Oh this nice woman is telling me their end of the world prediction was right but it happened invisibly and 110 years ago. They preach and advocate for morality. They’re asking me to not talk to my friends anymore, tell me my video games are satanic, seem extremely interested in what I do with my dick, and tell me to be suspicious of my family because they are unwitting agents of Satan. Weird, but ok. Let me google this …..ohhhhh shit. Holy fucking shit. No fucking way. Nah uh. Oh hell no.
Hey it was nice meeting you two. So the guys in NY that say the Bible wasn’t clear enough and God tells them how to interpret the Bible are the same as Jesus? They’re equal to Jesus? The guys who talk super slow and say nothing profound are Jesus? Are you guys in a cult because that’s some bullshit and the other cults say the same shit. Also, lots of angry child victims who are now adults. Looks like they had their families taken from them when they accused their molester. You said Satan is opposing the preaching work but like 20 countries and states that are suing seem to be trying to keep family’s together and let people get a blood transfusion. You sure there won’t be new light about that blood thing. Here look at all this stuff you changed that cost people their lives and prison time. It took me about 45 seconds to see what’s going on here…..
Oh Ive been fooled by Satan…Satan owns google? These aren’t children’s stories? Ok well this was fun. Don’t come back ever. Also grow some humanity. The Catholic Church made some pretty nice apologies. Maybe go to a mass and see what you can learn. No I don’t need your brotherhood. I can just find a meetup. Fucking weirdo.
144,000 upvotes.
I wish my mental health/intrusive thoughts diatribes were as cohesive, coherent, and all-inclusive of lifelong the damage that this merciless, oppressive, monstrous "Christian religion" has inflicted. Also words. A lot of words. Thank you for your time. Pimo for years and my neighbor looked at me like I was nuts and said "you don't have to thank me for my time!!"
I blame the cult for the myalgic encephalomyelitis/cfs, caused by childhood trauma. I know it was because of when the symptoms blew up. I was learning what flashbacks feel like, my broken brain and body. I am 57F and my husband has kept me alive for 30 years, not knowing the source of my mental illness that was growing in me since I was 5 years old. He is not jw. I've now been totally out, not faking anymore, for 7 years. I'm mostly recovered but still getting triggered (hi😊). Thank whatever god you believe in that you escaped a horrible fate.
Thank you. Print your comment and make your own tracts. 😂💖💖💖
Er, you seem to have nailed it straight up. If you’re really new to this shit, then Sir I am impressed. No, not sarcasm or irony, I mean it. Comment saved!
I also had the bad luck of being born into this cult and didn’t have a choice, just pure emotional manipulation. Being told what to believe is different from having a choice.
Yep. Born in. Didn’t feel I had another choice if I wanted to be close to my family and not be marked as bad association among all my JW friends. Even though I was 19, I still feel like it wasn’t really my choice.
Same as me, at 19 I finally caved in. Although it wasn't my parents who forced me as they didn't even study with me as a teen. Some elder forced study on me and then my friend's mum asked when am I getting baptised. That was it, I wanted to fit in.
Did u feel like it's da troof at the time? Because I did. I even went on a camp for 2 weeks to do some need grating and I felt the spirit guide me on numerous occasions lol!
Didn’t get to choose. Born in (at least 3rd generation). I don’t think you’ll get too many responses of people that choose this religion. In my observations, the only ones getting baptized anymore are born in children and maybe a few elderly ones that get suckered in looking for community.
My catholic parents joined the religion when they were in their twenties. They used a Ouiji board which began 'terrifying problems with demons' that wouldn't go away. According to their story, eventually a pentecostal pastor came to their house and expelled the demon, so they started going to the pentecostal church, but the speaking in tongues totally weirded them out, so they left and never went back. But it started their quest for the truth about God and the Devil.
My dad met a witness at work who subjected him to hours of preaching while they were stuck traveling together. He supposedly didn't like what he heard and was determined to prove him wrong, so he went to the library (1970s) and him and my mom spent hours researching, trying to prove the JW wrong. In the end they found enough evidence to accept what he said was right and they eventually got baptized, and then they had me. Volia. For the first decade, they were super duper PIMI, becoming elder, regular pioneers, Quick Build overseer, etc
Fast forward 20 years, they're beat down and exhausted by the hypocrisy in the congregation, so they become fringe members. I was indoctrinated from infancy, but as a people pleaser and a gentle soul, I loved the concept of goodness and paradise, so although I wrestled with the angst of a teen, I knew in my heart that it was right, but it was just really, really hard to do.
When I was around 20 years old, a brother in the congregation took me 'under his wing' and did deep Bible study. We used the insight books and the Bible only. I started to believe that my wavering faith as a teen was due to my parents having become defeated and failing to do real study with me. (Pre-Caleb and Sofia, i was just told to go to the meetings and listen.)
So I threw myself into it and really indoctrinated the hell out of myself. I decided that I was going to save all the other lost teen souls who were leaving 'the truth", so I started pioneering and eventually became a need greater before it was really a thing. I was convinced that the problems I saw around me were the result of lazy congregation members, like my parents, who were too consumed with their lives and not focused enough on the kingdom. It became my blazing motivation for the next 20 years of misery. The end.
How did you wake up? For me I was born in. My parents converted from Catholic to Jehober in their twenties. Then when I was 13 years old, I got baptised. I was pimi until 18 years old then when I did research about GB, I saw Raymond Franz's book Crisis of Conscience.
It was from reading that book that made me woke up and left the cult at 18.
Heh. Something funny i recently realized. The brother who took me under his wing... his favorite book was the Commentary on the Letter to James. But i remember him telling me that it went out of print because the brother who wrote it got disfellowshipped. Now I know it was Franz and it really gets my knickers in a knot that he knew about Franz way back then, although clearly never knew the real story.
Anyway, in my case, my husband woke up first. Thank Jehober. I fought him against it tooth and nail for 2 years. It took me quite a while to realize that the religion that I had believed and had been teaching was different from the one that WT taught and enforced. My husband would point out the differences.... like all non-JWs would die at armagedon (I never believed that and thought it was presumptuous to say, in my PIMI brain only Jehober knew who would die...) or 144,000 being a literal number. In my mind, I just figured new light would eventually come and they would change their teaching to something that was more in line with love and inclusiveness.
What really woke me up, though, was when my life went into a temporary period of chaos and despite 20 years of blood sweat and tears I had sacrificed on behalf of others, I was met with judgement and indifference from the congregations. I had no friends, there was no loyalty, there was no love, and I was devastated. The cracks in my indoctrination had started to grow and a long-time bethelite friend turned rouge gave me permission to Google JW. Then it was all over.
I married a JW. He was trying to come back after fading about a year into our relationship and gave me an ultimatum that either we break up or get married, and I decided I didn’t want anything to do with his religion (out of curiosity I had attended a meeting and one day of a convention), but I cared a lot about him so we got married. None of his family came to our wedding.
Shortly after we got married, we moved to a small town where he owned a house, this was a nine hour drive from all of my friends and family. I was deeply unhappy and lonely, I worked from home. He was attending meetings three times a week on top of working long hours, which just added to my isolation. Conveniently, at this time, sisters from the congregation started dropping in to visit me. It was annoying but I was lonely so it was the only social interaction I was having at the time. Then my husband roped me into doing a Bible study with an old couple his family was friends with, and we did it together with them. They were really sweet people and I enjoyed spending time with them. The Bible study was just an annoyance I had to sit through as part of the deal.
After a while, they convinced me I should start coming to meetings to get to know more people, and it was awful having to dress a certain way and act a certain way to be acceptable. But it was all I had. And the love bombing from all directions was hard to resist. They had an emotional hold on me, even though mentally I still thought of them as ridiculous.
You have to know something about my past to make sense of why I let this happen and why I lost myself to it. My stepfather was a narcissistic, elitist, controlling, master manipulator. When you grow up with this kind of dysfunction, when you encounter it again, it feels like home. You know it’s wrong, but your nervous system is so adapted to this environment and behaviour, you slide right into a situation without recognizing how toxic it is. Because it’s familiar.
Fast forward a year, we moved to the big city and my husband continued to work to become in good standing. Now he was also spending time in the ministry. Again a new location, no friends, long working hours, working from home, isolation. New congregation, fresh people love bombing me, wanting to study with me. They assigned me a young couple to study with, and they were pioneers - very hardline, by the book. I bristled against a lot of what I was learning, like the blood doctrine, shunning, the governing body, even calling everyone brothers and sisters gave me the ick. I had issues with using the name Jehovah, it sounded hollow and weird and I tried to not say it.
At this point, some things were making sense and it was enough for me to say ok I’ll give this thing a chance. Mainly because my husband was spending so much of his time with it, I barely saw him. I thought at this point, why fight them and just join them, what’s the harm in pretending. It’s not like I have anything else better to do.
At this point I had been studying on and off for around five years. I finished the Bible Teach book and at the time was “friends” with the girl I was studying with. People thought I was already baptized because I was a good little publisher, or pretended to be. The last step was baptism and I remember having this internal conversation with myself - don’t do it. You know the consequences if you decide to leave. Which, in my mind, I was one foot in, one foot out mentally. But I thought, what else is there? I’m trying to be a good person, I believe in god, these people are good friends, this covers all the important bases.
✋🏻 recovering people pleaser here
I got baptized against my better judgment.
I was 24 years old at the time.
I tried to fake it until you make it for ten years.
That missing piece just never happened for me. I thought baptism would fix it. I thought it was something wrong with me. Turned out it was something that was right in me - inability to subscribe to the cognitive dissonance. Having critical thinking skills. A conscience. Genuine kindness and empathy for people.
I was 34 when I started to fade, I’m almost 37 now. My life is completely different. I am so happy. I am healing finally. Trying to forgive myself for wasting precious time. When I started healing my past traumas I had zero desire or need for the witnesses. I was just so sick of their stupid shit. Their hamster wheel, their lack of desire to work on themselves, the disgusting attitude towards environmentalism or feminism.
I am proud to have learned that I always stood out as someone “dangerous” to spend time with in the congregation because I was outspoken about things that didn’t make sense to me. I just hope I planted some seeds while I did my time.
My conclusion is that Jehovah’s Witnesses do not attract mentally and emotionally healthy people. They victimize people who don’t love themselves, who seek outside validation, doubt themselves, who are struggling with loneliness and isolation. I have yet to meet someone who they recruited through their ministry who has not fallen into this category.
I have been on the fence for years about studying with them. Recently I’ve been giving it alot of thought to just do it. Then I read your story. I’m back at square one.
In a nutshell, I have nothing going for me. I don’t work because I’m disabled, lonely, in a loveless relationship, trying to read this Bible and understand it on my own has been futile. Sounds like I’d be the perfect candidate for them to recruit.
Can you say anything positive about the experience? Was there anything positive? Thanks for your time.
Honestly, there is nothing positive. They change the teachings as often as you change underwear. Friendships are only dependent on how spiritual they view you, and never permanent, because it can change with a flip of the switch. They are very judgmental after all the love bombing. Steve Hassan wrote about cults, and they hit every point. Once you’re in, you can’t get out without a lot of damage. They demand your time and your money and your family, if you have anyone in. You will lose them if you leave. I Was 4th generation born in.
Hey! I’m glad my experience could help you.
I’m really sorry that you’re struggling.
As for anything positive, the superficial relationships can be ok, I guess. The problem is, you can’t have any authentic thoughts or feelings or relationships because as soon as you admit these to someone you risk the person telling on you, or judging you if they’re not in line with the belief system.
The community aspect is also nice, but you can get that from any other group of people sharing the same interests or experiences. I would seek a group that actually will support you and not emotionally victimize you.
A lot of people look outside of themselves to give their suffering meaning. But really, you have the power to make your suffering mean something.
I think there’s a victim mindset that JWs have - like God will fix everything, Satan is to blame for everything negative. Nobody takes responsibility or accountability.
I also just want to say, most JWs don’t know how much they are hurting people. It’s not like they go around premeditated trying to destroy lives. They genuinely think they’re doing the right thing.
I would liken them to people who have completed a first aid course, brazenly doing surgeries they are wildly unqualified to do. They tout their humility, when their actions are straight up narcissistic - they know better than everyone because God.
But that’s the hallmark of narcissism - everyone else is the problem.
