Just thinking here, reading some comments, and realizing how attitude changes with age.
When I was a teenager,
being able to have some menial job (such as walking around with a “please take your seat” sign) at the convention was an awesome privilege.
Being able to cut the grass at the hall, wash the windows, etc, etc, was so great!
Twenty rolled around,,,
And I got married, had kids, worked a FT job, bought a house, made sure raising my kids the "right way" was a major priority,
made all the meetings, had responsibilities such as caring for the magazines, parts on the service meeting, handled the microphones, held a book study at our home and went out in fs every weekend.
Thirty comes up,,,,
Still have some major responsibilities at the hall,
(Have not been considered to become a MS at all.)
Kids are getting older and starting togive us the usual hassles about going to the meetings all the time.
So I get them involved with the responsibilities I have.
They help set up the microphones at the TS before the meeting, count the magazines when they arrive in the mail for me, and help get the house in shape for the study and service on Saturday.
Whew! During this time I make a real effort to become a MS, always, ALWAYS I’m told that I’m not doing enough! And yet, brothers who make half the effort (honestly, believe me here when I say the term half-effort) are getting appointed left and right.
I begin to realize and see the good old boys club is a real live thing at the hall.
40 arrives,
At least 90% of my so called “ outstanding / upright theocratic associates” have been either DF’ed. divorced, or just disappeared within the last several years .
Suddenly I begin to take stock of where I am and begin to wonder just what the hell I have been doing with my life in this unstable religion.
S-l-o-w-l-y, s-l-o-w-l-y, I began to realize that the watchtower society is not the absolutely wonderful organization that I grew up believing it was.
At this time I begin my fade, and guess what?
The elders all of a sudden are over me like flies on a fresh pile asking why I’m not doing “all that I should be doing”
Why not come back to the meetings, reach out once again, and make theocratic goals the forefront of your life?
(I realize that biting my tongue at times like this can be either a blessing, or a curse.)
Sorry, I don’t feel like beating my head against a brick wall any more because you guys all of a sudden realized that I’m not going to follow your every whim and desire any more
So what is it?
At middle age do most people really begin to question what their life really is?
I could never go back to being a witness, too much hypocrisy, and unrealistic expectations in this religion. I’m examining, and studying religions of the world for my Own enjoyment and knowledge, it is really refreshing to study this subject without worrying about what someone might think, or say about it.
And that is a very refreshing feeling !!!
lancelink
JoinedPosts by lancelink
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middle age revelation
by lancelink injust thinking here, reading some comments, and realizing how attitude changes with age.
when i was a teenager, .
being able to have some menial job (such as walking around with a please take your seat sign) at the convention was an awesome privilege.
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lancelink
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Just received a call
by sspo ini was checking jwd and just received a call from an older sister to check on me and see how i was doing.. right off the bat she started telling me how hard times are and everybody is depressed and having a tough time, .
on and on and on and how the new system is the only releif and hope we have..........well i could feel my blood boiling and put a stop to it .
and just reminded her i just don't believe anymore, i have no more faith but i'm doing just fine and i'm very happy and things are going well for me.. well, she didn't know what to say after that and started once again how jehovah is blessing the organization since there are more than 900 kh.
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lancelink
I wonder what the shepherds in the congregation are busy doing?
several times the local BOE have made an appt. with me to stop over after Sat. morn.
FS and they never arrived ,
Not that I'm really interested in talking to them,,,,, just being polite I guess? -
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I got shunned at Wal-Mart
by loosie inthis is actually hilarious to me.
i am not df'd or da'd.
i just haven't gone for 3 years.. this woman (sister) works at my daughters school.
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lancelink
Apparently, entrance into paradise is preceded by acting like a jerk...
breakingaway, that is one perfectly-stated comment !!! -
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Why I will NEVER be an elder again
by stillajwexelder inso the po confirmed what many on this board already know.
at latest round of co to elders meeting, the co quoted from the society outline.
any elder or ms who encourages college for his kids or others or who allows his children to go to college will no longer qualify.. he then asked if i was going to take the cos encouragement and reach out again to be an elder and get my hours on the ministry up.. i replied "i will never be an elder again - i strongly approve of further education and college and have been through college myself.
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lancelink
As John belushi stated so eloquently
was it over when the Germans bombed pearl harbor?
This type of intelligence is what the wtbts is quickly accepting as normal.
remember : when the going get tough ,,,,,,
the tough get going
who's with me ! -
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Brotherly love in action ?
by lancelink inkind of a strange experience here, maybe someone can make me see what's going on.
my parents live in another state, to visit them would require at least a 22 hour drive, no trains, .
planes are fine but since the airport is in the middle of nowhere tickets are getting quite costly ($$$$$$.
