My Bullshit Meter now works 100% and works overtime. But I stlll reckon that I would have that skill had I never been trapped in the Cult.
Nearly 100% of the Public detect the JW Bullshit.
Being in a cult - what good did it do?
by Garrett 45 Replies latest jw friends
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Village Idiot
Phizzy, "Nearly 100% of the Public detect the JW Bullshit."
Although a substantial part of that 100% have their own bullshit that they can't smell/detect.
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apostrate
Some people will find absolutely no good in having been in a cult while others will have a better outlook on life as a result of the bad experience. If I spend the rest of my life being bitter, then the WT will have won. I will not let them define my life. I don't even particularly like being referred to as an EX-JW, it has a negative connotation.
I now work in a retail store where I see many, many pathetic people who probably were never raised in a cult. They appear to be sad, directionless, hopeless, poor. I don't consider myself to be better than any of them necessarily, but I realize that one doesn't have to be raised in a cult in order to become poor, bitter or an indigent.
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Bonsai
I'm still not convinced that this religion is a cult. If it is, then most all other religions on this planet are cults one way or another. People run around screaming in gibberish (tongues),. People go around threatening that one might roast in an eternal hellfire. People claim that they have been Born Again! that all sounds just as cultish and looney to me. I feel no more victimized than if I were born into a Protestant or Catholic religion.
I feel that i was raised in a high control group that exposed me to many negative things and some positive things. I realize there are those with worse experiences than I, but speaking for myself, this religion helped me to learn a good set of morals( which I realize are just common sense), they exposed me to some of the good things written in the bible. Being a witness helped me to overcome the beginnings of substance abuse. I met many good people who taught me a lot of good principles in life. This religion helped me to make many contacts so I could travel to many countries with ease. It taught me how to be a good, persuasive public speaker. etc. etc. I lived. I learned.
I like the positivity of the O.P. because it is not a weakness but a strength to be able to take something good from the bad, or build something from that which is broken.Thanks for that Garrett.
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jws
I'd say that perhaps the JWs gave me some standards and morals. Without them, I might have tried drugs earlier. Not that I ever got hooked. But had I at a younger age, who knows? Or had sex as a teenager before knowing about birth control and had to deal with a wife and child - before I was ready. That could've had a major impact on my life.
Forcibly being separated from some of the kids at school might have been a good thing in retrospect. I see a lot of kids I went to school with that still seem tied to the blue collar life and culture of the area. Some of which had to do with things that started in high school. Because I didn't hang out with them, those views didn't rub off on me. Instead of hanging out with the grease monkeys who were all about their cars, I was hanging out with another JW and we were all about learning about computers.
I'm still a little bit torn on the nature vs. nurture issue. As I see things like my ex turn out exactly like her birth mother in many ways and totally unlike her adopted parents. Even though she didn't know anything about her birth family until her mid 30's. So there's also the thought that who I was going to be was mostly in my genes regardless of influences. Perhaps my personality is from nature. And my wisdom from life experience.
Upon leaving I also reflected on how the JWs controlled people and when I see it in other groups, I know to go the other way. I have an ex-JW friend who's been involved in many multi-level-marketing schemes. He's dragged me to a few. The audacity. Insinuating I'm stupid if I don't follow them because I'm passing up on thousands of extra dollars per month. I'm just guessing, but my friend's involvment with company after company has probably left him in the negative. He bought way more product for his own use (at a "discount") than he made off his downline. Oh sure, he'll swear the vitamins or whatever were worth it, But in the end, was it anything but snake oil? Same things as JWs. Love bombing, pressure to join, how great everybody is doing (even though most of them are lying). High on recruiting.
He's also been involved with different religions too. I realize them using their own private lingo too. Like the JWs had "Kingdom Hall", "Meetings" "Field Service", "torture stake", etc. instead of terms other people might use.and recognize. It mentally makes people feel part of the "in" crowd that knows the truth. I saw this in use in his groups he was becoming part of and I steered clear. And again with the miracles. Harnessing Holy Spirit powers to do things that nobody else knows how to do, so you're learning the right stuff. Stay with us.
Don't get me wrong. I have regrets about being a JW too. Buried among some of those "glad I didn't's" are a few "wish I could have's".
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stuckinarut2
I like the concept of this thread.
Thinking more about it, I guess that my life experiences have helped me to become more like a toddler again...in the sense that I have learned to ask WHY? to everything.
That is a positive!
That means that I am not gullible in all aspects of life, whether it be religious, or even not just swallowing the media or advertising of the world around us...
Yes...I think toddlers had it right all along: Asking "WHY?" is a valuable tool!
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Oubliette
I'm sure most, if not all of us, would agree that we did have good experiences while we were JWs.
But those were in spite of being in a cult, not because of it.
Also, many, if not all, of those experiences can be had outside of JW-land.
For example, I gained experience in public speaking and realized that I enjoyed teaching as a result of being an elder and conducting the TMS for over a decade. This encouraged be to get a BA and a teaching credential.
This was something I wanted to do BEFORE I became a JW but put aside for the obvious reasons.
It should also be obvious that most teachers do this without ever being a JW. Also, as you no doubt know, getting any kind of higher education is strongly discouraged by the WT leaders. I received a lot of flak as a result, from fellow elders and even my wife at the time.
So really, the best thing I got from being in this religion was affirmation that I should never have joined it in the first place. The next best thing I got was out.
The short answer to your question the in: No.
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Village Idiot
Bonsai,
"Being a witness helped me to overcome the beginnings of substance abuse."
Being a witness has led many to substance abuse. Probably more than those it has helped.
"I met many good people who taught me a lot of good principles in life."
Many Nazis, aside from their heinous crimes, were moral and ethical in most regards. The Witnesses believe in genocide. No, Godwin's Law does not apply.
"This religion helped me to make many contacts so I could travel to many countries with ease. It taught me how to be a good, persuasive public speaker. etc. etc. I lived. I learned."
You could have acquired those skills and contacts without the negative effect of the Witnesses. I will admit, though, that the Ministry School does hone your public speaking skills and draws some introverts out.
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william draper
I wonder had I not joined this religion , would I have been some sucessful Jerk , one never knows , I have though learned how to live a life in poverty most of life , and still at times , be able to smile , I lost my 2 children mostly due to the teachings of this religion , and the religion giving no support for headsip if it appears that the woman that left is more of a witness than the man . Her home congregation supported her in keeping the children away from me then 12 months later she lost the children to some UCC relious people she became friends with , her and new husband neglect and abuse of the children .
I have though learned well how not to be a part of the world that just wants to have a good time , no matter if it based upon falsehoods , or hurts other people
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stuckinarut2
(Village Idiot: I will admit, though, that the Ministry School does hone your public speaking skills and draws some introverts out.)
Interesting comment, and one I would have agreed with in the past. But now I feel that while the TMS allows an opportunity to be taught how to speak to an audience, and construct a discourse etc...the environment for delivering it is a "safe place"...one that has a captive and agreeable audience who will just swallow everything dispensed and not find fault or think critically about it. That is artificial.
In the real world, a good speaker knows that many in the crowd are not readily agreeing. The speaker has to "win" them over, or allow for differences of opinion to the material they are presenting.