Probably a dumb question. (page 2)

DanTheMan

This sort of shit makes me so mad I can hardly think straight. Chasing down a 42 year old who they haven't seen in 17 years to blackmail and threaten them over a decision they made, under pressure, as a 13 year old. Gotta love the Watchtower. If there is a firey hell, it must be for people like this.

If you have been reading a lot of the posts here, you may have seen this post by Amazing about passive resistance -

http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/forum/thread.aspx?id=36328&site=3

Unfortunately, they may just go ahead and announce you as being disassociated. This is becoming more common, from what I understand.

SYN

Hi Elsie, you may find this useful:

http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/forum/thread.aspx?id=34583&site=3

els

Dantheman, Good math skills. Yeah, baptized at 13, like anyone knows what they're doing at 13.

Swan, Neither of my kids is baptized. Sean, who is younger probably doesn't even remember going to meetings. I have never even studied with either of them. I guess I just let them form their own opions about God and everything else because I was always told what to believe. And guess what they are both wonderful people. The funny thing is that a couple weks before I told them about Sean my sister was telling me how she and my parents thought my kids were the most respectful of all the grandchildren, there are 12 in all. Then my mother goes and says that she WAS proud of him. Well you can't be proud of someone without giving credit to the morals that make them the way they are. By that point Sean had been doing Army Reserve weekends for 6 months and that had alot to do with who he is now.

About the elders or whatever they were showing up here, I wasn't really surprised but at the same time I was. I don't think my parents ever told their elders that we did birthdays and christmas but I'm not sure. I really didn't think they were going to tell about this. So I wonder, did they tell their elders and they contacted the elders in my old congregation, which is maybe 10 miles from theirs or did they go to mine directly. I suspect they went to theirs, they are really close with almost everyone there. So if it is being passed between congregations what does that mean? I guess time will tell.

els

MYOHNSEPH

This thing about allowing someone of thirteen or younger to get baptized always bothered me, even when I was an elder. The question that always came to my mind was, what if a couple of these same kids came and asked to get married in the Kingdom Hall? I've never know an elder who would have encouraged or condoned someone entering into marriage at thirteen or younger, but wouldn't blink an eye at the same child taking, what is said to be, the most important step of their life. At least there are acceptable ways to get out of a bad marriage. But once you're dunked, you're sunk!

And by the way, I'm new here too and I'm still working on some of the lingo too!

Dismembered

Welcome Els

patio34

Hi Els,

I wondered the same thing a year and a half ago! And asked too. Nice to have you visiting and conversing with us!

Pat

Swan

Dear Elsie,

Swan, Neither of my kids is baptized. Sean, who is younger probably doesn't even remember going to meetings. I have never even studied with either of them. I guess I just let them form their own opions about God and everything else because I was always told what to believe. And guess what they are both wonderful people. The funny thing is that a couple weks before I told them about Sean my sister was telling me how she and my parents thought my kids were the most respectful of all the grandchildren, there are 12 in all. Then my mother goes and says that she WAS proud of him. Well you can't be proud of someone without giving credit to the morals that make them the way they are. By that point Sean had been doing Army Reserve weekends for 6 months and that had alot to do with who he is now.

If your son was never baptized then they can't disassociate him. He may be a disapproved associate, but that means that your relatives can talk to him, but they may indivdually keep him marked, and be careful around him. That is my understanding. They cannot disfellowship you for supporting your son. (Well they can, but they will have a hard time defending that position.) You can always defend your position by saying that he wasn't baptized, he joined, and I support him in his decision because he is my son and I love him. They can't argue with that.

It sounds like you still want to talk to your relatives, so don't disassociate from the JWs. It means everything to them and you have nothing to gain by it. Don't play by their rules on this one. You may want to play by their rules on other things to keep from being disfellowshipped. What I mean by this is don't admit to Xmas, birthdays, anything like that. Only talk about your son. Tell them that you support your son. You support his decisions because he is your son. You never joined the military, so it isn't your decision. Use the link on passive resistance posted above. It gives you every advantage and puts an extreme burden of proof on them.

Good luck. I hope you can pull it off. We are always here to help you through this.

