Thanks everyone for your thoughts.
It was a long school day today. Glad to be home now.
thank you all for the kind words from those who posted on the other thread about the student of mine who was found dead from a gunshot wound on tuesday....i have more to get off my chest...
?..i went to the funeral today.
it was held in a funeral home.
Thanks everyone for your thoughts.
It was a long school day today. Glad to be home now.
i know this has nothing to do with jws or anything, but i needed to talk a bit ?
i work with at-risk teens in a continuation school.
last night i learned that one of my dear students, a bight young man with a difficult past, born into a difficult world of gangs and drugs, was found dead, shot to death in east palo alto, california.
Thank you all for your kind words and thoughts. I went to the funeral today and it turns out this is sort of a JW related story.
http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/6/70800/1.ashx
-Lisa
thank you all for the kind words from those who posted on the other thread about the student of mine who was found dead from a gunshot wound on tuesday....i have more to get off my chest...
?..i went to the funeral today.
it was held in a funeral home.
Thank you all for the kind words from those who posted on the other thread about the student of mine who was found dead from a gunshot wound on Tuesday....I have more to get off my chest...
?..I went to the funeral today.
Here is the story:
It was held in a funeral home.
There was a viewing. Some recorded piano music played in the background?for over an hour the music played during the viewing. The music reminded me of Kingdom Hall music.
The room at the funeral home that could hold maybe 200 overflowed out the door and filled the courtyard outside. More people were standing in the back of the room and out in the courtyard than were sitting?there were many, many people there.
There were so many, many of our students there, both past and present. It was hard to watch their pain?to see so many of ?my babies? cry?there are not enough hugs in the world.
The service finally started, and they announced it would be given in both Spanish and English, Spanish first.
As I listened to the service in Spanish, I realized I could understand much of what the speaker was saying because of my days as a JW?I knew the scriptures he was reading and so forth?
It was very said, so very, very sad.?I wiped away tears as I listened to the speaker?only catching tiny bits and pieces that I understood?my mind filling the gaps with what I though were, or could be, the meanings.
I looked forward to the English part of the service. The speaker sounded calm and comforting and I wanted to hear the part where he would say Miguel?s pain is over, his difficulties here on earth are done and now he happy and at peace, at home with God. I really wanted to hear that part.
At least I figured that was what the speaker would say since it was obviously a Christian service, with so many scriptures read from the Bible?
Then the English part of the service began.
It was a little boy?s funeral, with talk of his favorite foods, colors and his unrealized hopes and dreams for the future. It was so sad.
And then the speaker said, ?No one looks forward to death, but it something that faces each of us. Some say death is just a natural part of life. But the Bible says differently. The Bible says we were not meant to die.?
And I realized it was a JW funeral.
An 'EFFIN JW funeral.
I felt like throwing up right at that moment. I actually had to bolt out of my seat and push through the crowds to get outside. So much rage and disgust and pain filled me.
At that moment so many things made sense about Miguel, like why he would never say after school to do yearbook or Leadership, his troubles at home,?and so many other things did not?like his gang-banging life ?..
After standing outside with the large overflow crowd for a few moments and calming down, I looked around a saw all the NWT bibles?all the JWs mixed in with the crowd. There were a lot of them here.
I realized I knew what to say to the family when it was time I offered my condolences: That Miguel was a good boy, and that Jehovah would remember him in the resurrection, I was sure, because Jehovah reads hearts. Miguel had a beautiful heart, that is for sure, and I was fortunate to have known him.
Then the yucky JW service ended with the offer of reading material ?for any interested ones.
Then I said goodbye to Miguel. Then I spoke with the poor, devastated family for a moment, and it was over.
I wonder now if maybe anyone on this board is from the area (Mountain Veiw, Ca )?.perhaps someone here knew Miguel, or the family.
I can?t believe it was a JW funeral?what are the chances? I can?t believe he was raised a JW (the speaker said he was). I wish I had known. I wish I had known. My mind is spinning. My heart is breaking. There is a rumor now that it might have been suicide?it just gets worse and worse.
Tomorrow is school, and I don?t want to go.
Thanks for listening,
Lisa
(Here is the first thread about Miguel. It tells more about him than the service did , and that is not much:
http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/6/70731/1116825/post.ashx#1116825
It also has a picture.)
ok i'm too impatient to look through all the old posts..so hear me out.. i'm studying with witnesses, but not yet baptized.
i was raised around the truth.. i've looked through some of the old posts and i have heard alot about the shunning of former "members".
i've been told that this is not a scriptural practice.
If I recall correctly, one of the scriptures JWs use to support shunning says to treat the sinner ?as a man of the nations.? It does not say to not speak to them, not say hello, not eat with them, not let them sit next to you at the kingdom hall, not call to see if they are ok and it does not say to treat them like they are not there at all, like they are dead.
Then the JWs also use another scripture that says something about ?not even saying a greeting to such a one.? But that scripture (indeed the whole chapter it comes from if I remember correctly) is talking about the antichrist. So this scripture is not about regular ?ol sinners like smokers, adulterers, Christmas celebrators, and such. It is talking about the antichrist.
