What My JW Family Members say....is this typical?

by dins 11 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  dins

  I went to see my grandmother today, who has been a JW pioneer for going on 60 years and is still pioneering. This is what she told me.

  She said that they had their one-day assembly yesterday and that attendance was high. She said that there was someone there from Bethel in NY, who told everyone his experience of the attack on Tuesday. He also said that the WT immediately printed out the Awake issues from the past months about terrorism and post-traumatic stress disorder. He said the presses were running from the day it happened printing these mags to distribute.

  Then her and my parents were out in full force this morning, taking advantage of the people who wanted to talk (although some man ordered my father off his property with a few choice words.)

  They seem to be really elated about this. My grandmother pressed the two issues of the Awake into my hands and I took them, (although I tried not to recoil) because I didn't want to be rude. THen my uncle called from Florida (another JW) and they were talking about how they heard that some Bethelites were letting people in their lobby and feeding them, etc. and probably handing out literature the day it happened like heroes and all that.

  So here I have them. I have thumbed through them, although they were issued a couple months ago and I don't really see anything different from what I remember all those years ago.

  I guess my dilemma is whether I should just keep my mouth shut and let them go on about it. But my jaw is starting to hurt from clenching my mouth trying to be quiet.

  Any suggestions? How have you handled this, you, who have JW relatives?

  Diana
• 

  Naeblis

  Of course its typical. Theyre all cut from the same cookie cutter. How could they be different?
• 

  AuSet

  Diana, I know exactly what you are going through right now. My entire family just got back from the one day assembly, and all my Mother could say was "Did you know 13 Witnesses were killed? How terrible!"

  Usually I just keep my mouth shut, but the events over the last week have been stressful, and I've really been on edge. Well, I flipped out and let her have it...went into way more detail than I should have...(Leaving no doubt in her mind of my "apostate" status!)

  I just got back from their house and am really feeling nauseous. My advice is to stay out of these conversations if at all possible. I realize its hard to keep your mouth shut but it is not worth losing what little relationship you may have with your grandmother. This is very hard to do, especially if you feel strongly about how sick the organization is. Just try to change the subject.

  AuSet
• 

  dungbeetle

  Sing praises to Jehovah...Song # 213

  We must act together as one, Independence, wisely we shun
  Harmony and oneness of mind, Bring peace of rarest kind.

  Unity brings blessings. This we'll surely find.
  If with talents we are endowed, There's no reason e'er to be proud.

  Unity we cherish, For it is so good.
  Unity rewards us so well--

  Sung to the tune of 'Vomitus Maximus'

  If a large group of people can stand at the end of a bridge and WATCH
  the shocked and injured stagger across, how can we expect any better behavior from those who didn't even actually SEE it.

  Don't worry...what goes around comes around. There are those of us who will make sure of it.

  dungbeetle...cleaning up the crap.
• 

  CPiolo

  AuSet:

  My JW wife has made similar comments all week long: "There might have been some brothers and sisters cleaning the building when it was attacked." "Some members of the congregation nearby may have died in the attack. We have congregations close by you know." I just bite my tongue.

  Unfortunately, there were people from all over the world, of all races, of various religions (including Muslims), of various colors, of various creeds, and of all walks of life who were killed, maimed, injured and effected. Singling one's group out of so many is so very selfish, narrow-minded, and intolerant of the pain and suffering of those not of their kind that it just boggles my mind.

  CPiolo
• 

  dmouse

  I agree with what others have posted on this subject. It is probably best to avoid talking about it with JW relatives. At the moment emotions are raw for everyone.

  The field service group met at my house on Saturday morning and it was nauseating to hear them talking about what magazines would be best to take advantage of possible increased receptiveness to ‘the Truth’.

  One of the magazines I think was entitled 'Is life worth
  living?' and they actually laughed as they said they could link that with the people jumping out of the buildings. Sickening, but predictable.

  For many (not all) JWs this tragedy is a Godsend. The best thing to happen for them since AIDS hit the scene. They are very excited that these events might be the precursers to the great tribulation.
  Unfortunately this will mean a temporary halt in their decline. Cults usually do well in times of crisis. The people who died on Tuesday will not be the only victims of this tragedy, there will be many who will die a slow death as part of the WT machine they will inevitably be sucked into.
• 

  AMOS

  Well that's another #million Awakes to be sold @ ? how much a copy. JWs could not "sell" their message without all the literature. JWs are only one of or the biggest printing company in the world. Take their literature away, and what would you have left? A 10 minute Bible reading once a week? A hard road ahead of you. We had our JW in laws living with us at the time - we just kept feeding them with evidence of what corruptions the Scty had been involved in since its beginnings - they were d/f one year later. My family - totally opposite. You could not have a conversation without getting heated and into a drama. My father even said that if the WT green Bible was wrong - then Jehovah was a liar? So in the end left them alone. There is no one answer or direction. Each situation is unique Cheers
• 

  dins

  Thanks for all your input, folks.

  Another more serious issue cropped up last night after I post the first question.

  I decided to ask my nine year old son if his great-grandmother and/or his grandparents (my parents) ever talked to him about Jehovah.

  Well, he said of course!! and launched into a rhetoric that I thought I had long left behind...great tribulation....new system...no houses left..bad people destroyed and that he would be playing with lions, blah, blah.

  THEN, he said to me, why don't you believe it Mummy? Shocked, I said that they had been saying the same thing for years and years and Mummy has seen no evidence of anything happening.

  Then he said, then you won't make it to the new system if you don't believe.

  I am really at a loss as to what to do. Saying anything might alientate me from my family even more, yet if he starts spouting this to his father when he visits him in the UK, his father would have every reason to be outraged like me.

  What should I do? It's a tough call, since next to my son, my grandmother is the most important person to me on the planet.

  Any more advice would be appreciated.

  Thanks

  Diana
• 

  lisaBObeesa

  Diana,

  I am so sorry to hear about this. I have told my JW relatives they are not to 'witness' to my children, just as I don't try to teach their children what I believe. Your situation sounds much more difficult.

  Maybe it would be worth the trouble to never leave your son alone with her. Always be there. This way, maybe you could save the relationship with grandma, but she would not have any more opportunity to 'witness' to your child. Just a thought...

  Also, I think it would be very important to answer all of his questions, and explain why you don't believe and why you think they are wrong. It sounds like he already believes in the JW junk. I would take steps right away to take care of that! Maybe you two could visit other churches, and see that the people there are not bad....help him to use logic...

  I really wish you well with this issue. Your post really got to me because I have a nine year old son, too, and this has always been one my biggest fears.

  I hope some people respond who have actually delt with this sort of thing, because this is an important issue many of us face.
  --Bobeesa
• 

  Moridin

  My mother and sister have been dropping the same comments to me trying to "save" me before armageddon gets here. I've had the hardest time biting my tongue.