I've been shunned by groups of JW's. But one time when I talked one of my parent's best friends (a JW) and her non-JW husband (and no other JW's were around), she talked to me just like when I was a member. Gopher
I just had to throw in my 2 cents worth...
Yesterday, I went to see a friend in the hospital and in 'walks' a RN (Registered Nurse for my Aussie friends benefit) to check some of his vital signs.
She looked like death warmed over... She had such a sad and dejected look on her face. She wasn't really 'walking', more like shuffling along. Her hair looked absolutely awful. The style was modern and artfully cut but her hair looked 'dead' if you know what I mean. I immediately thought to myself, "This poor woman is being abused by someone she loves."
As my friend and I continued talking, I noticed she was giving me sidelong glances. Especially when I mentioned "Evangelism Rally" or " Daryl, the Lord has really blessed and strengthened you while this disease has progressed from bad to worse." did she almost stare at me. My friend has some very serious health issues and is a few years younger than myself but his face is what Paul would call 'aglow with the Spirit.'
Finally, it dawned on me who this dejected and worn-out shell of a human being was. Her husband's brother and I had been best of friends for almost 30 years until I walked away from a mind-numbing and hateful cult that is preoccupied with the death and destruction of almost 100% of humankind. Her husband, step-son and I used to hike the mountains on weekends together while she worked at the hospital. I had not seen her since my father-in-law died in 1999 and his body was transported to the Emergency Room where she was a head trauma nurse.
This woman had aged at least 50 years in less than 10.
I looked at her and said, 'Don't I know you?"
She said, "You are Bob E." to which I replied, "Yes, and you are Nancy O."
She looked pretty uncomfortable with speaking to me so I tried to put her at ease and said, "Daryl's son and parents are members of the same church where I am a member."
She immediatley grabs her supplies and scurries out of the room like a woman of 20 instead of in her 40's who looks almost 90.
Daryl turns to me and says, "What was that all about. What did you say to scare her so bad."
It all became clear to him when I mentioned that she is trapped in the same mind-numbing, death proclaiming, destructive and abusive cult that the Lord saved me out of in 2004.
It also became clear to me why she has aged so much in less than 10 years. The appearance of a flock of sheep can be determined by examining one of them. It is so obvious when the entire flock is sick that when a person sees one of them all by its lonesome you can't help but wonder just how bad does the shepherd misuse his authority over them that their countenance appears so deathly.
