What's The Worst Pressure You Endured Because You Were A JW? (page 2)

DFWnonJW

hey jws....I think we met in Dallas at the Afest. Too bad we didn't get to chat about the KMS horrors then.

I was about 7 when I was asked if I wanted to join and I didn't even know what it was really. But, you know how it is when you have an elder and your mom standing over you with "that" look and you KNOW there is only ONE correct answer. I was probably the shyest of kids also and with my mom writing my talks and inserting words/phrases I had no clue about, well, I was a train wreck waiting to happen. Embarrased isn't the word - losing your place and stumbling along trying to get through it while the whole room laughs at you does not exactly fill you with confidence.

Then there's the flag salute thing. I don't think anyone's mentioned that yet. Stuck between your "beliefs" and teachers almost yelling threatening that everyone "had BETTER salute the flag...even if you are a Jehovah's Witness". All the kid's that had to endure that terror of being stuck between the immediate threats of teachers and the impending threats of god. What a life eh?

Overall, just being a witness kid was the worst pressure imaginable. Having to be so different and stand up for things that we couldn't really understand. Y'all know what I mean I think.

SheilaM

The worst pressure for me was trying to inforce the holidays with my kids, I wasn't raised a witness so here I was telling my kids there was no Santa while waking up Christmas morning I would pray the damn geezer was real just so I'd be wrong. THE WORST was walking into my daughters school in first grade and seeing her singing Christmas carols I had to reprimand her, she was wrongI felt like a horrible horrible Mom the look on her lil face haunts me still and she has NEVER forgotten that incident <I SUCK>

Francois

The worst pressure I had to endure while a JW?

Trying to keep it in my pants when there were so many demands to whip it out. (Sorry ladies). I frequently succumbed. In fact, as many times as possible of an evening

francois

ISP

Preparing a No1 assignment in the song which i had forgotten about. Actually this became a recurrent nightmare for a while, no joke!

ISP

minimus

Blackout, Having to tell your disfellowshipped father that he no longer exists but now your real and only Father is Jehovah, is a terrible sin. God NEVER would want us to not honor our father and mother. I felt terrible for the burden that you carried for so many years. All I can say is that those Pharisees are DISGUSTING!

Big Tex

This is a no-brainer for me. Everything I did as a Witness I did because I wanted to, not because someone pressured into doing (or not doing) it. That is, until the day I came forward with the accusations of incest and child abuse. Then there was tremendous pressure to just shut up.

Every elder in my congregation came over to my house to "encourage" me. "Throw your burden on Jehovah. Wait on Jehovah. You're seeking vengence. Justice is just another name for vengence. You have no faith. This happened a long time, why bring it up now?" Yadda yadda yadda.

All they wanted was for me to shut up or go away. I didn't do one, but I certainly did the other.

Blueblades

Many months of intense pressure from the BOE'S. and the C.O.See JOB 33:7.This was while I was serving and they wanted to remove me.I'm not at liberty to go into the details at this time.However, I will say this much ,it had nothing to do with any wrong doing on my part.

Imagine trying to do the second school,conduct the WT.book study,give public talks etc.While they were plotting your removal! Intense pressure to say the least!

The family and many friends were the reasons I kept at it until I finally caved in and stepped down.Many tears were shed when I did so.

Now that I'm no longer serving and inactive they want me back,they miss me! They want me to be an elder again.I wonder why?No thanks! The damage is done.

Blueblades

beepers

When I was pregnant with my daughter. The Elders tried to convince me that it was best not to let my babys father see her after she was born. Even as "mind clouded" as I was I knew that just wasn't right. So I fought them, and fought them, until I just started to drift away.

Amy

minimus

Blue, aren't they unbelievable? They plot to get rid of you, then they pretend they want you back (so they can give you some more sheet). I remember when I was a PO many years ago, and I did just about everything in the Hall, that some complainers would try to find fault and demoralize you. I left that congregation very suddenly, under fire. They kept telling me that they wanted me to come back and make things right with them (accept their form of discipline). I said to myself, "screw them". The only reason they wanted me was to justify their going after me. Funny, the main elder that went after me, apologized for it a few years later and said I was always welcomed to come back and "give a talk". I did. It was, "Do you harbor resentment or do you forgive?" A few of those elders squirmed a bit. It was a triumphant return.

Mulan

This will sound silly, after all the very serious comments here. But for me, the most pressure was getting those pioneer hours in. If all I had to get was 70 hours, like it is now, it would have been so easy. I'm surprised they don't have a huge increase in pioneers.

That time card tormented me.

What's The Worst Pressure You Endured Because You Were A JW?

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