In recent months, my Sister-in-Law (sister's sister) got reinstated after about 14+ years out. I speculated that this may have been because my Mother-In-Law may want to get baptized. MIL has gone to meetings faithfully for more than 20 years, but never did a lick of field circus and never moved toward baptism because her work related to Babylon the Great. MIL is retired now.
A few years ago, contemplating baptism, MIL considered getting into the pioneer work after retirement. Funny, she's never even done a single cold call of recruiting at the door and she was ready to become a pioneer. She wouldn't quit such a good job without her pension and stayed until this branch of their work closed down. I had sent her, anonymously, a copy of CRISIS OF CONSCIENCE and haven't heard whether she reacted to it. (I didn't expect to hear anything.) She did stop talking about pioneering, but that may have been just to me. She obviously has done some field circus since retirement if she was dipped this past Saturday.
MIL knows full well that I don't go to meetings anymore. I don't know what the wife has told her about my current feelings, but MIL has been cordial to me. People I confide in have asked if MIL was getting baptized this year. I said I would not know as I am out of the "spiritual" discussions loop now. I heard about SIL getting reinstated after the fact. Now I hear about MIL baptism after the fact.
I was pretty sure I would know it was upcoming because I was sure my wife would want to attend. But wife was talking on the phone to her mother today, and said enough for me to guess what happened. I asked the wife if she knew this was to happen, she said yes. Then the wife volunteered that her mother said not to fly out to where she was and join her. The wife seemed somber telling me that, she's very family-oriented and would have wanted to go. Keeping quiet and staying home, my wife surprised me. I would have bet that she would have just up and gone.
Surprise, My MIL Got Baptized This Weekend
by OnTheWayOut 18 Replies latest jw experiences
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OnTheWayOut
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sarahbear76
It's funny isn't it. People sure can suprise you eh? I never thought my mom would leave the JW's, I thought my household would always remain divided. My mom is not a JW anymore due to a lot of soul searching and research into the jw's she and my dad have done. The real "truth" is chilling to say the least but remember you are definitely not a lone. It takes some more time then others hopefully she will come around soon.
:) Sarah
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OnTheWayOut
13 hours, 1 reply. Well, it was viewed 115 times.
Thanks for the hopeful thought.
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SnakesInTheTower
OTWO...
interesting that MIL wants it both ways...collect the pension from BTG...and get dunked by WTBTS...... huh.... smart...too bad my dad didnt wait 3 more years and retire with a military pension instead of chucking 17 years of coast guard service for the borg.
and your wife's reaction was interesting...... based on previous postings of yours...surprises me too..
13 hours, 1 reply. Well, it was viewed 115 times. Thanks for the hopeful thought.
Just now seen the thread...been a bit preoccupied lately....and I still havent made it up north........
Snakes ()
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Open mind
Snakes got it right, IMO.
Your MIL put first things first. She got her financial house in order, then joined the Kool-Aid drinkers her daughter is hooked up with.
How are you taking all this OTWO?
om
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OnTheWayOut
The first post should read (wife's sister) in the first line. Sorry.
Snakes does have it right. MIL was never ever going to walk away from her good thing.
She continued to "associate" with the DF'ed daughter as much as she wanted.
She never did anything at the KH beyond meeting attendance and commenting, yet was viewed by most as an approved associate.While she didn't catch the fact that the religion was just wrong, she had her cake and ate it too.
I am very concerned how my wife will strengthen her resolve in the religion because her family has recently embraced it.
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kitten whiskers
Life just keeps getting more interesting...doesn't it? She sure will have a rude awakening on what is expected from her as a baptized member as opposed to side watcher! I bet her head spins a bit from it when they hound her for her time for the month, or she hears the real gossip going on in the car group! Her rose colored glasses have been taken off.
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verystupid77
I am sorry to hear all of this. Yeks It is so hard to deal with. The more clear it get to me that this is not the truth the more I get upset with my husband, and his family is not around. Hang in there.
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shopaholic
OTWO, I wondered how your sister's sister was your SIL and not your sister. Anyway, your MIL has been attending meetings for 20 years? She doesn't see that she's had time to live her life on her terms and now that being a JW in no longer an inconvenience, the system is still here and nothing they have said has come to pass and she still wants to be one of them? Does she really understand the whole shunning thing? Wonder she didn't just stay the way she was, JW by association.
Maybe she thinks thats the system has remained around this long just so Jehovah could draw her to him. But as several COs have said, they don't know how exacting Jehovah will be. He may say that she should have joined earlier in life and that she had full knowledge for 20 years but did what she wanted instead of what he wanted. So let's just imagine the whole thing were true, she would still be wasting her time.
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