The Opal Ring: a story based on the true life of Jehovah's Witnesses

by Julia Orwell 30 Replies latest jw friends

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  Oubliette

  Julia,

  I had another thought: I was an elder in the US for over 20 years and I never once heard another elder refer to anything as "the ‘apostasy’ question."

  I heard it asked (and may have even asked it of other), but no one here ever used that term.

  Unless it's different where you are (New Zealand? Australia?), you may just want to have the antagonist, Brother Wanis, ask the question and then have Alfred respond indignantly, "How dare you question my loyalty after all my years of faithful service to Jehovah ..... "

  Oubliette

  
  
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  gma-tired2

  Good Read.  Thank You..  As a 67 year old born-in it struck a lot of chords in me.  
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  Pjamaram

  I thought it was a good story. Definitely captured the feel of the whole thing. The opal was a nice dramatic effect.
  
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  Muddy Waters

  Awesome.... I couldn't stop reading it...  So many things resonated.  

  Will send you a PM in the next few days...  xxoo
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  stuckinarut2

  Thanks for sharing!
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  HappyDad

  I read the story yesterday and couldn't stop until I was done. It could have been a true story instead of fiction. I saw many parallels to what I saw over 30 years as a JW. Spiritual policemen more interested in condemning a person rather than show love and try to help that person. It truly is a cult.

  HappyDad 
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  Julia Orwell

  @ Cofty, thanks for the constructive feedback. It's something I'm working on. I've put a lot of explanation in there for non-jws to understand it when they read it. The cult has so much jargon there is no way someone who has never been in it would understand it. That's why I've made it so non-jws can understand it.
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  Oubliette

  Cofty hasn't commented on this thread.
  
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  under the radar

  Julia Orwell:  Thanks for posting this story.  I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I appreciate all the time and effort you must have put into it.

  Oubliette:  While I have no doubt you meant well with your editorial comments, may I suggest that next time you offer them in a PM?  While you make some valid points and I truly believe you meant them only as constructive criticism, airing them for all to read was perhaps a bit indiscreet.  I felt your comments took something away from the power of Julia's story, treating it more like a high school composition to be graded rather than a labor of love that she wanted to share with her friends.

  
  
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  steve2

  Wow Julia - many thanks for sharing your thoughtful story. As others have said, it touches a chord of recognition. You write well.

  One of the "difficulties" in responding to anyone's sharing of their heartfelt writing is whether to just keep the comments "positive" or to be so bold as to express some constructive criticism.  I was glad to see Oubliette make constructive comments within a positive context. Did you mean Oubliette when you thanked "Cofty" for the feedback - because I don't think Cofty has made a post on this thread?