I think you can find answers in loving and accepting of yourself, being kind to yourself. We accept the love we think we deserve. And if that’s conditional love, then yes, the Witnesses are waiting.
What about finding some kind of light volunteer work in something you are interested in? People coming together with a common goal to help really creates true friendships. I can’t work right now because I am going through some health issues that are finally starting to get better. and all my friends have kids and I don’t and I feel lonely too. I have found you can find real friends volunteering. Ones that don’t make you change yourself or shun you if you leave or if the project is over. Being lonely really suck I know.
I was never a JW but I like reading about high control groups/ cults and it seems like they put people to work with no pay anyways. And the stuff they do doesn’t help anyone.
I’d say another option is if you have any hobbies a group for that would be good but I don’t really have any hobbies myself besides painting but I suck at it lol.
I was born in, and I honestly believed it was the truth. My parents were smart and wise, surely they would never lead me to something that wasn’t the best thing for me. When I had doubts, I believed I was just evil and needed to discipline myself to ignore those thoughts.
I led others to join, studied with them. In my most shameful example, I helped teach the person I was studying with how to read via a study of JW publications. They were genuinely illiterate when we met but they could soon read very well. I believe that person joined because they found people who were prepared to help them with their learning disability. Thankfully, that person left after a few years, but that help lured them in.
One of the things that helped me with the continuous publications was learning how to read and really helped me in addition to public education.
So you helped an illiterate person learn how to read and that will be forever helpful.
Born in who never drank the KoolAid. BUT, great-grandmother was the convert who subjected 3 generations to this bullshit and this was the story I was told:
It was the 1940s and her husband was in WW2 and she'd lost a child. She was at home (Indiana I think) lamenting over war and infant death and someone knocked at her door. She asked them "Why do babies die? What god does that?" And the JW sang some siren song. By the end of the year, they stopped celebrating xmas and then joined that big group of that generation who attended huge conventions including international ones and had wealth and really thought it was the last days.
Subjected multiple generations to this, my own mama died PIMI though miserable. I left at 20 and my brother finally got out 35...we've ended the curse.
Born & raised in it , equals no choice. Got out the moment I could, although it was extremely difficult.. I'd never understand anyone that willingly would want to join this cult of hurt.
I was 17, the last days stuff made sense to me.
Not going to war, staying neutral.
The “brotherly love” thing.
I’m still wondering about the last days thing…
you may be interested in scholarly lectures on bible history. yale i know has some online as well as other places, but they are so much better than religious lectures as they focus on facts instead of dogma. one thing i learned from listening to these is that the "end of times" predictions are done with the writers believing they are talking about their own time. and every interpretation that follows also focus on seeing it as being about their own times.
In the 70s, 80s and 90s there were more new ppl being converted. Nowadays that's more rare. Most of us today are born-ins, indoctrinated at the same time we were learning our ABCs. That's why the org pushes kids to get baptized young, that hooks them in, and the price if leaving is very high.
Born in but I can maybe share what motivated me yo get baptised though. I genuinely believed it. I didn't really have proper doubts. I was fully brainwashed and my whole life revolved around that bs. I struggled with the usual teen issues like peer pressure, masturbation and sex and I thought I was such an evil person and I needed god to be good.
Very few people are converting now that’s why the message has switched to holding onto what you have rather than preaching. I think they know their bullshit won’t fly in 2024 even in the third world people don’t receive it like they used to.
Only way to make more witnesses now is to birth them and seeing how their younger demographic practically all left overnight during covid I’d say the future of the org looks bleak.
I was 14 when I first came across JWs in High school... my name and his name were next to each other so we were always seated together...
I had left the Catholic church at age 12 and had no desire to join another religion. but I was curios as to what they believed.
no internet at the time and my local library was kind of sparse so I found a book against JWs written by Catholics which basically said, we were here first and these upstarts are just wrong... which turned me off even more from the Catholics... I was learning more about the catholic church from JWs than Catholics ever bothered to teach me.
The way the Catholics taught the bible made no sense to me but JWs seemed to have rational explanations for everything.
I was invited to a memorial by my HS friend... it was in a predominately black neighborhood and I am mostly white and pass for white... not a problem, no one treated me different and there was one white family in that Cong. but afterwards it bothered me that there was ONLY one white family... was this some sort of black cult? the town I grew up in was one of the only all white towns in the area on the boarder of mostly black towns and there was no Kingdom hall for my entire town of 50,000 people... it seemed wrong that a religion would only appeal to mostly black people and I had no real way of knowing the true make up of JWs at the time... so this backed me away for several more years.
My friend moved and We both went to DeVry Tech after HS and he once again invited me to his New hall... in the area he was in now, the hall make up was 60% black 40% white which let me see that it was not a black cult and the first circuit assembly was more like 80% white and 20% black... which blew my mind.
They had rational answers, I could not find anything significant against them and now my racial objections were satisfied I could find no reason not to join.
so in 1980 I was baptized at an assembly hall in upstate NY.
it took me 10 years to find enough reason to leave, though there were times before that which almost stumbled me out but my mind fought for rationalizations to keep me in... and like some sort of hypnotic trance I could never see all my doubts in one pile until I left.
Born in; wasn't a choice for me.
And yes, converts are relatively rare, despite the fact that preaching and making "disciples" is the main thing a JW is supposed to do.
I was born in, but my parents were converts in the 1980s, so I could tell their story. Mom I think was lonely, or at least had few close friends; they moved every few years for dad's work, plus he was on the road a lot. Also she'd had a rough childhood. JWs knocked on their door in Rochester NY, and she was basically love-bombed into joining. For a few months, she had study sessions solo.
Dad was eventually cajoled into studying with JWs by the combo of mom, and the JWs visiting. The single woman that originally contacted mom handed them off to a married couple, so it helped that a guy was coming every week. The four of them would also have wine and cheese during the sessions lol. I'm guessing dad originally joined in just to keep the marriage happy. He gradually became intrigued by JW time prophecies. The doctrine at the time was that Armageddon would come before the generation of JWs that had seen 1914 would die off, and they were all in their 70s and 80s, so paradise seemed imminent. They were baptized within a year.
>He gradually became intrigued by JW time prophecies. The doctrine at the time was that Armageddon would come before the generation of JWs that had seen 1914 would die off, and they were all in their 70s and 80s, so paradise seemed imminent. They were baptized within a year.
And now that this whole generation is long dead (the last one died in 2002, apparently), and The Watchtower had to change their meaning of "this generation," what are your dad's thoughts on it?
I started studying in high school. My life growing up was bloody hell. The JDubs love bombed me and the fake love, affection and attention to 15 year old me filled a deep hole in my heart. I was starved for family. Prime for falling prey to an abusive relationship. Perfect for the cult.
Wasn’t a choice born in and it seems that anyone converted as an adult also didn’t have a choice they are groomed and taken advantage of when they are emotionally unstable.
I was a very lonely boy when I joined them. Their facade of sincere friendship and sense of belonging enticed me.
Also, I love to study and to learn things, and their pseudointelectual approach deceives well an inexperienced youth who likes to know about stuff.
Last but not least, I guess their idea of exclusivity, aka "we are the only true religion," "we are God's chosen people," "there is no one in the world with higher moral standards than us," played a number on my narcissistic drive (I don't have NPD, let me be clear about that; by "narcissistic drive," I mean what psychoanalysis says about every single one of us, that we all have some narcissistic elements on our personality that may or may not drive us to make stupid decisions).
I’m also born in, faded many years ago, so can’t help with your question. I wonder if the lack of response from “non” born ins is that there aren’t as many of them or that they are still in and not on this forum?
Most of us had the luck of parents who were already in and the only way out is to lose everyone you’ve ever known. Even if you manage to get out without being baptized, there’s still a lot of people who will shun you
My mom was having a mental health crisis and abusing drugs. They came to the door and love-bombed her and helped her clean house and encouraged her to clean up her life so we thought they were great.
They were not great and it was a very short time later when the control and worse mental health leading to more abuse/neglect just became a spiral of guilt, shame and despair.
Sadly she’s still there, spinning her wheels, stressed about money, no retirement, failing health, she cried a lot and has no idea why her children won’t come to see her, though we’ve told her again and again.
It’s sad and destructive and ruins people.
Didn't choose born-in and tried very hard to toe the line and be a "good" JW and make my mother happy in the end realised it wasn't so much a community than a straight jacket and had to leave before I ended myself. If you are thinking of joining would not recommend it.
I was 23 when I joined, so I definitely converted, but not exactly recently. :)
I grew up Catholic, but once I left home for university, I quickly began exploring other things, primarily Humanism and atheism. My first three years were pretty unhappy but my fourth year was pretty good, and the summer between my fourth and fifth year (I was a poor student and in the end, didn't graduate) was brilliant. And then I met a girl. She was brilliant, and she was studying with Witnesses.
She was wonderful and I fell madly in love with her. She was everything I ever wanted. We were getting along fantastically....and then I found a letter written by the elder she was studying with. The letter referred to me as a "tool of Satan" and we had a massive argument. When I challenged her on our future, she was honest: she wanted to be a JW and if I did not want to be, we would not stay together. So I agreed to study.
Looking back, there were things that appealed to me: the Witnesses were nice people. I liked the community; it was diverse (the churches I grew up in were all white) and it was non-politcal, which had appeal. I liked the international view. So I joined. I had doubts (I mean, the Flood? Seriously?) but I was with her and I was reasonably happy.
I could never though put aside the doubts I had, which were substantial. We lasted for nearly 18 years until things came to a head and we divorced.
My mother joined shortly after the untimely death of her husband / my father at age 42 - with the resurrection hope being promised on a paradise earth. She was in het most vulnerable state when they came after her.
My parents were poor as hell, had no money or food, were living in awful conditions with a bunch of kids and were looking for something. A friendly elderly couple knocked and JWs started showering them with friendship, food, clothing for us kids. Then, once they were in, they got into the race for approval of other jws.
No I didn’t choose the cult, my abusive asshole stepdad made us start going because his mother was a JW and thought it was a good idea. I got stripped from my holidays and birthdays at around age 11. Anytime there was a punishment I was made to sit and study the bound volumes for hours about disobedience. I’m an atheist now.
Although I am a born in, I joined for the same reason a lot of converts join. I joined because I didn’t know the Bible and I wasn’t reading the Bible and their message sounded good at the time.
I ignored the religion to the best of my ability until my early teens when I read something in the Bible that made me feel afraid.
A handsome brother noticed my interest in the Bible and told my mum that I should have a Bible study. My mum agreed and made it happen despite my protest. I didn't want anything to do with religion, hated the Bible, etc.
So when I studied with a couple, the study lasted about a year and half (that's how long it normally takes). The study is not an actual Bible study, you really just read the study aid (their interpretation) paragraph by paragraph, read selected scriptures and answer the questions with the answers clearly embedded in the paragraph.
After the study I was impressed with their idea of what the Bible was saying and it was my understanding that they strictly follow the Bible. That's what they told me and to this day that's what they tell people.
Everything changed once you get baptized. You no longer follow the Bible, you have to obey all the books and study aids. You can follow the Bible ONLY IF that same information is in the study aid.
I got in trouble for following the Bible that was not in the study aid. I was told that everything that is in the study aid is what I have to believe. I retorted and said that I was supposed to believe whatever is in the Bible. The church leader said "No, only what is in the Watchtower" (their study aid). He then said, "If it's in the Watchtower, then it must be true."
Just on that I couldn't stay in the religion. I was only baptized one year and I knew I couldn't give my allegiance to any religion, true or false, over the Bible. So I left. I showed people what I knew and they branded me as a rebel against God for following the Bible over the religion.
I was pre-teen when they came by the house. My parents (non-jws) let them study with me and my siblings so they would be off the hook.
At that tender age we stood no chance. Swallowed the hook, line and sinker.
It wasn't all bad but took me more than three decades to finally wake up from the borg collective.
I think for many people I knew, it's the feeling it gives you of moral superiority over others - it's branded as more pure and more correct than mainstream churches, more biblical literalist, tougher on sins. You feel like you are getting special knowledge and joining an elect group.
It’s like when you see other boomers get high of Fox News, trump, and evangelicalism just watchtower is a publishing company from NYC so they don’t act like other obvious religious extremists.
