Faithfull to the end

by Ticker 5 Replies latest jw friends

  • Ticker
    Ticker

    My grandma was a devout jw most of her life, and when i mean devout i mean 24-7 preaching constantly to anyone especially family. I have her to thank for my indoctrination as a child, but i realize she was merely indoctrinated herself. Her personality traits led to her being such a zealot for the Watchtower, so I have no bitterness toword her, as she has passed on a few years ago. She went to the extremes of everything but on her deathbed her actions kinda startled me. She never touched a drop of liqour in her life and this I can personally back up as she would even refuse brandy and water when sick, but as she was failing in health she did something very un-elementry. She had requested wine and beer to drink. Maybe she was somewhat dissalusioned by the failing of watchtowers phrophecy of the 1914 generation and had wished to see the new system. I know she never would have dreamed of dying without seeing the so called end. I think she missed out on alot of simple pleasures and maybe felt time was short to experience them, anyway as it turns out my grandpa got her only the best wine and beer. Not sure how much she drank but im happy that she at least enjoyed that before passing on.

    But my main point is how I remember she was devout to an organization and not god necessarly. I used to think as a child that she had to be one of the most devout followers of God in the world, but now under more clearer line of thinking I realize she was one of the most devout to a man made entity. Even if truth was clearly shown to her in God's own word that she was being misled by the watchtower she would have run to the hills and screamed apostate. Looking back now i realize she was not specifically loyal to a God, but to a concept created by sinful humans. Her god was not personal but a image created for her by men, and thats a hard nutshell to crack sometimes.

    Anyone else experience something similar in their life, and whats your thoughts?

    Ticker

  • Big Dog
    Big Dog

    I was always curious about why my dad became a JW, he just never seemed the type and it always puzzled me. One day he told me he had a dream about Armageddon that scared him so badly that he woke up in a cold sweat and prayed that night like he never prayed before. At that time my mother and most of her family had already converted and were hammering on him, and it was obvious that they planted the seed. Now this was a guy who faced combat in WWII and was not prone to being easily intimidated.

    I was sitting with him right before he died and he looked at me and said, I can't believe I am going to die, this wasn't supposed to happen.

    It was to say the least a surreal moment, and a suitable response escaped me.

  • Dawn
    Dawn
    I can't believe I am going to die, this wasn't supposed to happen.

    Big Dog - I can relate to that. My father passed away a couple of years ago and my mother is really struggling with that fact because she believed all her life that Armageddon would come and they would live forever on a paradise earth. Now at 70+ she's faced with the harsh reality that dad is not with her any longer, and that she too will most likely not see this paradise she so hoped for all those years.

  • Mary
    Mary
    Maybe she was somewhat dissalusioned by the failing of watchtowers phrophecy of the 1914 generation and had wished to see the new system. I know she never would have dreamed of dying without seeing the so called end.

    My grandma was the same.....she was a Witness since the 1930s and was zealous to the end. However, I remember her saying to me when I was 15: "if Armageddon isn't here by the time I die, then this isn't The Truth." That blew me away back then, because at 15 I was a devout Dub too, but I realize now that she was saying that with 100% conviction that The End would be here long before she died..........personally, I think she's gone to a better place, where you're not judged on how many hours you get in Service, or how many magazines you placed, but where God loves you unconditionally.

  • lilybird
    lilybird

    Its sad that so many of our fathers, mothers and grandparents are dying and not seeing the end of this system and the new system they thought they would live to see. My fatherinlaw died last year. He was a MS and he thought he would be there bringing the deserving ones thru. My motherinlaw said how much he was looking forward to that and now he was dead. It hasn't seemed to have shaken her faith though, She is still devoted. I guess after all those years and you are in your 70's its too hard to change. Im just glad I didn't waste my life waiting for something that is never going to come, and I don't think I would want it anyways. Not if it meant having to live with JWs laws. :)

  • Ticker
    Ticker

    Exactly as i thought, if you got to live for all eternity surrounded by the wonderful witness folk and having this dogmatic governing body ruling from heaven, while we all sing kindgom melodies and study with resurected ones. Also dont forget how we have to be extra loving(basically meaning two faced) to our fellow bros and sis's for all eternity. blah that makes me wanna hurl Hell give me armageddon over that anyday. lol I wouldnt want to live forever according to the watchtower, way too damb boring for me.

    Ticker

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