At what age do people 'wake up'? (page 5)

Was born in, woke up at 45 & got totally out at 48. A few things got the wheels turning in my head. The first thing was the criticism of Catholics for their pedophile problem while hiding pedophiles within the JW. religion. Next was their criticism of churches asking for $$$ when there were so many meeting parts and articles on giving $$$ to to the WT. A big eye-opener on that was when they started telling people how they could will their stocks, homes, even jewelry to the society.

Another thing was the vitriol spewed aginst homosexuals. IMHO I believe a person is born gay, or they're not. We were always told that people 'chose' to be gay. I always thought, why would someone 'choose' a sexual preference that would cause them to become a social pariah. It just didn't make sense.

The last biggie for me was the hypocritical criticism of other religions that had their own literature such as Mormons with the Book of Mormon or Catholics with the Catechism, etc. The WT. is no different. We were not encouraged to read the Bible & pray for answers to questions, but were directed to look up things in the WT. publications.

That's my 2 cents. Leslie

JoelCW

From reading all of these posts I must have been really lucky being able to get out when I was 18. If I had been in during my 20's and 30's I honestly would have lost my freakin' mind.

mamochan13

As Captain Obvious says, I don't see any wholesale waking up either. My family is all devoted and have no reason to consider leaving. It is their whole life, friends, lifestyle, etc. So even if they had doubts, they aren't going to act on them.

But like many others here, it was a series of events that woke me. DF'ing was the first step, but it was the reinstatement that really brought home to me how wrong they were. Then my family's glee when my "wordly" husband left me and their subsequent attempts to force my children back to the religion when I started to quit going to meetings. I was around 40. Even when I had left, I was still not "awake". That took several more years, mostly due to my finally going to university and becoming enlightened.

Aware!

I look at the publishers in my cong and want to weep - they are so completely under control.

I was talking about this yesterday with someone. I'm so thankful for everyone here; JWN was the push I needed. Had to be very open-minded. I woke up this summer at age 19.

Niveau

For me, the formal waking-up happened at 21. I'd had doubts about headship since I was a child, and in my late teens I began to doubt other parts of the doctrine. It wasn't until I met my boyfriend and began to actively question things about loud that I became aware of just how many of the teachings I disagreed with. Now I'm 22, completely mentally out, but physically in, as I live with my parents.

The Internet did play a decently large role in the process - before I was ready to learn about all the horribleness the Borg is responsible for, my boyfriend would do research online and then break it to me gently. Now that I'm more aware of TTATT, I'm able to come on sites like this one myself, and the impact what I've learned has had is undeniable. I sincerely hope it'll have the same effect on other people my age.

SophieG

JoelCW says: " From reading all of these posts I must have been really lucky being able to get out when I was 18. If I had been in during my 20's and 30's I honestly would have lost my freakin' mind."

Joel I surely can't speak for others, but I was slowly losing my mind! Complete mental freak outs during the meetings!!!

Inisc

Started waking at 21

Stopped going at 22

Didnt wake up completely til 26

It was a gradual process with lots of reading and thinking involved.

Twitch

I began to question and doubt in my teens. Oh, the battles of reason vs belief that went on. A few key issues of belief and practise that didn't add up. At 17, I was all but convinced this religion wasn't what it said it was. I left home at 18 and stopped going to meetings for the most part. I attended the memorials and my brother's baptism at 21 or so but that was it; haven't attended since. Much of this was also due to teen rebellion to an extent, wanting to choose my own path, friends and likes/dislikes.

lostinthought

I was always a little embarrassed about the religion, outside of service, I never really told people I was a jw unless they blatantly asked what religion. I was. Yet I still believed it all. I pioneered starting at 19 and when. Was in my 20s I threw myself into the religion reading new all publications and magazines ect. And continued pioneering. When I turned 30 I realized what I wanted in life, just to live "normally" I want a family and to raise my children with an open mind not stomping out thir dreams and aspirations with dumb wt goals. I also started paying attention to non witnesses realizing that there are so good people in the world that a not witnesses. I also made a new very best friend who's not a witness and I can't imagine my life without him. So I dumped the pioneering and I've generally been happy lately. But I'm still in, I'm not taking the religion do seriously and maybe one day I'll get the guts to leave.

At what age do people 'wake up'?

perfect1

nuthouse escapee