Are You Objective About Who You Were As a JW?

by Wasanelder Once 15 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Wasanelder Once

  Today there was a Jesus preaching head case with a bullhorn blaring "save yourself from the fires of hell! Accept Jesus. God Loves you!" He came into the store I entered and stood behind me in line continuing to rant about Jesus and Chemtrails and Trump getting ready to "Chip" us all just as Revelation says.

  I didn't engage him, why would I? Then it hit me, that was me pioneering for 9 years. I didn't use a bullhorn or stare people down, but I firmly believed Jehovah was going to destroy all the people I saw and I had a responsibility to make it known to them. I was operating from a belief system that made me act irrational, however sane it may have seemed to me. I couldn't completely condemn this wacko, he was sincere. Is he wrong? Yep. Was I wrong? Yep.

  Looking back I see that without objectivity I became a fool for a religion. Are you removed enough that you can see who you were with true objectivity?
  
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  zeb

  I had little self confidence and the wt maintained that.
  
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  Finkelstein

  I was a brainwashed kid who believed what my parents believed.

  My parents were drawn into the religion by fear and an acceptance that Christian beliefs or training were all good.

  Well some Christian beliefs can be said to be beneficial but the lies and corruption of the WTS turned me off.

  Objectivity showed that the WTS was involved in crass corrupt commercialism in its core agenda of proliferation of its published works.

  I didn't see lying a virtuous part of Christianity.

  The WTS has been lying now for over 100 years and still does in its fear mongering agenda.
  
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  LevelThePlayingField

  I distinctly remember this one guy. He was mowing his lawn and I walked up to him and he said, "NO!" as in to say get lost. I asked him, "Do you know who we are?" He replied, "I don't care!" and turned his mower around and kept on mowing.

  I thought to myself, ah, he's dead. I wanted to turn around and telling him, he's as good as dead, but didn't.

  So, yeah, give me a blowhorn.
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  smiddy

  I was vulnerable at the time of my conversion convinced my then GF to join me who later became my wife and convinced her sister who had kids also to join us.

  Only one niece is still entrenched in the cult.

  But when I was in I would have died for what I believed the "truth" was back then and my wife and kids ?

  That realisation scares the hell out of me now. How could I get to that point. I thought I was a sensible reasonably educated person who didnt fall for scams.
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  undercover

  Are you removed enough that you can see who you were with true objectivity?

  I think I can say that I am. It's embarrassing to think about certain aspects of it. On one hand, you own up to it, admit that you were fooled, and part of a cult. The other hand, you admit it, but you cringe at the very thought of some things you said and did.

  Being part of a family with active members still in makes it difficult. While some people may only be reminded of their past actions by occasional crazy street preachers, others of us have daily reminders as we watch our JW family continue to blow Jah's bullhorn.
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  OUTLAW

  Are You Objective About Who You Were As a JW?

  
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  ttdtt

  Wasanelder Once

  Yes I realize I drank the Koolaid. When you are a kid you believe what ever your parents tell you. I was an elder had pioneered, used on DC for big talks a lot, was very respected in the circuit...

  I was an elder had pioneered, used on DC for big talks a lot, RBC for decades, was very respected in the circuit...
  
  Now like others I am embarrassed at some of the things I said and did.

  I also have sympathy for those still in (to a degree - some are just assh*les).
  I don't like acting like they are all idiots because they are IN - since I was THEM for almost all my life.
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  just fine

  I was so fake and artificial. Only caring about appearances, never really caring about anyone but myself.

  Service = How we do our part to get saved, not really to help anyone else. Telling everyone how great being a witness is, while hating every second of it.

  Meetings = have to attend or get destroyed at Armageddon, not because we are learning to be better people.

  Shallow- I only dated "brothers" with money (except for one bethel overseer).
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  sparrowdown

  Absolutely! I don't like JW me, looking back it was like I was under a spell but, in my own defense I was always trying to make the best of an impossible situation. All the "lame ducks" of the congregation used me as a sounding board when things got tough, which I was happy to be there for people. Ironically all the same people shunned me when I stopped going to meetings! I tried to be honest with people at the door about the JW religion, but I was also a good teacher and householders told me that. I was an asset to that congregation and probably every single person on this forum was an asset to their congregation.

  WT has been purging all the best people for years and it will come back to bite them one day.