Posts by Mamacat

70

My Book of Bible Stories

by Taylor S. in

i just got my hands on a copy of my book of bible stories ... (1978).

at first i was excited when a friend pulled it out of his bag, said he'd gotten it as a kid.

then i started flipping through, looking at the pictures, feeling the memories spin in my brain.

Taylor, thanks for posting the picture for me.

This whole book is just slanted. My scanner is broken...but here is more

"Where do people learn a lot about violence and improper sex and spirits and ghosts?--Isn't it from watching certain television shows and movies, playing computer and video games, going on the Internet, and reading comic books? Does doing these things bring us closer to God or closer to the Devil and his demons? What do you think?--" p.61

They just killed about everything kids like in one sentence.

P 225
"Do you see why it is important to love your brothers and sisters?-- If you do not love them, whose children would be imitating?-- Children of the Devil. You wouldn't want to be that, would you?-- So how can you prove that you want to be a child of God?-- It is really by loving your brothers and sisters.

Children of the Devil? Ugh.

70

My Book of Bible Stories

by Taylor S. in

i just got my hands on a copy of my book of bible stories ... (1978).

at first i was excited when a friend pulled it out of his bag, said he'd gotten it as a kid.

then i started flipping through, looking at the pictures, feeling the memories spin in my brain.

Mamacat

I'm not sure how to put a picture in my post. Here is the url to a picture I took of the cover
http://www.hometown.aol.com/catmama821/greatteacher

It was published in 2003. It has dashes where the parents are supposed to pause and wait for the child to answer the posed question. It tells stories about the miracles Jesus performed, but it also has chapters on lessons ie

"Is it right to fight?"
"Should we Brag about anything?"
"Why we should not lie?"
"Do all parties please God?"
"Never become a thief"
"Our friends should love God"

The most disturbing chapter to me is "Jesus' Power over the Demons"
It talks about demons coming to earth to have "sexual relations with the pretty women on earth." Then, it goes on to say "The demons like it when a boy and a girl play with each other's penis or vulva. We don't want to the make the demons happy, do we?---

One chapter "How Jesus was protected" talks about sex again, but it also does tell children about sexual abuse and how it is wrong and that they should tell if someone does it to them.

21

To what extent did you let others know that you were a JW?

by JH in

jw
friends

i remember the elders telling us that we had to let everyone know that we were a jw.

does your boss know that you're a jw?

does your teacher know?

Mamacat

By high school, I was no longer telling anyone that I was. A few from elementary school remembered, and if it came up, I just would say "Oh, my mom is, and she makes me go with her."

Now I rarely tell anyone that I ever was or that my mom is. When religion comes up, I try to stay out of the conversation. Years of being ostracized in school makes me scared to talk about it.

Weird experience....last year, I was looking for a part-time babysitter, and I called a few registered sitters in my area. One called me back, and we went to meet her. I immediately thought she looked familiar, and then when I saw her 6-year-old daughter, I was sure who she was! I had went to elementary school with her and hadn't seen her in almost 20 years! She remembered me too, and you know what she remembered about me? That I had been a JW. The label doesn't seem to ever go away.

17

Follow the money......

by mjl in

has anyone ever tried to follow the money the wtbs collect?

it's almost as bad as watching a shell game in new york city.

here is one of my biggest problems... the building fund.

Mamacat

You can look up the addresses here in a property database search and see the info from the deed. I looked at our old hall, and it is listed as being owned by the
XXXXX XXXXX CONGREGATION OF
JEHOVAHS WITNESSES INC

I remember when the hall was built, and we had a ton of money in the building fund because when we sold our old hall, we shared with another for awhile. Also, this was a 2 congregation hall, but it seems the other congregation sold out to this one (at a price of $0 to get their name off the deed) I think it would have to not have a lien on it in order to change the deed, but I am not sure.

Later, I can get out my phone book and look up more KH addresses and see if this is the normal way for them to be listed.

14

ok, door to door question.......

by freedom96 in

i am always teasing my wife about having a "country club" upbringing as a witness.. in the hall i grew up in, and those i attended for a few years after turning 18, were pretty hard core.

i tease her about how easy she had it.

which, in my mind was clearly the case, but that is another story.. this case involves going out in service.. in my halls, you went out almost regardless of weather.

Mamacat

...

