by LDH 15 Replies latest jw friends
We had quite a bit of wind here last night, and as I was up with the baby and couldn't sleep anyway, I was thinking back to when I was young.
Living on the East Coast, we got some of the MEGA storms that the southwest doesn't usually get, at least not with any regularity.
As a kid, everytime a vicious thunderstorm or violent electric storm started, I would wonder the unimaginable:
I wonder, was I alone?
Lisa
Hey Lisa-
My boyfriend (who never was or will be a witnesse) says everytime something bad happens...like the dog takes a crap inside or the cat knocks something over or there is a storm...CALL THE ELDERS and ask IS IT ARMAGEDDON? He jokes about a mental problem I think we all still deal with...that thought that comes through my mind...maybe they are right and it is Armageddon. But then sanity over conditioning takes over.
Nicole
I remember one time as a child thinking that armageddon was here. We had an amazing thunderstorm, where there would be four bolts of lightning striking at once. I've never seen anything like it since. I remember staying up all night, sitting in the dark too afraid to sleep thinking it was armaggedon.
LDH,
Not only JWs think like that when a Natural Disaster occurs. In the West Coast, when a Big Earthquake occurs, people from all creed (even JWs) would think it's Armageddon. So LDH, don't feel bad if you're the only who feels that way. It happens to everyone.
Ajax,
Thx dude, but I *DON'T* feel that way anymore. What I was referring to is the unnatural fear that children (and you might have apoint there--ALL CHILDREN) fear is Armegeddon.
Myself, I currently believe that we live on an active living breathing planet, and the force of nature may or may not wipe me out on any given day. The odds that during my 70-80 years I will meet up with some particularly nasty violent weather are VERY GOOD, wouldn't you say?
Lisa
Lisa, I guess it's somewhat common to view a storm as apocolyptic to sme degree; and when one is influenced to view the world's end as imminent, it may well be that they look at a notable storm or other natural catastrophe as being Armageddon.
Once, before a meeting for field service, a ministerial servant made a comment about a recent snowstorm, saying that snow storms were a "sign of the times". I don't know which Bible he was reading, lol, since no mention is made of snowstorms as being part of the sign of the last days.
Once, when I was about 7 or 8, we came home from a district assembly. That night, the power went off, and I looked out the window, but because of a full moon, the yard was lit up almost like day.
Now, for a seven year old, who has just been through a four day indoctrination session, the combination of a power outage and a rather unusual natural scene was just too much. I was sure it was
Armageddon. It was rather disappointing.
Now, I fully expect the Society to declare that Armageddon is symbolic and has already happened.
Definitely, you're not alone. When I was 8, I saw an F18 jet flying near of our home and I thought that the big A was coming. Also, everytime that there was a war somewhere in the world, my dad was telling me that Armageddon was coming and I had the fear that I wouldn't be able to enter in the paradise because I wasn't baptized. Today, I'm glad that I never got baptized.
We become more attuned to the human condition when we recognize that God is not going to fix our problems.
That thought always popped into my head when a bad storm hit. My mom would say half jokingly "Oh no it's armageddon!"
I had a recurring nightmare when I was younger, where it would be storming really badly and the sky would be dark and to escape the storm I would run into this big catholic church, the door would slam behind me and then I would be locked inside this church during what turned out to be armageddon.
bw
Everything secret degenerates, even the administration of justice; nothing is safe that does not show how it can bear discussion and publicity. Lord Acton 1834-1902
How you doin' Lisa?
Do you remember one of the final pictures in the yellow book (Biblical studies)? It was the one where Jesus and all his angels were one their horses and all had swords and the swords seem to give off a beam of light and they were riding on top of a cloud?
Well when I was about 10, my sister's' and I were getting ready to go to the Tuesday night meeting when I decided to look out of the window.
It was about 6:30pm and since it was summertime, there was still light out. Well I looked up and I swear that that image was overhead. I could not see the "angels" but It was the only huge cloud in the sky and it had all these light beams coming out from every angle. The cloud was thick too, just like in the book.
I tell you Lisa, I was scared to death. My sisters also thought that that was "the end" of things we were all trying to be good and cooperating with our mother. We were seriously expecting the big "A" to start momentarily. It never did of course but I can still see that image in my mind...It was very scary.
At least for a ten year old.
Mav.-
