Me And You, And Auntie Lou too.

by Englishman 4 Replies latest jw friends

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  Englishman

  Would it be ethical for me to give a close relative a “good hearty shove” to distance them from JW`s?

  A close relative of mine, lets call her “Auntie Lou”, has been a devout witness for over 50 years. Now when I say devout, I mean a blind, unquestioning obedience to the WTBTS. Never a meeting missed, vacation pioneer extraordinaire, Auntie Lou loves her brothers and sisters and talks to her Jehovah every few minutes, thanking him for all his blessings and undeserved loving kindness.

  In the last 3 or 4 years, Auntie Lou`s life has changed somewhat. She goes dancing regularly, frequents concert halls to listen to her beloved Beethoven and has actively begun to seek out my company even though she should avoid me as a DF`d person. Now she`s even begun to talk about accompanying my family on our annual holiday to Madeira. In short, she doesn`t seem to be quite as bound to the JW`s as she used to be.

  I`ve been putting 2 + 2 together, and I think that this all stems back to the change in the 1914 doctrine, I think that she`s rattled by it and wondering whether or not the society is as trustworthy as she once thought, so I`m tempted to point out to her some of the 60`s Watchtower articles that have now been proved to be false prophecy. She has a vast library of literature that she has refused to give to the KH, so I would only need to ask her to check out, say, 5 or 6 of these references.

  The difficulty is, that I think she would be totally devastated if her doubts were to be confirmed at her age (80), also, her whole social life revolves around her life with her brothers and sisters, and I have to ask myself: What purpose would be served by sabotaging Auntie Lou`s beliefs at this time in her life? She would certainly lose all her friends that she hold so dear to her.

  The unworthy thought has also occurred to me, that I could finish up being very responsible for Auntie Lou; do I want this? Would it be better, in this instance, to leave well alone, and desist from precipitating Auntie Lou`s exit from dub-dom? I`d be very interested to hear what others think about this.

  Englishman.
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  mommy

  Englishmen,
  Wow she frequents dance halls at 80 years old! That is wonderful I have given much thought about this also, concerning my family. My mother had polio as a child and has a crippled foot, her main reason for being in the org(imo) is the promise that she will walk again. Her whole life revovles around it. I feel my mom needs this org as it gives her a promise of a better life, and I am willing to keep my mouth shut so she can retain her "psuedohappiness" On the other hand my sister is a young mother of 2 children,and the org was draining the life out of her. So much responsibility, turning down good job offers,constant pressures and demands from elders to "be more, do more" I saw her spiraling into a deep depression. I helped ease her way out of the org, and she is a different person for it.
  So I think you really have to look individually and see what is best for each individual. It sounds like your aunt is having a good time with her life. As far as you being responsible for her NO that is jw mindset, imo. Who are you answering to? God can read hearts and if in her heart she is deleriously happy with the org and is following them with all she has, do you think he is going to condemn her? I don't and I don't feel he will condemn you for realizing your aunt needs the org. It is a tough one though, I agree and I have spent many hours in prayer over these issues. I wish you the best on your decision.
  wendy
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  unclebruce

  G'day zev,

  I've just spent some time trying to find what you want with no success. It is late and I have to retire but here is a link to a few good articles by some of the H2O guys. With any luck the 'generation change' will be somewhere here. If I find it you will be the first to know (my computer crashed at xmas and I lost a lot of stuff)

  happy hunting, unclebruce.

  http://www.geocities.com/osarsif/index2.htm
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  ianao

  Would it be better, in this instance, to leave well alone, and desist from precipitating Auntie Lou`s exit from dub-dom?

  Yes, I believe it would be better, IMO.
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  zev

  I`ve been putting 2 + 2 together, and I think that this all stems back to the change in the 1914 doctrine,

  
  Could you enlighten me as to this change, or direct me to a post about it?
  Thank you.

  __

  zev

  Sitting on the Wrong Side of the Fence Class