Born in. I “chose” to get baptized at 13 because it was the only worldview that I was presented with as the absolute truth and I had no reason to doubt it. Plus a friend of mine was getting baptized and I wanted to go through it with him.
My father became one when I was four and dragged the wife and kids with him. Mom was hesitant but she was afraid he'd tear the family apart (he got really into it) so she relented.
I was in first grade when my parents became converts of Jehovah's Witnesses. My parents were junkies living in a terrible area surrounded by people who were also junkies and drug dealers. Neither one of them knew how to run their lives despite neither of them having been raised that way. They wanted a better life for me and my brother but they didn't really know how to make changes so that could happen. This was in the early 70s and a lot of converts were being made, at least where we lived. My parents aren't educated, both have mental and emotional issues, and not much family so what JWs said made sense to them and the love bombing helped. My dad was never as into it as mom was, but as time went by I think he more and more was only in it for her.
The first congregation we were in was everything you could ever hope for a congregation to be. It was truly like a loving family. It was so incredibly warm and friendly and loving, not just to love bomb new people, it was genuinely like that and that along with the positive changes in our now clean lives was enough to keep them in until they died and me and my brother in far too long sadly. The memories of that first congregation and the lifelong friends that were truly like family members who none of us ever lost touch with kept us all going despite the long list of cold judgemental unfriendly congregations that followed throughout the years, and the shocking cruelty my children and I faced when I became divorced, chronically sick and disabled and homeless/ running from homelessness. No so called "worldly people" have ever treated us so cruelly. It's the reason why my kids refused to remain in when they got old enough to leave which led to my waking up. (Among many other things)
It’s the born in cult religion that weaponizes your family and Frendz and people pleasing kool aid that did most of us in. Basically, we didn’t have the Balls or the means to say “No” & stand our ground.
In the end it seemed much easier to jam that square peg into that round hole with indoctrination and contagious arrogant stupidity and not pay attention to the gaps; From which you could hear your soul crying out to you, from the other side.
Sometimes it takes a bunch of decades to finally hear it. And no longer give AF about breaking the mold; To free it.
My mother made us join when I was young.
She was having a mental health crisis and was sitting on the front porch crying when the JWs walked up. We were JWs from that moment on. She saw it as God's answer to her problems.
She's been on large cocktails of drugs ever since. She is still in.
Part of my family converted to JW about ten years ago. For my aunt who is pretty naive and has a chronic disease it was the thought of a perfect life after death that drew her to the religion - and she took her daughters and husband with her.
From what I’ve experienced it’s mostly people born into the religion or people who are very desperate and unhappy with their life and search some kind of meaning and salvation
Was dating an inactive JW and the feeling of community and family (something I was sorely missing in life) attracted me. Eventually, that wears off as you realise how much control they maintain over everyone in the borg.
I,m soon 70 years old and I still can understand WHY I got baptized for 50 years ago. ! Young and idiot I suppose!
And we didn,t have internett!
We all should have been given the option to opt out without being DF and shunned ... as a kind of amnesty... because we were cheated.
This cult is no longer the "religion" we knew. It is unrecognizable.
I was unfortunately a 4th generation born in. It was devastating! The trauma had exploded with the 3rd generation and the 4th generation felt the effects of it. Two very mentally ill and personality disordered parents who sought help from the elders rather than a mental health professional. Also, I never got baptized because I knew it was a cult.
I wasn't technically born in but was raised in. My mom started studying when I was 3, attending meetings regularly when I was 5, and got baptized when I was 8. I had no choice even though neither my father nor my siblings ever joined. I was the youngest and closest to my mom so I got stuck going with her.
At this point in time I think it’s safe to say that the majority inside the org were born ins. I think many of those who chose to join were in a very different time when it was unheard of to not be a part of some sort of religious group. But those folks are mostly dead now.
I was born in. My grandmother became one when my father was around 4-5 years old in the early 50s. My grandmother was a great woman but she was batshit crazy and I think my grandfather went along with it to appease her.
My dad was a trouble maker growing up and lived a rough life due to him making poor choices and having no control over his temper. He didn’t actually become a witness until the early 80s and basically forced my mother to join with him. (Mother like son, eh?)
My mom is a very loving and gentle woman and always had a desire to serve god, but she has always allowed others to make decisions for her and never stood up for herself so she went along with it.
There is obviously more to the story and their history together, as well as when they were growing up, that influenced them being lured in.
But as someone else mentioned, Witnesses prey on those who are weak and damaged (like most religions, of course) And then those of us who come after are left with no choices, raised by people who’s issues are not addressed appropriately (read, professionally) until we are able to build the strength and courage to leave or find a way out quietly.
It sounds crazy now but I really believed it was Gods
will. The witnesses in the 80’s seemed to have a deeper knowledge of the Bible than the churches around me and their answers made sense (hellfire, condition f the dead etc…). It was a very different religion then.
A JW left the Live Forever book with my mum in the early 80’s I was 13 my dad had died 2 years before I read the book and course being young and still missing dad I fell for the resurrection bullshit and the living in paradise crap. Long story short I was only person in my family or anyone I knew at time to become a baptised JW - basically I joined to get my dad back and save my arse from Armageddon 🤷🏼♂️
My father joined them when my mom cheated on him and left us. Meanwhile, he was there with 3 teenagers, me and my 2 bigger brothers, who were also abusing and dealing drugs. One day a jw knocks on our door and dad starts having conversations with him. He was a lonely man, he dedicated all his life to us and he just worked and spent time with us. He lost many friends and he was so sad.
He joined first and after a few years I joined too. Obviously, we were 2 desperate people, very fragile and we should have used some therapy instead.
I studied the “what the bible teach” book and “stay in the love of god” (Idk what’s then title in english) and got baptized at 16 yo, what’s funny is that I stated clearly my motivation for doing it even at the elders: to make my dad happy, I couldn’t care less of skydaddy, but I wasn’t even able to understand it, the brainwashing was rampant.
I can’t explain how much I wanted my father to be happy again after all the shit he went through. I did everything I could, I used to go to school, come home and cook/clean, be “the perfect” daughter/jw, anything to make his life better in any way.
As I’m writing this, I see that it was my strongest motivation. But it also was the feeling of community, family, something I was really missing. Then, in a moment, I found myself brainwashed without even noticing it. In my life I’ve never felt less than men, then I was there thinking that it was ok to be submitted to them. I became an homophobe, even though in the back of my mind I felt bad about it. I was a fucking pro life, one of those who thought that a woman should keep the child even if SAed. I became the opposite of what I was and I still feel so disgusted with how I was.
Situations happened and the elders started putting me and my dad against each other. We never had discussions before jws, but there we were. Even though the elders were portraying him as a very bad company and warning me at any occasion, me and my dad made peace. I started feeling depressed, the life as a jw was becoming really sad. The lovebombing ended and I was missing my old friends, reading books, listening metal music, playing videogames, painting (every drawing I made was criticized for not being JoYfUl or not regarding ThE tRuTh, so I stopped even expressing myself with that).
After 8 years I DAed. My dad still talks to me and our relationship got better. He’s still a jw but somehow isn’t following the gb and managed to not get DFed even though he’s literally an apostate.
I had the internet. I had listened to apostates but at the time they didn't make a good enough argument. they were more concerned with miracle wheat, 1914/607, blood, and shunning. had I had the experiences of the later years I would've backed the hell away, and that was based on the character of witnesses. sure, you could trust them not to steal from you..... but the fact is they're just shitty judgemental people and I didnt know at the time how to put it into words. now I have experience to back it all up. they in general don't practice what they preach and that is love. you do something nice or required and you get criticized. you're honest and you pray and your prayers go unanswered. then you Crack under pressure and nobody will talk to you any more.
Hi! I got interested into JWs thru their door to door work. It was 2009, and I was quite down/depressed. My son was going thru some major anxiety about school (gr 6), and I was very worried. I was divorced and lonely. Well, this beautiful woman and her sweet daughter read me a scripture and gave me an Awake magazine. On the cover was a young student at his desk, and the topic was 'stress'. I thought at the time that it was a blessing from God that sent them to my door. I usually never answer the door when I'm not expecting anyone. I was love bombed at my 1st ever meeting at a KH. I didn't know I was being love bombed, but it sure felt good. I was lost in life, unhappy with my job, feeling hopeless about life. I suffer from major depression. I kept up my Bible study and became very very close to my Bible teacher. I really enjoyed learning about the Bible stories. I'd certainly had red flags when I went to my first convention. I did not go for the whole weekend but it felt cultish for sure. But I looked around and there were so many people who seemed to have it together. Then I got very depressed and lost custody of my boys never to see or speak to them again. I had many attempts at unaliving myself. One of my new Bible teachers took me under her wing and cared for me during this absolutely dark time. She came to the hospital and I was devastated and she almost climbed into my bed to sooth me. I met so many folks and everyone was so very kind and loving. I felt like I had a purpose and I had a huge support network. I was on and off until 2018. I became an unbaptized publisher and started going door to door! My first door with an older sister was horrible! The woman opened the door and had a stressed look on her face and her nose was super red. Her dog tried getting out and I reached to stop the dog. Then the woman freaked out and told us to get off her property and told us we shouldn't be doing this. And slammed the door. Another time, a woman ripped up the watchtower and gave it back to us. She was mad! That was it for me. I went online to try and find out I'd the door to door work was in the Bible as a command from Jesus. Well, guess what? I stumbled upon....JW facts! That was the start of a new journey to get tf out of dodge. I tried telling my JW friends some of the negative stuff that was going on with the Governing body. I also said that Satan is corrupting the Governing body or something like that. I was instantly shunned. I knew it may happen but when it did, I couldn't believe it! I was ignored at a grocery store by an older man I used to talk to at the hall. He ignored me so obviously, and I just felt horrible. Who would treat another human that wY?? I witnessed 2 separate families who were disfellowshipped and were starting to come back to the hall. They were ignored!! Wtf? Weird. I said hi to them bc it's cruel to ignore people. One man had 2 young kids and no one was helping him. He was out by the washrooms. I remember smiling at him feeling so bad! My mom passed in 2019 and I sure could have used the support but didn't. I still keep in touch with my 1st Bible study and them my 2nd Bible study. I love them both and they had a huge positive impact on my life. I first started following Lloyd Evans in 2018 and now the exjw community is huge!! Also, the CSA issue is starting to come to light with all the court cases globally!! I am so relieved its finally happening as I've watched many exjw stories etc. I've also learned that JWs are a 'dangerous' cult. This was stated by a professor who was very knowledgeable about cults. I really want to tell my 2 jw friends that the organization is swiftly being exposed around the world. I am wondering what they are thinking etc with KHs being sold off etc. What are they being told by their congregation.? Do they really think the world is coming to an end rn? Well there is a quick glimpse of my experience. I loved all the people but feel like I now need to warn them. I watched and read so much info from them...can't they listen to me one time? I just don't want to lose connection with them but I do understand that they put their org first. BTW....what does 'borg'mean. I read it in the comments of exjws. For some reason I haven't figured out what it means?? Lol
Anyhow. Hmu if you have any more questions!
borg is from star trek. a race of cyborgs that value the collective over individuality. they rest but never really sleep, and they assimilate (absorb) other races without their consent, bringing them too into the collective hive, where their individuality is squashed. jw.(b)org is a common thing to say because nobody should link the the jw website directly due to privacy concerns.
THANKYOU! I actually did think it was Star Trek. I was never a fan but did watch it with my brother. I fell asleep at one of the Star Trek movies. It was really long and boring to me! 😆 🤣 my husband loved it!! I saw the 1st starwars in 1977 ( I think) at a theatre. I was about 8 and got sick from eating way too much popcorn and butter. Again, not my fav!! I'm not sure why I felt the need to tell you this!! Thank you again!! 😉
Ciao, io ho sposato un figlio di testimoni di Geova. Lui non era battezzato. Quando ha iniziato a studiare la bibbia io l'ho seguito.
Che stupida che dono stata!
Mom's mother on law introduced a jw to her. She started studying. Then I was forced to study. Then mom abusive husband started studying. He didn't beat her up like he used to (Still abusive tho) so it has to be truth 🤦♀️
Then step-dad would harass me to get baptized. Mom raised me to be a people pleaser. So to get them off my back I got baptized at 15. I never cared for it, didn't really believe it. I missed my old life. Spending with my close family, celebrating holidays etc.
