I think for some in foreign countries, being a part of an American religion is very appealing.
Why Do People Become Jehovah's Witnesses?
by minimus 44 Replies latest jw friends
-
-
Nathan Natas
My mother was receptive to the JW in 1955 because:
1. Her father died when she was just entering her teens, and she was "Daddy's girl;" she missed him very much. So the promise of a resurrection "any minute now" had tremendous appeal for her.
2. She was in an unhappy marriage and wanted to have God make things better for her "any minute now."
3. Like EVERYONE at that time, she was concerned about the threat of nuclear annihilation; God would make things better for everyone "any minute now."
4. She was uneducated; when her Father died, her Mother took her out of school and put her to work on her white-trash hillbilly farm. (My grandmother was probably at least half crazy AND ignorant AND cruel.) My mother never developed a mature perspective on the world that could have neutralized the Watchtower's yammering. She didn;t have any idea about how "the world" worked.
She's 90 now and a desperate "Klingon."
"Klingon to The Kingdumb like you didn't know better."
-
Nathan Natas
This has been an interesting and informative discussion!
Let me turn the examination on myself and try to answer "Why did you go along with yo "mama's club" for about 20 years?
Let's see:
1. I was raised to be an obedient and respectful kid. I wasn't PERFECT, but I wasn't a "rebel" or a "hell raiser."
2. I have always been somewhat gullible; it takes me a while to figure out that someone is trying to deceive me. (Believe it or not, this continues to be the case today. I compensate by being generally reclusive.) I believed in Santa, Jesus and Jehovah longer than I should have.
3. When my mom converted, she destroyed the family. Dad split, we ceased communication with all my "satanic" aunts, uncles and cousins. Thus my access to contrasting opinions was curtailed. I had no school friends. We moved from one low-rent hole-in-the-wall to another frequently enough that by the time I left High School I had attended a total of 8 different schools. I was never, in my mind, part of the "class of XX". I never thought about it.
4. ARMAGEDDON WAS COMING! (I told you I was gullible.) I learned that I had a share in a great life-saving work. I did what I was told to do.
5. If I ignored the pain, it was easy. So I ignored the pain, mostly.
How did I change my mind and eventually leave?
I began to see inconsistencies between what I was told "the world" was like and what I actually experienced. "Worldly people" weren't terrible; they were PEOPLE.
I began to notice the little mental manipulations and mind games that the Elders played. "Your sideburns are 1/8 of an inch (3mm) too long" was one example. Trying to use ME to hammer other JW kids was another: "Brother Natas, do you feel that Sister Sally's dress is appropriate for a Christian?"
(My answer was, "It doesn't bother me.") It was a LONG dress way back when long dresses came into fashion, and Sister Sally was an Elder's kid who was going to become a pawn in an Elder Pissing Match if I resplied any other way.
I expressed an interest in "serving where the need was greater," saying I would like to see better results from my door-to-door work and I was told by an elder that my motivation was incorrect. He might have been right about that. I didn't pursue the idea a minute longer.
Then I found out that one of the "six-month TRUTH BOOK wonders" in our congregation was a pedophile, and that cracked my cosmic egg. It took time, but I was finally OUT.
-
James Brown
I was raised in it so I don't understand why someone would become a Jw.
I spent 30 years trying to escape.
-
James Mixon
James Brown: In the late 60's and early 70's we didn't have the inter-net, but today I agree
"why would someone become a JW". If I had known about the early end of the world dates,
they were one of the last few religious organization to integrate (black and whites), and they were
just F---ing nuts.
-
MightyV8
why do people become JWs?
They have an I Q safely below the speed limit!!
James Mixon just F---ing nuts.
spot on.
-
Freeandclear
My personal reasons: I was very young, about 16 or so. I'd just gotten my very first heartbreak and wanted comfort. I had no father in my life and my study conductor gladly stepped into that roll. I was a very nieve young person who trusted people at their word. All of these factored into me becoming a JW. Also it all made perfect sense to me at the time. All the answers were from the Bible which I greatly respected at the time and I had no way of verifying anything back then, no internet yet..... 1980's All these things added up to me becoming a JW despite none of my family being JW's and despite heavy family opposition. Crazy huh?
-
Chook
It all boils down to they have ALL the "answers"
-
minimus
Yes they have the truth😎
-
nugget
It offers them validation that they are special. It gives them an opportunity to have authority and status when otherwise there would be nothing extraordinary about them.
Egocentric and narcissistic people seem to be drawn to the religion don't know why.