religion of their parents and why laterborns have a greater probability of leaving. I don't have the book with me now or else I would give you a page number.

I am the 2nd of 2. My older bro is still a JW and an elder, and he hates my guts, LOL

My Struggle

I am the first born. Left four years ago. My younger brothe is 14, and I don't think that is quite old enough to question anything. Hopefull when he gets old enough he will wake up and leave like I did.

steve2

You are onto something. First-borns usually have more responsbility thrust on them such as looking after younger siblings etc. Also, first-borns get lots of messages from parents that more is expected of them: E.g., "John, you're the oldest...now behave like it!" and so on. I've noticed that the youngest children - especially in large families - continue to behave like children even when they're adults - they're kind of used to being "looked after" and have a greater likelihood of never quite growing up; they're also usually more sociable because they've grown up in as large family, whereas first-borns spent some time in their formative years in a relatively less sociable home environment. There are all sorts of wonderful variables that nicely account for the "characteristics" seen in birth-order.

Dagney

The oldest in my family left after I did, and I'm the youngest. The middle one, well, he's a big o' elder. He seems so smart about some things. But man...when it comes to the "org/mother," he is crazy nuts. Crazy.

Well...well...well. Look what you've done to this place!

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