I live with my hubby and children outside of my native country. We will be going home for a vacation soon after many years. We're faders and most of our JW relatives have adopted a don't ask-don't tell policy about our decision and we are perfectly fine with it. We get along fine, no pressure.
That is except one elder brother and his snobby pioneer wife. They hardly have any contact with us because of our "status", but on the rare ocassion they do, inevitably comes the lecture and emotional blackmail they do so well. I deal with it, so does my husband. But now that my kids are older, I have the nagging suspicion that they are going to go after them with questions and lectures. I just know it!
I want to enjoy my trip with my parents and the rest of my family without having this tension. I don't see them often and our parents are getting up there in age and I don't want to create a scene. But I have no clue how to prevent the inevitable from happening when it comes to the said brother/wife hollier-than-thou tag team.
Suggestions please! Especially about how to protect my kids...thanks!
candela
JoinedPosts by candela
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How can I prevent harrassment to my kids from self-righteous dub relatives?
by candela ini live with my hubby and children outside of my native country.
we will be going home for a vacation soon after many years.
we're faders and most of our jw relatives have adopted a don't ask-don't tell policy about our decision and we are perfectly fine with it.
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candela
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Funny experiences while a JW
by donny indo any of you have any funny experiences while you were part of the jw machine?
back around 1986 i was the ministerial servant in charge of running the sound board in the kingdom hall for our congregation.
we were the last ones to meet in the hall on weekdays (friday) and the first ones to meet on sunday.
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candela
Another story: There was this brother who was bald as a cue ball and he was a WWII veteran, so he had some "issues". He would always sit on the very front row, smack in the center.
One day he shows up with some kind of roadkill on his head and sits at his usual place. Of course, none of us could stop looking at it! So everybody notices when he suddenly starts scratching his head with one hand on one side, then the other on the other. First, gently and gradually more and more vigorously! All of a sudden, he takes the wig off and starts banging it against the edge of the platform!!!
The brother in the platform is baffled staring at him, everybody is laughing their a$$e$ off! Then suddenly, he stops and puts it back on! Just like that! -
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Funny experiences while a JW
by donny indo any of you have any funny experiences while you were part of the jw machine?
back around 1986 i was the ministerial servant in charge of running the sound board in the kingdom hall for our congregation.
we were the last ones to meet in the hall on weekdays (friday) and the first ones to meet on sunday.
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candela
That one is funny...on the same line one time this brother, who was up there in age, had the closing bit for the song and prayer at the end of the meeting. When he's up there he announces that we're about to sing "Song 159". That was the wrong song, it was supposed to be Song 59, so more than a few people start signaling from the audience that is "59" from all directions. He didn't get it, he still thought that they were saying "159", so he was baffled and kept saying "that's right song 159".
People kept correcting him and some of us started giggling so he started getting irritated. After one of the sound guys yells at him from the back "SONG 59" one more time, he threw his arms up in the air and said "GODDAMMIT, THAT'S WHAT I SAID!!!!"
Everybody started laughing so hard, nobody could sing a damn thing!
I loved that congregation there were so many old people and they would do and say the funniest things, and nobody would mind because of their age. -
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Worst Rules
by DoomVoyager inwhat are the worst rules you've ever heard being dispensed from the platform?
"christians do not dance to ymca, as it promotes homosexuality.
"hairstyles that defy gravity also defy joe hoobie.
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candela
How about no facial hair below the mouth for men? -the elders fancy way to say "beard"
Isn't facial hair a physical trait of grown men that GOD put there? I truly never was able to make sense out of this one. -
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How are they controlling the use of technology during meetings/conventions?
by candela inthere was no texting or cellphones readily available for all teenagers and kids when i last attended a meeting or convention.
you use to have to talk or draw or write notes to keep yourself entertained during the long hours of boredom, which wasn't easy to do discretely.
i would've love to have texting phones in that time!
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candela
LOL! Me too!
<br><br>You supposedly used the binoculars to see the people doing the presentation but one was really looking in the opposite direction checking out the guys until one of my parents would snatch them out of my hands!!!
My dad was one of those elders that NEVER sat down! EVER!! And on the rare ocassion he would, he would fall asleep. -
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How are they controlling the use of technology during meetings/conventions?
by candela inthere was no texting or cellphones readily available for all teenagers and kids when i last attended a meeting or convention.
you use to have to talk or draw or write notes to keep yourself entertained during the long hours of boredom, which wasn't easy to do discretely.
i would've love to have texting phones in that time!
