for "born-ins"

Mandette

Does anyone remember being a little kid and being forced to sit through those 2 hour meetings?

Specifically being made to listen to graphic accounts of whatever country that was going through horrific persecution. (Or any other horrors you might remember)

I remember being a little girl and wondering how I could be faithful if I was persecuted. I was probably around 7 or 8 yrs old. I remember sitting in my nightly bath and wondering what I would do if some bad person turned on the hot water on my bare feet. That was the worse my young mind could imagine at the time that persecution could be.

I also remember being told that I was at the age of accountablility(another JW catch phrase) because I misbehaved during the Memorial. I was maybe 8 or so then too. I was told that I could be destroyed at Armageddon for that.(yeah for being a little girl and giggling with my little friends). I remember praying hysterically that night.

And it goes on and on.....as I write this so many other memories come to the surface.

And I had it easy compared to some.

Mandette

FreudianSlip

I honestly don't remember having thoughts like that. How awful.

IP_SEC

I remember being taken outside and having my ass beat for not looking up the scriptures. Oh and on the false premise that I cheated on the written review because I got all the answers right.

Mandette

In the KH I grew up in, it was the furnace room in the basement. AND everyone knew what was going to happen when you went downstairs.

OH and I remember the graphic accounts of the Holocaust too. All the experiences of the JW's that were in the camps and what happened to them.

Such wonderful thoughts to have at 8 yrs of age.

Mandette

DJK

Yes! Zimbabue was a current event when I was attending.

LockedChaos

I felt guilty all the time

Father was a servant (Elder)

Conducted Ministry School

Pioneered

all that special stuff

It was my "Duty" to be an example to others

No matter what I did I wasn't being a good example

Hair not combed - Bad example

Pants not pressed - Bad example

Not smiling - Bad example

Not enough service hours - Bad example

The "Paradise Lost" book FREAKED ME OUT

as a youngster.

Horrible pictures of death and destruction

I thought all around me was doomed

Me included

I wasn't a good example

GOD DAMNED CULT!!

See. It still pisses me off!

Gopher

Mandette,

Absolutely right -- as a young JW kid I grew up with the fear of what kind of torture we'd have when the authorities came against us JW's because we were the only religion left (in their scenario). I had heard of what the Nazis put the JW's through in WW2, and thought Satan would make the world do the same to us JW's here in America.

As a child your imagination can run wild.

I'm so glad now that I'm over the thought that somehow I'm a pawn in a spiritual battle between the forces of good and evil. I don't know if the WT Society intentionally inflicted psychological damage on me and other born-in kids, but what they taught and how they taught it surely was scary and totally unnecessary.

Bumble Bee

Hi Mandette

Yep, I have those memories. Memories of praying my heart out to "Jehovah" to help the brothers and sisters in Africa being beaten, tortured, raped, imprisoned because of not carrying a 25 cent political card, and later finding out it could all have been avoided.

Hearing from my mother what could happen to us during the GT. That us children might see our parents shot or tortured infront of us to try and get us to renouce our faith in "Jehovah".

I could go on, but I won't. Needless to say, these were things a child should not have had to worry about.

BB

treadnh2o

Nope. At that age m parents were being counseled because my brother and I would sleep through every meeting.

DJK

Before I started school I learned what a first born male was; ME!

for "born-ins"

Share this