would you attend the funeral/memorial service?
assuming that it would be held in a kh; or even if it wasn't.. this is something that's been on my mind lately; honestly, i'm not sure why.
my parents are both still relatively young; 60 and 61. my dad has been diagnosed with skin cancer but both are otherwise healthy.. i really don't know whether i would; particularly for my father.
What kind of question is this? How could you not attend the funeral of your parents??!!!!
It's a valid question that has troubled me for sometime. Obviously your parents have *not* disowned you, little one, or else you would understand how I (and, apparently, many others) could struggle with this decision.
have you ever tried to explain to someone who has no religious leaning how you once truly believed that you could live forever and that now you are no longer a jw that certainty is gone, and how hard that is to deal with at times?.
the look of disbelief and pity that you get in return.. maybe thats partly why we need to talk so often to other xjw's.
whats been your experiences.. anglise
My never-JW hubby understands it because I was still JW when I met him, and he has seen how brainwashed my family is over the years we've been together.
I find the most difficult part is making others understand that JWs are a cult; they don't believe me. They think I'm being too dramatic or that I'm overstating. That, I think, is the most difficult for folks to understand.
as a jehovah's witness, you know that you cannot practice homosexuality.
it's considered a sin.
if your friend or relative revealed that they were gay, you would be obligated to "report" them to the elders.
If it was one of my children, I would defend their decision and the validity of their relationship to my dying breath. I would be proud that hubby and I had raised a strong child who wasn't afraid of a little adversity (from outside sources, of course) and who had strength of character to be honest with themselves and others. I would hope that they would never be concerned about our reaction or that we would disapprove; but as my son is only 3.5 and the other isn't born yet (due in March!! ) it's obviously far too early for conversations on the topic of sex. Never too soon, though, to lay the groundwork and discuss other things openly.
were you considered a "troublemaker", a "complainer", a "fine" brother or sister?
were you always being called before the elders for one thing or another?
is your reputation the same here as it was in the congregation??
Hmmmm...up until I was 17 years + 11 months, my reputation was stellar. Third child in a family of four strong Witness kids, PO's daughter, out in service every weekend (of course, the arrangement was held at OUR house ), auxiliary pioneered the summer before grade 12, answered at every meeting (if I didn't, my father glowered at me), Theocratic Ministry School star LOL, and fine association for any young Witness adult.
What happened after that? Well, at 17 years + 10.5 months, I met my future (worldly) husband. Didn't take long for the other Witness kids at school to discover and report my "transgressions". At 18 years + 1 month, I left home and left The Truth (TM), shocking everyone in the congregation including my own parents.
i've been wondering how many jws have gotten married too quickly, without knowing their prospective "mate" well enough, and have ended up really unhappy.
it always seemed to me that a couple would be dating for, like, 6 or 9 months and get engaged, have a 9 month engagement and be married; often because they bought the "no sex before marriage" garbage.
i'm sure that there *are* happy jw marriages out there; and certainly being unhappily married isn't the sole property of jws.
I've been wondering how many JWs have gotten married too quickly, without knowing their prospective "mate" well enough, and have ended up really unhappy. It always seemed to me that a couple would be dating for, like, 6 or 9 months and get engaged, have a 9 month engagement and be married; often because they bought the "no sex before marriage" garbage. (I remember a circuit overseer once referring to couples who did that, as not being in love, but in heat. LOL) I know that's what happened to my brother and I'm sure he had quite a shock once his wife "had him" and let her true colours show to him and to/about our family.
I'm sure that there *are* happy JW marriages out there; and certainly being unhappily married isn't the sole property of JWs. Just curious how many of my old "friends" married too soon and have regretted it. I still think about many of my old friends fondly, as wierd as that might seem, and I would hate for any of those ones to be unhappy.
LMAO
i saw my uncle sell their house..... only later to feel and look like idiots.
i remember all the buzz about the end coming around my own house.
since i was a naturally inqusitive child (the question why is not good for theocratic advancement) i was made to feel stupid for questioning, even at 7 and 8 years old.
1975 affected me greatly insofar as it was the year I was born; perhaps my birth might have been overshadowed by Armageddon, had it actually shown up; but as it didn't, my birth was defnitely the highlight of the year for me.
would you attend the funeral/memorial service?
assuming that it would be held in a kh; or even if it wasn't.. this is something that's been on my mind lately; honestly, i'm not sure why.
my parents are both still relatively young; 60 and 61. my dad has been diagnosed with skin cancer but both are otherwise healthy.. i really don't know whether i would; particularly for my father.
I have pretty much the same feelings about it as you, Gopher. Although I know my dad would never admit to wanting me there if something happened to my mum. Basically, I don't know my parents any more; they might as well be people I went to school with and haven't seen since then. We no longer have anything in common aside from bloodlines; why would I go to a memorial svc for someone I don't know, unless it was to support somenoe else who was there?
SIGH. It's a tough one.
i have collected sayings, homilies, whatever along the way that crystallize something bigger i learned.
i will post a few every day.
if you have one, please share it.. if you lie down with dogs, you'll get up with fleas.. to belittle is to be little.. somewhere, i got the idea if i just took care of others, i would be taken care of.. blondie
If you're going through hell, you don't have to build a house there.
ok folks, if you live in the province of ontario, it should come as no surprise to you: we have a provincial election going on, and a very important one too.
thursday, october 2, 2003 is our provincial election.
here's some information that may be useful: .
I'll be voting Green, and I'll tell you why. Because I am quite certain that they have no chance of winning (they are too new to have the necessary political experience to run the province, although I wouldn't mind having a Green MPP); and to send a message to whichever party wins, that environmental awareness *MUST* become a greater factor in future political decisions.
It's looking like the Pointy-Headed Kitten Eater will likely win; Eves is showing signs of strain after the campaign, whereas McGuinty is confident and fresh. It's hard to say what will happen if/when the Liberals win; I guess we're in for a ride. :)
