It is possible that they received a last- minute notification to make some changes, probably due to the liability issues recently raised in Denmark. At our convention, my brother said they received an urgent letter regarding the drama- they were to make sure that Job and his wife were not standing next to each other or touching because, you know, they wouldn't be married anymore in paradise. Weird....
dissonance_resolved
JoinedPosts by dissonance_resolved
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48
watchtower tones down apostate talk at august 3rd convention!
by nowwhat? inno mention of them being mentally diseased or using "lies" to deceive god's people, just that they are out to attract followers for themselves!.
p.s.
i was cringing at the thought of sitting for 3 1/2 hours for the afternoon session but fortunately my one kid got sick!!
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Shocking talk from 2013 District Convention urges parents to shun disfellowshipped children
by cedars inhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yldwe_6jsu.
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cedars.
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dissonance_resolved
The timing and placement of this talk late on Saturday afternoon is no coincidence. By that point, the attendees really are in a state of mass hypnosis and primed to accept just about anything. I noticed this when I attended the DC last month. The speakers all have that exaggerated modulation and enunciation that I've only ever heard at assemblies and conventions and something about it really does affect your mind after a while. All the negative stuff is usually on Saturday and then Sunday afternoon ends up with the feel good items so you leave feeling "encouraged" but the negative messages are still in your subconscious. It's kind of evil actually, especially if that's being done on purpose.
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A day in the life of a fading JW
by dissonance_resolved ini'm five months into my slow fade and it's going so-so.
my saturday morning was spent on a 3-mile jog and taking the kids to the park, which was great, but i'm still shuddering from the potential alternative.
at the last meeting, an elderette literally blocked the exit to prevent my escape and said she just "noticed" that we were in the same field service group and would i like to work with her in service on saturday?
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dissonance_resolved
Thanks everyone for the encouragement!
Scully-I listened to the podcast- thanks for the recommendation! I found it quite helpful. Having been raised as a JW, I'm having difficulty trying to figure out how NOT to be a JW parent. I don't have all the answers anymore. I don't even know what I believe. So it's good to hear a different perspective. I've long suspected that it IS possible to raise a child to be a moral, ethical, good person without being a JW, but I'm not quite sure how to do it without the black and white rules I've been accustomed to.
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A day in the life of a fading JW
by dissonance_resolved ini'm five months into my slow fade and it's going so-so.
my saturday morning was spent on a 3-mile jog and taking the kids to the park, which was great, but i'm still shuddering from the potential alternative.
at the last meeting, an elderette literally blocked the exit to prevent my escape and said she just "noticed" that we were in the same field service group and would i like to work with her in service on saturday?
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dissonance_resolved
I'm five months into my slow fade and it's going so-so. My Saturday morning was spent on a 3-mile jog and taking the kids to the park, which was great, but I'm still shuddering from the potential alternative. At the last meeting, an elderette literally blocked the exit to prevent my escape and said she just "noticed" that we were in the same field service group and would I like to work with her in service on Saturday? Ok, I didn't want to be uncharitable and reference the fact that I've been assigned to that service group for OVER A YEAR and she just noticed, nor that she has never spoken to me, called me, or probably even thought of me until she noticed I wasn't going in FS and decided to make it her personal mission to encourage me. Ugh. So I said, "hm, Saturdays are tough, but if there is a day that would work, I'll call you!". Exit quickly stage left.
Then my mom called and wanted to know if we were going to the DC next weekend to catch the day we missed last month due to "not feeling well." Me- "oh, hm, haven't really planned that far ahead, seems like a long way off." Her- "It's not really that far off. You won't want to miss the drama- it's about Esther! It's supposed to be really good!" Me- "oh, yeah, hm". Awkward silence. Change of subject.
Finally, the most heart-breaking part of my day, my little girl asks me if I'm going to the meeting tomorrow and I say "no." So she says "when are you going to start going to meetings again?" and I say "I'm going to go as little as possible from now on." She walks away and I can only hope she's wondering why and starting to think rather than pondering that her mommy is going to die at Armageddon.
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Magotan's Story
by magotan inhi all, i've posted here in crisis a few weeks ago.
i recently have finally taken the time to write out my entire story.
i knew i had to come out to my parents and family about everything, my sexuality, and my issues with the jehovah's witnesses.
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dissonance_resolved
Magotan- I'm so sorry to hear about what you have gone through. I hope you know that you will find people who will love you for who you are with no strings attached. This forum is also very supportive, so keep talking.
