OK......it has taken me lots of soul searching to put this post up (it contains some facts I dont really feel all that comfortable putting up). But I will try and leave out here for as long as I can.

It is an email I have sent to my Dad. It is a followup - he has some of the info on the UN already. Some on this board have questioned why the JWs will respond to the UN issue but not to the other issues. Well the UN issue affects me personally....I paid a very high price for it.

Here goes:

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Dear Dad,

"Organized to Accomplish Our Ministry" page 151

"Concerning those who renounced their Christian faith in his day, the apostle John wrote: "They went out from among us, but they were not of our sort; for if they had been of our sort they would have remained with us" (1 John 2:19) Also a person might renounce his place in the Christian congregation by his actions, such as by becoming part of a secular organization the objective of which is contrary to the Bible and hence, is under judgement by Jehovah God. (Compare Revelation 19: 17-21; Isaiah 2:4) So if a person who is a Christian chooses to join those who are disapproved by God, it would be fitting for the congregation to acknowledge by a brief announcement that he has disassociated himself and is no longer one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Such a person would be viewed in the same way as a disfellowshipped person"

Think of the United Nations and the stuff I sent previously. Now ask: "How do you disfellowship the governing body?" Or do organizations get judged differently to people? If so do the members (people) of the organization escape judgement?

Why did I go to prison for many years because of "neutrality"? Why have I continued to have terrible nightmares about it for so many years ever since I was released? You know it changed me forever. If I had chosen to become "part of a secular organization " - I would have been disfellowshipped. Even if they voluntarily joined the UN for humanitarian reasons - how come I could not voluntary choose alternative service of a humane nature? I am really angry about this state affairs.

Love you dearly,

MSIL
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So sorry for your experiences. It must be very difficult to try to deal with all the hypocrisy and doubletalk.

You make some excellent points, however. I hope your father can recognize how logical and truthful they are.

Thank you for the post. I hope he listens.

One seed.

Slipnslidemaster:"It is always the best policy to tell the truth, unless, of course, you are an exceptionally good liar."

- Jerome K. Jerome

Precisely!

Kent,

You and I spoke the other day.....thanks so much for all the support you have given me.

Perhaps in time I will be able to say more. There are many reasons why I cannot be more specific.....I have not even told my wife about many of the things that happened to me in there.

Sincerely,
MSIL

Hello MSIL,

Wise and compassionate words Kent. I just wanted to join Kent and others in offering my support and best wishes to you. My email address is open should you need help.

HS

In the ideal christian world all conflicts would be resolved by everyone sitting on their asses and pratying for god to do something about it.

But the fact is god does NOT intervene in ANYTHING..we are left on our own to resolve issues. If a country invades ours, or an allies, do we just remain pascifist, thou shalt not kill etc etc? Military service and the military in general should be considered a good thing. It sure is easy for people like the jehovahs witnesses to refuse military service and go to jail when thousands of otheres are out fighting to protect the country they are improsened in, preventing enemy troops from bombing friends and relatives.

Bottom line: JW suck..i cant beleive theyve sent so many to their graves and to prisons and destroyed so many families and still operate without any problems under the law (except maybe in france and russia)

To all of you,

Thanks so much for the support and encouragement. There are many things (upheavals) going on in my life right now some bad, some awful and some experiences I have had over the past week have been the happiest days of my life too. Perhaps its this blend which led me to post this here.

In any event, there are questions I cannot answer - for the sake of my family. Questions like: country and how long (I will tell you it was for more than 3 years - thats all. The society can quite quickly deduce things from such information if I give it out specifically....I have met other brothers from other countries....they say I was in prison for x years....and many times I know by x where they were imprisoned).

We spent many nights cold and hungry and some times the military would give us bad food - which made us ill...(I carried more than one brother unconcious to the hospital....as I was myself on occasion).

We stood up to the military, we did hard time (manual labor digging trenches by hand, no luxuries, no TVs, radios, etc -just your clothes - 2 overalls) a bunch of boys (too young to really be called men) for the principles such as "My kingdom is NO PART of this world". We took our licks for it. We did so proudly and we each thought "Jehovah's Heart is rejoicing as we make our reply to the one who is taunting him". Even now my mother is able to come to terms with my inactivity as a JW by saying "it's OK. Jehovah will not forget about it." She thinks somehow I earned heaven-credit or something.... I love the angel who made me so happy.

While I am not sure if I have it in me to kill people.....we were not allowed (by the society) to do alternate service at the time. This was subsequently amended when "new light" came out. I have discussed this before now with elders......I cannot accept the "new light" without some form of apology. Why can't they just say "the organization was wrong"? A bunch of pathetic rationalizing went on and I just looked at them and said nothing. Some of them even told me privately they understood my viewpoint on the matter.

Now the UN thing....the hypocrisy!!! I am disgusted. If they want to DF me for it they can - then I will see them in court and I will take it to the public press all over. I am unstable right now, I am close the point where I am ready to lose everything....but then so will they.

There are more than one of me here.

MSIL: I can see why this UN issue hit you so hard. I don't blame you for being angry. I am angry too and I didn't go through what you went through. If your dad is walking around saying, "It can't be true, it can't be true." It is not such a bad thing.

He read the information. It will take time for it to sink in. He will pay closer attention. The way the WTS responds to this issue may be the thing that makes him want to leave. Just be patient.

On the other hand, my sister would not even sit with me or read anything from me. So she will never have the information in her head to make her think. At least your dad knows. She doesn't have a clue.

msil...

you brought tears to my eyes reading this...

please remember...that although many in the org are good people, there are those who arnt. and thats the reason we all fight for what we KNOW is right, and true.

you know many of the issues we discuss here.
pedophiles and the likes of them.

wolfs in sheeps skin.

thans for sharing such painfull, touching memories with us.

my thoughts, my prayers, are with you.

-Zev
-August 8th, 2001 - The day the lambs ROARED