When I was in, we all used to joke:
How was your memorial?
Blah blah blah - don't drink the wine
Blah blah blah - don't drink the wine
Blah blah blah - don't drink the wine
Can substitute "don't even think you are going to heaven."
the memorial last night was nothing new.
the routine never changes.
two congregations joined together for the night in one building.
When I was in, we all used to joke:
How was your memorial?
Blah blah blah - don't drink the wine
Blah blah blah - don't drink the wine
Blah blah blah - don't drink the wine
Can substitute "don't even think you are going to heaven."
howdy everyone!
just wanted to pop in and say hi to all the old timers and the new.
i can't believe i've been a member of this site for 18 years now.
Great to see you!
i remember an elder questioning a woman who had admitted to giving and receiving oral sex from her unbelieving mate.
he asked her the most intimate questions which clearly flustered her.
interestingly, she “confessed “ to the elders because her conscience bothered her.
I could watch the Munsters but could not watch bewitched and I could watch I dream of Jeannie but nothing of the occult
I could watch the Addams Family and Jeannie, but not the Munsters. LOL
I'm sure there are hundreds of thing. Reading over the previous comments I remembered a few things.
Playing chess is like playing war and creates a "warlike spirit". I'm like 10 yo and used to play with my brother. Really!
Pinatas ok. Pinatas not okay. An elder's wife asked me one time at the meeting if I knew what the "current understanding of pinatas" was.
The religion is nuts.
i really have appreciated the suggestions on how to respond to the elders recent behavior of attempting to find a way to disfellowship me and trying to push their way into my home by force.
thank you it's been most helpful to see many different perspectives.. the following post is lengthy as i'm also addressing a related topic to anyone reading this site who is not a witness but even considering joining.
you will see once again how the jw religion destroys families for their own members, those who try to leave quietly, and even the family members who were raised in it yet were never baptized.
I would take the medical route.
I would have a doctor write a letter saying you have anxiety and any additional stress would be hazardous to your health. Then I would write a nice letter to the elders in the congregation, maybe even all of them, with a CC to WT HQ, and maybe to the CO even, stating that you are under doctor's care and cannot be stressed by any means, and attach the doctor's letter. Thank them for their concern and tell them you will contact them when things improve and you are able. I would send the letters return receipt.
It would be well worth a doctor's visit explaining the harassment, or if you have EAP at work they should be able to provide a letter as well.
WT HQ would probably tell the congregation to back off. It's not worth it.
They can still write you a letter demanding you to meet with them and if you don't show, they can DF you. But if you have the medical issue in place, it might be a good deterrent.
When I left I had an elderly pillar of the congregation mother I looked after. My one goal was to preserve our relationship and not to cause her any more worry at her advanced age. I was ready to do ANYTHING. It didn't come to that but it was a few nerve wracking years when I first left, dodging calls, hiding from the knocks on the door, worried about running into people etc.
Do you know why they are so persistent with you? Usually they save that for elders and servants. Anyway, good luck to you. It will get better.
jw father in law in hospital, this weekend, maybe last days of his life.
with his last energy he was reading a watchtower magazine for comfort.
i could understand.
I think the older ones who looked at the magazines for their source for tips, quirky facts/articles, as well as religious subjects are the only ones to "benefit" from the previous style. Everybody else is on the internet and receives their information from there. Superfluous information for these days.
At least they are making the changes. It was about 20 years too late, all the wasteful printing and rehash of old articles.
i know that having a y membership was a huge no, no for jws.
there hasn't been any information on this subject in decades.
i met an elder's wife a few years ago that goes to the y and also has a membership.
There is someone on this forum that was DF'd for the lame excuse of being a member of the YMCA, though I don'[t remember who it is.
I thought it was an exaggeration until I read their story.
That religion is nuts.
a reliable source has informed me that a bethel contact has informed them that paul gillies - a london branch committee heavyweight - is moving to warwick to join the legal department there.
anyone else aware of this?.
during the recent court case in russia, he posed for a photograph with the gb member and the rest of the wt a-team..
His cousin said Paul is indeed going to Warwick and partaking. Interesting.
roll call for the benefit of newbies and lurkers.
in one sentence tell why you left the org.
not 2 sentences.
After years of knowing it was probably all crap and they were making it up as they went along, the 1995 generation change sealed it for me, but I continued until one meeting I truly felt like I didn't belong there anymore and never went back.
this is my 15th year without going to the memorial.
based on comments, it seems i did not miss anything.
.
My last was 2004. In 2005 my mom was in a nursing home and I sat with her while she listened online. And that was it.
I have a friend newly out, and this year was his first memorial missed. He messaged me a bit on Saturday, mixed feelings. I told him "jesus said don't worry about it." lol.
this post hopefully will get you thinking about therapy, along with good mental and emotional health if you are dealing with the traumatic choices associated with leaving jw's, or if you are considering leaving.
because it is a trauma.. imagine a married couple in their late 30's.
because they took last weeks watchtower seriously, they have decided to talk to an elder in their congregation because they have practiced oral sex on each other, and feel a need to confess and get "spiritual help.".
Good subject and OP! Nice to see you ATJ.
It's amazing to me how many give their power over to the religion...a religion that changes its rules and regulations whenever some GB gets a "brilliant idea."
I learned at a young age from a young sister who had just been reinstated, how intrusive the questioning was by the JC. I was appalled, at probably 15 yo, and vowed I would never answer such questioning, which probably would mean my DF'g. The head elder in her JC ended up being a pervert and fired from his teaching job and DF'd a few times.
You need a sense of self, self worth to recognize the violation of boundaries. It soars like a red flare when breached. There are things that are your business only, and not that of uneducated counselors AKA the elder body and WT corporation.