Posted by *snap*! on March 24, 1999 at 14:44:24 {MWKjrYqRskvMg}:
In Reply to: ...a bit confused... posted by Christian on March 24, 1999 at 12:56:51:
Would you like to email my husband and ask him how doing what you are contemplating doing, turned out for him? He became a Witness because of me, when I was 18 yrs old and he was 19 yrs old. He was a top achiever academically, and to this day I don't know how I managed to convince him to follow me. I think he is still wondering that himself. Of course it's all very well to be wise in hindsight, but when I was young I really thought the Witnesses had all the answers. I was very persuasive and managed to talk a number of my friends into joining as well. I haven't time here to give you a blow by blow description of how bad things have turned out for those I recruited into *the truth* (the sect), but it's bad enough to make me feel burdened with guilt over influencing those lovely friends into what has been a very hard and often most unhappy way of life for them. This all happened 25 yrs ago, and perhaps things have improved a bit in the Organisation now. Certainly being allowed to get an education is one change that will help it's followers. Blood was an issue for us (at least we thought it was) when our first child was born and the doctor told us she was ill. We were confused about whether she needed blood, and having seen the beautiful child we'd made, we knew we could not hold back any treatment that could help her.
Thankfully by this time we'd seen enough of the Organisation to know that it was not as perfect as we'd been led to believe - far from it in fact. These days we regret the naivity of our youth, and the ten years we gave to selling books and the recruiting hours we spent in their door to door activity. But it was a learning experience. We finally got out in our late twenties and have worked hard to make up the lost time and are now very happy normal members of society. With two lovely kids about your age.
Son, there is just so much you don't know about the Organisation, and my advice to you is to make it your business to find out. If possible help this lovely girl to see that life is what you make it. I'm sure that like I did, she thinks the Organisation will give her everlasting life on a paradise earth. But the reality is the Organisation sap's your strength and joy of life. It locks you away in an artificial world, feeding you lies about how awful the rest of mankind is and how much better and happier you are for working for a large book printing organisation. (The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society)
I better shut up - I could go on all day (it's early here in OZ). I sure wish you well, and hope things turn out for you.
kind
regards
Marilyn