As a child what teachings scared you?

by Stress Free 35 Replies latest jw friends

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  Stress Free

  As a child I was raised as a jw as was my wife. The other day we were discussing some of the things that we were

  taught or discussed at the meetings that scared the hell out of us as children. Following are some of those examples;

  • Satan & his Demon's will attack you or take control of your mind if you read the stars, enter a church, buy second hand

  jewellery or furniture that may be demonised, e.t.c.

  • We were taught that in the great tribulation (just around the corner) we may be taken away from our parents put in prison

  and tortured, or even starve to death. I still actually remember my eldest sister cooking up a grass stew (the lawn variety) just

  to see what it would taste like as we were told we may have to eat grass. And of course we had the stock pile of canned food ready for

  the G.T. Remember this was in the ninteen seventies.

  • We were constantly reminded that Jehovah will kill all our worldly friends unless they become JW'S.
  • What about, if you died before armageddon you would'nt be allowed to get married or have kids after you were resurrected

  in the paradise.

  • If you had any birthday cake at school, we were told God was watching you and he won't let you in the paradise.

  These are just some examples. What are some of the things that affected your mind as a kid, or scared the hell out of you?
• 

  misspeaches

  How about the torture teachings.

  How they would go into detail from the platform about torture JW's had experienced whilst remaining firm for Jehovah. And then the reminder that those who really worship him and are loyal to him will be persecuted.

  This used to scare the hell out of me that one day it was inevitable I was going to be tortured. I still can't watch any movies with torture or excessive violence!
• 

  misspeaches

  Oh and I've run out of topics today. I just realised you were a newbie and wanted to post a welcome to you!

  But this will have to do!

  I'm sure your posts will be a good read if this is anything to go by!!!

  Miss Peaches
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  googlemagoogle

  - all the demon stories
  - jehovah's always watching
  - jehovah can even read your mind
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  DannyBloem

  yes especially the demon possesion stories and the going to be captured and tortured just before armageddon comes stories. and the how God would kill me in armageddon stories if I did something wrong. danny
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  upside/down

  That if I didn't love "God" more than my Father, Mother and brothers and sisters...I wasn't "worthy" of Him...

  How unnatural for a child... without "apologists" so-called explanations.

  I always knew I was f*cked, no matter how hard I tried...

  Now I know better...

  u/d (of the doesn't and refuses to believe "it" anymore class)
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  thom

  Being separated from my family during "persecution". I was terrified of that.
  Demons being in things like pictures and stuff that you might buy kinda scared me too, but the persecution stuff really scared me the most.
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  the_classicist

  Nothing scared me except for those demon stories. The thing is, they NEVER told demons or even talked demons from the pulpit here, but it was always through some JW kid telling some story they heard from some one out of town.
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  trevor

  Yes Stress Feed

  I remember my young mind being fed with all of the fearful falsehoods you mentioned. We were told that some of us would be tortured during the Great Tribulation. Would we hold out or would we betray the others?

  When I hurt myself my father told me it would help me to learn to endure pain ready for the ordeal ahead. We were also told we would starve and have to eat out of dustbins -like people throw food away during times of famine? Such happy times growing up as a clone!
• 

  katiekitten

  Welcome Stressfree - good question.

  Definately the torture stories. I grew up when we had to pray for the brothers in Malawi. I used to pray for them every night as a kid. We used to get stories of what they were enduring - bicycle spokes through their legs, finger nails pulled off with plyers, beatings until the pain stopped - are the ones I seem to remember the most.

  I KNEW it would happen to me, it was just a matter of when society in the UK would break down enough to the point that it could happen. Fancy thinking along those lines as a 7 year old! I have a 7 year old daughter now, and I would be mortified if i thought that she was utterly convinced she would be tortured.

  Also I was convinced I would be seperated from my parents. I had a dream once that they sold me down the market and I was thinking to myself that I would have to be a good Jehovahs Witess to the people that had bought me.