by leavingwt 116 Replies latest jw friends
Wasn't it nice knowing, not merely hoping or believing, but knowing that you were right, that God looked with favor upon you, that you were one of a small group that comprised God's true people, and had a glorious future awaiting?
It was nice... for the first 30 seconds. But it quickly wore off once I noticed all the inconsistencies in the behavior of God's true people.
I am Gratefull to be out of the WBT$ CULT,Jehovah`s Witness`s..
I know of No One..
Who is`nt..
........................ ...OUTLAW
Very good question. In many ways, life would be much easier if I had never awoken. But for years, I had the old "cognitive dissonance" gnawing at me--something just didn't seem right. Of course, the WTS recognizes that this is common, which is why it provides a steady diet of thought-stopping techniques such as (1) where else would you go?; (2) doubts are a snare of Satan and need to be amputated like a gangrenous limb; (3) anything critical of the Society is spiritual pornography; (4) people who leave the Organization are just looking for an easy way out, etc.
Those techniques are tremendously successful. They worked on me for years.
But to answer the question, no, I do not regret learning it was a lie. I wish I had realized it ten or fifteen years ago; but I'm glad I realized it now instead of ten of fifteen years from now.
Of course, there are definite detriments to waking up--especially for born-ins like myself. The friction with believing family members and long-time so-called friends is a high price to pay for intellectual honesty. But I'm the type of person who likes to be told the truth and hates to be lied to. So the trade-off is acceptable to me. To others, it may not be. In fact, to most Witnesses it isn't.
Actually, I think it's kind of a silly question. Who would ever want to go back to that dysfunctional organization after learning the truth about it?
Regret coming to know the truth about the Witnesses and the Bible? Not for an instant!
S4
I didn't want to believe it at first, but I didn't want to waist another 30 years of my life. Can't believe I stayed that long. 
Very interesting responses/feedback.
dig692 -- I'm very sorry that you're trapped inside right now. I cannot even imagine. My personal circumstances allowed me to leave immediately and never return, once I found out it was a lie. So, there is no way in which I can possibly relate to your situation.
Seeker4 -- Where have you been, man? I understand why the question seems silly to many of us. But, this question arose from the strong feelings of some that perhaps we shouldn't awaken certain ones. This caused me to wonder if there are ex-JWs who regret being awakened, etc.
SEEKER!!!
Sylvia
Not a silly question at all. At some point everyone faces the dilemma of bucking society's ingrained eccentricities and superstitions by pursuing truth, or falling back into an expected role. People make this choice, in both directions, every day. Do we hide behind the security of a stereotype? Do we seriously consider scientifiic evidence that contradicts our fimrly held beliefs? Do we give into the persuasion of popular thought when we have reason to belief it is false?
Truth is always an admirable goal in the abstract, but in reality, most of us do not choose truth when it offers a difficult and obscure path.
No, I don't regret it at all. I will never go back. I wish I had found out years sooner.
Just to be the devil's advocate: Wasn't it nice knowing, not merely hoping or believing, but knowing that you were right, that God looked with favor upon you, that you were one of a small group that comprised God's true people, and had a glorious future awaiting?
This would likely be an example of the classic notion of Ignorance = Bliss, right?
