by snowbird 63 Replies latest jw friends
We found some people who were happy to welcome us into their homes, even offering us food and drink.
Sometimes, they would flag us down and ask for the magazines, walk miles to the KH meetings, come to our defense if someone got ugly or rude.
Now, JW's are either routinely ignored or outright vilified.
No one respects them anymore.
Sad.
But you used to have more meetings and longer assemblies right? I can't imagine this religion was ever 'fun'!
Yes, but this was during the 70's when I was young and naive and fired up with biblical zeal to do Jehovah's Watchtower work.
I actually enjoyed myself during those times.
Us Yankees way up north always heard how down south the JWs would get invited in for a cold drink and to sit for a spell beforer they moved on to the next house, since the houses were always down the road from the other houses
Yes, though it was very hard, and I lived a life of extreme sacrifice, it was fun and exciting in that we thought we were going to delivered any minute. We thought exciting events were about to unfold. We looked forward to district conventions because we thought we might get exciting new information. There was a sense of urgency, excitement, and accomplishment. We took pride in being different and being looked down on.
Then it all started changing. I gradually began to see behind the curtain until I got a full glimpse of the little old powerless men behind that big old curtain. The magic is gone. Now, instead of taking pride in being different, JWs are trying to fit in and be cool and hip and they will never be. I couldn't care less about district (regional) conventions because there will be no exciting new info. I couldn't care less about the latest Watchtower or Awake. I now know they are simply written by people who have no more connection with a deity than Jack Black. Their writing is awful.
And I agree that they're not taken seriously anymore. And I think that will be more so the case as time goes on because of the availabilty of info against them and with the passing of time, their doctrines, include end-time predicitons are shown to more and more wrong.
Again, some people at this forum will always say there was nothing fun about being/having been a Witness. Snowbird, I agree it used to be much better than now. The minstry was often memorable, just as you describe. I had many wonderful experiences doing the preaching and teaching work. The assemblies were true fun, especially working at them, like some of the reaction to time hooper's recent thread realate:
The only way to have joy now is to live in the total fantasyland that most JWs live in. It's tragic, really.
Snowbird, are you still in?
Magnum, you words are soooo true:
Then it all started changing. I gradually began to see behind the curtain until I got a full glimpse of the little old powerless men behind that big old curtain. The magic is gone.
Before the CD sets in and you learn TTATT, being a JW is fun no matter what era it is. We are in lala WT Land, with rose coloured glsses. We have a huge circle of true friends and we can trust everyone. Sadly for child abuse victims, and victims of DV, the CD sets in quicker and perhaps those ones don't have the same memories of WT la la land.
When we are asleep to TTATT, it's easier to be happy and think it's fun.
Kate xx
I'm no longer with the JW's, but one of my daughters is still in.
To me, it's hardly recognizable anymore.
Me either!
When we are young or new in the 'truth' we see this religion through rose colored glasses.
We thought we now really understood the Bible. It was explained to us so 'clearly'....and everyone in the congregation is great. We were part of a revolution - a new government that would right all the wrongs in the world. We were never going to die. We would see all our loved ones resurrected...soon.
We had no clergy. We took no collections. Everyone in the organization was equal. We were one big happy family.
The 'system' was ending - so there wasn't any need for the organization to build "storehouses" in this system. Funds were used to spread the good news of God's Kingdom. We were simple, kind, honest-hearted folk.
How things have changed.
ginger