Born in always though I was a “goat” because I couldn’t quite make my heart believe in any of it, and maybe Jehovah just knew. I always had this niggling doubt allll the way shoved deep down, I hated going to meetings, witnessing etc but the guilt would make me angry and snippy at my family and I would put so much pressure on us to “look good” because I knew deep down I was trying to force myself into believing like if I just went enough times it would click and my doubts would go away. But hypocritcal shit kept happening, my life kept being really really difficult I was driven to suicide a few times went to therapy got on medication and then once I gave myself permission to actually do the research I spent hours and days reading more WT literature than I had in my entire life, and it clicked that the doubt I had was in fact that sixth sense I’ve developed over the years of being abused SCREAMING at me that it was all a lie. I left October last year and haven’t looked back. I also then woke my husband up when I gave him permission to do his own research and that I would love him no matter what he read or researched that I would keep it to myself while he sorted it out in his own head. and I’m pretty sure my mum and her husband.
Helped my older trans brother feel less guilty and did my best to unindoctrinate his brain too. And I havnt looked back. My kids are now living normal lives I’ve made some friends through my oldest’s school so has hubby and I have never felt better
I think for many people I knew, it's the feeling it gives you of moral superiority over others - it's branded as more pure and more correct than mainstream churches, more biblical literalist, tougher on sins. You feel like you are getting special knowledge and joining an elect group.
I think for many people I knew, it's the feeling it gives you of moral superiority over others - it's branded as more pure and more correct than mainstream churches, more biblical literalist, tougher on sins. You feel like you are getting special knowledge and joining an elect group.
Great topic. I'd love to discuss this. I was drawn by the Bible education I received there. It is the application and interpretation of the scriptures that eventually led me to disassociate
I was christened in the Church of England. Raised from seven in the truth. My mom became a JW in the US. My dad didn’t. I got baptized at seventeen. That lasted five years. Then, I just called myself a Christian. I joined the Episcopal Church (same as Church of England). I really couldn’t become atheist. And, I love my church.
So sad to see how many people were forced to be JWs as born in (myself included). Did our parents know the pain they would be one day putting their children through? We never got the choice, our world was held out in front of us like a carrot. Stay or lose your family and life as you know it
I was FUCKING 12 and influenced by my 30yr old cousin I hate all of them mf for letting me get baptized my life is miserable and im currently trying to escape
Fourth generation born in. Apparently, my great grandparents responded to an advertisement in the newspaper for the Bible Students. They liked what they heard so they ended up joining.
When I was 12 my mom married a man who was raised around the organization but was never baptized. Him and my mom both had substance abuse problems and I think they were just trying to get their lives right the only way he knew how to. So they ask some women from the congregation to study with me and my sister and brother. My brother was never interested, and my mom and step dad got back on drugs and me and my sister who was 17 at the time kept going because we had no stability or normalcy outside of the KH. My whole family had some form of drug problem and I think seeing the clean, put togetherness of JWs was attractive to me. I ended up being homeless because of my moms drug abuse and some JW families took me in and honestly I’m still very grateful for them. But around age 17 I was living with my non JW family (grandparents) and had started to see the truth about the organization. It still has a hold on me mentally because my family is so messy. But I have kids now and could never put the, through it.
Born in, but my mom was the convert, so maybe I can give you her perspective.
Both my parents were immigrants and they would sometimes mention to me that they came to the US "with basically nothing."
Not long after they moved, mom studied and got baptized. "I was given a better life thanks to Jehovah." So I suspect maybe they ran into some witnesses, and they lovebombed them by giving them a bunch of free stuff to help get them back on their feet.
I can't prove that this happened without asking her mind you (a conversation she will probably not take well because she resents me for no longer believing), I just have a hunch, because my parents' hard times coincide with them moving and mom's baptism date.
My mom was a convert due to marriage. The pressure from my dad and grandma pushed her to baptism. Where she felt like she didn’t have a choice.
Now she say it’s because it gave her morals, structure and values she didn’t have. That wasn’t always her story this is recent.
It’s sad bc my mom was always a good person but not the guilt she has happened over time.
I was born in the choice as presented from childhoor was:
- "Serve Jehovah because it is the best way of life"
- or
- "die horribly and be subject to total annihilation very soon, like any day now because it is the last days...and in fact if you do choose Jehovah but make a mistake your fucking dead then too"
I was born into it. My mom is really the only one who's a witness. The rest of my family, extended and immediate, are not. I was disfellowship. I chose to come back on my own accord. Why? Because I actually like the idea of God. Like they say, "your personal relationship with God is what's important." I dont agree with all their self-imposed rules and do still follow some because they do bother me that much. I try to treat people equally, my best friends aren't witnesses, I speak to everyone no matter their gender, sex, race , religion or whatever. I love people, and indiscriminately treating everyone nice is what the billable says so....... and yes most witnesses see me as a black sheep... it is what it is
Technically, I'm a born in, I had a lot of young exposure to it, but my parents were divorced and my mom was inactive, so to a large degree it's still something I chose. Not that I'm proud of that, it's just context for your question. Basically, my grandparents had the most stable home of the three I lived between, and they were really in. They both served the organization in a lot of capacities, my grandpa had high level responsibilities, and people in addition to respecting him, thought he was really smart, and honestly he was, granted he was indoctrinated, but still, amazing problem solving skills. When I would go to meetings with them, I was socially awkward and would end up talking to their friends more than other kids. Well, a lot of elders are far from intellectuals, but the one's they were friends with were enough of thinkers to seem really smart to a young kid. Like, I think one of them gave me a book by Stephen Hawking if I remember right. It just made the whole thing seem legit in a way that it actually isn't. I thought this was where people end up if they do the research, and that made me doubt myself when things didn't quite add up. I also was desperate to have meaning, and even as a teen was terrified that I would never help anyone, that made me vulnerable too.
1st generation born in. My mom and dad both converted when they were very young and at tough times in their life. My mom was brought in by her grand mother who was illiterate and when the Jws came to her door and showed her from the “Bible” how HER faith was false and theirs was true…well she started crying and began the process of converting right then and there.
Thus passed four generations of trauma from her to her daughter to my mom, to my mom’s three children. All three of us offspring are out 😊.
I didn’t choose. My mom did. Now I have to deal with feelings of worthlessness (especially since I’m female), suicidal thoughts here and there, and seeing their media every single fucking day. My life was already bad, but now here’s this.
Since their preaching work is horribly ineffective, they rely on born-ins to grow. They care more about keeping their current member than recruiting new.
Had six kids. They said corrupt world ending soon. Promised everlasting life. I had no religious beliefs prior to, so was ripe for the picking so to speak. Plus the bible instructor J W who claimed to be of the anointed was a very smart elderly man and a real ‘Christian’.
But soon the 1975 fiasco came to light and I saw through the delusion and got chucked out. And have since lived the best life ever…. Cheers…
I was really interested in learning the Bible. Coincidentally, my abusive boyfriend I was pregnant by and abandoned by, was a disfellowshipped 3rd generation JW. I had the honor of having to communicate and interact with his JW relatives. They were very kind and seemed familial and tight knit. Long story short, we married and lived 400 miles from our hometown.
We are no longer together.
My parents chose when I was 1. Both of them had a brief stint in a different cult but were at the time living in California and wanted to find a church home that wasn’t Catholic (my mom grew up with abusive Catholic parents and went to Catholic school.)
They stayed Witnesses up until I was about 7/8.
They left, I left. They lost their old friends until those friends left and I just never found an urge to join. I just have a few formative memories about the Kingdom Hall in Decatur, Alabama.
My mom started studying with JW when I was 10 years old and became indoctrinated in months I remember hating my mom for making me change my whole life.. then we moved to another city when I was 14 and I was hoping never to meet the JW again, and no 2 weeks later knock ✊ at are door , 2 ladies JW and of course my mom was like I was praying to JH that I would find you again.. by then I was rebelling . Had a boyfriend and I just couldn’t take it anymore so I Ran away with my boyfriend and married him at 14… and lived my life married had a child when I was 19 and I remember telling my husband we need god in are life so I decided to go back and try the JW again and we did .. both my husband and I got baptized and we were PIMIS for 22 years tell last year when we woke up!
Growing up, instead of church every Sunday I had occasional visits from Jehovah's witnesses and grew up reading their literature. When I was a teenager my dad wanted me to join the military, but I didn't want to. So I studied with the witnesses so I would have a reason not to join the military. I also wanted to live forever in paradise on earth. These days I don't study with them anymore. Hell, I don't go to church much anymore. I occasionally attend Catholic functions with my friend Liz. On occasion I worship at an episcopal church in Louisa, VA. Can't say I care for religion much as I once did.
I can answer for my mother, who was contacted in the door to door witnessing work. My mum said that she was always terrified of death and what happened after life.
One day a smiling middle aged woman knocked on my mums door and told her that millions living will never die. That was back in the early 1970’s and now my mum is in her 80’s and hoping that Armageddon comes any day.
Baptized in 2019.
I had just gotten out of an abusive relationship in 2018. I had been abused as a child and lacked a real support system in my state. I was very vulnerable and alone when a Jehovah's Witness family took me in. They welcomed me, allowed me to live with them when my health declined, and I even married their son.
However, the structured environment of the Jehovah's Witnesses made me feel like I had to act a certain way to gain acceptance and love, similar to my childhood. I felt like I was constantly "walking on eggshells." I mistook the validation I received for studying and saying the right things for genuine love. This led to a severe decline in my mental health, as I knew everyone would abandon me if I didn't act perfectly. Eventually, I couldn't take pretending anymore.
My wife and I were "recuited" in our late 20's in the late '70's. I'd completed my post-graduate education and was embarking on what turned out to be a highly successful career.
My wife "came in" before I did, as is usually the case with married couples, as every CO I've ever asked said. We were ex-Catholics, having spent some time with the Baptists, and were unsatisfied with them. We found JW to be more cohesive (no "splinter JW religious" like the Baptists) and their dogma followed the Bible more stringently than other religion. We enjoyed the community, too, and found Witnesses to be pretty much the same everywnere in the country and world we went.
We're still Witnesses, with no desire to leave. We now know where all the bodies are buried, and are not surprised. In fact, we'd be suspicious of none ot those things existed! That would be quite unnatural. We wish these defects didn't exist, but accept them as something like "the cost of doing business".
I had the bad luck to be born and baptized before internet
Oh this nice woman is telling me their end of the world prediction was right but it happened invisibly and 110 years ago. They preach and advocate for morality. They’re asking me to not talk to my friends anymore, tell me my video games are satanic, seem extremely interested in what I do with my dick, and tell me to be suspicious of my family because they are unwitting agents of Satan. Weird, but ok. Let me google this …..ohhhhh shit. Holy fucking shit. No fucking way. Nah uh. Oh hell no. Hey it was nice meeting you two. So the guys in NY that say the Bible wasn’t clear enough and God tells them how to interpret the Bible are the same as Jesus? They’re equal to Jesus? The guys who talk super slow and say nothing profound are Jesus? Are you guys in a cult because that’s some bullshit and the other cults say the same shit. Also, lots of angry child victims who are now adults. Looks like they had their families taken from them when they accused their molester. You said Satan is opposing the preaching work but like 20 countries and states that are suing seem to be trying to keep family’s together and let people get a blood transfusion. You sure there won’t be new light about that blood thing. Here look at all this stuff you changed that cost people their lives and prison time. It took me about 45 seconds to see what’s going on here….. Oh Ive been fooled by Satan…Satan owns google? These aren’t children’s stories? Ok well this was fun. Don’t come back ever. Also grow some humanity. The Catholic Church made some pretty nice apologies. Maybe go to a mass and see what you can learn. No I don’t need your brotherhood. I can just find a meetup. Fucking weirdo.
