I really hate this religion (Jehovah’s Witnesses). I just recently got back from visiting my family in Texas. I have been living here in Northern California since 1999 and I make 2 to 3 trips a year back there a year. For the record, I have been out of the JW’s for 20 years come this September. My ex-wife is still in the religion as well as my son. My two daughters have nothing to do with it anymore and they are better for it. My son is an elder and has been for the past couple of years and we never discuss religion when we visit one another. We have never had any issue during all this time until this last visit.
He called me up a few days (Tuesday) after I arrived and wanted to meet for lunch on Friday. He called me on Friday morning and asked me to come to his place of employment so he could show me what he did for a living. I met several of his co-workers and had a good time while I was there. Then we went to lunch at a nearby diner and that is when things went downhill. He told me that while he agrees that I was the better parent and that he loved me very much, he stated that in my future trips down here, he would not be able to meet with me as he needs to make a stand for “the truth.”
He went on to emphasize that world events are backing up the Society’s claims that the end is at hand and he cannot afford to be straddling the fence when that time comes. I tried using the reasoning that they have always said the end was nigh so why was their current stance any different. He replied about “letters from the Society” telling elders that they need to set an example and that he must comply.
What made the bad event worse was that he would often pause and take a breath as he said these things as he was obviously under duress. On several occasions he almost broke down and kept saying how hard this was to do. And this is coming from a person who does not wear his emotions on his sleeve. He then went on to say that his biggest hope, as well as his wife’s, was that I would begin attending meetings again and eventually get reinstated. It was all about my status in the religion, not my status as a human being. Although he never used the word, he was essentially telling me “goodbye.”
My hate for the Watchtower had become muted over the years, but this event really brought it out in the open again. I hate this religion! Thanks for letting me vent.
