Your explanation about the JW's would have been more credible if you would
have included your real name :-) Why does one upon reading your postings
perhaps thinks is this an apostate ? and anonymous at that. How credible is
his/her little story ? It forgets to mention that half if not more of
his/her story is mentioned in the Bible ." Tout ce que est dit n'est pas
verite" :-)
SEEKER

"CamdenKing" wrote in message
news:2S2UB1LX38524.0317476852@anonymous...
At the Door and Into the Home part #11

The Tallest Barrier

There's a final, deeper motivation to remain a Witness. Once you
have identified the Watchtower Society as God's chosen channel
to humanity, turning your back on them is tantamount to
rejecting God.

This type of fear is so deeply rooted in our psyches that it is
impossible to express in words. If you do leave the Witnesses,
you will find yourself alone in the most profound sense
imaginable. This can be made even worse if (as is often the
case) you have family members in the Witnesses who completely
cut you off, to avoid catching the plague that has apparently
invaded you. They may even accuse you of being under demonic
influence.


Checklist

Here are some of the means by which you are compelled to remain
a Jehovah's Witness...

Continual meetings and study leave you little time for anything
else
You make new friends
You gradually acquire thought-patterns from your new friends
You acquire a deep sense of pride in your new religion
You come to see the world as an "us and them" situation
You can't think of any alternatives to the Witnesses
You are actively discouraged from investigating such alternatives
You become convinced the Watchtower Society is God's channel
You begin to pay close attention to following the rules
You may begin to worry about official discipline
You see consensus of opinion (a side-effect of discipline)
You worry about being shunned by friends and (Witness) family
You worry about being cut off or destroyed by God
You genuinely want what the Witnesses have promised


Conclusion

Witnesses are presented with an elite social milieu, a feeling
of certainty, and a hope for better things. These are things
that most people dearly want to find. It takes great bravery to
give it all up.

It is exceedingly difficult to face this challenge alone. If you
have decided to leave the Witnesses, your first priority should
be to find whatever support you can get, through books,
articles, web sites -- and people. As you move away from your
"new" life into a newer one, you will find that the world is not
as shadowy as the Witnesses have led you to believe. Love is
everywhere, in many forms.

Be careful, though, that you don't leave the Witnesses and jump
into yet another controlling group (religious or otherwise).
Take your time, and always remember the dictum: Tout ce qui
brille n'est pas or -- not everything that shines is gold.

Think for yourself, and keep asking questions.

End


-=-
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