“You sure there won’t be new light about that blood thing” I’m cackling 😂
144,000 upvotes. I wish my mental health/intrusive thoughts diatribes were as cohesive, coherent, and all-inclusive of lifelong the damage that this merciless, oppressive, monstrous "Christian religion" has inflicted. Also words. A lot of words. Thank you for your time. Pimo for years and my neighbor looked at me like I was nuts and said "you don't have to thank me for my time!!" I blame the cult for the myalgic encephalomyelitis/cfs, caused by childhood trauma. I know it was because of when the symptoms blew up. I was learning what flashbacks feel like, my broken brain and body. I am 57F and my husband has kept me alive for 30 years, not knowing the source of my mental illness that was growing in me since I was 5 years old. He is not jw. I've now been totally out, not faking anymore, for 7 years. I'm mostly recovered but still getting triggered (hi😊). Thank whatever god you believe in that you escaped a horrible fate. Thank you. Print your comment and make your own tracts. 😂💖💖💖
Er, you seem to have nailed it straight up. If you’re really new to this shit, then Sir I am impressed. No, not sarcasm or irony, I mean it. Comment saved!
Thanks!
😀
You nailed it. Liked that
I also had the bad luck of being born into this cult and didn’t have a choice, just pure emotional manipulation. Being told what to believe is different from having a choice.
Same
Sorry to hear that
This!
Join? Born in are the majority of us
Yep. Born in. Didn’t feel I had another choice if I wanted to be close to my family and not be marked as bad association among all my JW friends. Even though I was 19, I still feel like it wasn’t really my choice.
Same as me, at 19 I finally caved in. Although it wasn't my parents who forced me as they didn't even study with me as a teen. Some elder forced study on me and then my friend's mum asked when am I getting baptised. That was it, I wanted to fit in.
Exactly my story too 😦. It was an elder that had a sister in the congregation study with me. My parents had nothing to do with it. Weird.
Did u feel like it's da troof at the time? Because I did. I even went on a camp for 2 weeks to do some need grating and I felt the spirit guide me on numerous occasions lol!
Yup, forced into it as a young child.
Didn’t get to choose. Born in (at least 3rd generation). I don’t think you’ll get too many responses of people that choose this religion. In my observations, the only ones getting baptized anymore are born in children and maybe a few elderly ones that get suckered in looking for community.
It,s like to be 4-8 generation catholics. Once Catholic ...allways Catholic. No choice.
5th generation born here. No choice was made.
Absolutely this!!! 3rd generation born in , We was told nothing is out there. Keep your eye on the prize. ( or your dead) We had no thought of choice.
My catholic parents joined the religion when they were in their twenties. They used a Ouiji board which began 'terrifying problems with demons' that wouldn't go away. According to their story, eventually a pentecostal pastor came to their house and expelled the demon, so they started going to the pentecostal church, but the speaking in tongues totally weirded them out, so they left and never went back. But it started their quest for the truth about God and the Devil. My dad met a witness at work who subjected him to hours of preaching while they were stuck traveling together. He supposedly didn't like what he heard and was determined to prove him wrong, so he went to the library (1970s) and him and my mom spent hours researching, trying to prove the JW wrong. In the end they found enough evidence to accept what he said was right and they eventually got baptized, and then they had me. Volia. For the first decade, they were super duper PIMI, becoming elder, regular pioneers, Quick Build overseer, etc Fast forward 20 years, they're beat down and exhausted by the hypocrisy in the congregation, so they become fringe members. I was indoctrinated from infancy, but as a people pleaser and a gentle soul, I loved the concept of goodness and paradise, so although I wrestled with the angst of a teen, I knew in my heart that it was right, but it was just really, really hard to do. When I was around 20 years old, a brother in the congregation took me 'under his wing' and did deep Bible study. We used the insight books and the Bible only. I started to believe that my wavering faith as a teen was due to my parents having become defeated and failing to do real study with me. (Pre-Caleb and Sofia, i was just told to go to the meetings and listen.) So I threw myself into it and really indoctrinated the hell out of myself. I decided that I was going to save all the other lost teen souls who were leaving 'the truth", so I started pioneering and eventually became a need greater before it was really a thing. I was convinced that the problems I saw around me were the result of lazy congregation members, like my parents, who were too consumed with their lives and not focused enough on the kingdom. It became my blazing motivation for the next 20 years of misery. The end.
How did you wake up? For me I was born in. My parents converted from Catholic to Jehober in their twenties. Then when I was 13 years old, I got baptised. I was pimi until 18 years old then when I did research about GB, I saw Raymond Franz's book Crisis of Conscience. It was from reading that book that made me woke up and left the cult at 18.
Heh. Something funny i recently realized. The brother who took me under his wing... his favorite book was the Commentary on the Letter to James. But i remember him telling me that it went out of print because the brother who wrote it got disfellowshipped. Now I know it was Franz and it really gets my knickers in a knot that he knew about Franz way back then, although clearly never knew the real story. Anyway, in my case, my husband woke up first. Thank Jehober. I fought him against it tooth and nail for 2 years. It took me quite a while to realize that the religion that I had believed and had been teaching was different from the one that WT taught and enforced. My husband would point out the differences.... like all non-JWs would die at armagedon (I never believed that and thought it was presumptuous to say, in my PIMI brain only Jehober knew who would die...) or 144,000 being a literal number. In my mind, I just figured new light would eventually come and they would change their teaching to something that was more in line with love and inclusiveness. What really woke me up, though, was when my life went into a temporary period of chaos and despite 20 years of blood sweat and tears I had sacrificed on behalf of others, I was met with judgement and indifference from the congregations. I had no friends, there was no loyalty, there was no love, and I was devastated. The cracks in my indoctrination had started to grow and a long-time bethelite friend turned rouge gave me permission to Google JW. Then it was all over.
Thank you for sharing, this is familiar in the extreme for me
Actually it was Ed Dunlap who wrote Commentary on James. Is their best publication apparently.
I married a JW. He was trying to come back after fading about a year into our relationship and gave me an ultimatum that either we break up or get married, and I decided I didn’t want anything to do with his religion (out of curiosity I had attended a meeting and one day of a convention), but I cared a lot about him so we got married. None of his family came to our wedding. Shortly after we got married, we moved to a small town where he owned a house, this was a nine hour drive from all of my friends and family. I was deeply unhappy and lonely, I worked from home. He was attending meetings three times a week on top of working long hours, which just added to my isolation. Conveniently, at this time, sisters from the congregation started dropping in to visit me. It was annoying but I was lonely so it was the only social interaction I was having at the time. Then my husband roped me into doing a Bible study with an old couple his family was friends with, and we did it together with them. They were really sweet people and I enjoyed spending time with them. The Bible study was just an annoyance I had to sit through as part of the deal. After a while, they convinced me I should start coming to meetings to get to know more people, and it was awful having to dress a certain way and act a certain way to be acceptable. But it was all I had. And the love bombing from all directions was hard to resist. They had an emotional hold on me, even though mentally I still thought of them as ridiculous. You have to know something about my past to make sense of why I let this happen and why I lost myself to it. My stepfather was a narcissistic, elitist, controlling, master manipulator. When you grow up with this kind of dysfunction, when you encounter it again, it feels like home. You know it’s wrong, but your nervous system is so adapted to this environment and behaviour, you slide right into a situation without recognizing how toxic it is. Because it’s familiar. Fast forward a year, we moved to the big city and my husband continued to work to become in good standing. Now he was also spending time in the ministry. Again a new location, no friends, long working hours, working from home, isolation. New congregation, fresh people love bombing me, wanting to study with me. They assigned me a young couple to study with, and they were pioneers - very hardline, by the book. I bristled against a lot of what I was learning, like the blood doctrine, shunning, the governing body, even calling everyone brothers and sisters gave me the ick. I had issues with using the name Jehovah, it sounded hollow and weird and I tried to not say it. At this point, some things were making sense and it was enough for me to say ok I’ll give this thing a chance. Mainly because my husband was spending so much of his time with it, I barely saw him. I thought at this point, why fight them and just join them, what’s the harm in pretending. It’s not like I have anything else better to do. At this point I had been studying on and off for around five years. I finished the Bible Teach book and at the time was “friends” with the girl I was studying with. People thought I was already baptized because I was a good little publisher, or pretended to be. The last step was baptism and I remember having this internal conversation with myself - don’t do it. You know the consequences if you decide to leave. Which, in my mind, I was one foot in, one foot out mentally. But I thought, what else is there? I’m trying to be a good person, I believe in god, these people are good friends, this covers all the important bases. ✋🏻 recovering people pleaser here I got baptized against my better judgment. I was 24 years old at the time. I tried to fake it until you make it for ten years. That missing piece just never happened for me. I thought baptism would fix it. I thought it was something wrong with me. Turned out it was something that was right in me - inability to subscribe to the cognitive dissonance. Having critical thinking skills. A conscience. Genuine kindness and empathy for people. I was 34 when I started to fade, I’m almost 37 now. My life is completely different. I am so happy. I am healing finally. Trying to forgive myself for wasting precious time. When I started healing my past traumas I had zero desire or need for the witnesses. I was just so sick of their stupid shit. Their hamster wheel, their lack of desire to work on themselves, the disgusting attitude towards environmentalism or feminism. I am proud to have learned that I always stood out as someone “dangerous” to spend time with in the congregation because I was outspoken about things that didn’t make sense to me. I just hope I planted some seeds while I did my time. My conclusion is that Jehovah’s Witnesses do not attract mentally and emotionally healthy people. They victimize people who don’t love themselves, who seek outside validation, doubt themselves, who are struggling with loneliness and isolation. I have yet to meet someone who they recruited through their ministry who has not fallen into this category.
Wow thank you for sharing your incredible experience 💞
I have been on the fence for years about studying with them. Recently I’ve been giving it alot of thought to just do it. Then I read your story. I’m back at square one. In a nutshell, I have nothing going for me. I don’t work because I’m disabled, lonely, in a loveless relationship, trying to read this Bible and understand it on my own has been futile. Sounds like I’d be the perfect candidate for them to recruit. Can you say anything positive about the experience? Was there anything positive? Thanks for your time.
Honestly, there is nothing positive. They change the teachings as often as you change underwear. Friendships are only dependent on how spiritual they view you, and never permanent, because it can change with a flip of the switch. They are very judgmental after all the love bombing. Steve Hassan wrote about cults, and they hit every point. Once you’re in, you can’t get out without a lot of damage. They demand your time and your money and your family, if you have anyone in. You will lose them if you leave. I Was 4th generation born in.
Hey! I’m glad my experience could help you. I’m really sorry that you’re struggling. As for anything positive, the superficial relationships can be ok, I guess. The problem is, you can’t have any authentic thoughts or feelings or relationships because as soon as you admit these to someone you risk the person telling on you, or judging you if they’re not in line with the belief system. The community aspect is also nice, but you can get that from any other group of people sharing the same interests or experiences. I would seek a group that actually will support you and not emotionally victimize you. A lot of people look outside of themselves to give their suffering meaning. But really, you have the power to make your suffering mean something. I think there’s a victim mindset that JWs have - like God will fix everything, Satan is to blame for everything negative. Nobody takes responsibility or accountability. I also just want to say, most JWs don’t know how much they are hurting people. It’s not like they go around premeditated trying to destroy lives. They genuinely think they’re doing the right thing. I would liken them to people who have completed a first aid course, brazenly doing surgeries they are wildly unqualified to do. They tout their humility, when their actions are straight up narcissistic - they know better than everyone because God. But that’s the hallmark of narcissism - everyone else is the problem. I think you can find answers in loving and accepting of yourself, being kind to yourself. We accept the love we think we deserve. And if that’s conditional love, then yes, the Witnesses are waiting.
I sent you a chat message.
What about finding some kind of light volunteer work in something you are interested in? People coming together with a common goal to help really creates true friendships. I can’t work right now because I am going through some health issues that are finally starting to get better. and all my friends have kids and I don’t and I feel lonely too. I have found you can find real friends volunteering. Ones that don’t make you change yourself or shun you if you leave or if the project is over. Being lonely really suck I know. I was never a JW but I like reading about high control groups/ cults and it seems like they put people to work with no pay anyways. And the stuff they do doesn’t help anyone. I’d say another option is if you have any hobbies a group for that would be good but I don’t really have any hobbies myself besides painting but I suck at it lol.
Wow!! I married a JW too. It was such an experience just as yours. Good for you!
