Were You FORCED To Become a Jehovah's Witness? .... Then Why Did You Stay?

minimus

Did you feel that you were made to become a Witness through coercion, threats or other means? If you did not feel forced to become a JW, why did you stay???

Lady Lee

Most definitely coersion and I stayed until I was strong enough to leave

oldcrowwoman

I was coersed by my ex-husband. 14 yrs later was pushed out by the JC.

OCW

minimus

Is being forced, the same as being coereced?

Odrade

Additional category: raised in it. I learned JWism like I learned English. Just part of the landscape. How does one classify that?

I too was raised as a JW. I was not FORCED but I believe it was certainly expected that I become a baptized JW that should reach out for "privileges". I think that when children are raised in this religion they pretty much must go with the program, unless you wanted to be kicked out of the home at 16. I think we stay because we're TAUGHT to believe this is the truth. We HOPE this is the truth until one day we come to the clear realization that it's all untrue. Then we make our way out.

JH

Nobody forced me to join. I had no family there but I knew a friend who seemed so convincing that I accepted a bible study and finally joined. I felt that I was doing the right thing. I guess that I was one of the rare persons to join without knowing anyone there.

I guess that being single and not much happening in my life made this possible. I really believed them at first.

Lady Lee

1 : to restrain or dominate by force <religion in the past has tried to coerce the irreligious -- W. R. Inge>
2 : to compel to an act or choice
3 : to bring about by force or threat <coerce the compliance of the rest of the community -- Scott Buchanan>

In my case there was pressure to join up. The threat was

withdrawal of my mother's love and acceptance
loss of acceptance by the members

approval and acceptance from the religion

nilfun

I think that a child who is
subjected to severe abuse to the point
of having her/his spirit broken would
qualify as having been forced to become
a Jehovah's Witness. Such a person may
not leave until they have become strong
enough to leave.

Many adults who have found themselves
in an abusive situation and eventually
found the strength to leave have also been
asked similarly:

"If you didn't like being abused, then why did you stay?"

This is usually asked by those who have
never been unfortunate enough to have lived
through such a circumstance.

A person who has escaped an unsavory existence
does well to ask her/himself the question, "Why
did I stay?" and to ask it in the spirit of
self-discovery, and not worry about trying
to justify the "why" to others who cannot even
pretend to understand the experience that another has
gone through.

For those raised in it (JWs), each experience, though
similar, is unique. Some were indeed forced, while
others were...not.