Please come to your senses!

Martini

Hi Folks

This poem may have appeared before but I just received this from my dub SIL.I love her, but my heart bleeds for her more than she may ever know,and in a way she may never understand. Read through if you can stomach this, later see if you can answer my request below. Thanks

Time for a change

Of all my years as a witness,
the times were not always good.
Too many mistakes were being made,
the brothers not doing what they should.

As I look back now
there are times, I can recall,
when I did not even look forward
to going to the Kingdom Hall.

The brothers showed no love.
They didn't seem to care.
The elders were unyielding,
demanding and unfair.

Meetings were dull and boring;
field service was a chore.
There wasn't much of a "Pioneer spirit,"
while going from door to door.

It would not get any better,
as I hoped it would.
I knew the day was coming
when I would leave Jehovah's house for good.

But happily, it's so different now,
Jehovah has been so kind.
He has allowed me
a wonderful congregation to find.

The spirit is so strong here.
The brothers really care.
I couldn't be more happy
if I were anywhere!

Life in Jehovah's organization
is just as I would dream,
but don't get me wrong; things
are not as they would seem.

You see, I'm part of the same congregation,
and I go to the same Hall.
I fellowship with the same brothers and
sisters, same elder body and all.

No, the changes that were made
are not as they seem,
for all the changes made
were changes in ME.

Now I love the whole brotherhood -- No other
in the world to find,
Instead of being critical,
I try to be loving, forgiving, and kind.

I realize we are all imperfect,
it's plain now for me to see.
While I was learning to put up with my
brothers, they were putting up with me!

We are all part of Jehovah's one flock,
and that's where I want to be.
Why, if my brothers are good enough for Jehovah,
then they're good enough for me.

I'm sure she is insinuating that I come to my senses in the JW way.However I recognise this as typical cult mentality, I remember reading info on this about the "blame yourself" rational behind cults, but I cannot recall where to locate that bit of info. Can anybody help?
Martini

LDH

bleeeccchhhh!!!!!

What a terrible poem.

Guilt, it seems, runs deep in the JW religion.

Lisa

Satanus

Martini

My sympathies to you and your sister.

On the other hand, as an objective observation, the principle contained in her poem is true, but it applies universally. The moody blues have a song about this. Its called the candle of life, and the specific words are something like:

Something deep inside says you're lonely
So love everybody and make them your friend

:0) SS

Satanus

Martini

Here are the full lyrics:)

-----

Candle Of Life

Something you can't hide
Says you're lonely,
Hidden deep inside
Of you only.
It's there for you to see,
Take a look and be:
Burn slowly the candle of life.
Something there outside
Says we're only
In the hands of time,
Falling slowly.
It's there for us to know
With love that we can go:
Burn slowly the candle of life.

So love everybody
And make them your friends.
So love everybody
And make them your friends.

Something you can't hide
Says you're lonely,
Hidden deep inside
Of you only.
It's there for you to see,
Take a look and be:
Burn slowly the candle of life.

Something there outside
Says we're only
In the hands of time,
Falling slowly.
It's there for us to know
With love that we can go:
Burn slowly the candle of life.

RedhorseWoman

I remember seeing this poem before, and it is as sickening now as it was then.

However, it does embody one of the main principles for remaining in a cult, and one that I employed for years. If you see something wrong within the organization, look to yourself for the correction.

I can't count the number of years I duped myself into believing that if I only had more faith, and if I could only look past the "imperfections" then everything would be okay, and I would see how wonderful this organization really was.

I finally had to admit the truth, however, which was that the organization itself was fatally flawed, and no matter how hard I tried to "correct my thinking", the problems wouldn't go away.

Frenchy

The poem is quite chilling when you realize what is happening. I thought about a passage from Milton's Paradise Lost and then I wrote this just now:

When Hope Is Gone

Under a sullen sky which I cannot see
I strike out at the bars that surround me
I rant and I rave and claw at the stone all around
And curse the prison in which I am bound

And as time crawls forever forward,
Pulling me relentlessly toward
The way from hope which is left behind
I fear that in this despair I shall lose my mind

Till the day that I fully see my fate
That for me tis far past time for escape
Hope lies far beneath the dust of time
Forever lost, never to be mine

And so I lie ‘neath that somber sky
I no longer want and I no longer cry
And Milton’s words as if from hell appear,
‘So farewell hope, and with hope farewell fear’

Now I lie here bereft of anger and rage
With no hope of freedom, this is no longer a cage
With no fear there is calm and peace
Since there is no hope then I am free

SixofNine

Since there is no hope then I am free

Scully

I don't know how many other putrid "poems" like this JW one are in circulation. I knew someone who had a collection of 'lovely ditties' like these. One in particular that comes to mind was called The Morning After Armageddon which proceeded to describe the writer's amazement at seeing different members of the congregation who had survived The Great Battle, thinking that they had too many flaws and didn't measure up enough to make it through, and that surely Jehovah must have made a mistake. Of course, the ending was ever so predictable and cliché.... "No one expected me!"

I have to agree completely with RHW. The WTS always points the finger of blame at the followers when something goes wrong. Why would we expect the followers to behave any differently. When someone has doubts, or sees hypocrisy within the organization, it gets turned back on them, criticising the person for "lacking faith" or "not loving the brothers" or "fault-finding". If there are faults, they need to be dealt with. They talk about SIN as being 'the leaven that ferments the whole lump' and then expect you to turn a blind eye when there are serious problems. But if you dare have less than 5 hours on your service slip, suddenly you're branded as "weak" and "spiritually sick" and merit ostracism from the congregation.

Love, Scully
(of the Glad I'm Out Class)

PS: Frenchy - I love reading your poems

It is not persecution for an informed person
to expose a certain religion as being false. - WT 11/15/63

A religion that teaches lies cannot be true. - WT 12/1/91

Frenchy

Thanks, Scully.
I remember that one you just mentioned: The Morning After Armageddon. C.O.'s just love to read that with that stupid, condescending grin they all manage to cultivate.

Pamela

Frenchy!
I love your poems! I am going to have to buy more kleenex!
It truely is sad how ingrained the guilt and fear is put on all members. Even now when i read stuff like that ,there is a small part of me that gets some what fearful,but i like the sentiment in your poem about being glad when your fate is known. We think alot alike,I too think this is a sad world, I'll be glad when things are over be it however it comes about.

Martini,
My mom recently sent me a poem titled" Jehovah is watching in the window." It was pretty bad. It was along the lines of that Jehovah see's what we do and loves us anyway because he knows why we do things in our heart. Very sad reading! Just stay away from the fear and guilt,they are very powerful.

Best regards, Pam.

Please come to your senses!

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