Anyone with Happy Memories from being a JW born in, please post here.... (page 6)

Believe it or not, I actually enjoyed the "gatherings" of my teens. I've read a lot of you guy's posts about not having a social life as a witness, and I'm thankful I didn't have that problem. What the Witnesses lacked in QUALITY social skills, they made up for with quantity lol. I grew up in NW Ohio, and attended inner-city Kingdom Halls. Because our city was so dangerous as respects gang violence and drug use, the "young at heart" elders and the under-35 grownups were good about providing a social outlet for us teens. Our neighborhood had a LARGE concentration of Witnesses, at least a family on every block, so I always had hang-out buddies if I wanted them (when they weren't boring me with their lack of educational goals or career ambition)

The under-21 set in my city had get-togethers all the time. We'd let the elders know what we were doing and when, and a couple of them would usually show up to "chaperone". We'd go skating twice a month at a local rink for R&B night, throw card parties, have board game nights, potlucks, Bible triva nights (which we called...wait for it...."Dub Quiz"). This was back when Chicago and Detroit stepping were becoming popular. There was a brother who had a decent sized basement who would give dance-lesson parties: 45 minutes of instruction followed by about 2 hours of dancing and fellowship. The catch was, if you held/attended a party on a weekend, you went in field service either that morning or that afternoon, to make sure you'd be in the right "mind frame" and were less likely to engage in questionable behavior.

The elders didn't do this, but large groups of young folk would sometimes go to dance clubs, or restaurants with live music, when they first opened for the night and no one else was there (like between 8 and 10pm). We'd dance to our heart's content, and then leave when the regular patrons started coming in and the music started getting raunchy.

Many of us were involved in our school's music programs, so there'd usually be a good turnout if someone had a concert or recital ( our congregations were more liberal, now that i think about it) We all loved to dance, and at congregation picnics, there was usually either a group of boys or girls doing a dance routine they'd prepared before the actual DJ session started. Some of the older friends had formed their own bands and ensembles, and would provide live entertainment of smooth jazz, r&b, concert pieces, and sometimes original spiritual music. I remember most vividly at a friend's graduation party in a nearby michigan city, there was a group doing interpretive dance to some original songs of praise to Jehovah. I was shocked, 'cause I thought Witnesses weren't allowed to praise dance. But the elders ok'd it, saying since it wasn't forbidden in the bible and the dancing/music was tasteful, they couldn't tell someone how to worship. One brother's exact words "Why would I tell her she can't dance for God when I was just doing the Electric Slide?" .:: blink, blink ::

Ah, the good ole' days...before we started to realize what we were being taught...

krejames

This is a tough one because there were many good experiences growing up. Usually social stuff like everyone else - I could never claim that there was never any laughter. Also I remember when I was five and my parents got divorced, we were homeless for well over a year (I think it might even have been two years) and various families willingly let us live with them for varying time periods. I also feel the bible-based upbringing made me a better person than I would otherwise have been - I have always had a bit of a "good-time rebel" streak and I do think the way I was raised made me more considerate and sensitive to other people's feelings. I enjoyed being a MS because I really felt I was helping people at the time and it made me feel better about myself for the first time in my life.

But aside from the individual experiences, I can't say that I was happy overall. Despite the social scene, being a JW is/was a lonely experience. I always felt like a fraud - I didn't connect with the "spiritual superstars" and felt guilty for not being that way inclined myself. I hated assemblies and large congregation "get togethers" (you know the ones that involved hiring the local village hall and everybody doing country dancing lol - I wanted to go clubbing hehe).

In summary I guess I feel pretty neutral with nothing to be particularly bitter about. I still believe that most JWs I knew/know have good intentions. And I'm in a good place now and maybe I wouldn't have reached this point if I hadn't spent most of my life feeling guilty and brainwashed hehe.

gone for good

Band on the Run- I've always enjoyed your comments. You seem to possess much more than one liftimes experience and wisdom. -Thanks

problemaddict

The culture for me was great. I had no issues. Especially when I didn't know what free thinking really was. I am also very fortunate comparred with many here. I didn't start to question things because of a personal bad experience or anything, just because I didn't think some teachings were adding up.

I had good friends, and I took pride in being different (but not too different). I walked the line, but was always on the JW side of it. I became a very good speaker, had no fear of man, and was very good at speaking in public. I had a kind and loving mother, and was at the warm center of a creamy delicious hall. I started screwing around, and having sex. When I did, I dealt with it the way I was taught, and was given lots of chances and lots of kind atttention. It really was the way I think it is supposed to be.

The book studies, the meetings, i really enjoyed them, and wasn't made to fee guilty if I missed one. I still have very good friends from my youth.....some in.....some out.

Now I may feel differently if I ever had to make a decision about blood, or about shunning someone who wasn't a bad person. I just wasn't faced with those hard decisions. I even served in other countreis, and loved it. Once I figured out how much control really was exerted, and eventually was in a position to push back.......then it went to hell. Thanks goodness. The society is the arcitect of its own demise.

Love from SkyGreen

(because finding out TTATT is like waking up one day and seeing that the grass is blue....and the Sky is Green)

Anyone with Happy Memories from being a JW born in, please post here....

perfect1

KitchenWitDinah

krejames

gone for good

problemaddict

Tiktaalik

carla

SkyGreen

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