the guilt borne by former Jehovah's Witnesses (page 2)

VampireDCLXV

I feel no guilt except what the Borg imposed on me. I didn't have any success (?) in the field circus and I didn't bring anyone into The Lie TM . I only regret the years wasted...

V665

Nickolas

Thank you all for your responses. You have been most generous.

Black Sheep

To leave, is to admit that you are guilty of every bad thing you did to your family and friends in the name of the particular cult you are a member of.

That is why my parents would rather sell their souls to the Devil than admit they had joined a nasty little doomsday cult 70 years ago.

cameo-d

Is it the guilt of making people they love unhappy that prompts people to leave the Society or is it a dawning realisation that the Society misrepresents itself?

If they had cared from the heart for those they hurt, they would have the realization right then that something is not right with the org.dogma. So perhaps that could be an aspect in why they start to question the org and its dictates. When they reject their own families for the rules of a publishing company and accept it so matter of fact, then their love was always conditional. But if it causes a disturbance in their conscience, then this conflict can act as a catalyst to bring them to an awareness of being misled by the cult.

Sometimes these two factors that you have presented work together.

WTWizard

The guilt is because the Filthful and Disgraceful Slavebugger equates looking at a different religion, or refusal to promote this one, as sinning against the holy spirit. Time and again they make people feel that, unless they believe fully everything the Filthful and Disgraceful Slavebugger says, they are unworthy of anything. "Even if you can prove our doctrine wrong using the Bible, you still have to abide by and teach the bad doctrine until we ourselves fix it." That seems all too common.

Those who were born in or whose parents got baptized when you were little couldn't do a damn thing about it. Those who went into the cancer as adults could have prevented it, but lacked the resources at the time you went in or didn't think about the consequences at that time. After you know better, you realized that it was all a big scam. Then, they hold family (and sometimes livelihood and home) hostage, preventing you from simply slithering out. That is why so many witlesses work for other witlesses or have other witlesses as landslumlords. Those witlesses hope that, if you wish to keep your home or work (or both), you will continue teaching the bad doctrines. You might feel bad that you are losing those arrangements for not agreeing with the Filthful and Disgraceful Slavebugger.

While some will feel guilty, that is not appropriate guilt. You did nothing wrong by checking your beliefs with the Bible and/or real life--the Bible itself encourages people to test their beliefs for accuracy. Yes, you will feel consequences--shunning, loss of job, loss of home, family wrecked. But, keep in mind that the organization promised you something. You were supposed to dedicate yourself to the organization--they claim it is unconditional. But, would you keep such dedication if they were misleading you on purpose or continually mistreating you on purpose? And, unless they (or Jehovah) gives you value equivalent to what you are sacrificing, you should rightfully blow off the dedication.

They welsh on their end, you are thus free to welsh on your dedication.

Lozhasleft

Mostly I feel guilty for taking my kids into that terrible cult.

(Just thinking how many people from the past would be incredibly shocked to hear me say those words.)

Loz x

the guilt borne by former Jehovah's Witnesses