Tammy

DakotaRed

Elsie, my hats off to your son for joining the military today and to you for supporting him.

As far as any relatives who shun you or try to DF you for it, screw 'em. Maybe they need to realize that they enjoy their freedoms because of men and women like your son who are willing to fight for them, even though they denigrate them for doing so.

Just tonight I received this in my email from some old Army buddies;

"DO NOT FORGET"

I sat in a movie theater watching "Schindler's List," asked myself, "Why
didn't the Jews fight back?"
Now I know why.
I sat in a movie theater, watching "Pearl Harbor" and asked myself, "Why
weren't we prepared?"
Now I know why.
Civilized people cannot fathom, much less predict, the actions of evil
people.
On September 11, dozens of capable airplane passengers allowed themselves
to be overpowered by a handful of poorly armed terrorists because they did
not comprehend the depth of hatred that motivated their captors.
On September 11, thousands of innocent people were murdered because too many
Americans naively reject the reality that some nations are dedicated to the
dominance of others. Many political pundits, pacifists and media personnel
want us to forget the carnage. They say we must focus on the bravery of the
rescuers and ignore the cowardice of the killers. They implore us to
understand the motivation of the perpetrators. Major television stations
have announced they will assist the healing process by not replaying
devastating footage of the planes crashing into the Twin Towers.
I will not be manipulated.
I will not pretend to understand.
I will not forget.
I will not forget the liberal media who abused freedom of the press to kick
our country when it was vulnerable and hurting.
I will not forget that CBS anchor Dan Rather preceded President Bush's
address to the nation with the snide remark, "No matter how you feel about
him, he is still our president."
I will not forget that ABC TV anchor Peter Jennings questioned President
Bush's motives for not returning immediately to Washington, DC and
commented, "We're all pretty skeptical and cynical about Washington."
And I will not forget that ABC's Mark Halperin warned if reporters weren't
informed of every little detail of this war, they aren't "likely-nor should
they be expected-to show deference."
I will not isolate myself from my fellow Americans by pretending an attack
on the USS Cole in Yemen was not an attack on the United States of America.
I will not forget the Clinton administration equipped Islamic terrorists and
their supporters with the world's most sophisticated telecommunications
equipment and encryption technology, thereby compromising America's ability
to trace terrorist radio, cell phone, land lines, faxes and modem
communications.
I will not be appeased with pointless, quick retaliatory strikes like those
perfected by the previous administration.
I will not be comforted by "feel-good, do nothing" regulations like the
silly "Have your bags been under your control?" question at the airport.
I will not be influenced by so called," antiwar demonstrators" who exploit
the right of _expression to chant anti-American obscenities.
I will not forget the moral victory handed the North Vietnamese by American
war protesters who reviled and spat upon the returning soldiers, airmen,
sailors and Marines.
I will not be softened by the wishful thinking of pacifists who chose
reassurance over reality.
I will embrace the wise words of Prime Minister Tony Blair who told Labor
Party conference, "They have no moral inhibition on the slaughter of the
innocent. If they could have murdered not 7,000 but 70,000, does anyone
doubt they would have done so and rejoiced in it?
There is no compromise possible with such people, no meeting of minds, no
point of understanding with such terror. Just a choice: defeat it or be
defeated by it. And defeat it we must!"
I will force myself to:

hear the weeping
feel the helplessness
imagine the terror
sense the panic
smell the burning flesh
experience the loss
remember the hatred.

I sat in a movie theater, watching "Private Ryan" and asked myself, "Where
did they find the courage?"
Now I know.
We have no choice. Living without liberty is not living.
Ed Evans, MGySgt., USMC (Ret.)
Not as lean, Not as mean, But still a Marine.
Keep this going until every living American has read it and memorized it so
we don't make the same mistake again

Hold your head high and be proud of him.

Lew W

els

dakotared, Thank you. I am going to print that for my son. I am so tired of hearing that Jehovah will take care of the evils in this world. Well what the hell is he waiting for? Only an evil God could be looking down and watching and doing nothing.

els

ugg

nice to meet you...welcome and share anything you wish...

Probably a dumb question.

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