For years, it was drummed into our heads that the whole world lies in the hands of the wicked one who hates us and a result, mankind particularly hates the JWs with a passion.
Now that I think about it, I've seen very little evidence of that. I mean yes, in places like Malawi, Germany and some other countries the witnesses have been through REAL persecution - not the type that the average dub would call it like doors being slammed in the face. But what have they experienced that many other religions in other countries haven't? How is the persecution unique?
Other than that, they're not even on the average person's radar. Unless someone has been directly affected by the witnesses i.e. losing a member to the cult who greatly limits association with once close family relatives or friends, no one even talks about them. They claim that as this system draws to an end there will be more media lies and hostility directed at them etc etc, but the Candace Conti case was the last time I've personally seen anything about them in the media....and even then, what was reported was factual. Apart from a few jokes here and there, I don't see or hear anything about them where people are plotting to kill them or expressing outright hatred.In fact, even when there has been anti-JW sentiment expressed online, I see just as much sympathisers and defenders of JWs.....so where is all this super strong worldwide hate exactly? By the way they used to talk about, I would have thought that by now there would be newspaper articles and media outlets damn near encouraging everybody to slaughter the first JW they see!
I don't talk much about my JW past, but when I have, people generally just shrug their shoulders and say that they don't know that much about the witnesses at all. Of course there are people who hate JWs, but in generally most people are simply indifferent and don't even care about them. A year ago, when an old JW friend of mine was saying that witnesses are the "most hated religion", I said that is not true at all. I said that no one can tell me that people in general hate JWs more than the muslims post-9/11. Apart from expressing annoyance at being woken up in the mornings, or the blood issue, people in general don't really have an issue. They'd just rather the witnesses kept to themselves.
It's no wonder most witnesses have a persecution complex and are totally paranoid when the GB is feeding them this unhelathy nonsense. I'm really supposed to believe that one day out of the blue, the governments and the majority of people who have a million other worries and much bigger fish to fry are just gonna suddenly pick up any weapon they can find and hunt down witnesses like animals in the woods? Just to think I wasted so many years of being afraid of this b.s. scenario. SMH.
