Update from Open Mind. (page 2)

chickpea

"If everlasting life is going to be strictly the way the Watchtower says, I don't think death is so bad after all."
amen and AMEN sistah!!!
sounds like the concept of "evolution" applies
in many arenas of our experiences......
very pleased for you and the whole family
oh yeah..... ixnay on the ceremonial dip would be my vote too

minimus

My understanding is that the Society wants all elders that have kids old enough to be baptized, living at home, to get baptized or else elder daddy may have to pay.

What a glorious reason to stop being an elder. "I want my kid to decide to get baptized or not, I want my kid to decide on college. I will step aside before pressuring him." You save face and look like you are concerned more for the kid's welfare than for the title.

WIN WIN.

Witness 007

Evil Elder.....nice!

drew sagan

Sounds great, my wife just asked me the other day how thing were going with you. I'm glad to see that there is improvement. Having a long term stradgey really does pay off!

Scarred for life

What a glorious reason to stop being an elder.

I totally agree with ON THE WAY OUT.

oompa

wow.........but please let yungins avoid babtism..........tell them to wait like jesus did............oompa

passwordprotected

Great to hear from you and great to hear how things are working out. Thanks for the update!

Open mind

Thanks for all the hellos,

AK Jeff: "If I recall, those comments drew a lot of fire and name calling."

Your memory is spot on Jeff. My skin is getting thicker with the passage of time.

AK Jeff also said: "Once that is done - do you step out of the organization? Or is your way of life inside so entrenched that you will remain a Jw in name? I ask because, no matter the costs, I simply cannot envision myself doing that."

I'm going to take it one step at a time depending on what happens with my wife & kids. I think the best compromise for the long term would probably be a fade to inactivity/irregularity as far as extended family is concerned.

Hi OTWO! You said: "I won't comment on your decisions to do as you do, "
I appreciate your restraint. I really do. My thickening skin notwithstanding.

OTWO: "...please please please encourage the oldest one to avoid baptism.
It will turn out that the path of least resistance now will not be the path of least resistance later."
As for baptism, no minor child of mine will hit the pool without a major intervention from both my wife & I. Over 18, what they do with eyes wide open is their choice.

Here's why my oldest is thinking of getting dunked within the next year. Let's say she's a girl somewhere between 17-19 years old. (Could be a boy, but I've gotta stay a little cagey with personal details.) She has had a pretty good teen life as a non-baptized elder's child. We have let her do TONS of stuff with "worldly" friends, school activities, etc. Her eyes have slowly opened over the last few years, initially on her own and with great assistance and support from me over the last two years. She is now fully aware that this is just a high-control religion with no special place in God's heart. She "lost" her suicide card quite a while ago. She's in strictly for social reasons now.

Also, like me, she does try to pluck out the occasional spiritual/moral kernel of good corn from the overall turd that is JW Theology. Mainly just to help keep our sanity at the meetings. (BTW, elders and their families can get away with quite a bit of spiritual "flakiness" without getting counseled. At least in our congregation. YMMV.) If she takes the plunge, she keeps her friends and social contacts which shouldn't be discounted in this economy. She knows the stakes if she wants to shack up with Mr. Right from school or work somewhere down the line. She can either hide or get DFed. If they end up getting eventually getting married, she can always get reinstated if she wants to go through the charade.

The alternative, if she stays unbaptized, is for a slow shunning to set in over the next couple of years. It's actually already starting to happen from the uber-righteous ones.

Anyway, the choice is hers. It sucks either way, but at least she is mentally free of the shackles of JWism. I am not encouraging or discouraging her either way at this point.

As for the younger kid(s) my wife and I both strongly agree that they should wait until at least 18 before dunking.

They're all going to go to college.

My wife and I both inoculate them regularly when we hear doses of guilt and fear being piled on at the meetings. They are learning to think critically and look at the merits of an argument, not the amount of "authority" vested in the speaker.

Thanks again for all the input.

om

daniel-p

Thanks for the update OM. I miss your posts around here.

Update from Open Mind.