Happy August to you, OTWO!!!!
My August Update
by OnTheWayOut 29 Replies latest jw friends
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nugget
Nice to hear how you are doing. I agree that witnesses are woefully ignorant of their own doctrines and just sleepwalk to the meetings. I think that the writing style and meetings are designed to be repetative and boring so that people just accept what they are told and don't think about their beliefs.
I hope that your wife wakes up eventually life is too precious to waste on slavery to this organisation.
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never a jw
OTWO, I agree, I am Mexican and can confirm your statement. It seems that we are more attached to the belief in supernatural forces that are healing us, savings us from accidents and disease, even killing us to be used as angels. That's why when we switch religions we preserve the strong faith and commitment to those supernatural forces. I can also tell you that here in California, there are lots of Latinos wearing their Sunday's best on a Sunday or a Saturday. If I kept record, I think JW's spend only about 5% or less of the preaching time conversing with a potential convert. The other 95% is spent marching, standing and displaying a magazine quietly, or talking among themselves
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OnTheWayOut
whathappened, I really hope so. I see it as possibly the religion becoming less and less important to her in the next two decades, but never quite letting go. I hope I am wrong, but will settle for retirement with an inactive JW wife.
Xanthippe, yes. There is good news in there. Thanks.
IOML, thanks.
Nugget, thanks for the positive thoughts.
Never a JW, I appreciate the confirmation. I will remember the reasons.
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OnTheWayOut
It was an interesting Sunday. The wife did go to a meeting this morning, but then came home to spend a beautiful Sunday out-of-doors with me. We walked the zoo and the near north area of Chicago. There was a lot of gay couples out dressed provocatively, so we walked around enough to see what was going on. There was a street festival right in "Boy's Town." The wife wanted to go in and check it out. When I say "provocatively" I may be really understating it. So for her to just want to go in, it was unusual. Anyway, we had a good time and were in no hurry to leave.
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Julia Orwell
Thanks for sharing, buddy. That's a really interesting account. Sounds like your wife will get there one day.
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Open mind
Thanks for the update Jerry.
Sounds like there are quite a few good signs youll at least be enjoying retirement with a "low-key" JW, if not completely inactive.
om
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laverite
OTWO,
OMG -- a festival in Boys Town in Chicago. I can imagine how crazy that must have been. You and your wife were surely overdressed for the occassion. LOL. Just kidding. But seriously, I've seen a couple of these festivals and they are crazy. I don't judge. If people want to walk around all naked and stuff and be all hedonistic, it's none of my business.
I wonder if your wife has confirmed through seeing the festival that the JW stereotypes of gay people are very real. Of course, there are usually some truths behind stereotypes. I just wonder if she knows that she's seeing a very small segment of the gay population -- those who live in Boys Town who attend festivals and walk around all naked-like.
I'm gay. I have three kids. I've never walked around naked or even half naked. I'm pretty prudish, even! For me, as a gay person, my life revolves around home, children and pets when I am not working. I wonder if people who see stereotypical examples understand that's just a segment and that it is not representative of everyone who is gay?
BTW OTWO this is an interesting thread! I am surprised your wife wanted to see what the festival was about. Just kind of wondering if she walked away from it with her JW thoughts reinforced.
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OnTheWayOut
Julia, I hope so. My therapist thinks I need to let that go a bit, but she understands why I don't. You all understand also.
OM, that is the current plan. If more, great. If not, it's a cross I gotta bear. (or is that 'bare'?)
Laverite, there's gotta be some confirmation bias going on there. But usually she is really disgusted by such displays. She was fine and even mentioned how so many men were of the right build to go shirtless.
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laverite
OTWO,
Even if she never comes out of the cult (never say never though!!), small steps are good. I've seen some interesting things in my family. I have a couple of JW family members who are FAR more liberal than the rest of my family (who are all UBER!!). When I mention that they are liberal JWs, they say they are offended by that and say they don't know what I am talking about. I call them out on how they aren't typical JWs and are at odds with Watchtower (e.g. they love gay people, love their gay friends, etc.). We have these conversations, with them saying they are offended and me calling them out but no one is actually upset in the least. It's all very friendly and no one gets pissed off.
But back to your wife, little baby steps may ultimately mean more normalcy for you and your marriage, even if she stays a life-long JW. I admire your love for your wife. She is one lucky person indeed.