A Fledging Relationship Goes Up In Smoke
It was 1973 and the WT was in full cult mode. They wanted to purify the organization in preparation for the coming "great day of Jehovah." And so it was that in the late spring of 1973 an edict came down from the Governing Body in the form of a WT article entitled Keeping God’s Congregation Clean in the Time of His Judgment stating that anyone who smoked cigarettes or had any major involvement with the tobacco industry, whether farming, manufacture or retail had six months to abandon it or else be disfellowshipped.
My Dad smoked.
Now mind you I had never seen him so much as light up. He was careful never to expose his family to his habit. But that was not enough.
I remember the night well. It was a Wednesday evening in 1974. I had a talk on the TMS, my Dad had a judicial hearing. It was held during the meeting. I remember Tom Miles, then press operator, now member of the Writing Department being on the Committee and making the announcement. My Dad didn't even stay to hear it. He went home. I remember when we got home us saying little to him as he worked on the family car. He was now a non-entity. Though he paid all of the bills, kept a roof over our heads and clothes on our backs he was to be shunned. In fact he was soon to die in 1975. My Mom later told me that he had begged for a Bible Study to help him quit, to help him keep his family, to no avail. That night I lost what little I had of my father.
Living in NYC is tough. The cost of living is high. So my Dad compensated. He worked nights (funny so do I), he loved to drive (so do I), and he loved current events (so do I). So he started doing a second job. He would subcontract for Newsweek delivering negatives for print, and delivering subscriptions to executives in the Connecticut area. It involved driving from New York to D.C, and crisscrossing SouthEastern Connecticut. To this day I love Newsweek and driving particularly on the New Jersey Turnpike between NYC and DC. He would always take us with him as this work was done on weekends. But...as I said earlier my Mom followed the WT rules to the letter. This made for some strange interaction between us and my Dad. He was relegated to the status of chauffeur. We were not supposed to talk to him about non-spritual matters. But we had nothing else to talk about. So for my personal entertainment the back seat of the car was setup with whatever toys I was allowed to have, and we carried tons of cassette recordings. Recordings of conventions, special talks, Bible dramas. These would also serve to feed my Dad spiritually and help bring him back in, or so my Mom's thinking went. Why to this day I know large portions of the Bible and numerous Bible dramas from the conventions of those years by heart due to the fact that I heard them over and over again. Conversation with my Dad? Zero. Though we rode together for literally thousands of miles, we rarely spoke. This segment of my story should be longer. But due to the cruel and unmerciful policy of disfellowshipping, I know very little about my Dad, and am only now starting to try to rectify that. And with my leaving the organization there is a chance that now he will shun me. If that happens I may very well have lost my father forever. First to my shunning him, then to his shunning me.
To the Governing Body, from a father to men most of whom have never had children I say this: For all the fathers and sons, mothers and daughters who were made childless and parentless due to your policies I truthfully and sincerely hope that you rot in the hottest hell forever, which would still not be long enough.
tsof
truthsetsonefree
JoinedPosts by truthsetsonefree
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16
My Journey-A Fledgling Relationship Goes Up In Smoke
by truthsetsonefree ina fledging relationship goes up in smoke.
it was 1973 and the wt was in full cult mode.
they wanted to purify the organization in preparation for the coming "great day of jehovah.
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truthsetsonefree
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Ted Haggard - born again minister cured of homosexuality - ITS A MIRACLE!
by needproof inhttp://www.beyondchron.org/articles/wanna_hear_a_good_one_ted_haggard_s_straight_4210.html .
wanna hear a good one?
ted haggards straight!
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truthsetsonefree
Yeah, going back to college to study psychology too. Sounds like a dub No?
tsof
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My Journey-Man Walks On The Moon...I Remain In The Stone Age
by truthsetsonefree inever since i started posting here i have wanted to tell my story.
but being long and in many ways painful.
i hope to get some of it out in these my journey posts.
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truthsetsonefree
"Funeral songs"....I like that description. I know how you feel too. I know almost every one by heart. Curse my freakin' memory. I am trying to replace it by listening to other music every chance that I get, mp3 player, car radio, anyway I can. I'm downloading the lyrics to my favorite songs and practicing them.
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Did any of you ever have "overzealous"parents?
by Ex-Jo Ho inthis may have been discussed before but did any of you have crazy strict parents...i mean did they have even more strict ideas than what the religion already had put restrictions on?.
my stepfather had been a crazy drug/alcohol addict before dragging my family into the "truth"...then it seemed he became obsessed with the religion.
honestly...i don't know which was worse!
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truthsetsonefree
Oh Yes....just look at the My Journey posts I've been putting up. Its comforting to know that I was not the only one.
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My Journey-Cruel and Unusual Punishment
by truthsetsonefree inlet the beatings begin.
beatings and whippings were routine.
so conditioned was i by corporeal punishment that one day something happened that my mom recalled with pride for many years afterwards.
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truthsetsonefree
""I've never gotten a spanking in my entire life." .......hmmph...that's cause she was raised like a normal kid."
Amen. I can also empathize with the "its a symbol of discipline" thing. It took a while for me to get past that. I still probably haven't fully.
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book: What the Bible Really Teaches - help
by found-my-way ini have been told to study this book with a sister so that i may can be indoctrinatedadjusted according to bullshitaccurate knowledge.. i dont have this book, nor do i remember reading it, or studying it, just wanted a head's up from those of you who may have it, or know where i can read a copy of it online...any help is really appreciated.. thank you in advance!.
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truthsetsonefree
Hey with studies stalling sometimes helps. Dubs are busy people.
tsof
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truthsetsonefree
This sounds like my kind of book. I like substantive.
tsof
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Told wife that I don't like going to the meeting
by XBEHERE infinally said it out loud even though my actions have been showing it for quite some time.
a fight ensued and now she isn't talking to me.
the wierd thing is when i just didnt go she didn't say much (she hasn't been for over 2 mos for a medical reason) but god forbid i should actually vocalize that i don't want to go... i didn't want to give her any fuel to call me an apostate so i just blamed discouragement and my dislike of the elders which she already knows.
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truthsetsonefree
Going slow is the best and preferred way with the spouses. One that I have never been able to perfect. What I will say is that almost no JW wife objects to her husband stepping down as an elder once she realizes that her husband will be with her. WT uses the lame excuse to justify telling wives to sacrifice their husbands that if he wasn't serving the congregation he would be "hanging out" with his friends. Well thats just not true for many kind and considerate men. Especially those with children. Also, stepping down instead of being removed involves a lot less emotional trauma as one's qualifications don't get evaluated in front of the body and possibly the CO.
In my case my doctor was most definitely involved. And when he put me on five different pills for cholesterol, pressure etc, that convinced everybody.
tsof
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The Greek word 'pais'
by Zico infrom matthew 8:5-13 - .
5when jesus had entered capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help.
6"lord," he said, "my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering.
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truthsetsonefree
I have always felt that time and research will also show the Bible up as not being so great when viewed through modern eyes.
tsof
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ONE !!!!!!! 1 ONESIE! Baptism this weekend!
by MinisterAmos ina child about eight y/o got dunked this circuit convention and that was it!.
about 850 in attendance.. .
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truthsetsonefree
Awesome. I had this happen in my circuit as well. The one giving the talk was so thrown off by that. As for the question of someone getting baptized at another convention, it is rare but has been done. Particularly if the reason is due to extenuating circumstances.
tsof