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candela
There was no texting or cellphones readily available for all teenagers and kids when I last attended a meeting or convention. You use to have to talk or draw or write notes to keep yourself entertained during the long hours of boredom, which wasn't easy to do discretely.
I would've love to have texting phones in that time! So I'm sure people must be playing with their phones and texting up a storm during the presentations. And I'm also sure they must be trying to control it with all their might. How's it working out? Anybody knows?
It must be hysterical to watch!! -
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Worst Rules
by DoomVoyager inwhat are the worst rules you've ever heard being dispensed from the platform?
"christians do not dance to ymca, as it promotes homosexuality.
"hairstyles that defy gravity also defy joe hoobie.
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candela
So many rules, so little time: Here are some of my all time faves, I know not all are "official", but these are things I've actually heard in meetings or conventions - which makes them "official" for the attending even if some idiot pulled them out of their A$$...
Don't attend/participate in elementary school field days
Don't wear two piece bathing suits (even if they are a tankini which is basically a one piece cut at the waist)
Don't date unless you are planning on marrying that person (how are you supposed to know you want to marry them before you date them then? I don't know)
Don't attend a Ricky Martin concert because the song "Living La Vida Loca" is glorifying a sinful life (my BROTHER was the elder that actually said this, thank you very much!)
Don't dance slow songs unless you're married.
Don't read fairy tales to children or watch Disney type movies, because fairies, fairy godmothers, witches, elves, or any other magical creature are really demonic. -
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Someone please help me out on this one. Are JW's allowed to help....
by jetery inanyone who is d'fed(like me- dont miss it) or disassociated,etc who may be in dire need.
i know that when u are disfellowshipped u are not allowed to associate with anyone who is a witness and they are suppose to shun u the rest of your life until u come to your "senses".
but anyway what i want to know is if im on the side of the road bleeding to death and one of jw recognize will they stop and help me or anyone for that matter.even when i was in the "truth" i always wondered about that since they are not supposed to have any contact with u. where do they draw the line when it comes to shunning people?
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candela
this is one thing that made me respect my dad, even though he was fanatical about following the WTS rules to an extreme. However, he would always help anybody that needed it whether they were active, inactive or DF'd. He would always say "you don't deny someone help if you can give it-being DF'd has nothing to do with that".
He taught us, by example, that you should stop and offer help if you see them stranded on the road, that you would buy them a meal if they need it, help with their little ones, or even listen to them if they come to you upset for some problem they have. In fact, I remember many times DF people who had been friends of the family would show up at our house late at night because they had some big problem and needed help and my dad would always ask them to come in and tried to help in whatever way he could. After the crisis was over, it was back to the DF treatment, but never to a person in need.
So I guess it really depends on the heart of the individual. -
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Stupid Knorr! Should Witnesses have Sunday school just for kids?
by Witness 007 inimagine sitting thru the watchtower study on a sunday with your 6 year old and 9 year old kids....the topic "fornication" the discussion explains how oral sex and touching of genitals is still fornication...why do kids have to sit thru this??
or the bible reading is about lot having sex with his daughters....this type of thing is not for kids!
and why should kids be forced to sit quietly while someone drones on for 2 hours?.
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candela
I completely agree 250% with everything stated here about the absurdity of not creating audience specific programs in the WTS. However, if you think about it, it's kind of good they don't. That way more and more people are rebelling against the borg and questioning the arbitrary way they impose everything on the members. Keep doing it wrong, WTS! Make it easier for folks to tell your GB to "SUCK IT!"
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Kid's playing sports?
by ldrnomo inanyone keep their kids from playing sports because of the borg?.
when my son was 8 years old they had a t-ball league in the summer at the nearby park.
because of the borg training we told him he couldn't play t-ball.. that kind of thinking just carried on throughout his life from junior high through high school.
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candela
I was never allowed to participate in any sports in school or in neighborhood's leagues. I never attended a school field day - ever. forget about competing, I wasn't even allowed to go and watch others compete. My first field day ever was when I had to attend as a teacher in the school I worked at. I always loved dancing but was never allowed to go to a dance class. All in the name of staying away from corrupting influences. Sports encourage competitive spirit (no kidding!) and a competitive spirit is a wordly quality, after all, wasn't competition that made Satan want to be like God and rebel? As stupid as it sounds, that was the reasoning I heard all my life. Absurd, isn't it?