Rude and ignorant.... hmmm
I was mearly expressing my opinion. I said nothing about religion.
God bless you.
Rotary, Lions Club & Kiwanis, etc
by 4thgen 17 Replies latest jw friends
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rebel8
Structured socialization is often a good solution for ex-jws because it's less awkward.
I am in a club and professional orgs, and that's enough for me.
I found Rotary triggering. They prayed and did songs. There was love bombing. There was mandatory attendance--you could only miss a few meetings per year or you'd be terminated. You were pressed to reach out for privileges titles and duties. The meeting was highly structured and in many ways like the weeknight meeting at the kh, except without the jw religion. I know it's not a cult but it just didn't work for me.
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Band on the Run
Interesting. I never heard of any religious connection in these groups where I lived. It might depend upon the particular group. When I lived in the Bible belt, I would purposefully ask if I would be comfortable. I was promised no sermons or prayer. Guess what almost usually happened? I am Christian! How would a Jew or Hindu feel? If Establishment Clause jurisprudence were clear, I would have so many law suits going. Looking back, I don't think my contacts misrepresented.
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rebel8
Many threads I'm reading this morning have random discourtesy. Disappointing.
Anyhoo, Band, I went to a few meetings with the intent to join for professional networking. It started with a prayer and Pledge of Allegiance. The prayer tried to be "non-denominational", but that is not the same as non-religious (when belief in a higher power is professed).
To each, his own.
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4thgen
After lunch, the Rotary meetings do start with in ‘invocation’ and either the pledge of allegiance or a patriotic song. The invocation is similar to those I hear at sporting or other professional networking events. Sometimes it mentions God, other times not….this past week it was an ‘Ode to the Super Bowl‘. It was funny, actually. I don’t say the pledge or bow my head at the prayer. After they get past all that stuff, the meeting begins. Yes, to each his own. I haven't felt pressured....I suppose each club has it's own personality. It is a rough thing trying to build a life without having a clue how to be in the world. For me, (so far) it’s a good fit. I‘m having fun while being of help to others. It’s nice not to have to count hours ;)
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stillin
In another life I would have looked into those clubs. As well as Habitat and book clubs and some of the other great ideas being bantered around here.
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smiddy
The wife & I have tried Probus , Senior Citizens , and U3A in the past with mixed blessings , still havent quite found our niche yet .
smiddy
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lrkr
I was a Rotarian for a while. It was helpful to me to meet and socialize with non-Witnesses. However, the time commitment is oppressive. I got over the prayers, and pledges- it was much lighter than anything JW's ever came up with! And there were lots of agnostics and athiests there too. The impact that Rotary's have is impressive- from campaigns to cure polio to supporting local non-profits to giving out scholarships. I really enjoyed Rotary. Just didnt have the time to commit.