I've recently finished Steven Hassan's RELEASING THE BONDS...will probably read it again. I was just wondering, were you, at one point, on the jw side & had a non-jw family member do what Steven Hassan suggests? Did it work? It seems a lot of you left for other reasons, like seeing the lack of love with your own eyes. Or experiencing the hypocrisy firsthand. But can you look back and see what your loved ones said to make you doubt?
Did you leave because of Family's Doubting thoughts?
by homeschool 4 Replies latest jw friends
-
-
homeschool
guess not....
-
leavingwt
99% of the public is largely ignorant of destructive Mind Control groups, IMHO. (There are also several high-profile groups that are arguably more destructive than WT.)
MOST of the outreach to cult members, as best I can tell, is from Evangelical Christian groups, here in the US. In these cases, the goal is usually ver specific: save the JWs, by leading them to Christ. (In contrast to Hassan/Watters' goal of empowering people to think for themselves.)
In my own case, my non-JW relatives thought my JW faith was a bit odd, but they had no idea how destructive it was. Moreover, as Christians, they evidently didn't consider me to be Hell-bound. Since leaving, I have shared some of Hassan's point with several of them. The point that they've really been amazed by is how JWs must spy on one another. Also, they are shocked that my JW family would shun me.
-
WuzLovesDubs
I was soooooo into this when I first came in at age 29. It was so "logical" and I really didnt have any Bible knowledge to refute anything so naturally since they "proved" everything they said with a scripture it HAD to be the troof. But then after beating my family over the head with it for a long time, my sister finally said ENOUGH!! And banned me from seeing her, her kids, her husband EVER as long as I was a JW! That included writing, or seeing them at school or ANY form of communication.
It was devastating to me. I went four years without her in my life and it caused me to sit down and rethink what I had gotten myself into and if it was WORTH losing my family for. And I did just that...I hit the internet. I hit the library and I researched this group that I SHOULD have researched before joining but in 1984 there was no internet and nobody told me who the EXJWs were so I could talk to THEM you know.
And my eyes flew open! I sent my sister a fax and told her I had DAd and asked her forgiveness if she didnt want to see me again, I would understand after what I put them through...but she sent me back a fax and welcomed me back with open arms. And with restrictions and a wait and see clause...but there is NOTHING on the planet that I would allow to come between us again.
The JWs have lost site of what love is.
-
homeschool
Thats what I'm looking for! Thanks for sharing . I'm glad you finally came to your senses