00Dad -- your post(s) break my heart…. I am so sad and frustrated with you at having to go through being shunned by your own children.
To think that once upon a time I used to be as blind and believed everything the GB/FDS/WTS ever said. :(
One can only hope that your children will eventually come to their senses!
It sounds like you're trying to remain calm and reasonable, and that is a very good thing. If they see you become angry at their "stand", it may only serve to alienate them further and convince them even more in their mind that "you have been over-reached by Satan…" *ugh*, I know. :(
It seems that JWs as a whole are very frightened of anger. At all the meetings, assemblies, conventions, etc., everyone is quiet, organized, directed, shunted here and there, all speaking in agreement, all smiling, all friendly, all nice. And there's a lot of comfort in that. I used to find it comforting. It is nice having peace and orderliness… a sense of belonging, a feeling that you really do have a "world-wide brotherhood". So there's a LOT to contend with when dealing with any JW when it comes to leaving that nice, secure place.
But the MENTAL BLINDNESS is so frustrating! It's almost impenetrable.
May I share an experience…? It shames me to this day. :(
Once upon a time, when I was a zealous dubbie, full of self-righteousness (only I didn't recognize it as such of course!), zeal, the whole and total indoctrinated JW-ishness way of being -- there was a time when people delivered things like bread and milk to your home. My "bread-man" just happened to be a JW, who had gotten himself DF'd.
But for the longest time, I did not know this. So I was always polite to him, asking about his day, and he was always friendly and good to our family. He would even give us discounts on older bread and do other many nice things for us. Then one day in field-service, someone mentioned that our bread-man was DF'd.
I was shocked! It seemed like he suddenly grew horns on his head. Such a "nice" person couldn't really be nice! He must have some hidden agenda somewhere, he must surely be lurking in some way to destroy my faith at any moment. I knew immediately that I must tell him never to come to our home again, even if our contact was only business. (I was a very strict dubbie… it makes me physically ill to remember this now…. :(
I will never forget what happened. He came to our door, as usual, on his weekly bread-delivery route. He was his usual, friendly smiling self. I was my super-strict, frowning, self-righteous, critical, judgmental JW self. --Yes, this is hard to write. :(
I waited until I'd gotten our bread delivery and paid him. Then I said, "Well, I guess this will be our last bread delivery."
He looked surprised and asked, "Oh, are you moving?"
And I puffed up with full JW righteousness and said my stupid, cruel, heartless spiel. "No, but we're Jehovah's Witnesses, and we can't have any dealings with you henceforth." Something stupid and brainless like that. Chills me now to think I spoke to this kind man that way.
But I remember HIS REACTION, and in my JW mind, it confirmed all the worst I'd ever heard about DF'd people and apostate people. He looked at first so shocked and hurt, then anger came over his face. He actually stumbled as he turned in his hurry to leave (no doubt to stop himself from saying something horrid to me). He sort of crashed his way into his bread truck and I could tell he was furious and that I'd hurt him.
At the time, did I feel remorse? Did I run to tell him, "I'm so sorry, please forgive me…" Oh no, of course not. That would be weakness. That would be acting like a decent, loving, compassionate human being. I actually felt a SELF-RIGHTEOUS piety, like I had totally done the right thing in being "faithful" to my God. His anger only confirmed to me that he was indeed, a terrible person deep inside. His friendliness was only a facade.
So, 00dad, you surely don't deserve to be treated the way your children are treating you. But they are lost to the WT right now…. things that helped me finally wake up was the society's own duplicity, lies, hypocrisy, doctrine changes, and yes, cruelty to DF'd persons. I hope your children come to their proper senses and will eventually see through the mean, unloving, and extreme teachings of the WTS. Hang in there.... keep hoping.... don't let it eat you up too much...
I sure wish there was an easy way to "turn on the light!" for them.
Love, Muddy