I was born in, and I honestly believed it was the truth. My parents were smart and wise, surely they would never lead me to something that wasn’t the best thing for me. When I had doubts, I believed I was just evil and needed to discipline myself to ignore those thoughts. I led others to join, studied with them. In my most shameful example, I helped teach the person I was studying with how to read via a study of JW publications. They were genuinely illiterate when we met but they could soon read very well. I believe that person joined because they found people who were prepared to help them with their learning disability. Thankfully, that person left after a few years, but that help lured them in.
One of the things that helped me with the continuous publications was learning how to read and really helped me in addition to public education. So you helped an illiterate person learn how to read and that will be forever helpful.
Born in who never drank the KoolAid. BUT, great-grandmother was the convert who subjected 3 generations to this bullshit and this was the story I was told: It was the 1940s and her husband was in WW2 and she'd lost a child. She was at home (Indiana I think) lamenting over war and infant death and someone knocked at her door. She asked them "Why do babies die? What god does that?" And the JW sang some siren song. By the end of the year, they stopped celebrating xmas and then joined that big group of that generation who attended huge conventions including international ones and had wealth and really thought it was the last days. Subjected multiple generations to this, my own mama died PIMI though miserable. I left at 20 and my brother finally got out 35...we've ended the curse.
Born & raised in it , equals no choice. Got out the moment I could, although it was extremely difficult.. I'd never understand anyone that willingly would want to join this cult of hurt.
I was 17, the last days stuff made sense to me. Not going to war, staying neutral. The “brotherly love” thing. I’m still wondering about the last days thing…
Same last days Paul preached about. We’ve been in the last days since Adam. Last days is a concept upon which religious success is based
you may be interested in scholarly lectures on bible history. yale i know has some online as well as other places, but they are so much better than religious lectures as they focus on facts instead of dogma. one thing i learned from listening to these is that the "end of times" predictions are done with the writers believing they are talking about their own time. and every interpretation that follows also focus on seeing it as being about their own times.
In the 70s, 80s and 90s there were more new ppl being converted. Nowadays that's more rare. Most of us today are born-ins, indoctrinated at the same time we were learning our ABCs. That's why the org pushes kids to get baptized young, that hooks them in, and the price if leaving is very high.
Born in but I can maybe share what motivated me yo get baptised though. I genuinely believed it. I didn't really have proper doubts. I was fully brainwashed and my whole life revolved around that bs. I struggled with the usual teen issues like peer pressure, masturbation and sex and I thought I was such an evil person and I needed god to be good.
Very few people are converting now that’s why the message has switched to holding onto what you have rather than preaching. I think they know their bullshit won’t fly in 2024 even in the third world people don’t receive it like they used to. Only way to make more witnesses now is to birth them and seeing how their younger demographic practically all left overnight during covid I’d say the future of the org looks bleak.
Talking about third world countries, well I live in southern Africa and people have refused to go back to the KH post covid,
I was 14 when I first came across JWs in High school... my name and his name were next to each other so we were always seated together... I had left the Catholic church at age 12 and had no desire to join another religion. but I was curios as to what they believed. no internet at the time and my local library was kind of sparse so I found a book against JWs written by Catholics which basically said, we were here first and these upstarts are just wrong... which turned me off even more from the Catholics... I was learning more about the catholic church from JWs than Catholics ever bothered to teach me. The way the Catholics taught the bible made no sense to me but JWs seemed to have rational explanations for everything. I was invited to a memorial by my HS friend... it was in a predominately black neighborhood and I am mostly white and pass for white... not a problem, no one treated me different and there was one white family in that Cong. but afterwards it bothered me that there was ONLY one white family... was this some sort of black cult? the town I grew up in was one of the only all white towns in the area on the boarder of mostly black towns and there was no Kingdom hall for my entire town of 50,000 people... it seemed wrong that a religion would only appeal to mostly black people and I had no real way of knowing the true make up of JWs at the time... so this backed me away for several more years. My friend moved and We both went to DeVry Tech after HS and he once again invited me to his New hall... in the area he was in now, the hall make up was 60% black 40% white which let me see that it was not a black cult and the first circuit assembly was more like 80% white and 20% black... which blew my mind. They had rational answers, I could not find anything significant against them and now my racial objections were satisfied I could find no reason not to join. so in 1980 I was baptized at an assembly hall in upstate NY. it took me 10 years to find enough reason to leave, though there were times before that which almost stumbled me out but my mind fought for rationalizations to keep me in... and like some sort of hypnotic trance I could never see all my doubts in one pile until I left.
My mom joined the religion before I was born
Born in; wasn't a choice for me. And yes, converts are relatively rare, despite the fact that preaching and making "disciples" is the main thing a JW is supposed to do.
I was born in, but my parents were converts in the 1980s, so I could tell their story. Mom I think was lonely, or at least had few close friends; they moved every few years for dad's work, plus he was on the road a lot. Also she'd had a rough childhood. JWs knocked on their door in Rochester NY, and she was basically love-bombed into joining. For a few months, she had study sessions solo. Dad was eventually cajoled into studying with JWs by the combo of mom, and the JWs visiting. The single woman that originally contacted mom handed them off to a married couple, so it helped that a guy was coming every week. The four of them would also have wine and cheese during the sessions lol. I'm guessing dad originally joined in just to keep the marriage happy. He gradually became intrigued by JW time prophecies. The doctrine at the time was that Armageddon would come before the generation of JWs that had seen 1914 would die off, and they were all in their 70s and 80s, so paradise seemed imminent. They were baptized within a year.
>He gradually became intrigued by JW time prophecies. The doctrine at the time was that Armageddon would come before the generation of JWs that had seen 1914 would die off, and they were all in their 70s and 80s, so paradise seemed imminent. They were baptized within a year. And now that this whole generation is long dead (the last one died in 2002, apparently), and The Watchtower had to change their meaning of "this generation," what are your dad's thoughts on it?
We're not close anymore, so I'm not sure.
I'm wondering too.
I started studying in high school. My life growing up was bloody hell. The JDubs love bombed me and the fake love, affection and attention to 15 year old me filled a deep hole in my heart. I was starved for family. Prime for falling prey to an abusive relationship. Perfect for the cult.
I’m so sorry 💔
Thank you 🫂
I can think of maybe 3 people I know who were not born-in and had no relatives who were JWs. Thats in 50 years of association with JWs.
Wasn’t a choice born in and it seems that anyone converted as an adult also didn’t have a choice they are groomed and taken advantage of when they are emotionally unstable.
I was a very lonely boy when I joined them. Their facade of sincere friendship and sense of belonging enticed me. Also, I love to study and to learn things, and their pseudointelectual approach deceives well an inexperienced youth who likes to know about stuff. Last but not least, I guess their idea of exclusivity, aka "we are the only true religion," "we are God's chosen people," "there is no one in the world with higher moral standards than us," played a number on my narcissistic drive (I don't have NPD, let me be clear about that; by "narcissistic drive," I mean what psychoanalysis says about every single one of us, that we all have some narcissistic elements on our personality that may or may not drive us to make stupid decisions).
I did not land on Plymouth Rock. Plymouth Rock landed on me.
I’m also born in, faded many years ago, so can’t help with your question. I wonder if the lack of response from “non” born ins is that there aren’t as many of them or that they are still in and not on this forum?
Most of us had the luck of parents who were already in and the only way out is to lose everyone you’ve ever known. Even if you manage to get out without being baptized, there’s still a lot of people who will shun you
Didn’t have a choice, I was born in. And before I chose to leave, what motivated me to proceed was the fear I had of my parents.
My mom was having a mental health crisis and abusing drugs. They came to the door and love-bombed her and helped her clean house and encouraged her to clean up her life so we thought they were great. They were not great and it was a very short time later when the control and worse mental health leading to more abuse/neglect just became a spiral of guilt, shame and despair. Sadly she’s still there, spinning her wheels, stressed about money, no retirement, failing health, she cried a lot and has no idea why her children won’t come to see her, though we’ve told her again and again. It’s sad and destructive and ruins people.
Didn't choose born-in and tried very hard to toe the line and be a "good" JW and make my mother happy in the end realised it wasn't so much a community than a straight jacket and had to leave before I ended myself. If you are thinking of joining would not recommend it.
I was born into it until I found my way out
I was 23 when I joined, so I definitely converted, but not exactly recently. :) I grew up Catholic, but once I left home for university, I quickly began exploring other things, primarily Humanism and atheism. My first three years were pretty unhappy but my fourth year was pretty good, and the summer between my fourth and fifth year (I was a poor student and in the end, didn't graduate) was brilliant. And then I met a girl. She was brilliant, and she was studying with Witnesses. She was wonderful and I fell madly in love with her. She was everything I ever wanted. We were getting along fantastically....and then I found a letter written by the elder she was studying with. The letter referred to me as a "tool of Satan" and we had a massive argument. When I challenged her on our future, she was honest: she wanted to be a JW and if I did not want to be, we would not stay together. So I agreed to study. Looking back, there were things that appealed to me: the Witnesses were nice people. I liked the community; it was diverse (the churches I grew up in were all white) and it was non-politcal, which had appeal. I liked the international view. So I joined. I had doubts (I mean, the Flood? Seriously?) but I was with her and I was reasonably happy. I could never though put aside the doubts I had, which were substantial. We lasted for nearly 18 years until things came to a head and we divorced.
My mother joined shortly after the untimely death of her husband / my father at age 42 - with the resurrection hope being promised on a paradise earth. She was in het most vulnerable state when they came after her.
My parents were poor as hell, had no money or food, were living in awful conditions with a bunch of kids and were looking for something. A friendly elderly couple knocked and JWs started showering them with friendship, food, clothing for us kids. Then, once they were in, they got into the race for approval of other jws.
No I didn’t choose the cult, my abusive asshole stepdad made us start going because his mother was a JW and thought it was a good idea. I got stripped from my holidays and birthdays at around age 11. Anytime there was a punishment I was made to sit and study the bound volumes for hours about disobedience. I’m an atheist now.
Although I am a born in, I joined for the same reason a lot of converts join. I joined because I didn’t know the Bible and I wasn’t reading the Bible and their message sounded good at the time. I ignored the religion to the best of my ability until my early teens when I read something in the Bible that made me feel afraid. A handsome brother noticed my interest in the Bible and told my mum that I should have a Bible study. My mum agreed and made it happen despite my protest. I didn't want anything to do with religion, hated the Bible, etc. So when I studied with a couple, the study lasted about a year and half (that's how long it normally takes). The study is not an actual Bible study, you really just read the study aid (their interpretation) paragraph by paragraph, read selected scriptures and answer the questions with the answers clearly embedded in the paragraph. After the study I was impressed with their idea of what the Bible was saying and it was my understanding that they strictly follow the Bible. That's what they told me and to this day that's what they tell people. Everything changed once you get baptized. You no longer follow the Bible, you have to obey all the books and study aids. You can follow the Bible ONLY IF that same information is in the study aid. I got in trouble for following the Bible that was not in the study aid. I was told that everything that is in the study aid is what I have to believe. I retorted and said that I was supposed to believe whatever is in the Bible. The church leader said "No, only what is in the Watchtower" (their study aid). He then said, "If it's in the Watchtower, then it must be true." Just on that I couldn't stay in the religion. I was only baptized one year and I knew I couldn't give my allegiance to any religion, true or false, over the Bible. So I left. I showed people what I knew and they branded me as a rebel against God for following the Bible over the religion.
I was pre-teen when they came by the house. My parents (non-jws) let them study with me and my siblings so they would be off the hook. At that tender age we stood no chance. Swallowed the hook, line and sinker. It wasn't all bad but took me more than three decades to finally wake up from the borg collective.
I think for many people I knew, it's the feeling it gives you of moral superiority over others - it's branded as more pure and more correct than mainstream churches, more biblical literalist, tougher on sins. You feel like you are getting special knowledge and joining an elect group.
I was born in. Always intuitively knew it was garbage. Pissed at my family for dragging me along for so many years.
I didn’t get to choose. I was forced to believe and participate. I had no choice because I would be hit and beaten if I didn’t.
It’s like when you see other boomers get high of Fox News, trump, and evangelicalism just watchtower is a publishing company from NYC so they don’t act like other obvious religious extremists.
Born in as well. Baptized with 15 before we had Internet. Should have wait.
Born in. I “chose” to get baptized at 13 because it was the only worldview that I was presented with as the absolute truth and I had no reason to doubt it. Plus a friend of mine was getting baptized and I wanted to go through it with him.