There is no place in the Bible that says Christians should treat people the way JWs treat people who are DF.
i keep noticing how most of the problems with jws is that they have a habit of doing nothing in many different situations.
they are a religion of doing nothing, unless it serves the organization.they let themselves and their children die... because they don't take bloodthey do not take action to stop abuse... leaving it in jehover's hands (tm)they don't serve in the militarythey don't votethey don't get involved in the community... unless it is for helping the organizationthey don't make charitable contributions... unless it is for helping the organizationthey don't help non-jws... unless there is a surplus from helping jwsthey don't talk to family and friends who are not jw's... shunningthey don't interact with non-jw's... unless it is to serve the organization by preachingthey don't observe holidays or birthdays.
it seems like the only actions they ever take are things related to selling more books..
- They let themselves and their children die... because they don't take blood
- They do not take action to stop abuse... leaving it in Jehover's Hands (TM)
- They don't serve in the military
- They don't vote
- They don't get involved in the community... unless it is for helping the organization
- They don't make charitable contributions... unless it is for helping the organization
- They don't help non-JWs... unless there is a surplus from helping JWs
- They don't talk to family and friends who are not JW's... shunning
- They don't interact with non-JW's... unless it is to serve the organization by preaching
- They don't observe holidays or birthdays
--They don't drink the Wine or eat the Bread
Laura, you said:
As for the comment that JW shun their families that are not part of the KH, i have to say that this is quite unommon where i come from.
I don't know where you come from...maybe you come from a place where JWs more friendly with people outside the religion. But my aunt, who is a JW in California, shuns DF family members totally, and limits contact with non-JW familly as much as possible.
My sister, who is a JW in Idaho, shuns DF family totally (including her own mother ), and limits contact with non-JW family as much as possible.
Maybe posters from other parts of the country and world can let us know if JWs where they live shun family members?
i know this has nothing to do with jws or anything, but i needed to talk a bit ?
i work with at-risk teens in a continuation school.
last night i learned that one of my dear students, a bight young man with a difficult past, born into a difficult world of gangs and drugs, was found dead, shot to death in east palo alto, california.
Thank you Sally. I couldn't make it work. He is the one sitting on the chair.
i know this has nothing to do with jws or anything, but i needed to talk a bit ?
i work with at-risk teens in a continuation school.
last night i learned that one of my dear students, a bight young man with a difficult past, born into a difficult world of gangs and drugs, was found dead, shot to death in east palo alto, california.
I know this has nothing to do with JWs or anything, but I needed to talk a bit ?
I work with at-risk teens in a continuation school. Last night I learned that one of my dear students, a bight young man with a difficult past, born into a difficult world of gangs and drugs, was found dead, shot to death in East Palo Alto, California.
Miguel had just turned 18, but he always seemed older, wiser than all the other students. He came into math class, an old man in a young boy?s body, sat down, pulled out his math book and got to work. He did this each day. While his friends wasted time, or looked for reasons to get out of work, he did not. He always had a smile ready, even when it was obvious he was feeling down, or tired?maybe from a long night of hanging with his homies, maybe from parties, maybe from trying to sleep in a too-small house full of young brothers and sisters while mom was gone at work. He was such a great kid. Every staff member could see the potential in him. We invited him to be part of special projects, to be in clubs?we encouraged him, we loved him. But he would never join the clubs or help with the special projects?he had to be home by a certain time to take care of brothers and sisters, so he couldn?t stay after school.
Miguel seemed wiser than the other students, but really he was just as young and lost as the rest of them. The word we have from the students so far is that he was killed in a drug deal gone bad. But the chances are that is was really a gang-related shooting, and the students just don?t want to say it. Or maybe it was a gang-related drug deal?the truth will slowly filter out over the next few days. It doesn?t really matter: He is gone now, either way. He will never know what it is like to get an honest job, or to be19 years old, or 20, or 30 or have children, or??anything. And now his brothers and sisters have lost their father figure/big brother, and his mother has lost her son?
I have lost a student. One of my favorites. One I hoped to help?I will miss Miguel.
***********In memory of Miguel Felix**********
http://image.inkfrog.com/pix/shadowlands22/xmas2003plusav03_04_174__Small___2_.jpg>
.
here is how it works -- i will start -- i am going to give a line from a film -- the person who replies has to guess the film and then they have to give a new line from any film they choose - and the next person has to guess that film and then they post a line i will start.
"son your ego is writing checks your body can't cash"
There's no more truth out there, than there is in the world I created for you. Same lies.
The same deceit. But in my world, you have nothing to fear.
.
and how many of you feel because of that, you never really got to be a "teenager"?
codeblue
WELCOME, Findingme!
we all know people who will not show affection to those they love or care deeply about.
why cannot a father who loves his daughter deeply...........ever hug her and tell her how much he loves her?.
why cannot some spouses tell their mate they love them?.
Fear of Pain, pure and simple.
If an affectionate person in your life also hurts you, you learn to associate affection with pain and you learn to avoid it. (especially if this association is learned early in life.)
-LisaBObeesa