Anxieties ??? what was yours while you were a JW ???

by run dont walk 24 Replies latest jw friends

  • tonyend
    tonyend

    The following were my anxieties -

    Field service:

    1. Getting someone at the door who actually knew something about the Bible.

    2. Going out with the CO and actually having to do that donation presentation "Our work is supported by voluntary donations. There is no charge for our litterature but if you would like to give to the worldwide work I'd be happy to accept" then staying silent to wait for a reply.

    Meetings:

    1. Having to conduct the bookstudy, especially finding out I had to after ariving at the hall and not having read a thing.

    2 The 15 minute school talk after having written it an hour before the meeting.

    3. Going to the meeting.

    4. Not going to the meeting.

    5. Thinking something must be wrong with me while I sat listening to the parts because I didn't feel like I was living in a "spiritual paradise" nor did I find joy in the ministry like all those pioneers claimed.

    Gatherings (Parties for all you worldly types out there):

    1. Always having to sit through experiences. Every single gathering was like going to a meeting. We could never just have a party and party. It always had to have a spiritual angle and you couldn't cut loose.

    2. When meeting a sister and engaging in small talk pretending my goals in life were to pioneer and work where the need is greater, then perhaps become a missionary, and not having kids until the New System, etc.

    3. Rarely any alchohol.

    Friendships:

    1. Not being able to call my worldy friends "friends" but "aquaintences" in front of other Witnesses because we don't have friends in the world. (I still have friends from high school to this day and I'm 37).

    2. Feeling guilty for not recipricting fully worldy friendships.

    3. Feeling guilty because I planned on going to my 20 year high school reunion and having a speaker at one of the Ministierial Training Schools berate anyone who would go to such an event.

    Personal life:

    1. Feeling guilty for reading Crisis of Conscience and In Search of Christian Freedom.

    2. Hiding my true feelings about the organization from my wife and friends.

    3. Sneaking to another church without telling my wife.

    4. Finally telling my wife and having her feak out! (We're cool now though)

    Well, that's all I can think of now but I'm sure more will pop into my head later.

  • Francois
    Francois

    1. Still being in next year.

    2. The sisters buying into all that noise about fornication.

    3. The sisters buying into all that noise about sex being for marriage only.

    (Lucky for us all, #2 and #3 were imaginary only. That's why JCs were
    in constant session around the clock. Gotta keep that congregation clean)

    4. Going out in service.

    5. Going to meetings.

    6. Anything having to do with being a JW.

    Frank Tyrrell

  • frenchbabyface
    frenchbabyface

    endless counsel from elders ... in knowing who they were for real ! ... I couldn't take it and was upset that my mother (quite weak) was always following them ... in knowing that they were leading my mother, sisters and me to be bad !!!

    Field Service (only did once at 7) ... bothering people telling them that We've got the TRUTH !!! in knowing what I've just said before (but I was answering when people I knew wondered about JW believes) ... meeting (Ooooooh my ! too much for me, I missed some time to dream my only peace of cake in this world at that time)

    but I really had faith in God ... (and didn't care about anything like chrismas or stuff like that, or what people could say about me or my religion) it's all over now ...

  • shera
    shera

    Feild service and I never felt like I was good enough for God no matter what I did...so I thought my daughters and my life was going to dieee at armageddon.

  • be wise
    be wise

    I was always severly anxitious and and the paranioa they make you feel, none of which are really severe but they really affected my relationship with the world and people in general a lot, especially cos I was brought up in it.

    I think the so-called 'service' (to the org) made me realise a lot. For a moment your taken out of that JW bubble and around 'normal people' and the reactions and discussions they would have when I was very young would sometimes make me think a lot.

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