[INFJ] exJehovah’s witnesses

[Anewfoundsydney]

Im new here, this is my first post/question for other INFJs out there who are exJW. This is actually not what I thought I would be posting first, but the topic of spirituality and religion peaked my interest on here.
My question is, if you are INFJ, what are your thoughts on being a part of any sort of organized religion after leaving a cult like the Jehovah’s Witnesses?
I am not here to judge anyone if they are still a part of an organized religion and I’m not here to say whether or not anyone should be religious or have beliefs but I am curious if leaving a high control group can make you feel more introverted and an independent thinker than before?
I personally have been on a very long journey toward agnostic/atheism, and luckily my partner feels the same way because religion has always been a contentious thing for me as an adult. I feel like now that I’ve embraced who I really am I cannot fathom being a part of some thing as high controlled as a cult.
And I find it interesting about myself that, even though I no longer believe, I have people who are extremely close and dear to me that I absolutely respect and I am in aww of who can believe in religious constructs. My very best friend is extremely understanding of the religious trauma I have endured and does not try to convert me. I myself do not try to change her or her beliefs either. And in my eyes I think she is such a strong person for having her beliefs and actually relying on her faith and actions rather than just preaching with words. It’s not enough to make me want to go to a church but a I think she is amazing.
And maybe that’s where I lost all of my previous feelings toward faith. I felt that because I have been hurt so much by it that the patterns I saw in people and in many of the organized religions I tried to become a part of afterward, solidified to me that I never really had true faith. And as much as I hate that particular organization (watchtower bible and tract society) I can empathize with the people who are stuck in it and I don’t hate them. But I guess that’s the INFJ in me, I tend to always strive to see things from both points of you and I can understand why an individual does some thing they probably shouldn’t, even if I don’t agree with it. I feel like that makes us really special.

disclaimer: I am not writing this to debate any religious topics. I’m only asking if you felt like you could be a part of something similar after leaving the cult. And I don’t need anyone to try and “save” me. Lastly, If you do not think that the Jehovah’s Witness religion is a cult that is your opinion and you can move on, I am not here to debate that either.Thanks in advance

if anyone is interested in my personal story about of this, my episode is #16 on the Shunned. podcast, my name is Sydney. Not trying to promote it just putting it out there if anyone is actually curious.

 

[HJpAjcdO0X]

How do I get to your podcast is there a link?

 

[Anewfoundsydney]

How do I get to your podcast is there a link?

 

[HJpAjcdO0X]

Im new here, this is my first post/question for other INFJs out there who are exJW. This is actually not what I thought I would be posting first, but the topic of spirituality and religion peaked my interest on here.
My question is, if you are INFJ, what are your thoughts on being a part of any sort of organized religion after leaving a cult like the Jehovah’s Witnesses?
I am not here to judge anyone if they are still a part of an organized religion and I’m not here to say whether or not anyone should be religious or have beliefs but I am curious if leaving a high control group can make you feel more introverted and an independent thinker than before?
I personally have been on a very long journey toward agnostic/atheism, and luckily my partner feels the same way because religion has always been a contentious thing for me as an adult. I feel like now that I’ve embraced who I really am I cannot fathom being a part of some thing as high controlled as a cult.
And I find it interesting about myself that, even though I no longer believe, I have people who are extremely close and dear to me that I absolutely respect and I am in aww of who can believe in religious constructs. My very best friend is extremely understanding of the religious trauma I have endured and does not try to convert me. I myself do not try to change her or her beliefs either. And in my eyes I think she is such a strong person for having her beliefs and actually relying on her faith and actions rather than just preaching with words. It’s not enough to make me want to go to a church but a I think she is amazing.
And maybe that’s where I lost all of my previous feelings toward faith. I felt that because I have been hurt so much by it that the patterns I saw in people and in many of the organized religions I tried to become a part of afterward, solidified to me that I never really had true faith. And as much as I hate that particular organization (watchtower bible and tract society) I can empathize with the people who are stuck in it and I don’t hate them. But I guess that’s the INFJ in me, I tend to always strive to see things from both points of you and I can understand why an individual does some thing they probably shouldn’t, even if I don’t agree with it. I feel like that makes us really special.

disclaimer: I am not writing this to debate any religious topics. I’m only asking if you felt like you could be a part of something similar after leaving the cult. And I don’t need anyone to try and “save” me. Lastly, If you do not think that the Jehovah’s Witness religion is a cult that is your opinion and you can move on, I am not here to debate that either.Thanks in advance

if anyone is interested in my personal story about of this, my episode is #16 on the Shunned. podcast, my name is Sydney. Not trying to promote it just putting it out there if anyone is actually curious.

So do jehovahs witness members not have free will? You said your stepmother wasn't "allowed" to talk to you..

 

[Anewfoundsydney]

That’s hard to answer because of course she has free will but she is made to believe that if she were to pursue a relationship with me it would put her soul in risk of not being able to be in “paradise”. They don’t believe most people go to heaven but instead a paradise earth and can see their dead loved ones and such, and talking to me would be keeping company with unclean ones.

