Memorial Attendance: The Single Most Impactful TTATT "Witness" to Family and Friends

by AMNESIANO 31 Replies latest jw friends

  • AMNESIANO
    AMNESIANO

    Anyone who has awakened to TTATT and conscientiously left the organization--especially a once-prominent individual from a prominent multi-generational tribe of JWs-- after decades of devout, high-profile "serve-us," who continues to put in an annual appearance at the Memorial thoroughly subverts and undermines, by this one act, any hope s/he may entertain that his/her departure will stir family or former friends to question the whole Watchtower bamboozle. By this one concession s/he assigns him-/herself by every single JW to their handy and dimissive purgatory: the "spiritually-weak."

    Nothing blasts a louder, clearer, and more deliberate message to the JWs who personally knew you and those familiar with your JW bona fides that you are not merely "not making the meetings" or "spiritually-weak" but that there is a conscientious reason you have rejected the entire Watchtower Society life than choosing to forego what they know you know to be their one-and-only holy and sacred event of the year, the Lord's Evening Meal

    Such a singular disregard cannot and will not be misconstrued. It puts thinking minds to work. All accomplished without a word.

    Conversely, every appearance you continue to make at the Memorial confirms to JWs that they're right and, thereby, superior and that you are one to be judged and looked down upon because you couldn't/didn't cut it. It says "I'm no longer 'spiritually-mature' enough to make the weekly meetings regularly or to go out in field service, but I still know this is The Truth so I attend the Memorial."

    You hand them the very justification they so relish to self-righteously contemn you later as a "submarine Witness" deserving of their pity, or worse. More tragically, though, you squander your prize opportunity to nudge the brighter ones to seriously ponder the possible reason for your shocking departure.

    Attending the Watchtower's Lord's Evening Meal is a colossally misguided concession to go-along-to-get-along for anyone whose intention or desire it is to awaken(!) others to consciousness.

    AMNESIAN

    Captive 7/1972 - 2/2001

    Last Memorial attendance: April 8, 2001

  • cultBgone
    cultBgone

    Yep.

  • gingerbread
    gingerbread

    AMNESIAN - will your own husband be attending the Memorial again this year?

  • SophieG
    SophieG

    ...and THAT is why I will NOT attend!

  • AMNESIANO
    AMNESIANO

    AMNESIAN - will your own husband be attending the Memorial again this year?

    Yes, gingerbread, he will attend with members of his birth family, as he has since I stopped in 2001. He's nothing approaching the true-believer he once was, but he's also not one for change of any kind. So he'll be there quite cynically asking himself "who really is the faithful and discreet slave??"

    Who indeed.

    AMNESIAN

    Captive 7/1972 - 2/2001

    Last Memorial attendance: April 8, 2001

  • Phizzy
    Phizzy

    I thoroughly agree with all you say in the O.P Amnesiano. To attend reinforces the JW's belief that deep down you really still believe it is the "truth".

    The only way to get your JW family to even start to think is to challenge their smug self-satisfaction that they have the truth.

    As you rightly say, to challenge that false idea, " that they may be won without a word" by simply not going to the Memorial or the K.H is often far, far better than debating with them.

    To attend, and say you do it "for family" is to delude yourself if you know TTATT, you are going simply not to cause waves, waves that would maybe help your family.

  • gingerbread
    gingerbread

    Your patience is commendable AMNESIAN.

    Hopefully it will work as well as it has for our family!

    ginger

  • clarity
  • Perversion of a truth
    Perversion of a truth

    AMNESIANO

    I've talked with my mom and a few old JW friends and have told them I am not going to meetings and that I don't know if I even believe in Gogofmayjehovag (lol, , sorry... god) anymore. They don't know how I truly feel, , and that that is that I know that the JW's are a cult and the governing body is a bunch of bullshit, and that in my heart I am a true apostate...

    But after reading your post I have admitly decided I will not be attending the memorial tomorrow. It's funny, , cause I haven't talked to my mom in over a month, , or my brother (the only two left in my family that are still brainwashed...big time), , and both called today... My brother I answered cause I thought well enough that he wouldn't ask the question, , and of course he didn't.. thank god... lol. But my mom called and I let it roll to voicemail, , cause I just knew she was going to remind me and ask if I was going to the memorial tomorrow. I am sure that I will receive a call in a day or two, , from my mom to "catch up" and of course ask if I attended the memorial. Which of course I will respond with, , "No mom... Why would I go? I am an athiest"... I wonder if my mom will talk to me even less after this conversation. Can't stop me from being what I am.

    Anyway, Thank you for the great thinking post. Assisting me with a decision that wasn't just baised off of faith.

  • Enlightenment123
    Enlightenment123

    Wow...I can't even remember the last time I went to a Memorial. I've, once again, been invited and received the paper invites from multiple people this year. I will not be attending, just as I don't every year.

    Absolutely, positively cannot agree more with this post. And I couldn't have said it better myself!

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