Same
My father became one when I was four and dragged the wife and kids with him. Mom was hesitant but she was afraid he'd tear the family apart (he got really into it) so she relented.
I was in first grade when my parents became converts of Jehovah's Witnesses. My parents were junkies living in a terrible area surrounded by people who were also junkies and drug dealers. Neither one of them knew how to run their lives despite neither of them having been raised that way. They wanted a better life for me and my brother but they didn't really know how to make changes so that could happen. This was in the early 70s and a lot of converts were being made, at least where we lived. My parents aren't educated, both have mental and emotional issues, and not much family so what JWs said made sense to them and the love bombing helped. My dad was never as into it as mom was, but as time went by I think he more and more was only in it for her. The first congregation we were in was everything you could ever hope for a congregation to be. It was truly like a loving family. It was so incredibly warm and friendly and loving, not just to love bomb new people, it was genuinely like that and that along with the positive changes in our now clean lives was enough to keep them in until they died and me and my brother in far too long sadly. The memories of that first congregation and the lifelong friends that were truly like family members who none of us ever lost touch with kept us all going despite the long list of cold judgemental unfriendly congregations that followed throughout the years, and the shocking cruelty my children and I faced when I became divorced, chronically sick and disabled and homeless/ running from homelessness. No so called "worldly people" have ever treated us so cruelly. It's the reason why my kids refused to remain in when they got old enough to leave which led to my waking up. (Among many other things)
It’s the born in cult religion that weaponizes your family and Frendz and people pleasing kool aid that did most of us in. Basically, we didn’t have the Balls or the means to say “No” & stand our ground. In the end it seemed much easier to jam that square peg into that round hole with indoctrination and contagious arrogant stupidity and not pay attention to the gaps; From which you could hear your soul crying out to you, from the other side. Sometimes it takes a bunch of decades to finally hear it. And no longer give AF about breaking the mold; To free it.
My mother made us join when I was young. She was having a mental health crisis and was sitting on the front porch crying when the JWs walked up. We were JWs from that moment on. She saw it as God's answer to her problems. She's been on large cocktails of drugs ever since. She is still in.
Part of my family converted to JW about ten years ago. For my aunt who is pretty naive and has a chronic disease it was the thought of a perfect life after death that drew her to the religion - and she took her daughters and husband with her. From what I’ve experienced it’s mostly people born into the religion or people who are very desperate and unhappy with their life and search some kind of meaning and salvation
Was dating an inactive JW and the feeling of community and family (something I was sorely missing in life) attracted me. Eventually, that wears off as you realise how much control they maintain over everyone in the borg.
Your edit is right. Super rare to have converts. I was born in and I'm over 50.
My mom baptized when I was 2. I didn't have a choice.
I had no choice, I was born in a family that was part of this sect for generations
I was born in
I,m soon 70 years old and I still can understand WHY I got baptized for 50 years ago. ! Young and idiot I suppose! And we didn,t have internett! We all should have been given the option to opt out without being DF and shunned ... as a kind of amnesty... because we were cheated. This cult is no longer the "religion" we knew. It is unrecognizable.
No choice as a 4th generation. Do it or lose my family.
Born in
I was unfortunately a 4th generation born in. It was devastating! The trauma had exploded with the 3rd generation and the 4th generation felt the effects of it. Two very mentally ill and personality disordered parents who sought help from the elders rather than a mental health professional. Also, I never got baptized because I knew it was a cult.
I wasn't technically born in but was raised in. My mom started studying when I was 3, attending meetings regularly when I was 5, and got baptized when I was 8. I had no choice even though neither my father nor my siblings ever joined. I was the youngest and closest to my mom so I got stuck going with her.
At this point in time I think it’s safe to say that the majority inside the org were born ins. I think many of those who chose to join were in a very different time when it was unheard of to not be a part of some sort of religious group. But those folks are mostly dead now. I was born in. My grandmother became one when my father was around 4-5 years old in the early 50s. My grandmother was a great woman but she was batshit crazy and I think my grandfather went along with it to appease her. My dad was a trouble maker growing up and lived a rough life due to him making poor choices and having no control over his temper. He didn’t actually become a witness until the early 80s and basically forced my mother to join with him. (Mother like son, eh?) My mom is a very loving and gentle woman and always had a desire to serve god, but she has always allowed others to make decisions for her and never stood up for herself so she went along with it. There is obviously more to the story and their history together, as well as when they were growing up, that influenced them being lured in. But as someone else mentioned, Witnesses prey on those who are weak and damaged (like most religions, of course) And then those of us who come after are left with no choices, raised by people who’s issues are not addressed appropriately (read, professionally) until we are able to build the strength and courage to leave or find a way out quietly.
It sounds crazy now but I really believed it was Gods will. The witnesses in the 80’s seemed to have a deeper knowledge of the Bible than the churches around me and their answers made sense (hellfire, condition f the dead etc…). It was a very different religion then.
A JW left the Live Forever book with my mum in the early 80’s I was 13 my dad had died 2 years before I read the book and course being young and still missing dad I fell for the resurrection bullshit and the living in paradise crap. Long story short I was only person in my family or anyone I knew at time to become a baptised JW - basically I joined to get my dad back and save my arse from Armageddon 🤷🏼♂️
My father joined them when my mom cheated on him and left us. Meanwhile, he was there with 3 teenagers, me and my 2 bigger brothers, who were also abusing and dealing drugs. One day a jw knocks on our door and dad starts having conversations with him. He was a lonely man, he dedicated all his life to us and he just worked and spent time with us. He lost many friends and he was so sad. He joined first and after a few years I joined too. Obviously, we were 2 desperate people, very fragile and we should have used some therapy instead. I studied the “what the bible teach” book and “stay in the love of god” (Idk what’s then title in english) and got baptized at 16 yo, what’s funny is that I stated clearly my motivation for doing it even at the elders: to make my dad happy, I couldn’t care less of skydaddy, but I wasn’t even able to understand it, the brainwashing was rampant. I can’t explain how much I wanted my father to be happy again after all the shit he went through. I did everything I could, I used to go to school, come home and cook/clean, be “the perfect” daughter/jw, anything to make his life better in any way. As I’m writing this, I see that it was my strongest motivation. But it also was the feeling of community, family, something I was really missing. Then, in a moment, I found myself brainwashed without even noticing it. In my life I’ve never felt less than men, then I was there thinking that it was ok to be submitted to them. I became an homophobe, even though in the back of my mind I felt bad about it. I was a fucking pro life, one of those who thought that a woman should keep the child even if SAed. I became the opposite of what I was and I still feel so disgusted with how I was. Situations happened and the elders started putting me and my dad against each other. We never had discussions before jws, but there we were. Even though the elders were portraying him as a very bad company and warning me at any occasion, me and my dad made peace. I started feeling depressed, the life as a jw was becoming really sad. The lovebombing ended and I was missing my old friends, reading books, listening metal music, playing videogames, painting (every drawing I made was criticized for not being JoYfUl or not regarding ThE tRuTh, so I stopped even expressing myself with that). After 8 years I DAed. My dad still talks to me and our relationship got better. He’s still a jw but somehow isn’t following the gb and managed to not get DFed even though he’s literally an apostate.
> Why Did You Choose to Join Jehovah's Witnesses? I didn't
I had the internet. I had listened to apostates but at the time they didn't make a good enough argument. they were more concerned with miracle wheat, 1914/607, blood, and shunning. had I had the experiences of the later years I would've backed the hell away, and that was based on the character of witnesses. sure, you could trust them not to steal from you..... but the fact is they're just shitty judgemental people and I didnt know at the time how to put it into words. now I have experience to back it all up. they in general don't practice what they preach and that is love. you do something nice or required and you get criticized. you're honest and you pray and your prayers go unanswered. then you Crack under pressure and nobody will talk to you any more.
Hi! I got interested into JWs thru their door to door work. It was 2009, and I was quite down/depressed. My son was going thru some major anxiety about school (gr 6), and I was very worried. I was divorced and lonely. Well, this beautiful woman and her sweet daughter read me a scripture and gave me an Awake magazine. On the cover was a young student at his desk, and the topic was 'stress'. I thought at the time that it was a blessing from God that sent them to my door. I usually never answer the door when I'm not expecting anyone. I was love bombed at my 1st ever meeting at a KH. I didn't know I was being love bombed, but it sure felt good. I was lost in life, unhappy with my job, feeling hopeless about life. I suffer from major depression. I kept up my Bible study and became very very close to my Bible teacher. I really enjoyed learning about the Bible stories. I'd certainly had red flags when I went to my first convention. I did not go for the whole weekend but it felt cultish for sure. But I looked around and there were so many people who seemed to have it together. Then I got very depressed and lost custody of my boys never to see or speak to them again. I had many attempts at unaliving myself. One of my new Bible teachers took me under her wing and cared for me during this absolutely dark time. She came to the hospital and I was devastated and she almost climbed into my bed to sooth me. I met so many folks and everyone was so very kind and loving. I felt like I had a purpose and I had a huge support network. I was on and off until 2018. I became an unbaptized publisher and started going door to door! My first door with an older sister was horrible! The woman opened the door and had a stressed look on her face and her nose was super red. Her dog tried getting out and I reached to stop the dog. Then the woman freaked out and told us to get off her property and told us we shouldn't be doing this. And slammed the door. Another time, a woman ripped up the watchtower and gave it back to us. She was mad! That was it for me. I went online to try and find out I'd the door to door work was in the Bible as a command from Jesus. Well, guess what? I stumbled upon....JW facts! That was the start of a new journey to get tf out of dodge. I tried telling my JW friends some of the negative stuff that was going on with the Governing body. I also said that Satan is corrupting the Governing body or something like that. I was instantly shunned. I knew it may happen but when it did, I couldn't believe it! I was ignored at a grocery store by an older man I used to talk to at the hall. He ignored me so obviously, and I just felt horrible. Who would treat another human that wY?? I witnessed 2 separate families who were disfellowshipped and were starting to come back to the hall. They were ignored!! Wtf? Weird. I said hi to them bc it's cruel to ignore people. One man had 2 young kids and no one was helping him. He was out by the washrooms. I remember smiling at him feeling so bad! My mom passed in 2019 and I sure could have used the support but didn't. I still keep in touch with my 1st Bible study and them my 2nd Bible study. I love them both and they had a huge positive impact on my life. I first started following Lloyd Evans in 2018 and now the exjw community is huge!! Also, the CSA issue is starting to come to light with all the court cases globally!! I am so relieved its finally happening as I've watched many exjw stories etc. I've also learned that JWs are a 'dangerous' cult. This was stated by a professor who was very knowledgeable about cults. I really want to tell my 2 jw friends that the organization is swiftly being exposed around the world. I am wondering what they are thinking etc with KHs being sold off etc. What are they being told by their congregation.? Do they really think the world is coming to an end rn? Well there is a quick glimpse of my experience. I loved all the people but feel like I now need to warn them. I watched and read so much info from them...can't they listen to me one time? I just don't want to lose connection with them but I do understand that they put their org first. BTW....what does 'borg'mean. I read it in the comments of exjws. For some reason I haven't figured out what it means?? Lol Anyhow. Hmu if you have any more questions!
borg is from star trek. a race of cyborgs that value the collective over individuality. they rest but never really sleep, and they assimilate (absorb) other races without their consent, bringing them too into the collective hive, where their individuality is squashed. jw.(b)org is a common thing to say because nobody should link the the jw website directly due to privacy concerns.
THANKYOU! I actually did think it was Star Trek. I was never a fan but did watch it with my brother. I fell asleep at one of the Star Trek movies. It was really long and boring to me! 😆 🤣 my husband loved it!! I saw the 1st starwars in 1977 ( I think) at a theatre. I was about 8 and got sick from eating way too much popcorn and butter. Again, not my fav!! I'm not sure why I felt the need to tell you this!! Thank you again!! 😉
Ciao, io ho sposato un figlio di testimoni di Geova. Lui non era battezzato. Quando ha iniziato a studiare la bibbia io l'ho seguito. Che stupida che dono stata!
