Posted by:
Nightingale
(
)
Date: March 27, 2019 02:52PM
According to JWs, only the 144,000 go to heaven. (They self-identify during life on earth - we knew who was one of the 144K or not - most are not, obviously).
The rest of "the righteous" (aka JWs) will live in Paradise Restored on earth. IOW, everything will eventually go back to the way God intended it to be in the first place.
As a trusting, naive, Paradise-yearning teen, that appealed to me and, having left home before finishing high school and eventually boarding with a JW lady that I came to love, I ended up joining the WatchTower Society. Got out after seven years when reality clashed with JW belief. I was/am shunned - you can't leave without the most severe consequences - to them that is to be cut off. Fortunately, my non-JW family was thrilled and supportive that I was out. I did miss a few friends that I was fond of and I did feel embarrassed, worrying that people would think badly of me. Eventually, as one matures, the fear of the disapproval of others lessens. I missed some people for a long time but they were all such "good" JWs they never tried to contact me or stay friends. That hurt. I regret that part of it but not the leaving.
The idea of Paradise Restored was very appealing to me and seemed the way things should be. If one had the power, I thought (as God does, if you believe that) why would there be suffering through the ages. I like the idea of Paradise returning way better than suffering through life and then going to heaven. I don't see the point of that, or the mercy.
So, still I say, JW beliefs make more sense to me than Mormonism does. They are far simpler and straightforward. I found Mormonism so convoluted and mysterious, in that they took pains to NOT teach prospects or converts their doctrine, whereas JWs want and expect you to know theirs prior to baptism. What a difference!
As for this murderous husband, yes, appalling. I wouldn't, though, draw absolute conclusions about all JWs or even the WT Society based on his perverted actions. True enough though, they are rigid about divorce, sexist as hell, untrained in counselling (like Mormon leaders), lacking in compassion, and one of their greatest concerns is protecting the organization rather than any individual member.
I have mentioned several times through the years my experience with a former friend who I boarded with when we were missionaries in Quebec. He married an older woman who had a young child (after about two dates, as JWs do) and ended up being abusive towards the child. It was so bad that I went against all JW convention and reported it to the "elders" (men not much older than us - unusual overall but not in that area) who said it wasn't their concern but was a "private matter". Everybody knew that he was abusive (he would even drag the poor child down the aisle during meetings and "spank" (beat) him outside, with no consequences). I also spoke to his wife and said it was no way to treat her boy. (He beat the kid every morning because he wet the bed. I woke up every single morning to the kid shrieking in fear and then being whacked). His wife's only response to me? "He's my husband". After just a few days of it, I left their home. There was absolutely NO indication previously that this popular, attractive, educated young man would turn out to be a child abuser.
I thought at the time that as there were no older adults about it was a case of maybe nobody knowing how to handle it, so they did nothing. Not that that excuses it.
Definitely the beliefs and the culture within the organization can lead to drastically negative outcomes and quietly unhappy adherents, or worse.
Still, as I've also mentioned, I was much happier as a JW than I ever was as a Mormon. To me, the doctrines are 100% set out and comprehensible, not convoluted and withheld. That alone did my head in as a Mormon - the feeling of never knowing what was up. As a JW I had far more good relationships and enjoyable times than as a Mormon, when I felt like extra unwanted baggage once I took the dip in the font. A problem, in fact, because I asked questions, which are strongly discouraged, as we know. I just found Mormonism and the people weird, in oh so many ways.
That is my experience. Obviously, others will have different takes on it all.
So, I knew of the one incident of abuse, in all the people I met and got to know and in the several congregations I was part of. I found the people much friendlier and more personable to me than Mormons were (after my baptism).
Undoubtedly, there are many ex-JWs who had a much rougher time than I did and who were damaged by their association with the WT Society. I never felt the need to visit an ex-JW board. I did, however, badly need to search and find out about Mormonism, and get some support after my three years as a so-called Mormon convert, and here I still am.