Last month I got word that a Witness I had known had died suddenly. I hadn't spoken to her since my disfellowshipping six years ago, but we had been good friends. Upon learning of her death, I wrote a letter of sympathy to her fleshly brother, also a Witness, who had been a good friend of mine as well. I expressed sorrow for his sister's death and mentioned the hope of the resurrection which I still believe.
When I sent the letter, I did not put my name on the envelope but did have my return address on it. I did identify myself in the letter, however so that the recipients would know its sender. That was only right and proper. After expressing my sorrow and praising the deceased as a warm and wonderful person whose friendship I had prized for twenty years I then mentioned the resurrection hope. I concluded with telling this man that I wished all the best for him and his family.
I did not attend the memorial service because I had no intention of putting myself through the shunning routine I knew I would face and also because I wasn't sure how the family would react to my presence. In addition, I have no desire to ever set foot inside a Kingdom Hall again, not even for a funeral for a friend. But at the very least I thought I would do the decent thing and express my sympathies.
That was a month ago. I have never received an acknowledgment of my letter nor any other expression of thanks for sending it or a shred of appreciation for the thoughtfulness I showed. I'm not hurt or wounded, but it is fair to say that I am disappointed. After all, common courtesy and simple decency would have prompted almost everyone else to respond. It shows the warped and twisted thinking that Jehovah's Witnesses have that they can't exhibit the love they claim is the major feature of their religion and personality.
I had hoped that my letter wou0ld also show this man and his family that Witnesses aren't the only people who can do things out of love and altruism. All humans are made in God's image and reflect his qualities. That is something their religion denies. The literature, platform talks, and experiences related in both are quite chauvinistic in this regard. Only Witnesses are really "happy", only Witnesses can express love, kindness, generosity, and other positive qualities to a large degree. But when put to a simple test as this case was, they fail miserably and don't even notice. My being disfellowshipped should have had no bearing on whether I should have received a response to my letter. And I have to wonder how many "worldly" people attended the funeral and expressed sympathies to whom this man returned thanks. This experience has made me all the happier to say that I am no longer one of Jehovah's Witnesses.
Quendi