I grew up terrified of demons. We had an overseer from Britain and he would play JW tapes of demonic activity. Witnesses related how the tea pot went flying around the room. I was preteen. Once my aunt told me a story that a woman with a long walk home who feared rape. When she finally arrived home, she felt safe. A hand grabbed her and she was raped. She was so afraid she could not scream. Perhaps it my age and the fact that I had to walk around a violent city myself but her tale hit home.
I had no idea what a demon looked like. My father never finished a wall between my sister's room and my room. It was open through the closet. There was no air-conditioning. He wanted the space open for cross-ventilation. I was busy with school work. Suddenly, the closet door opened. Mr. Demon appeared. I shreiked over and over again. My younger sister had crawled through to spook me. I did not see a demon so they don't exist. It took a while for my brain to process that it was my kid sister. I was beyond terror.
Thanks to my sister, I found out that I need not fear not screaming. My parents rushed up to see what was happening. I received a severe beating for screeching. My father would not listen to me explain that I thought a demon was in the room. The entire family remembers what happened clearly to this day. A black friend told me she was raised not to fear demons b/c you can rebuke them in Jesus' name. We were taught that they will bother you and trip you as you walk b/c you are a faithful Witness. They will also bother you if you are not faithful. I knew which camp I was in instantly. For many years, I had a demon patrol going at night time. I constantly scanned behind door hinges, closet doors, and shower curtains. It was very hard to go to sleep b/c I was so afraid. Electric utilities have profited from the demon scare. I can't burn enough lights.
There must be psychology studies of the role demons play in religion. The Witnesses appeared to have no confidence that Satan would be defeated. I was also taught that hearing voices or hallucinating signified demon attacks. My mom had a human hair wig. I wondered. Teaching about mental illness would be easier, in my view.
The kid sister part is funny. The other parts are very sad. I'm only revealing this here b/c maybe some other teens/kids were terrified too. My mom said she did not believe in them. I did not. The stories in the WT, particularly the British ones, scarred me. Violence seemed every place in my life. Home and school were violent. The KH was in a very bad neighborhood. I hated going there. Plus high school classmates could see me enter the KH. Fortunately, we moved away. If am under intense stress, I may still scan behind doors. Most of the time I pay it no mind.
I wish I could write that I scared the crap out of my sister as revenge. She told me a few months ago that she stayed awake, lookng out, too. We used to share a room. If I had known, one of us could have rested while the other one was busy on patrol.
Raising a child in this religion is an act of abuse in itself. Other kids had camp outs and told safe ghost stories. We heard about the end of the world from a terror God. Satan ruled the world. Need I repeat all the themes in the orange Paradise Lost book? Others here know what I mean. I purchased one from Amazon recently. I wish all born-in children of my age could bring a class-action suit for severe emotional damage against the author and the WTBTS. Frankly, I find the illustrations that haunted my young years so funny and tacky. The book is almost camp.