Does anyone remember?

Pahpa

I'm an oldtimer. But does anyone else remember the "demon scare" back in the 60s or 70s? The Watchtower came out with articles about demon possession. In our congregation members over reacted and began throwing out and burning all articles they thought could be demon possessed. Some were quite valuable. Also, brothers and sisters began accusing one another. We had a sister who did some sewing for one of the pioneer sisters who had been given some second hand clothes. This sister said that she could not thread the needle or sew the clothing because she thought the clothes were possessed. The scare quieted down after awhile when the Watchtower went on to different subjects. But it did demonstrate how impressionable Jehovah's Witnesses are to the dictates of the Watchtower Society.

Abandoned

I wasn't in back then, but I heard about it from the family my best friend studied with in Fayetteville, NC. I do remember, though, how many thought the smurf dolls were possessed.

fullofdoubtnow

Hi Pahpa and welcome to the forum, good to have you here.

I wasn't a jw in the 60's or 70's, joining in 1981, but I was warned about demons when I first started studying, so the "demon paranoia" has lasted right up until the present day, as I have only been out just over a year, and people in our kh still had fears about certain things, like buying items second - hand, right up until I left. I expect they still do.

Linda

Pahpa

abandoned:

I wonder if the Watchtower still forbids wind chimes? I always loved them. And my wife and I can once again enjoy the soothing sounds they produce in the summer winds.

Abandoned

I've never heard the wind chimes prohibition. Well that explains why I was never able to bring my mom into "the truth." LOL!!!

garybuss

Yup, I remember it. When my wife was sick she thought the deeminz were causing her leukemia and she had me burn books and other stuff, I can't remember what. The test was if it was deemin possessed it wouldn't burn. Everything I burned, burned.

It's just testimony how ignorant and superstitious we were. Heck, I remember being afraid of the dark after going to one of the Jehovah's Witness meetings and I was in my 20's. Hahahaha!!!

Every meeting was a campfire ghost story.

The Witness people I knew saw mental illness as a deemin possession. In the 50's, one Witness lady was delusional and psychotic and one Tuesday night after the bookstudy she committed suicide by tying bricks around her own neck and drowning herself in the old clubfoot bathtub. My parents and the local Witnesses were sure the deemins murdered her because they didn't belive anybody could commit suicide in a bathtub but the coroner ruled it suicide.

My mother wouldn't shop at Goodwill but she bought clothes and stuff at garage sales all the time.

mrsjones5

Hm so if the watchtowers still forbides windchimes you won't get them?

stillajwexelder

there were a few in our congregation in the early 1980s. One demented sister would say if we were going down a garden path to knock on a door and a dog barked, that the dog was demonized. Everything was demonized. Christmas decorations - you name it

Gretchen956

I was in back then. But I don't remember a time when demonz weren't a big deal. Everything was suspect. If you bought something at a rummage sale (garage sale), you had to watch out for them deemonz, in fact if you got anything second hand it was suspect. There were always stories circulating about that. Also demonized music and tv shows, and cartoons, you name it. People used to tell the most amazing "ghost stories" too.

I remember this one elder and his wife (this guy was high up in the circuit too, don't know what the position) but he told this story about driving along this dark deserted road with the family one dark rainy night and all of a sudden this demon jumps on the sideboard to his suburban and starts trying to get in the door. I can't remember what all transpired, the thing supposedly was swarming all over it trying to get in and they were swerving around and calling out the majick "J" word. Finally the spooks left.

We all sat around wide eyed, mouths open, oohing and ahing on cue.

What a bunch of maroons we were.

JeezLouizzzzzze

Sherry

LeslieV

Yup sure remember it. In fact, after I kicked my JW husband out of the house he told everyone at the KH he thought that an old trunk left in our attic was demonized, and the demon took a home in me. GEEE couldn't have been his abuse of alcohol????? Not on your life he said since he is still drinking an still an elder in a local KH.

Leslie

Does anyone remember?

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