Very true, E-man. It's debilitating in every way.
I look at my sister as an example. She is the only one who is still a witness in my family. I can see how she almost soullessly goes about her life, denying that we were repressively sheltered, and emotionally abused as witnesses. I know that my sister has more problems than a math book, but she's afraid to admit it, because it would be a slight on "Jehovah's name" to admit that anything bad happened in "his organisation".
I love my sister very much, but I don't see her children being happy. She will perpetuate that JW collective conscience, and rule like my family did long ago.
I myself am still feeling battered and bruised from being a witness, even five years after leaving. It leaves a permanent scar, and an empty space. It's too much for children to bear. That kind of mental abuse is such an epidemic for witness kids, and it's frustrating not being able to to anything about it en masse.
Also, you're perfectly right about the second generation witnesses being much tougher on their own kids. I see this in my former JW friends. Now that they are settling into their lives as adults, they beat themselves with that same iron whip that their parent's used. And just think of when they have children......they will think of all the 'bad' things that they got away with as kids, and restrict any activities that could lead to them. Second generation witness children are the most scorned and abused of the whole bunch.
Yet, in third generation witnesses, I see a different trend. The family has been in long enough to have volumes of horror stories about witness failings, and these get passed down to the third generation kids. They tend to be more cynical of their religion, and in lots of cases, they break away. I think that's where Witnessdom is right now, generally.
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