by Seeker4 68 Replies latest jw friends
I loved to hear the crowd sing at the District Convention.
yeah me too...i had forgotten about that..especially the songs that hit a crescendo..
the singing at the kh was pretty dire for the most part...but the bethel was better...but the best singing was by the construction boys..man could they belt it out....better than the mormon tabernacle choir
You know when you are really ravenous because you havent eaten for ages and you have worked hard all day, and then you get big slap up meal at the end of the day, and BOY you really eat like you have never eaten before...
...well the best thing about being a Witless for me was the first time I had sex after leaving the religion and my marriage.
Lunch at the assemblies when we still paid real money for it. And working the lunch at assemblies when they still had any food service at all. I like to feed people!
If the burritos had stayed, I might still be knocking on doors!
You said a lot, there, and my sense is a lot of us can relate to the powerfully good memories that were tied up in relationships and a sense of belonging, being part of something special, and owning exclusive knowledge. But then they they started chipping away at the edges and it stopped being fun.
To paraphrase what you wrote;
If the large gatherings had been encouraged instead of stifled, I might still be knocking on doors.
If the growing congregations had not been artificially "split" into smaller groups (in order to exercise greater control), I might still be knocking on doors.
If the refreshing breeze that appeared to be blowing in from Bethel in the late 1970s (before the big purge of Ray Franz and others) had been for real, I might still be knocking on doors.
But, alas, none of it was real and my major regret is that, once I figured that out, it took more than a dozen years to find the courage abandon the course and take the consequences.
I've come to realize that for a number of years it worked for us. Then it stopped working. And after a while, we stopped doing it. It really comes down to that, and when the day comes as I assume it will when someone whose friendship I used to value has the guts to call me up and ask what happened, that's what I'll say.
There really isn't anything that I loved about being a witness that I wasn't able to find elsewhere, with much more meaning.
Still a (somewhat disillusioned) witness , so writing with a slightly different perspective to most posters - sorry if it is still a bit too positive for most tastes!
Conventions - hundreds of friends - thousands of people milling around - nobody swearing or smoking - no litter. Gorgeous sisters (when I was younger). A good meal & a couple of drinks in the evening , just catching up with the gossip.)
Assemblies - delivering a talk in front of over a thousand people - (the best - when Chairman - just standing & listening as a great choir of singing voices washes over you)
Meetings - listening to (the few) quality speakers expound on the scriptures , sometimes dismissing the "script"
Construction - working with a great bunch of lads from all trades , the hospitality and kindness shown by the brothers. The satisfaction when the job is done.
Studies - seeing people make genuine changes in their lives , kicking destructive drug & drink habits and learning about the bible (albeit through a WTS vehicle)
Friends - going anywhere in the world and finding a united happy group of associates.
Family - a lovely wife & kids whom I would never have met outwith the "truth". The security that comes from knowing that the relationship is based on shared values and experiences.
Curiously , despite all the errors and a flawed doctrinal and organisational base , JWs have developed a network and structure that has given security , hope and a deeply satisfying way of life to millions of people.
that's also what people say about the mormons
I must agree with anewme... I loved the bubble I was in... I love the memories...I loved the 70's and 80's when everything seemed possible and I was surrounded by other beautiful little families sharing the love and hoping for the new system... I loved being sheltered from the world...
I still love all of those big hearted friends who try so hard to do everything right and are full of love. There are so many good people who are caught in the vortex...
...and to agree with freetobeme...I have come to loathe the things I once loved about being a JW.
...great topic.
that's also what people say about the mormons
i remember chatting with 2 mormons, one from the usa and the other from new zealand, about the scripture re having love among yourselves and the usa guy said if anyone threatened his nz colleague you would witness the extent of his love for him....i asked what he would do if ever the usa was to go to war with new zealand.. he said... i'd kill him
