Instead of bringing out the negatives about being a Witness, let's relate some good experiences! I'll start. I remember a sister that brought up all her kids up in the "truth" and her husband was very opposed but later he started studying and he even got baptized. None of the kids stayed in and the parents 20 years later got a divorce. But the sister still attends meetings sometimes with her sister-in-law. And anytime her SIL asks her for a ride, she gives her one..........Do you have any other good experiences to relate?
Good Experiences as a Jehovah's Witness
by minimus 49 Replies latest jw friends
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Nosferatu
Sorry Minimus, I'm drawing a blank.
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Elsewhere
During a circuit assembly, I once hid in a stairwell eating a hot burrito and apple danish.
Ahhh, the memories... maybe I'll go back for the burritos and apple danishes... oh wait a minute... they "simplified" those away. Never mind.
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SadElder
Actually I have many fond memories as a JW, but most relate to good times with people not Org related mumbo jumbo. Unfortunately those experiences are more in the past than recent.
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cruzanheart
Oh, I have plenty of good memories, mostly from my childhood! I remember picnics at the beach in St. Croix, nothing formal, where somebody out in service that Saturday morning would say, hey, let's get together this afternoon, and by about 2:00 p.m. Cramer's Park or Sandy Point would be full of Witnesses bearing beer, iced tea, fried chicken, goat stew, salads, and lots of laughter and good times. The only bad memory of those picnics was the day that one of our friends went snorkeling after lunch and never returned. No one went home until after midnight when the Coast Guard gave up the search. We think he had a heart attack while in the water or was attacked by sharks after venturing out too far. That was a sad day, but, again, I remember the entire island of Witnesses standing together on that one to give support for his widow and to just be where they were needed.
I hated to see that family feeling disappear into the cold automatons that make up my Texas experience of Jehovah's Witnesses.
Nina
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Utopian Reformist
I always got choked up during the baptism song 203 and during quick builds. I am almost ashamed of myself, but then I remember the people working so hard and ignorant of the real truth.
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Big Tex
Instead of bringing out the negatives about being a Witness, let's relate some good experiences! I'll start. I remember
There ya go again Minimus, always stirring up trouble, never revealing anything about yourself and constantly looking for only the negative about Jehovah's Witnesses.
Okay, I'll play.
My good memories are also rooted in childhood. I can remember the summer picnics as well. I got to know most of the elders as human beings, I hated it that they quit doing them. I remember one year when we had afternoon meetings and one of the elders went out and bought this new fangled thing called a video tape recorder to tape Dallas Cowboys games. After the meeting a dozen or so brothers would go over to his house to watch the game. I learned to like beer doing that.
I remember no one could put me to sleep faster in a convention than Knorr. He wouldn't be out of his first sentence before I was out. Freddie Franz also caused drowsiness but he'd wake me up with, "The fear inspiring day of JEHOOOOOOOOOOOOOVAH". They said stuff like that a lot back then. One of my best memories of my family is around a 5 day convention in 1978. I think that was the first year of the "fast food" at conventions (hoagies, Shasta, etc.) and we manned one of the concession stands. Kind of pathetic that was a good memory, huh?
I remember going out in service with Guila McDonald, the elderly sister who taught me everything I know about the Bible. It was great listening to her an talking with her about life, the universe and the restaurant at the end of it. She was the first person in my life who was truly kind to me, and I think that had a lot to do with how I viewed the Witnesses. But I stayed true to what she taught me: never believe anything in the Watchtower until you read all the scriptures; question everything and Jehovah will give you the answer; and never forget these are very imperfect men, they are not prophets no matter what they say.
When the time came, and I was confronted with the evil 2 witness rule, her philosophy gave me courage. She helped me then, though she never knew it.
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minimus
Big Tex, You ALWAYS make me chuckle. So far, we can think about good childhood memories. That's a good start. There must be some good adult memories too, right?.....Minimus, who is. working on revealing more of himself to those who no ears and nothing in between them.
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OHappyDay
I remember best those brief, ill-fated days when there was the barest opening toward humanizing the Organization, being more concerned with people than with counting time, and when "sacred service" was broadened to embrace more than merely knocking on doors. Sadly, unfortunately, it was not long before that bright light was snuffed out and strict devotion to the Organizational treadmill was reinstated.
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minimus
That's a great example of how well the organization CONTROLS people. One day you can help the elderly, sick and needy because it's part of our "sacred service" to God. Then a new ruling is made cancelling that thought and all of a sudden, just like that, the emphasis is back on knocking on doors and ringing bells.