a part of that Organisation affect or change your life? Does their teachings still affect how you live your life now? How easy or difficult for you was it when you realised you could no longer live by their ethics?
No crank answers please I have the greatest respect for these people and I will report what I term to be abuse. Be warned
2007-08-12 11:12:34 · 9 answers · asked by Room_101 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
I was brought up as a JW from birth to 15 when i realised i didn't want to belong any more, my mother kicked me out and i found myself trying to live in a world i was ill-equipped to deal with. I do find myself remembering some of the better teachings - kindness,goodness,self control etc., but find some things i was taught just make me feel unnecessarily guilty. Very difficult to deal with, left many years now and still have crises of conscience.
2007-08-12 11:19:22 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 8⤊ 1⤋
It affected my life in every way,some positive and some negatively.
My reason for leaving was NOT because I could no longer live by their ethics. My moral convictions are based on the Bible, and I still have those, although I'm far less judgmental of others and more understanding of human weakness.
I left because I did a lot of research into their history, and the origin of the beliefs which I thought were "truth". I found out that from the beginning, the Watchtower has been teaching human opinion - often wrong ones - and claiming it to be God's truth.
I also have a lot of respect for them in general, which is why I try to help them on Yahoo Answers to see the error of "putting trust in earthling man to whom no salvation belongs."
2007-08-13 08:46:45 · answer #2 · answered by steervase 2 · 2⤊ 1⤋
My parents were baptized in 1976 and both of my brothers and I were raised in the organization. My older brother got into a lot of trouble and never really "took" to JW doctrine. My younger brother just turned 18 and has been discouraged from attending college to become a doctor. He has been told by the elders that his focus needs to be on the ministry. I was baptized in 2001 at a District Convention. It took years for me to be properly indoctrinated and prepared for that step. Two years later I began looking into the beliefs of the organization more closely and noticed a lot of biblical inaccuracies in their doctrine. I came to know Christ through reading my bible without the influence of the Watchtower or Awake. I accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior in May of 2006. I was baptized August 2007. I know I absolutely have made the right decision this time, because I had the chance to read the Word without any outside influence, instead of the pressure I felt from the organization while I was a JW. I have found being raised a JW has affected my life in awful ways, I am less trusting of others, and have had to build up my biblical knowledge on my own because JW's are just expected to rely on the society to form their opinions for them
2007-08-13 23:38:22 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
My parents were baptized when I was 2 so I pretty much grew up in the religion. I disassociated myself about 7 years ago because, after much research and thought and discussions, I knew I did not agree with what they teach. Since I was raised as a JW, it changed everything. I never had a birthday party, never celebrated Christmas, never went to sleepovers (not really forbidden but my parents would not let me go to "worldly" people's homes). Leaving was probably the hardest thing I've ever done. My family and my husband's family as well are all JW so there is not any contact. Except my husband, he was never baptized so he can speak to his family but they choose to remain standoffish due to me. I basically had to start my whole life over but it was worth it. The people in my life now accept me for who I am and I can finally be myself.
2007-08-12 19:08:26 · answer #4 · answered by Elphaba 4 · 2⤊ 2⤋
I was never one of them but I had bible studies with them for a while.
I found them really weird people. They try really hard to get you to convert all the time. Constant preaching. When a couple of months had gone by and I still hadn't converted, they started to drift away from me. I used to question alot of their teachings and they could never answer. The way they taught was mind bendingly patronising and slow. When I started a degree in science they all dissappeared! One of them was preaching to me and asking me what I was doing, and I said a degree in science and she looked like I'd just got a bomb out.I still got a few magazines posted for a while but no one spoke to me!
My next door neighbour is one. She's a great neighbour, don't hear a sound, but she's really weird when she talks to my daughter.She looks at her sideways, as if she's the daughter of a devil. Odd.
I used to have respect for them at the start too, but it didn't last long.
