So I just watched the singing cart video. I literally cannot describe how I felt watching that.
Growing up as a JW was serious business. We had to take the preaching work seriously, watch our conduct, give a good witness by our actions, and be on our best behaviour to ensure we made it through the great tribulation.
When I was a child, I had dreams of being a cartoonist. I remember mentioning the idea of making a JW cartoon that would help preach the good news. The idea was shot down and I actually got scolded for it. Now they have that Sparlock and Caleb crap.
I once coloured and painted in my copy of "My Book of Bible Stories". I got a beating for defacing Jehovah's books. Now they have downloadable colouring pages and connect the dots activities.
I remember one particular assembly we had where some of the brothers were talking about giving a Kingdom Melody a rock beat and how wrong it was. Now we have songs about singing carts.
And yeah, the carts themselves. This is serving Jehovah with your whole heart? I can throw a bunch of literature on a cart and walk around with it. Does a recycling cart count?
And the whole JW broadcasting thing. After seeing Jimmy Swaggart crying on TV and having Oral Roberts beg for money, the last thing I thought I'd see is JW Television. But here it is.
I guess I always expected the JW religion to stay the same no-fun dictatorship that it was when I left. I never in my wildest dreams expected them to turn into a parody of themselves. Just when I thought I had dealt with most of the issues I had when I left, they create new ones that just screw with my mind. It's just like when I found out (years later) that they changed the Generation of 1914 teaching. Finding out they had changed it made me extremely angry for a long time. Now that they've become everything I thought was wrong and worldly, I'm blown away again. I just can't wrap my mind around it.