No, you wouldn't. Visions, hallucinations, etc., are as completely real as anything else you are seeing, hearing or experiencing. No matter what you say, you DON'T know the difference.
I do
Why do I no longer get attacked and persecuted by the demons, since I left JW,s ?
by pedal power 151 Replies latest jw friends
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Found Sheep
When I was 10 years old I was out in FS in Woodstock NY. I was in a house that had voodo stuff all over. I was with a sister that was old enough to me my Mom. When she opened her bible the room started to shake and a knife went from one side of the room to the other. The woman looked "posessed" and said we needed to go because we were not welcome.
We left and then the sister talked to me about demons...
It was not in my head ... we talked about it from time to time.
I wasn't asleep either!
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Essan
It's helpful to remember that members of countless other religions have similar demon stories and experiences which they also use as 'evidence' of how this shows they are specially protected/targeted as members of that religion.
It's nothing unique to the JW's and isn't the evidence of Divine backing that you think it is.
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Found Sheep
exactly Essan!
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scary21
If I were a demon I would be at a Kid Rock concert not making cupcakes with a JW . The JW that think about demons are bothered, The JW who don't think about demons, don't seem to be bothered IMO One JW I know of, DA herself by a letter recently, and is still bothered..........Of course she gets wack job money from the government if that tells you anything. ( Read The Demon haunted world by Carl Sagon. )..My mother says we had demons in the house untill she got rid of an old sewing machine........she beleived if she got rid of that object they would go away....and they did ...the mind is very powerful thing
Sherry
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EntirelyPossible
I do
All crazy people say that.
When I was 10 years old I was out in FS in Woodstock NY.
Let's start with the obvious. You were 10. At a house. With voodoo symbols. With a woman that was afraid of them too. If that's not setting off any alarms, then I don't know what would. Memories change over time, kids are impressionable, things you are afraid of seem more real.
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ambersun
I would not presume to speak on behalf of others, but my own personal opinion is that the very real and frightening demon attacks I used to think I experienced were the direct result of mind control tactics, and the power of suggestion on a vulnerable mind. I was being scared half to death week after week sitting through countless meetings warning about Satan and his demons being everywhere, looking for ways to get me. Stories of JWs being given gifts that turned out to have demons in them and the terrifying ordeals they went through trying to get rid of the things. No wonder I was paranoid and thought I saw and experienced things. As already mentioned, this is a tactic used by many religions to control their flocks, not just JWs.
It is amazing how, since realising these things do not actually exist, I have never had any problems at all. I can read whatever I like, watch any film, buy antiques and pre-owned items without needing to find out who owned them before me and the worry that they might be demonised.
It's great to be free
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HintOfLime
Heh heh..
When I was a young kid (around 6-8, not sure my age, just the house I lived in), I saw the old B&W War of the Worlds movie.
That night when I walkied into my bedroom for bed, I vividly remember seeing one of the alien probes straight out of the movie in my room. I freaked out, and refused to go into the bedroom, crying at my parents attempts to make me go to bed.
A few minutes my dad walked out and reassured me that the "alien probe" was just the desk lamp - but to this day I vividly remember seeing something else.
The point being... one can't trust childhood memories too far. Especially when they revolve around a budding fear instinct that is still learning what is and what isn't a threat.
- Lime
PS: (Stranger still, my brother insists it was he that went into the bedroom and saw the lamp and freaked out.)
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unshackled
When I was 8 or 9 and going to bed on a school night, still had my bedside light on, a piece of lego flew out of my closet. I didn't see it fly out, but heard it hit the floor and skid across. Being deathly afraid of demons from all the JW horror stories, I panicked. And of course, immediately said "Jehovah!" Silence for a few seconds.
Then another piece of lego flies out. At that...I did a trifecta of 'Jehovahs' as I bolted out of the room. I was freaked and wouldn't go back to bed. Until....my brother admitted that he was hiding in the closet to pull the joke.
The point? If I were a regular kid, not a JW and predisposed to believe in and fear demons, it would have been obvious what was up. Never would have freaked out. When we are predisposed to certain things, especially deeply ingrained fears, our minds can easily trick us.
My brother is still a JW....so the joke's on him now.
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Morbidzbaby
I had "demon experiences" when I was young. I saw an 8 foot tall man in my room, I could see right through him into the kitchen. I was so scared I pissed myself. I also felt someone lay down next to me, felt the rise and fall of their body "breathing", but when I reached behind me, there was no one there.
I was about 8 years old on both counts. I was petrified of Satan and the demons.
Now, as an unbelieving adult, I realize those things were either contacts from some sort of "spirit realm" (I do believe that exists, even as an atheist), or they were all in my head. But, I know what I saw and felt...doesn't mean it was real, though.
Now that I no longer believe in those things, I freely watch what I want (True Blood is a favorite!) without worrying that I'm going to go to bed and be attacked by demons. A door shutting on it's own is the wind, not a demon...etc.
The thing that worries me about your post, pedal, is that although you are "out", you are mentally still in to an extent. We've all been there. The Watchtower ingrained in us the belief that if you leave the "Truth", that you're making yourself subject to harrassment by demons and Satan. But if you stay in, although you have Jehovah's protection, you can still be harrassed. They speak out both sides of their mouth. A person who leaves has nothing but trouble and turmoil because they no longer have Holy Spirit. Yet, when someone leaves and is doing very well and is happy, "Satan puts things in front of people to distract them from serving Jehovah" and "Satan rewards his servants"...but isn't Satan a god of darkness?? So why would people be doing WELL after leaving? We should all be miserable!
I'm going to do what a lot of others on this forum do...I'm going to recommend you find and read "Combatting Cult Mind Control" by Steven Hassan. It's helped SO MANY of us. Also, for a better understanding of the Society and why it's NOT the "Truth", read "Crisis of Conscience" by Ray Franz.
