by MoeJoJoJo 16 Replies latest jw friends
The one elder has always been among the two that stop by, but each time he has brought a different elder with him.
Yup, almost always the PO leading the assult team. They'll keep calling and stopping by until they get the answer they want.
While being DA and cut off from your family sounds harsh, the one post about "the first day of your life" is 100% true. Something about being DA's because of standing up for yourself is so powerful.
Dear MoeJo
I suggested not answering the door but.....he did.
Perhaps you need to remind your husband that what they are doing is almost trespassing. And perhaps giving them, (any uninvited person) a "taste of the medicine" we all have received over the years in our attempts to place the W&A is what they need. I've done this HIDE & DO NOT answer the door. They will leave. Pretend it's Halloween when those elder-goblins show up and just don't answer the door.
I hope it helps
Dismembered but not offically Dismembered
Edited by - Dismembered on 14 October 2002 15:9:45
Edited by - Dismembered on 14 October 2002 15:17:53
Hi MoeJoJoJo,
The main reason why we leave the WT organization is because we want to be FREE from this mind controlling cult.
However, if you have to go under ground ,so to speak, hide what you think and feel...hide in your own home when the elders come.If your are willing to give up your most fundamental right,freedom of speech...the freedom to follow your conscious freely...the freedom to express your beliefs openly.If you are willing to leave in some sort of fear for the rest of your life so you can maintain a relationship with your extended family,a relationship that will not be free as you'll always have to hide from them what you really feel or think,at least to some extent....then you are not free from what you want to be free from...In a sense you are still in that Cult...you are still controlled by it.
There is only one way to be completely free from that control...completely free to express our thoughts,feelings and beliefs and that way is to DISASSOCIATE ourselves from this cult..ONLY then there is real freedom from it.
Of course , the choice is yours what you want more.
One suggestion is , if possible why not talk to your extended family about your feelings...you never know what you may find there.
Personally I have very little time for anyone especially friends and family members who will not talk to me only because my beliefs are not in total harmony with theirs.
ELON14
God has always used an organization that's in heaven! None on earth have ever been perfect.
An organization led by pedophile-lovers and pedophiles etc is not of Jehovah God!
Even when a human organization was active in worship it was a confederation of 12 tribes in Israel's case (independent but cooperative) and a confederation of independent but cooperative house-churches/congregations for earliest Christianity.
Watchtower as with Rome is a top-down structure; earliest Christianity and most Protestant churches have used a down-upwards structure to permit maximum Christian freedom as granted at Romans 14:6.
Dear MoeJoJoJo.....
My wife and I are in a similar predicament. We have faded away, and have gotten lot's of calls from the elders (we have caller ID and don't answer) and they have come by our house several times, but we haven't been home. What irritates the HELL outta me is they always do it out in service because it's convenient for them since they are already dressed up, and...they get to keep their time going since they really don't want to go door to door...so it gives them an excuse not to. (Hey...let's go call on brother and sister so-and-so since we haven't seen them for a while) But my wife and I have family in the org, so we will never DA ourselves. I realize at some point, I will have to let our family know that we don't attend anymore (they still don't know yet) But my wife and I have talked in great length about what we will say, and we are basically going to say that we are just tired, we're mentally burned out, and suffering from depression. And that if things ever change, we'll be contacting YOU! (I'll let you know how it goes when we finally tell them) But we feel this is the best way. We'll still be able to have contact with out family, and hopefully they'll leave us alone. I know in your circumstances it might be a little too late for this, but try and make the best of it. Remember, only you can control your life, not anyone or any religion.
Metatron, old friend, you said that "Tell them you were wrong and you're just suffering from depression. Add a doctor's note , if needed.
Throw in some articles in the magazines about how depressed people engage in 'wild talk'. Do not DA yourself. Warn them (very kindly) that you don't want any legal action to come against the elders for harassing people who are suffering illness. Do not converse about any doubts or scandals you hear about on the internet. You're simply depressed, that's all."
Beautiful, Metatron, just beautiful!
My hubby says he appreciates all of the comments.
metatron: He says it might be too late in his case, but you never know.
I think I said before what the elders said they will read to the congregation if that was their decision. Something like "_____ _____ no longer wants to be recongnized as a JW". So we are thinking that he will be treated as a DA person, am I wrong does anyone know? Have you ever heard a letter read like that in your congregation? I've only heard the letters that state so-and-so has disassociated themselves.
Elon: I liked your advice and I don't like hiding (and believe me, my husband has not given up his freedom of speech - that's why the elders may soon read a letter to the congregation about him). Its just very hard to be torn two ways.
Where is the justice in all this? Nothing he has told them about their organization has been a lie. They want to get rid of him before he tells the TRUTH about the org. to other members!!
jimbob: I wish you lots of luck. I agree that the slow, quiet fade is the best way to go. When my husband first came out of the org., like many he was angry and didn't think about the consequences of what he was telling the elders.
What irritates the HELL outta me is they always do it out in service because it's convenient for them since they are already dressed up, and...they get to keep their time going since they really don't want to go door to door...so it gives them an excuse not to.
You are so right about that. And I'm sure that those they left out sitting in the car for an hour and a half at my house counted all of their time. We live on a main street in town and when they're going for a coffee break they can just drive by and see if we're home.
