Mulan, I think pioneers did get the most pressure, especially in the old days. Those hours and placements were necessary quotas. There was nothing worse than having the service committee need to talk to you about why you haven't been up to par. Imagine Jesus asking the disciples if they turned their slips in. Or asking if they put in their 100 hours this month.....SO UNCHRISTIAN!
What's The Worst Pressure You Endured Because You Were A JW?
by minimus 29 Replies latest jw friends
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rocketman
The pressure for me was mostly internal. The constant grind. Trying to prepare for meetings, attend them, have a family study, get 10-plus hrs in service, handle judicial matters, do shepherding, be an "avid" Bible student....the list seemed endless. I realized finally that I had no life of my own.
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greven
1) Pressure to show interested while being totally bored.
2) Pressure to go in field service eventhough I am a shy person and did not see why we had to do this so ineffective way of proselatizing(sp?) in the information age.
3) Pressure to study my watchtower in advance and use an hour or more to do so (usually took me 15 min at best). I did not like to do this because this left me with totally nothing to do during the meeting and becoming totally bored as a result. Which in turn led to problem 1) .
4) Pressure to tell people I was one of 'hovas. I avoided this as the plague.
5) Pressure to listen to puffed up elders that think they have the right to dictate your life while they don't have any.
6) Pressure to connect with the youth 'inside' eventhough most of them were complete intellectual zombies. The ones that were interesting were deemed bad association or wordly. Strange how all my best friends were non-jw's. Got me thinking.
7) Pressure to conform to local unwritten rules.
8) Pressure to hold really interesting questions.
The whole basis of this religion is pressure. That is why it is a cult.
Greven
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xjw_b12
Hey Minimus. Must have been a lot of satisfaction giving that talk "Do you harbor resentment or do you forgive?" . But of course you don't harbor any resentment do ya ?!
The worst pressure I felt was in grade school K-8. I attended 5 different schools in 9 years, and every time I moved to a new school, it was mid term, so not only did I have to endure, the start of the new school year, and explain to the teacher that I was a JW and I would not be participating in the opening exercises, holidays etc., I occasionally had to go through that twice in a year.
It made me physically sick, and Mom knew that, and many times in the younger grades she would accompany me to school, and explain it to the teachers and principal. ( Love ya Mom ). But when I got into the senior years, I was expected to do it myself. And to top it off for most of those 9 years there were not any other jws in my school, let alone my classroom, so I was treated like a freak !
But you know what they say....Will it make any difference 5 years from now...10 years...15 years...yeah I made it..I'm OK now...I think.
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minimus
xjw---of course I harbor no resentment to those rotten dirty bastards. Greven, very good summary!
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Matty
It sure was tough being a child growing up in a Witness family; many people here have pointed to their ruined childhood as an example and I'm certainly no exception. I remember my stomach being constantly in knots wondering when the next beating from the school bullies was coming from, in a tough inner London school you aren't allowed to be "different". Trying to learn and cope with all the pressures at school and having to fit in meetings and ministry is just too much for any child - whilst at the same time having parents that were totally disinterested in my education and couldn't care less whether I got any qualifications or not, well, it certainly didn't help.
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Red
Hi everyone, I am new to the board. I have been looking alot at the discussions the last few months, but this is the first time I have replied.
Some of the worst pressures I felt were dealing with my children. I have 3 beautiful girls--and it is tough making sure ALL 3 of them had dresses, tights, hair all prettied up...(I know it sounds trivial, but it was a lot of pressure and stress), just making it to the meetings 3 times a week plus field service-- I was a nervous wreck. And not to mention I had to work full time plus keep the home in order--you know setting the good "christian" example for my neighbors. Also felt a lot of pressure of trying to make my kids behave during the meetings. Being a JW is the most exhausting thing I ever experienced.
I also dreaded having the "talk" with the teachers at school about why my daughter wasn't going to participate in certain things. I remember picking up my daughter early one day because they were getting ready to have a halloween party, and could just see all the glares from other parents and teachers. But the look on her face when she knew she had to leave (thinking about it now) just rips my heart in two!! I still feel so horrible that I made my child go through that the first few years of her school years!
Thank God, I came to my senses!!
Looking forward to becoming more involved in this board, you guys have kept me pretty entertained lately!!
Red
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Matty
Welcome (((Red))), great to see you here.
It's a very sad and tiring life for many sisters looking after their children as they feel the heavy burden of responsibility placed upon them by the Watchtower teachings and constant comparisons with other children in the congregation.
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Blueblades
Minimus, perfect talk to give I'm suprised they let you get away with that one! When I gave talks I used to focus in on the elders and they did not like that at all! I used to give a lot of praise to the rank and file and tell the elders "It's your business to care for the flock". "Is it not your business to know justice?"Micah 3:1 They had a talk with me later about that.I shouldn't put the elders in a bad light in front of the flock.I really touched a nerve !
Blueblades
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minimus
Red, welcome! The truth is you're just supposed to do EVERYTHING and don't even think about it. If anything is out of line, don't worry, it will be brought to your attention. If you were a better parent you would not feel bad for your child. It's your fault that your family is not keeping up in the "truth". DO MORE! If you get depressed, get out of your funk and stop feeling sorry for yourself. How can you expect any blessings from Jehovah with your pathetic attitude?.............I bet you don't miss any of that. I look forward to hearing more from you.