I did something far more exciting, I clipped my toenails. It was a hoot!
Anybody attended the Memorial last night? What was your experience?
by Cindi_67 36 Replies latest jw experiences
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steve2
I did something far more exciting, I clipped my toenails.
Taking a leaf from the Watchtower, did you treat some of your toenails differently than the others, thus signifying they were more "special" and destined for more heavenly things than the other (lowly) toenails?
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abbagail
No, I didn't, but wanted to comment:
Twinkletoes wrote:
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I can honestly say that in all the years (32) of being a JW, I always felt that there was definately a lack of spirituality during the memorial. After reading the above posts, it looks like things have not changed. We (KT and myself) always came away from the Memorial, feeling very empty. There never seemed to be any discussion about Jesus Christ and the importance of his life and death.
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I agree 100%. I was "secretly ashamed and embarrassed" of the so-called "most important meeting of the year" which the WT insisted we invite as many people as possible. I "secretly" did NOT want anybody to come to THAT meeting, more than any other meeting. I was always feeling "guilty" about that, and didn't know why I felt that way, since "THE ORG SAID" it was the MOST important meeting. I understood scripturally why it SHOULD BE the most important (Christ died for our sins, "do this in remembrance of me," etc.) yet it did nothing for me spiritually; I only went out of "Borg Obedience" eleven times out of eleven years, and then once or twice years after I was out of the org, and with the same feeling about the "boring-ness" of it, but felt even MORE "guilty" since I was no longer a JW those last two times I went (approx, 1997, 1998).
The sermons were ALWAYS "flat" and did not "inspire" or "excite" my soul whatsoever. It was always too hot, too crowded, and you had to rush in and rush out to make way for the other congo, etc.
All around it stunk but I never had the guts to "confess" how I felt about it to any other dubs during my years "in." It was my "secret sin," if you will. Thankfully I am long since "cured" of those thoughts and feelings, as I clearly see and understand WHY it was a big drag, because the whole charade is a big fat LIE since ALL believers in Christ are to PARTAKE of the emblems, and "as oft as you do this," which means any day of the week, not just once a year. It is actually a slap in the Lord's face to REJECT the emblems:
1st Cor. 10:17:
"14 Therefore, my beloved ones, flee from idolatry. 15 I speak as to men with discernment; judge for yourselves what I say. 16 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of the Christ? The loaf which we break, is it not a sharing in the body of the Christ? 17 Because there is one loaf, WE, ALTHOUGH MANY, are ONE BODY, for we are ALL PARTAKING of that one loaf." - (NWT)
OPERATIVE WORD THERE: "ALL" PARTAKING.
ALL means ALL... NO Mention of "two classes."
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Frank75
All around it stunk but I never had the guts to "confess" how I felt about it to any other dubs during my years "in." It was my "secret sin," if you will. Thankfully I am long since "cured" of those thoughts and feelings, as I clearly see and understand WHY it was a big drag, because the whole charade is a big fat LIE since ALL believers in Christ are to PARTAKE of the emblems, and "as oft as you do this," which means any day of the week, not just once a year. It is actually a slap in the Lord's face to REJECT the emblems:
Yes it truly was and still is a slap in the face. That is why I refer to it as a Black Mass, because it is the opposite of what should happen....in many respects.
I felt like partaking back in the 90's as I felt at that time I had truly come to Christ, however I understood the peer pressure involved in not partaking. My wife and I would go home and partake in private.
At that time I saw the horrible way things were done in the congregation and tried to effect change in whatever way I could. For that I was branded an apostate, although at the time it was a "small a" apostate. So we moved away and simplified our lives in the third world hoping things would be better amongst the poor and so-called humble people.
Getting to that place is a long story, but the one thing that the 3rd world is known for is the booster attendance for the JW memorial. We were in a small congregation of 30-40 publishers and had usually 300 and up at the memorial. It was the pomp and ceremony that drove us both up the wall. Everyone goes into this frenzy inviting people, anyone with a pulse. The congregation even had adverts on the local radio station if you believe that. Getting people to come was like a bleeding PBS membership drive. This all culminating in a boring talk and 300 plus refusing the shed blood and sacrificial body of Jesus.
We returned to Canada that year and went to our last memorial and still I just couldn't work up the courage to partake. We stopped altogether not to long after that memorial.
Such a waste of an occasion as you point out. There is no real appreciation for Jesus fostered, just constant adoration of the watchtower leaders and those "hard working elders" gag. Even the prayers asking for blessing the GB just make me sick to my stomach.
Frank75
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abbagail
Wow, great story, Frank75. And I feel your every pain.
"Black Mass" - very appropriate. I'll remember that.
Partaking in private at home afterward -- good thinking. I never got that far when I was still "in." But I do communion now at home, too.
