My name is Chelsea, and I used to be a..
I was raised using the guidelines of the Jehovah's Witnesses because my mother was a Witness herself. I found the religion to be too out of touch with the real world and distanced myself. I found their doctrines to be very subtle and illogical while their rules were very strict and elaborate. It was not a healthy place to grow up. Despite this, I am always polite to the Witnesses that come to my door. I know that they are either hanging onto the promises the religion offers instead of facing their own fears outright, deluded by the teachings because they've been taught not to seek answers in certain things while constantly questioning other things, or simply abusive or not too bright.
This may all sound harsh or prejudiced, but I am trying to be as kind as possible. The religion, I've found, is indeed a man-made entity designed to qualm fears and control the masses. It is in essence one giant clique. If you are too poor, they pretend to teach helping you out while subtly out casting you. It's a great place to learn about verbal, passive aggressive abuse. When you first arrive, you are showered with attention which only wanes and turns into almost entirely ignoring you and making passive aggressive comments out of "Christian concern" when you don't meet certain standards. These standards can be dress, income, the friends and family you stay in contact with and the hobbies you have. The religion encourages disassociation of family members over the association of the religions own members. They want to be your family. Your only family. Unless your entire family is a member, then they expect you to recruit everyone else.
None of this is ever said outright, unless under certain circumstances, and it wouldn't be admitted to an "outsider".
My mother has been disfellowshipped and I still can't remember why. In the past, it's been for her 'fornication'. Heaven forbid she have sex. They claim to try and show people "the error of their ways" through encouragement and example. Then why do they disfellowship people over smoking, heavy drinking, having sex outside the marriage institute, etc.? I can understand disfellowshipping someone if they turned out to be, oh.. a sexual predator. Oh wait, they do that. However, they don't go to the cops when they have discovered what this person has done. They say that the authority of the religion is above the authority of the law. Yet, they teach to "Give Caesar's things to Caesar and God's things to God." This despite the fact that they are having the same problems the Catholic Church was a few years back. Ugh. Now I remember why I ran far away from that place.
Hypocrisy anyone?
This may all sound harsh or prejudiced, but I am trying to be as kind as possible. The religion, I've found, is indeed a man-made entity designed to qualm fears and control the masses. It is in essence one giant clique. If you are too poor, they pretend to teach helping you out while subtly out casting you. It's a great place to learn about verbal, passive aggressive abuse. When you first arrive, you are showered with attention which only wanes and turns into almost entirely ignoring you and making passive aggressive comments out of "Christian concern" when you don't meet certain standards. These standards can be dress, income, the friends and family you stay in contact with and the hobbies you have. The religion encourages disassociation of family members over the association of the religions own members. They want to be your family. Your only family. Unless your entire family is a member, then they expect you to recruit everyone else.
None of this is ever said outright, unless under certain circumstances, and it wouldn't be admitted to an "outsider".
My mother has been disfellowshipped and I still can't remember why. In the past, it's been for her 'fornication'. Heaven forbid she have sex. They claim to try and show people "the error of their ways" through encouragement and example. Then why do they disfellowship people over smoking, heavy drinking, having sex outside the marriage institute, etc.? I can understand disfellowshipping someone if they turned out to be, oh.. a sexual predator. Oh wait, they do that. However, they don't go to the cops when they have discovered what this person has done. They say that the authority of the religion is above the authority of the law. Yet, they teach to "Give Caesar's things to Caesar and God's things to God." This despite the fact that they are having the same problems the Catholic Church was a few years back. Ugh. Now I remember why I ran far away from that place.
Hypocrisy anyone?