by professor 25 Replies latest jw friends
I personally think that many go once a year to remind themselves why they left. after attending they are going home with a feeling of confirmation; they were right in their choice to leave.
like...tasting something you know tastes awful just to remind yourself why you dislike it so much.
greven.
I too, have noticed a lot of ex-JWs that will never go to a meeting - but when the Memorial rolls around, they're right there.
I think that people who do that need to re-think something. The JWs are a bit... well, controlling.
I get chills thinking about someday, times will get pretty rough for the WTBTS and they will hold this 'memorial' service. There will be an announcement from the platform that EVERYone will partake of the 'emblems' this time. There will be big burly 'attendants' posted at the doors to prevent anyone from leaving.
Since they all have been pre-conditioned to 'accept' any instructions from their 'governing body', as 'food at the proper time', they will - for the most part, all go along with it. After all... it IS 'new light'.
Of course, you only need to remember a place called Jonestown, and a man named Jim Jones to envision the outcome of such a memorial.
A scary thought.
If anyone reading this still attends the annual memorial service, they seriously need to think about that.
Regards,
Jim TX
Hi Professor:
Is it like going to Church on Easter and Christmas or something?
Exactly!
If so, why do these people even bother?
Same reason that people who go to other churches do. Many are non-Believers who get invited by a persuasive or pleading relative, or the Pastor or Presiding Overseer, or a do-gooder. They cave in to be polite.
Some less active Believers use Easter (or JWs the Memorial) much as others use New Year, as a time to renew their faith and values and make a fresh start.
Finally, some are ill, infirm, or elderly and no one pays much attention to them until special events like Christmas, Easter, New Year, Memorial, etc. Just part of the way things are, and JWs are no different than anyone else in this regard.
I think some people feel that if they attend the Memorial,that's all they have to do to survive Armageddon.("Jehovah wouldn't destroy me,I was counted at the last Memorial".)They may think the ones present are actually the "Great Crowd".Just my opinion.
I personally call that event "The Night We Watch The Bread and Wine Go By." That's one of the things I gave up first when I left was this event. The thought of going into another KH gives me the hives!
I go from time to time because my father asks me to. He doesn't bother me too much about the JW stuff, so it's not too much to ask. And although I live in another city and he has no way of knowing whether I went, I feel obligated to keep my commitment to him. It gives him hope for me. I'll never go back (other than this once-a-year thing) but for him, his mind is a little more at ease.
And to tell the truth, it's semi-enjoyable in a nostalgic sort of way. To hear those lame songs again, to see everybody sit and stand and rip open their bibles all in sync according to the customs. Hey, it's good entertainment. This is, for better or worse, was what I grew up with. It's a part of my youth. It's like spending time in my first grade classroom again. You know so much more now, but this is where you once were. And nobody knows what I once was here either, so I don't get hassled.
I find the talks so disgusting. These people really don't read what was written in the Bible. Or they twist it into something completely different to fit their doctrine. I can't stand that part of it. And I've been tempted to take the wine/bread from time to time. But, it's their party, I can play by their rules.
Oh well, it's only once a year and only if my dad remembers to tell me about it.
-jws
Is it like going to Church on Easter and Christmas or something?
I think it's a little different in that people go to church at christmas more for the tradition of it while JWs seem to go to memorial due to lingering fears of armegedon or family pressures.
Now how the poop did that happen? Gah!...leave my post evil yellow highlight of doom!
Edited cause my post is cursed!
Edited by - Bgurltryal on 3 September 2002 11:46:8
Edited by - Bgurltryal on 3 September 2002 11:47:57
The 15,000,000 plus that attend the Memorial are doing one thing, admitting WT is right. To attend you are agreeing with the ideology and allowing them to put you down just one more time. It is evidence of WT programming in that when they leave they never really leave the feeling that all JWs are right and they better make a showing to stay in their good graces. The Memorial is the greatest salute to cult mind control and provides evidence of how it works.
Edited by - messenger on 3 September 2002 12:25:18
Tres calls it
personally call that event "The Night We Watch The Bread and Wine Go By."
that's great tres, I love that name, so appropriate!
All replies echo what I feel about this meeting too.
See, I was thinking about bringing some winos with me to the memorial. Seeing that to me, it would only be worth going to if we could get the party started right. See, I missed last memorial, being DFed. But I thought to myself, "Okay, we have alcohol, a sound system and a large building at our disposal once a year. It's party time baby!!". So, I was thinking, you know, invite a load of people, including a few winos. The alcohol is already there. And there's already food in case anyone gets the munchies. All I have to do is bring some good music to dance to (Kingdom Melodies just don't cut it). Maybe we could also have a punk rock band there performing on the podium. And I could invite Bub. Me and Bub go way back. He's my roomie in hell. Me and Bub (Beelzebub) are tight. So what do you think?? DJ-ing and live music, heavy alcohol consumption and crackaz. Think they'd go for it?? The attendance would be high so the numbers would look good. Oh, and everyone consuming alcohol there would be considered "anointed".