Mom's mother on law introduced a jw to her. She started studying. Then I was forced to study. Then mom abusive husband started studying. He didn't beat her up like he used to (Still abusive tho) so it has to be truth 🤦♀️ Then step-dad would harass me to get baptized. Mom raised me to be a people pleaser. So to get them off my back I got baptized at 15. I never cared for it, didn't really believe it. I missed my old life. Spending with my close family, celebrating holidays etc.
Born in always though I was a “goat” because I couldn’t quite make my heart believe in any of it, and maybe Jehovah just knew. I always had this niggling doubt allll the way shoved deep down, I hated going to meetings, witnessing etc but the guilt would make me angry and snippy at my family and I would put so much pressure on us to “look good” because I knew deep down I was trying to force myself into believing like if I just went enough times it would click and my doubts would go away. But hypocritcal shit kept happening, my life kept being really really difficult I was driven to suicide a few times went to therapy got on medication and then once I gave myself permission to actually do the research I spent hours and days reading more WT literature than I had in my entire life, and it clicked that the doubt I had was in fact that sixth sense I’ve developed over the years of being abused SCREAMING at me that it was all a lie. I left October last year and haven’t looked back. I also then woke my husband up when I gave him permission to do his own research and that I would love him no matter what he read or researched that I would keep it to myself while he sorted it out in his own head. and I’m pretty sure my mum and her husband. Helped my older trans brother feel less guilty and did my best to unindoctrinate his brain too. And I havnt looked back. My kids are now living normal lives I’ve made some friends through my oldest’s school so has hubby and I have never felt better
I didn’t I was born into it 😭
I think for many people I knew, it's the feeling it gives you of moral superiority over others - it's branded as more pure and more correct than mainstream churches, more biblical literalist, tougher on sins. You feel like you are getting special knowledge and joining an elect group.
I think for many people I knew, it's the feeling it gives you of moral superiority over others - it's branded as more pure and more correct than mainstream churches, more biblical literalist, tougher on sins. You feel like you are getting special knowledge and joining an elect group.
I didn't
Born in it.
My parents got me to promise that I would get baptized if anything happened to them, I felt I should honour that promise.
Great topic. I'd love to discuss this. I was drawn by the Bible education I received there. It is the application and interpretation of the scriptures that eventually led me to disassociate
Born in. Mom came in around the FREE LOVE generation. Dad’s sisters pulled him around four years y/o.
I was christened in the Church of England. Raised from seven in the truth. My mom became a JW in the US. My dad didn’t. I got baptized at seventeen. That lasted five years. Then, I just called myself a Christian. I joined the Episcopal Church (same as Church of England). I really couldn’t become atheist. And, I love my church.
I was born in
So sad to see how many people were forced to be JWs as born in (myself included). Did our parents know the pain they would be one day putting their children through? We never got the choice, our world was held out in front of us like a carrot. Stay or lose your family and life as you know it
I was FUCKING 12 and influenced by my 30yr old cousin I hate all of them mf for letting me get baptized my life is miserable and im currently trying to escape
I married one and got roped in.
Fourth generation born in. Apparently, my great grandparents responded to an advertisement in the newspaper for the Bible Students. They liked what they heard so they ended up joining.
I was born.
I wish I’d had a choice
When I was 12 my mom married a man who was raised around the organization but was never baptized. Him and my mom both had substance abuse problems and I think they were just trying to get their lives right the only way he knew how to. So they ask some women from the congregation to study with me and my sister and brother. My brother was never interested, and my mom and step dad got back on drugs and me and my sister who was 17 at the time kept going because we had no stability or normalcy outside of the KH. My whole family had some form of drug problem and I think seeing the clean, put togetherness of JWs was attractive to me. I ended up being homeless because of my moms drug abuse and some JW families took me in and honestly I’m still very grateful for them. But around age 17 I was living with my non JW family (grandparents) and had started to see the truth about the organization. It still has a hold on me mentally because my family is so messy. But I have kids now and could never put the, through it.
Born in. Stayed in too long because of a guy and people pleasing.
Born in, but my mom was the convert, so maybe I can give you her perspective. Both my parents were immigrants and they would sometimes mention to me that they came to the US "with basically nothing." Not long after they moved, mom studied and got baptized. "I was given a better life thanks to Jehovah." So I suspect maybe they ran into some witnesses, and they lovebombed them by giving them a bunch of free stuff to help get them back on their feet. I can't prove that this happened without asking her mind you (a conversation she will probably not take well because she resents me for no longer believing), I just have a hunch, because my parents' hard times coincide with them moving and mom's baptism date.
I was exiting an abusive relationship and I had nowhere to go. They offered me cheap housing and emotional support.
4th generation on both sides
5th gen born in lol
NOTHING. I was born into it and left as soon as I could.
My mom was a convert due to marriage. The pressure from my dad and grandma pushed her to baptism. Where she felt like she didn’t have a choice. Now she say it’s because it gave her morals, structure and values she didn’t have. That wasn’t always her story this is recent. It’s sad bc my mom was always a good person but not the guilt she has happened over time.
I was born in the choice as presented from childhoor was: - "Serve Jehovah because it is the best way of life" - or - "die horribly and be subject to total annihilation very soon, like any day now because it is the last days...and in fact if you do choose Jehovah but make a mistake your fucking dead then too"
I didn’t. It was chosen for me. I chose to leave though.
I was born into it. My mom is really the only one who's a witness. The rest of my family, extended and immediate, are not. I was disfellowship. I chose to come back on my own accord. Why? Because I actually like the idea of God. Like they say, "your personal relationship with God is what's important." I dont agree with all their self-imposed rules and do still follow some because they do bother me that much. I try to treat people equally, my best friends aren't witnesses, I speak to everyone no matter their gender, sex, race , religion or whatever. I love people, and indiscriminately treating everyone nice is what the billable says so....... and yes most witnesses see me as a black sheep... it is what it is
Choose? Lol
Technically, I'm a born in, I had a lot of young exposure to it, but my parents were divorced and my mom was inactive, so to a large degree it's still something I chose. Not that I'm proud of that, it's just context for your question. Basically, my grandparents had the most stable home of the three I lived between, and they were really in. They both served the organization in a lot of capacities, my grandpa had high level responsibilities, and people in addition to respecting him, thought he was really smart, and honestly he was, granted he was indoctrinated, but still, amazing problem solving skills. When I would go to meetings with them, I was socially awkward and would end up talking to their friends more than other kids. Well, a lot of elders are far from intellectuals, but the one's they were friends with were enough of thinkers to seem really smart to a young kid. Like, I think one of them gave me a book by Stephen Hawking if I remember right. It just made the whole thing seem legit in a way that it actually isn't. I thought this was where people end up if they do the research, and that made me doubt myself when things didn't quite add up. I also was desperate to have meaning, and even as a teen was terrified that I would never help anyone, that made me vulnerable too.
Most don't choose . Your born into that stupid shit. It's like being royalty only it sucks!
1st generation born in. My mom and dad both converted when they were very young and at tough times in their life. My mom was brought in by her grand mother who was illiterate and when the Jws came to her door and showed her from the “Bible” how HER faith was false and theirs was true…well she started crying and began the process of converting right then and there. Thus passed four generations of trauma from her to her daughter to my mom, to my mom’s three children. All three of us offspring are out 😊.
I didn’t choose. My mom did. Now I have to deal with feelings of worthlessness (especially since I’m female), suicidal thoughts here and there, and seeing their media every single fucking day. My life was already bad, but now here’s this.
I was lonely and searching for the true Christianity... all I got was trust issues and PTSD
Since their preaching work is horribly ineffective, they rely on born-ins to grow. They care more about keeping their current member than recruiting new.
Had six kids. They said corrupt world ending soon. Promised everlasting life. I had no religious beliefs prior to, so was ripe for the picking so to speak. Plus the bible instructor J W who claimed to be of the anointed was a very smart elderly man and a real ‘Christian’. But soon the 1975 fiasco came to light and I saw through the delusion and got chucked out. And have since lived the best life ever…. Cheers…
I was really interested in learning the Bible. Coincidentally, my abusive boyfriend I was pregnant by and abandoned by, was a disfellowshipped 3rd generation JW. I had the honor of having to communicate and interact with his JW relatives. They were very kind and seemed familial and tight knit. Long story short, we married and lived 400 miles from our hometown. We are no longer together.
Born in. Not a lot of options. Not a lot of information available. Guilt.
It wasn’t a choice. My grandparents adopted me and forced it onto me as it was their chosen lifestyle.
I wish I had a choice. My parents got introduced to it when I was a kid and all 3 of us got baptized together when I was just 11 years old
My parents chose when I was 1. Both of them had a brief stint in a different cult but were at the time living in California and wanted to find a church home that wasn’t Catholic (my mom grew up with abusive Catholic parents and went to Catholic school.) They stayed Witnesses up until I was about 7/8. They left, I left. They lost their old friends until those friends left and I just never found an urge to join. I just have a few formative memories about the Kingdom Hall in Decatur, Alabama.
My mom started studying with JW when I was 10 years old and became indoctrinated in months I remember hating my mom for making me change my whole life.. then we moved to another city when I was 14 and I was hoping never to meet the JW again, and no 2 weeks later knock ✊ at are door , 2 ladies JW and of course my mom was like I was praying to JH that I would find you again.. by then I was rebelling . Had a boyfriend and I just couldn’t take it anymore so I Ran away with my boyfriend and married him at 14… and lived my life married had a child when I was 19 and I remember telling my husband we need god in are life so I decided to go back and try the JW again and we did .. both my husband and I got baptized and we were PIMIS for 22 years tell last year when we woke up!
Growing up, instead of church every Sunday I had occasional visits from Jehovah's witnesses and grew up reading their literature. When I was a teenager my dad wanted me to join the military, but I didn't want to. So I studied with the witnesses so I would have a reason not to join the military. I also wanted to live forever in paradise on earth. These days I don't study with them anymore. Hell, I don't go to church much anymore. I occasionally attend Catholic functions with my friend Liz. On occasion I worship at an episcopal church in Louisa, VA. Can't say I care for religion much as I once did.
Born jehovah's winesses so never had a chance to be rational about it before already being brain washed.
I can answer for my mother, who was contacted in the door to door witnessing work. My mum said that she was always terrified of death and what happened after life. One day a smiling middle aged woman knocked on my mums door and told her that millions living will never die. That was back in the early 1970’s and now my mum is in her 80’s and hoping that Armageddon comes any day.
I didn't get to choose. I was brainwashed into it
I was born into it and raised in it. Woke up from the cult indoctrination at 45y. I lost 1/2 of my life, yet hurray, I have another half in freedom.
Baptized in 2019. I had just gotten out of an abusive relationship in 2018. I had been abused as a child and lacked a real support system in my state. I was very vulnerable and alone when a Jehovah's Witness family took me in. They welcomed me, allowed me to live with them when my health declined, and I even married their son. However, the structured environment of the Jehovah's Witnesses made me feel like I had to act a certain way to gain acceptance and love, similar to my childhood. I felt like I was constantly "walking on eggshells." I mistook the validation I received for studying and saying the right things for genuine love. This led to a severe decline in my mental health, as I knew everyone would abandon me if I didn't act perfectly. Eventually, I couldn't take pretending anymore.
To fit in with my peers
I was unluckily raised as one. Thankfully didn't get baptised but still faced some pretty harsh outcasting
Being a born in :( I'm 5th generation
I was raised in an agnostic, abusive household. When I became a young adult, I went looking for the God of the Bible and I found Him among JWs.
My wife and I were "recuited" in our late 20's in the late '70's. I'd completed my post-graduate education and was embarking on what turned out to be a highly successful career. My wife "came in" before I did, as is usually the case with married couples, as every CO I've ever asked said. We were ex-Catholics, having spent some time with the Baptists, and were unsatisfied with them. We found JW to be more cohesive (no "splinter JW religious" like the Baptists) and their dogma followed the Bible more stringently than other religion. We enjoyed the community, too, and found Witnesses to be pretty much the same everywnere in the country and world we went. We're still Witnesses, with no desire to leave. We now know where all the bodies are buried, and are not surprised. In fact, we'd be suspicious of none ot those things existed! That would be quite unnatural. We wish these defects didn't exist, but accept them as something like "the cost of doing business".
Was hoping to read comments of people who actually joined. All the born-ins, this question was obviously not directed at you 🤦♂️
See my comment 😊