14

ok, door to door question.......

by freedom96 in

i am always teasing my wife about having a "country club" upbringing as a witness.. in the hall i grew up in, and those i attended for a few years after turning 18, were pretty hard core.

i tease her about how easy she had it.

which, in my mind was clearly the case, but that is another story.. this case involves going out in service.. in my halls, you went out almost regardless of weather.

Mamacat

We lived in the suburbs, and would almost always do townhouses or closely grouped houses for service territory. Those that had more territories with regular roads where the houses were spaced and had driveways must have had to do those on their own...they were never done during regular service. I don't remember ever doing any territory like that, and there are definitely those types of houses there too.

We would be split up in groups of two and start at opposite ends of a street and work until we met each other in the middle. My mom always started counting time from when we left the hall until we got back there. We had a two door car, so we always rode with others. Usually, we would do two sides of a street and then head to McDonalds for a drink. It was frowned upon if you ate something...drinks only. Then, those with return visits would map those out, and we would do a few on the drive back to the hall.

I remember going in the snow and cold many times, especially on days school was cancelled because of the weather. My mom had started "street witnessing" with another sister in the city, and I went once. The snow plows were throwing snow up on the sidewalk, which of course weren't shoveled. It was miserable.

22

JW Convention First Aid

by Quotes in

i just had a flashback that reminded me of one of the only times i saw my elder-father somewhat "fed up" with his fellow brethren.

once upon a time, my father had some sort of first-aid badge from his workplace.

he was assigned the task of managing the first ais station at the circuit assembly.

Mamacat

My grandma was/is a real piece of work. She only ever visited once a year, (from 3 hours away) and it was always when the District Convention was. That usually coincided with my birthday, and she would give me money as a present. I would ask my mom why grandma gave me something for my birthday, but she would downplay it: "Since she doesn't see you that often." LOL That didn't explain the birthday cards she gave! We always referred to her as a "hypocrite"

I always liked that I got to see my Grandpap, but since he wasn't a JW, I didn't get to spend much time with him though because my days were stuck in the assembly. :(

I believe my mom would have really taken me home if not for grandma. She could have went to the same program the following week at the same place. I just kept feeling worse that day. I had gotten ill at the meetings several times over the years, and she always left right away with me.

70

My Book of Bible Stories

by Taylor S. in

i just got my hands on a copy of my book of bible stories ... (1978).

at first i was excited when a friend pulled it out of his bag, said he'd gotten it as a kid.

then i started flipping through, looking at the pictures, feeling the memories spin in my brain.

Mamacat

My mom gave my son a copy of this book a few years back. It had been a long time since I had looked at it. He was really upset with the picture of the beaten up Jew who is helped by the Samaratan. He called him the "scary blood guy." I looked through it and couldn't believe some of the pictures. I guess since I was raised with it, I never looked at it objectively before.

A few weeks ago, my mom sent us the Learn from the Great Teacher book. She even wrote in the accompanying note that the picture of that Jew was not so bloody as in The Book of Bible Stories book. Ugh, I threw it in the closet.

22

JW Convention First Aid

by Quotes in

i just had a flashback that reminded me of one of the only times i saw my elder-father somewhat "fed up" with his fellow brethren.

once upon a time, my father had some sort of first-aid badge from his workplace.

he was assigned the task of managing the first ais station at the circuit assembly.

Mamacat

I got sick at the District Convention when I was 7. It was actually my birthday too. I kept throwing up, and my mom took me to first aid. I had a fever, and I could barely stand up. They couldn't do much for me, but they actually told my mom to take me home! She wasn't up for the idea, but she decided to run it past my grandma (who had rode with us). She wouldn't leave, so my mom spent the whole day running me to the restroom. At least I got to stay home the next day.

51

Wife joining, but I don't want the kids to get all brainwashed

by Check_Your_Premises in

my wife is joining.

she feels that the choice is between nothing and god, and that the only way to have a relationship with god is through these people.

i have accepted that.

Mamacat

How old are your children?

I think your guidelines are a good start. You might want to agree to let the kids decide about celebrating holidays, or insist they will be celebrated no matter what.

Please never get soft on your stance. My dad is a Non-JW, and at first he was very opposed to us going to the meetings. Over the years, he became just annoyed and finally passive. It became to where he would even tell me to go to the meetings to keep my mom quiet, and I no longer could confide in him about my feelings toward what I was being taught.