by Searching 19 Replies latest jw experiences
your grandfather* reminded me of some of the fanatics I have come across. and in every case they had no creative hobby read no other books, never travelled.
"A fanatic is someone who cant change his mind and wont change the subject."..Churchill.
I am twice your age and I offer my shoulder to lean on and ears to hear anytime.
* if granddad starts going on remind him of the ARC..
warm regards
Excellent OP, Searching.
You will get so many head nods from untold numbers of others who will identify with how dogmatic JW grandparents can be - they certainly were in my family. My mother was a dedicated Witness but she had a much more loving and caring outlook than her parents as did my father compared with his JW parents.
Your well composed account illustrates how active brain cells are a powerful disinfectant against JW-thinking. I once thought that surely when JWs realize how superficial their message is, they'll not only wake up but stand up against all the religious tripe. I'm still waiting. The fact that so few ever open their eyes is a function of how very, very few JWs would even know how to think critically, having been spoon-fed the basics for so long.
Long may your freedom to think critically continue!
@ Sail Away
I have heard the whole "erased memory" statement before actually! Funnily enough, a friend of mine who is not a JW, had a step-mother who was one (an abusive woman, as I am told) and she asked this very question about what would happen, how could you be happy if you'd lost someone "to the world" as it were. And the mothers reply was that "we would forget them, in order to be happy."
And honestly when I heard it, I cried! I can't believe a God who has given us the capacity to love with such conviction, to form such strong bonds with one another & are encouraged to "love thy neighbor" would wipe away a person from our memory, just for a false sense of happiness.
@ Magnum
My mother was taught by her father (my grandfather) that well... we don't really know. That they probably were all washed away in the the great flood, but when I pried her and asked "well what about the dinosaurs who were small enough to fit on the ark? what about the sea-dwelling dinosaurs" and her response was "we just don't know! perhaps the 'whale' that swallowed Jonah was really an ancient sea-dweller that isn't around today!"
I didn't ask any further, but I was confused, if giant sea-dwelling dinosaurs were still around during Jonah's time, surely there would be more records of them, and surely we'd find remains of them!
Welcome. Please keep sharing.
Welcome...
I was a fellow Watchtower kid with PTSD until I got informed about the religion. A lifetime of anxiety disappeared in a matter of weeks once I knew the whole story.
One of the things I always wondered about as a kid was the flood and the dinosaurs and why God had to kill most all of the animals on the earth just to get rid of the comparatively few humans that populated the earth at the time.
I also wondered why he used angels to kill off the Egyptian first born babies but kept having the Israelites form an army to kill off the Canaanites and other battles. Why not use a few angels to do the Job?
Anyway, once you've come to fully understand the JW region and it's history and understand how cults and cult like religions use F.O.G. (fear obligation guilt) to control you, you'll be well on your way toward freeing yourself of the needless anxiety you've suffered and the anxious thinking you've had ingrained into you since childhood.
WELCOME to your REAL LIFE!
It is great to have you here with us!
As you let go of the FOG (fear obligation guilt) of the society, you will find that life truly becomes enjoyable.
I think we all can relate to how you feel. Yes TTATT pill can be a very bitter pill to swallow. One thing I will say is " be thankful that you woke up when you did. Many of us here were not so fortunate been either middle age or older." Count your blessings you are very fortunate.
Welcome! I've been out just over a year, awake for about 2/3 years.
You should check out Crises Of Conscience written by former Governing Body member Ray Franz. That'll really open your eyes!!
I remember the first time I visited JWFacts looking for answers. It seems to be the go to place for JWs who can't find the answer on JW. org
Hi Searching, great to have you here. Searching and lurking are good words for JWs, they are exactly the opposite of what a cult demands. Cults want closed minds and absolutist beliefs so they can control their flock without resistance.
How can any human fulfill their potential under such a regime as the JW org dictates? Everyone who dies as a JW is either disappointed or deluded. . . it is so cruel to give false hopes of a paradise and obnoxious to stifle the minds innocent people and steal their very lives, because that is what the JW org does.
Although as a long time ex-JW I have no fondness left for spiritual uplift from the Bible but I do like your reference quote in John to test the "inspired expression". If every JW was encouraged to understand the full meaning of this, after a while there would be very few of them left!
Thanks for writing and do keep posting and searching..........
Welcome! I wish you all the best on your new journey!
As for the 'name' of God, you may want to research that as well. Did you know it is a word made up by a Catholic monk by the name of Martini in about 1270?
Lots to learn about this organization you grew up in. I agree with previous posts and suggest you get Crisis of Conscious book and jwfacts is a great place for research too!