"small a apostate" -- heehee, cute. There definitely is a difference between Big A and small a, in WT-world.
It's hard to imagine the pressure would be even MORE intense in 3rd world countries to invite "anybody with a pulse" (LOL on that one) to the "memorial." I wonder why they pressure THEM so much?
(I do remember that pressure, and I hated it, and as I already said, I secretly didn't want anybody to come. Maybe my "spirit" understood more than my brain at the time.)
That is truly a high jump for memorial attendance, 30-40 to 300+ . I guess using the radio really helps rake them in.
"Getting people to come was like a bleeding PBS membership drive." That is hilarious as everyone can definitely relate to PBS fund drives, lol.
I'm glad you are FREE IN CHRIST now, and can partake without burdens of any kind!
Amen, Amen, thank you Jesus.
Best to you and your wife,
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Frank75
Partaking in private at home afterward -- good thinking. I never got that far when I was still "in." But I do communion now at home, too.
Abbagail:
My wife never believed that she was going to heaven at the time. Actually neither did I really as we were confused, me more than her. She liked the idea of paradise and all the rubbish that went along with it. My thought process was based on the bible as I didn't really see another hope in the gospel. As a result I just towed the JW line because I still believed it was a new revelation and the faithful slave etc. We simply partook because we believed that it didn't matter where you thought you were going, Jesus words in John 6 were clear enough, "no everlasting life unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood". Seemed pretty straight forward.
Various texts like many abodes, unless born again, one hope, faith and baptism etc gave me pause in my mind and heart. I also had a conversation around that time with my company accountant who was a former elder and quite a small "a" apostate himself. The conversation centered on the other sheep, and I asked him about Ephesians talking about the gentiles and Jews as being two different groups of sheep becoming one. He frowned and said, "yes those are the other sheep....Gentiles"
"small a apostate" -- heehee, cute. There definitely is a difference between Big A and small a, in WT-world.
It came at a cost still. The elders started to scrutinize my talks. (I was a MS under elder in other words I did everything an elder did but without the title) As my talks became kinder and more reflective of Gods grace in my own experience I had two reactions, 1 the congregation warmed to me as a person and started to seek me out for help, counsel etc, and 2, the elders began to grow more and more envious, jealous and disappointed in me. It was a 7-8 year roller coaster that eventually had me removed for going to the funeral of a DF'd woman from our congregation (she committed suicide because the elders had spurned her requests for help to come back). Later we moved to the Dominican Republic and there I was able to escape the heat, well for a period of time anyways. There I was able to see the real reasons for my removal when I got my hands on the wicked letter sent to slander me. When I found this out I tried to have it rectified and when the bethel refused to help or the elders refused to discuss the lies in that letter I found myself picking up the dreaded C of C by Ray Franz and then we just stopped going.
A few years later the local elders where we had moved to stopped by my house and summoned me to a judicial hearing where I was df'd in absentia based on the testimony of my own mother.
That is truly a high jump for memorial attendance, 30-40 to 300+ . I guess using the radio really helps rake them in.
Sickening is the word. I felt like a concert promoter the first year we participated. After that we just kept quietly in the background. Really it isn't hard to get people in a poor backwater town to go to something that would serve as a distraction from their otherwise mundane lives. Nothing on TV so let's go. There are also many people who are disillusioned with the main stream religions like the Catholic church. Also, since there is respect for the JW's even by the other religions, so they do not object to people going to such a service. I was very impressed with that attitude as i encountered it quite a bit amongst the pastores and priests I met.
Likewise just about everyone would study with the witnesses especially us gringos. Few were ever able to give up their lives to become serious witnesses (usually only politically active party members could get work). Life was a struggle for them. I could see it but the "brothers" there were brutally unforgiving. As an example, if people did not start attending the meetings regularly by chapter 2 in the knowledge book, the study was threatened and then ended. I remember arguing with the CO about this practice since the knowledge book only brought up the meeting in any meaningful way in chapter 13. Again I was just looked at as the small "a" apostate. I even tried using their own logic on them, saying, "If the FS has put meeting attendance in chapter 13 wouldn't forcing them to come in chapter 2 be running ahead? Wouldn't we be blood-guilty for stopping studies before persons had come to a knowledge of the truth?" You find that this argumentation only works when those power posturing idiots use it.
Women are virtual prisoners in these countries as well. Saddled with the heavy load of domestic duties they rarely stray far from the home. Bodega's or colmado's are across the street for overpriced food items, and a houseful of children underfoot keep them busy, close to home and exhausted. The half hour memorial was a night out that was good for the local economy. There wasn't an idol hair salon in the country!
Best to you and yours too
Frank75
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BrentR
Steve2, I did spill some beer on my left pinky toe so that one is of the annointed class. The other nine have no class at all. You should see them, they all look like that governing body dude that just died.