 

[HJpAjcdO0X]

So basically my take is you faced the same issues with being raised Jehovahs Witness that I did having been raised Roman Catholic. The hypocrisy of both the "book" and those that claimed to be catholic was just ENOUGH lol. Same with a lot of "Born Again Christians". They say one thing and do another, or treat the Bible like a bag of trail mix, what works is good, what doesn't won't be acknowledged. My mom has a cousin who is a head honcho at our local kingdom hall, she told me he let his wife die because a blood transfusion was prohibited. Later his daughter was shunned for reasons I can't remember.
It seems to me that regardless of whether it's Christianity, Jehovah’s Witness, etc. it all requires a type of obedience to some supposed mythical figure. What I saw in the Catholic church seemed like a trick "I'll give you free will, but at the end of the day it's in your best interest that you follow what I (God) say." Or "Sure have fun, but you're going to pay for that."
I was always told that Satan was the root of evil, with no follow up of why when I would ask. The answer I got from these devout Catholics or Christians was just "He is just evil." Yeah not enough info for me, so I took the liberty of finding out. Turns out all he really did was disobey and try to overthrow a tyrant in sheep's clothing. We all know the story, tossed from the heavens into hell and forever vilified. Your experience sounds like the hell we were taught to fear, and though you might have learned a lot through this I am sorry for what it took from you.

 

[HJpAjcdO0X]

That’s hard to answer because of course she has free will but she is made to believe that if she were to pursue a relationship with me it would put her soul in risk of not being able to be in “paradise”. They don’t believe most people go to heaven but instead a paradise earth and can see their dead loved ones and such, and talking to me would be keeping company with unclean ones.

Seems like an insurance policy in a way, I've said this about Christianity too. In my mid twenties I started to think why do people need the benefit of eternal paradise to keep them in line? Is it too much to ask to strive for a solid character simply because it's the right thing to do?

 

[Anewfoundsydney]

So basically my take is you faced the same issues with being raised Jehovahs Witness that I did having been raised Roman Catholic. The hypocrisy of both the "book" and those that claimed to be catholic was just ENOUGH lol. Same with a lot of "Born Again Christians". They say one thing and do another, or treat the Bible like a bag of trail mix, what works is good, what doesn't won't be acknowledged. My mom has a cousin who is a head honcho at our local kingdom hall, she told me he let his wife die because a blood transfusion was prohibited. Later his daughter was shunned for reasons I can't remember.
It seems to me that regardless of whether it's Christianity, Jehovah’s Witness, etc. it all requires a type of obedience to some supposed mythical figure. What I saw in the Catholic church seemed like a trick "I'll give you free will, but at the end of the day it's in your best interest that you follow what I (God) say." Or "Sure have fun, but you're going to pay for that."
I was always told that Satan was the root of evil, with no follow up of why when I would ask. The answer I got from these devout Catholics or Christians was just "He is just evil." Yeah not enough info for me, so I took the liberty of finding out. Turns out all he really did was disobey and try to overthrow a tyrant in sheep's clothing. We all know the story, tossed from the heavens into hell and forever vilified. Your experience sounds like the hell we were taught to fear, and though you might have learned a lot through this I am sorry for what it took from you.

Thank you for listening to my podcast, Michael shemwell and his wife are amazing people and I love that they are telling other’s stories. I feel like our personality type just has too much openness to conform to such ridged rules and we just can’t be blinded to hypocrisy. We are the ultimate bull shit detectors

 

[Anewfoundsydney]

Seems like an insurance policy in a way, I've said this about Christianity too. In my mid twenties I started to think why do people need the benefit of eternal paradise to keep them in line? Is it too much to ask to strive for a solid character simply because it's the right thing to do?

I agree 100% with us, and it has also always baffled me that people needed other reasons to be good people besides just oh needing to be a good person. I will never understand the need for a higher power I don’t think; to tell me what to do or how to feel.

 

[InfernoMink]

Yes. The hypocrisy of the Church on a global scale is cringe-worthy. The wealth the Vatican hold and some of those Islamic nations hold is enough that they should have wiped out poverty almost everywhere. Instead it’s us Americans, the #1 world power, that is expected to enter into nations and leave them with clean drinking water and resources.

 

[Y1gtfmd74i5u]

I grew up having a believing and non believing parent. I think what everyone has faith in is a part of their development. I don’t approve of doing negative things for the positive betterment of a situation. I do see how there are situations that leave absolutely no choice for the individual in question rather than the cult. It’s easier to be upset with a mass of people and lump them together than to see them for their individual struggles and stories and yes, this is a beautiful gift of all perceiving dominants.
I’ve grown up personally in a southern Baptist area and grew up with a Korean baptist mother. Never being forced into anything was the thing that ultimately helped me out to find my own belief structures about Christianity or anti theism. I’ll move to the next town straddling that line I guess. Hahahaha.
No. I’m not Jehovah witness. I allow them into my home though. Mormans included. And no I don’t care how anyone feels about that. Let people believe what they want to believe and adjust as life moves them and they change themselves. I’m okay with the fact that I’ve lost faith and hope in anything.

 

[Roses In The Vineyard]

Been through this swamp of misery though only briefly due to family but do have to say that issues of this cult does highlight some deeper problems with the church as an whole regardless of denomination and style. Those who haven't really researched much less experienced anything like this are going to be clueless as they come as it is shockingly horrendous.

 

[Y1gtfmd74i5u]

Been through this swamp of misery though only briefly due to family but do have to say that issues of this cult does highlight some deeper problems with the church as an whole regardless of denomination and style. Those who haven't really researched much less experienced anything like this are going to be clueless as they come as it is shockingly horrendous.

I’ll definitely do some research on it. I won’t ask you to share as I’m sure that’s personal to you.