I know this post is a little different from most, but I was really wanting to know if anyone had ever been bodily persecuted as a J W.
I was . And here is a part of my story. In high school there was this very heavy strong guy and a couple of his henchmen. They called me a Bible Thumper when ever there was no teacher around. One day as I was existing the school door this guy jumped on me and put me to the ground and started punching my face over and over and over again. I was not capable to help myself as the yard was completely empty. He knew I stayed after school for typing practise and geography. So he was lurking around waiting for me to come out in to the yard so he could attack me. I have to tell you that this was by no means the end. Each and every day after classes he was waiting for me at the end of the school fence of the property of the school. Then he would kick and punch me , call me bible tumper and alot of other stuff and then slug my again and again really hard. One day he went deep into his lungs and brought up a huge hork and spit on my face. It was disgusting. He was a pig. I told him to leave me alone and that he was a pig. Then he would punch me over and over again. At school in the morning if he was in the corridor where my locker was he would be right there and then punch me in my spine on the bones and I would land face front into the metal lockers. I was in agony, everyday this went on. I never told my parents until one night he set my coat on fire. Had he not told me that my coat was on fire I would have lost my hair and more than likely get burns to my neck and back of my skull. I was at the end of my ropes. I never did a thing to this guy and his buddies. They just seemed to hate me. I had alot of friends in high school so I couldn't figure out this guys hatred. He of course thought this was all funny and he would laught at me and kick and punch me more.
So when I did tell my parents and showed them my coat my father went ballistic and called the police and he gave me hell for not telling them sooner. Oh well. So the cops came to speak to me about him and I told them what they had been doing to me for months. My father called the principle also and spoke with him and then he called the parents. After he was taken to jail they told me he addmitted to all that he had done to me, he and his friends. They said he will go to a reformatory for young men. I don't know what ever happened after that.
On another occasion I had trouble, t he principle called the Society because I refused to read a book about demonism. He told Bethel it was part of the school cirriculum. ( spelling where is spell check I miss it). The Bethel told him that if I didn't want to read it it was because it was against my bible trained conscious. So Bethel suggested that they could let me read another book and do an oral and written review on it. So the teachers agreed. But they were by no means happy about it as I know this by the way they treated me after it. However when it came time to post the marks they gave me an "f" man I was livid. But my mother and father said it is just the perscution they are metting out to you and you have to accept it. So what else could I do.? Nothing I had to grin and bear it . It was the worst year of high school I ever had. It was shortly after that I left the school all together and started working to pay for pioneering, as the Society said in the 60s we don't need an education we can get it from God;s organization. Don't be a doctor, lawyer, or anything like that as 1975 was comming fast and they needed pioneers and missionaries and special pioneers to serve the congregations to encourage and strengthen one another for the days ahead. So that is what I did, I pioneered and then I moved to serve were the need was great as they say. That is another tale, which I will save for another time.
Well I have to tell you, that it is true what people say who have been physcially hurt, because when I was being punch in my face constantly I prayed to Jehovah for strenght and I never felt any of the punches after the first one.
Over the years of being a Jehovah's witness I counted it an honour to suffer this persectution for the sake of God. I think it helped me to realize that no matter what you choose in life that you can be mocked for your choices, but the outcome is this, that you are a better person for it. I hope you are understanding what I am meaning . As a witness and now not a witness I could still stand up to someone who wanted to do me harm and believe that I could endure it.
I just thought I would share this story with you and wondered if anyone else had ever suffered by someone else.
Love Orangefatcat.
