Yesterday, my active Witness mother called me. We talk all the time, and since she knows I am Wiccan and do not consider myself Christian and am against the Witnesses. She never brings it up, so that we can have a censored relationship. Yesterday though, was the day after she got home from her assembly. I did not know when she was going, she lives 1000 miles from me. So I was just figuring that the call was just are normal every other week phone call. I could tell though, she wanted to bring up the religion, as she was mentioning the assembly often and that is just not our normal censored conversation.
Knowing something was eating her, I baited her by asking how her assembly was. She then went into, "Oh it was wonderful, but I am so concerned. You and your sister are all out of the truth, and these last days are getting so short. They were basically saying that end was coming so soon, that we might not be able to even have an assembly next year. You see on the news what is happening in the Middle East, you must realize this is it. You could easily come back, the elders would listen to you and help you to leave that Pagan stuff. It is just Satan, and I know you realize that." She then went into all the points they mentioned, etc. I set and listened, and simply came back with, "Mom, why did you get baptized in 1975?" She went silent, and said, "I can see you are truly blinded then, your grandmother will be so said to not see you and your sister there." I just said nothing, let her think I was concerned with the silence. I don't want to hurt her, after all, she has been very kind to me and my family despite the elders telling her to shun us and my son loves her. So I just came back with, "Mom, I am not a Witness, you are, and that is how it will be for years to come. Whether you think that is months, and I think that is years, does not matter. Lets just drop it." The conversation went on from there to discuss normal talking points.
The thing is, if it was not for this site telling me about these things. I would not have any warning or insight to these conventions and assemblies. It is very helpful, yet sadly it shows how predictable they are. Yet this site does give you fair warning, and that is something I appreciate.