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lancelink
kind of a strange experience here, maybe someone can make me see what's going on.
My parents live in another state, to visit them would require at least a 22 hour drive, no trains,
planes are fine but since the airport is in the middle of nowhere tickets are getting quite costly ($$$$$$.)
Anyway, for years they were decent, normal witnesses, they did the usual things like have a book study in their home
for several years, they gave talks, and helped out when and where they could.
Somewhere within the last three years, they had somewhat of a falling out with some of the witnesses, it seems that there
was quite a hierarchy in their cong. so they basically quit going. From what I understand, most of their good friends had
either died, gone to nursing homes, or moved away.
MY father several weeks ago has a stroke, almost dies, and is currently moving between the IT unit of the local hospital and a rehab home. My mother is driving 40+ miles almost each day to visit him.
Since I am in Wisconsin, I cannot get down to visit very easily, my two brothers
(both from different parts of the country, much closer than me) have gone down, and they stated that there is really no
reason for me to come down until the situation changes,, one way or the other.
I recently realized that the local congregation of JW's has not been involved at all. This situation has been pretty
stressful on my mom, and I realize that if there are some hard feelings in the pipeline, this type of emergency situation should be foremost,forget the ego's right now.
But it seems that within the last few years nobody has even checked up on them.
My first reaction is to call their hall and find out why none of the "spiritually strong" individuals have done anything,
my parents helped out quite a few witnesses (spiritually and $$),, is this how the society really works?
or am I just emotionally venting right now ?
Any comments will be greatly appreciated, positive or negative, I need some other opinions to decide what to do. -
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DC Seating
by RR inokay, how many of you got to the convention site nice and early so that you could get the best seats on the house?.
having met in yankees stadium (difficult for me as i'm a mets fan) i always made sure i was in the shade.
hey someone had to come in early and make those watchtower hoagies (by the way, i never washed my hands).
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lancelink
One year at Hawthorne park in Chicago a young child fell from the 2nd floor walkway, it was unbelievable how the children were running up and down those ramps !
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some quirks of the DC talks...
by metaspy inhere is a run down of some special things i noticed at the district convention.. i probably took better notes now than when i used to go as a jw.. however, my notes now are mostly "stupid" things that they say on stage.
saturday.
symposium: directed by god's spirit in our ministry - speaking the word of god with boldness.
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lancelink
Thanks for the statements, you must have great self control to sit ALL through those sessions !!!
reading the titles, I started to get a headache thinking about all the years I spent driving to,
sitting all day and listening to this crap.
I have to go and take some aspirin right now,
You get a gold star for your efforts friend, thank you ! -
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Do you have pets? What kind? Names?
by White Dove ini do believe that introductions are in order.. ok, me first.
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waaaaa!!
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lancelink
Yesterday I stopped off on the way home at a K-hall construction I passed in Chicago and I overheard several ladies talking about pets.
One story really irked me, she stated how people from Mexico cannot comprehend why Americans let their dogs
1) live in the house
2) sleep on the beds
3)and sometimes even eat at the same table / room.
She said how weird the Americans are for letting this go on.
I felt like telling her to go back to Mexico if she did not like it, why complain about our customs?
If I go down there and complain about their lifestyle, I could end up dumped in a ditch somewhere with a hole in the back of my head.
Any thoughts about this, or am I just becoming an old man set in my ways ??? -
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Embarassed at school for being a Witness - Did this happen to you?
by Witness 007 inwhen they played the national anthem everyone stood up...except afew of us witness kids who stood out like a saw thumb....a brother two rows ahead of me had a teacher physically drag him to his feet as he struggled to explain himself...i would sweat like a pig as others pointed and laught and told me off...from then on i would hide in the toilet till i heard the anthem finish then come out.. then theirs birthday holidays, sex education, religious studies which i wanted to do since i would be a star but i was banned by my family.. do you have an embarassing hide like a rat in the toilet moment..
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lancelink
I remember when I graduated from high school. The ceremony was held in the field house, and I was the ONLY ONE out of 400 graduates who sat during the national anthem. Good grief, was I embarrassed !
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Wrote a letter to the Catholic Chruch.
by Blueblades init was 1969 when i answered that first knock.
1970 when i got baptized.
it was suggested that i write a letter to the catholic chruch where i was baptized and disavow my baptism,that i no longer considered myself a catholic.
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lancelink
Voideater states :
My next baptism will be a Mormon In Absentia deal.
My sister who is a fading witness is going this way also, could you possibly fill me in
as to
1) how you feel leaving the witnesses this way
2) what made you gravitate toward the Mormons.
If you don't feel like posting here, please PM me !!