2007-08-12 18:29:15 · answer #5 · answered by Acai 5 · 3⤊ 2⤋
Some Jehovah's Witnesses become inactive because they feel unable to continue preaching or certain other Christian obligations for a few months or even years. These are not counted in any JW statistics, but they are considered "brothers" and "sisters" by active Witnesses. Their standing is entirely different from those who are disfellowshipped or disassociated.
Jehovah's Witnesses practice the Scriptural practice of disfellowshipping for unrepentance of such serious sins as fornication, drug abuse, stealing, and apostasy. Baptized Witnesses who join the military or publicly engage in worship with another religion are considered to have disassociated themselves from Jehovah's Witnesses.
Contrary to the misinformation of anti-Witnesses, it is quite possible to become inactive in the JW religion without becoming disfellowshipped. As long as one's lifestyle does not bring reproach upon the congregation, and as long as one does not advocate one's disagreements with the religion, the congregation has no interest in "investigating", exposing, and disfellowshipping an inactive former Jehovah's Witness.
For those who are disfellowshipped or disassociated, a primary goal is to shock the person into recognizing the serious of their wrong so that they rejoin the congregation in pure worship. Since the primary bonds that are broken involve friendship and spiritual fellowship, it is well understood that family bonds remain intact. Parents, siblings, and grown children of disfellowshipped and disassociated ones sometimes choose to limit what they may feel is discouraging or "bad association" but that is a personal decision and is not required by their religion.
Former Witnesses who are disfellowshipped or disassociated are typically treated in accord with the Scriptural pattern explained in these Scriptures:
(1 Corinthians 5:11-13) Quit mixing in company with anyone called a brother that is a fornicator or a greedy person or an idolater or a reviler or a drunkard or an extortioner, not even eating with such a man. ...Remove the wicked man from among yourselves.
(Titus 3:10) As for a man that promotes a sect, reject him after a first and a second admonition
(Romans 16:17) Now I exhort you, brothers, to keep your eye on those who cause divisions and occasions for stumbling contrary to the teaching that you have learned, and avoid them.
(2 Thessalonians 3:6) Now we are giving you orders, brothers, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, to withdraw from every brother walking disorderly and not according to the tradition you received from us.
(2 Thessalonians 3:14) But if anyone is not obedient to our word through this letter, keep this one marked, stop associating with him, that he may become ashamed.
(2 John 10) If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, never receive him into your homes or say a greeting to him.
(Matthew 18:17) If he does not listen to them, speak to the congregation. If he does not listen even to the congregation, let him be to you just as a man of the nations
Becoming baptized as a Jehovah's Witnesses is not a trivial step. At a minimum, a student must demonstrate months of regular meeting attendance and public ministry, then must himself express the desire to be baptized. The candidate then spends hours answering hundreds of bible questions wherein he expresses both a clear understanding and personal conviction regarding Jehovah's Witness teachings in at least three separate interviews with three different elders. The candidate must vocally agree to be baptized in front of hundreds or thousands of eyewitnesses, and must be publicly immersed in water. This is not a momentary emotional decision by an unreasoning child. Dedication as a Witness required hard work and determination at the time.
Learn more:
http://watchtower.org/e/19880415/article_01.htm
http://watchtower.org/e/19970101/article_01.htm
2007-08-13 12:36:14 · answer #6 · answered by achtung_heiss 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋
can we talk about other drugs other then crank?
the report option is overly abused an i Think it would be better if you just thumbs down it an allow people to speak their mind
2007-08-12 18:16:17 · answer #7 · answered by Darth Alfalfa 3 · 4⤊ 1⤋
Dear Mr. Falkirk 101:
If you have the greatest respect for those people, why do you wish to hear from those who are FORMER JW's?
You know you will get a bunch of beefs.
2007-08-12 18:17:57 · answer #8 · answered by Uncle Thesis 7 · 4⤊ 4⤋
several of my family have been made jw dysfunctional and i have been there for them in their recovery
http://www.bible.ca/indexJws.htm
2007-08-13 04:59:37 · answer #9 · answered by USA 1 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