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JW family trying to compensate for us being "spiritually weak" through increased activity
by cedars inhi folks.
one of the things that has been most frustrating for my wife and i since beginning our fade as been the way certain family members have responded by ramping up their own involvement in the organization seemingly in a bizarre attempt to compensate for our lack of activity.. close relatives who were once doing precious little study and weren't going out of their way to attend meetings or go on the ministry are now studying every morning and busting a gut to attend "theocratic" arrangements.. it makes no sense to me, because salvation is supposed to be based on the beliefs and actions of each individual, not on those of his or her loved ones.
just what is the logic by which they think they can make things better by doing more themselves?.
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dissonance_resolved
I'm experiencing the same thing- my husband who was irregular at best, never reached out for privileges and frequently skipped out on TMS assignments has been ramping up his activity seemingly in proportion to my decline in activity. And he is the very one I most want to learn TTATT. I chalk it up to cognitive dissonance- seeing my change in beliefs makes him question his own so he changes his behavior to convince himself he's right and reduce the dissonance.
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The Pit of Despair, or going to the DC
by dissonance_resolved inso our dc is coming up and my level of anxiety and depression is through the roof.
i've been fading and have noticed that when i don't go the meetings, i'm happy, calm and positive, but when i do go, it takes at least a week to recover.
so the prospect of three straight days has me in an absolute panic.
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dissonance_resolved
I survived without any misbehavior. The sessions were very difficult to listen to- lots of negativity, over-enunciation, half-hearted applause. Hubby got sick and had to leave a day early- sorry for him, but I have to say it saved me. I have to wonder if it's cognitive dissonance causing his symptoms though. Anyhow, I spent the time during the sessions refreshing myself on and pointing out logical fallacies. A straw man, a woozle, a red herring, oh my!
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Mourning a child
by dissonance_resolved ini attended a funeral today for a small child, whose death was an unspeakable tragedy.
it was my first non-jw funeral and indeed the first time i'd ever been in a church.
i couldn't even comprehend what the parents must be going through.
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dissonance_resolved
Earthfire, I'm sorry about your great- grandpa. Your dad and uncle were trying to do the right thing, but it just shows how misguided JWs are when it comes to the important stuff.
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Mourning a child
by dissonance_resolved ini attended a funeral today for a small child, whose death was an unspeakable tragedy.
it was my first non-jw funeral and indeed the first time i'd ever been in a church.
i couldn't even comprehend what the parents must be going through.
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dissonance_resolved
Lisa, that is so true. It made me wonder how a child's funeral would be handled. They couldn't present the information as if it was the child's beliefs. Whatever the approach, I can't imagine that it would be in any way comforting. The service today, though painful, was very comforting- it honored the child's life and caused everyone to reflect on the difference that child had made in their own life.
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Mourning a child
by dissonance_resolved ini attended a funeral today for a small child, whose death was an unspeakable tragedy.
it was my first non-jw funeral and indeed the first time i'd ever been in a church.
i couldn't even comprehend what the parents must be going through.
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dissonance_resolved
I attended a funeral today for a small child, whose death was an unspeakable tragedy. It was my first non-JW funeral and indeed the first time I'd ever been in a church. I couldn't even comprehend what the parents must be going through. The church was packed and as everyone entered a pianist was playing Mozart's variations on the theme commonly known as "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star." Everyone was sobbing. The services were full of rituals, readings and responses, hymns and prayers, two beautiful remembrances of this all too short life. Everyone was grieving together, supporting this devastated family, surrounded by soft candlelight and the sunlight streaming through the stained glass windows.
As the services ended, the pallbearers carried the tiny coffin down the aisle, followed by the parents, their family and then all in attendance. It was heartbreakingly sad, and yet it seemed like this is what has been done for thousands of years, a sorrowful rite of passage, a funeral procession to lay a little one to rest. When there is nothing else you can do, it made sense that there would be a ritual to follow, something prescribed to just help them take the next step. It was a profoundly moving experience.
I couldn't help but think if I were in their shoes and my child passed tomorrow. A Kingdom song, five minutes review of their life and the remaining 25 minutes reminding us how we ought to use our last waking moments to go out in service more. I'm not saying I would go out and join another church, but this experience made me realize that there's a world of human experience out there which I have never had access to, and which is beautiful and wondrous.
Give your kids an extra hug and kiss tonight if you can.