Well last night our family was invited over to my brother's place for supper and my parents were invited as well. My brother is an amazing cook and wasting that talent with a menial job, but that is another story, we get to benefit from his cooking.
So the conversation eventually comes around to the blood issue and the sextuplets, it has been so long since I have had a conversation with active dubs that this was very interesting to watch. The whole opinion is that this is a horrible perversion of the legal system and that Jehovah will punish all those involved. My mother, wife and sister-in-law all expressed their extreme displeasure with how things were being handled.
The interesting thing was my father quipped in a few times, but not in support of the JW's firm stance against blood, but a respect for the medical community. He corrected my mother a few times on the proper blood stance and when my mother talked about the "good old days" when they would kidnap the baby from the hospital, I caught my dad rolling his eyes.
My dad has always been a really hard person to read regarding the organization. He drinks, he swears, he plays the lottery but is an elder and faithfully goes in service and to meetings every week. He seems to flipflop on whether to shun my sister or not. But he's definitely not towing the company line on the blood issue.
Also my mom was relating a part of a talk she heard which tried to use atomic physics to make some parallel to the witness work or something. As she was explaining this part I had to jump in to correct her with the proper means of creating a nuclear chain reaction. She frowned and tried saying "well that's not how they explained it in the talk", my dad quipped in "[Paralipomenon] has it right, I have no idea where that brother got that information from" My mom started to protest, but then dropped it.
It was fun to see this side of my dad again. He is an incredibly intelligent man with an amazing memory. He doesn't even realize that he's not normal. He rarely prepared for the meetings but would give comments like this out of the blue:
"If you remember the September 15th Watchtower in 1973, on page 16 there was a similar point..." He would get quite annoyed when nobody seemed to remember an article from over 20 years ago.
He was part of the crew that joined for the 1975 destruction and they never put any money aside for their kids or retirement. He's well past the age of retirement now and told me his retirement plans are to die working.
I just wish the governing body could realize exactly how much of an impact they are having on real people's lives and stop trying to play God.
Ugh. Well the supper was great and my brother and father got to play with the kids. Nice to see some family pointing out the flaws in the organization.
Interesting family supper on the weekend
by Paralipomenon 9 Replies latest jw friends
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Paralipomenon
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Crumpet
Sounds like your dad has a photographic memory. He does sound like a very unusual elder - but it also soundsl ike your family has a number of skills being wasted in dubland. Glad though that you were welcomed in and had a good time. Why do they shun your sister but not you?
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exjdub
My dad has always been a really hard person to read regarding the organization. He drinks, he swears, he plays the lottery but is an elder and faithfully goes in service and to meetings every week. He seems to flipflop on whether to shun my sister or not. But he's definitely not towing the company line on the blood issue
Paralipomenon,
Your Dad sounds like a cool elder. The "Society" would shudder if they knew what he was up to. Good story...thanks!
exjdub
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Lady Liberty
Dear Para,
That's great! You never know where that may lead!! My mother began to really question things because of the blood issue. You just never know what may get him to stop and think. Perhaps oneday he will be a member here. Or maybe he already is..
Sincerely,
Lady Liberty
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Paralipomenon
Yeah, my dad would serve as an elder when asked but had no desire for the "power" and "prestige" that came with it. He was never very good at keeping quiet if he felt something wasn't right and due to his memory he could back up everything he had with either scripture or watchtower quote. He didn't go around picking fights, but he was very quick to end any discussions about doctrine.
He was appointed and deleted several times and it never phased him one way or the other. He did get in trouble for creating a social group of all the old timer elders that had been deleted. They all brewed their own wine and would hang out and socialize. They adopted special titles reflecting their "fall from grace" and jokingly greeted each other at the hall by the new title.
I think the younger elders complained to the CO and my dad was asked to refrain from using such titles anymore. It was really, really funny, but I can't name the title here as no doubt it could be used to easily identify him.
Several years later they appointed him a MS then an elder again.
The shunning of my sister is a bit different. She openly left the organization though she didn't formally disassociate herself. She hooked up with a "worldly" guy and moved in together. I'm married and my wife still professes to be an active JW. I'm just a fader so it's easier for them to reconcile association with me. He'll give me a couple verbal jabs every once in a while, but my mother is blissfully in denial. -
avidbiblereader
Sounds as if mom had quite a few misquotes, wonder where she learned that?
I just wish the governing body could realize exactly how much of an impact they are having on real people's lives and stop trying to play God.
Theyknow the hurt that they have done and especially to the older ones who have no retirement, the only thing I can think of is, they just don't have a conscience to bother them. One day there will be hell to pay.
abr
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Scully
They know the hurt that they have done and especially to the older ones who have no retirement, the only thing I can think of is, they just don't have a conscience to bother them.
It does not bother them particularly because they, themselves, are being well looked after, courtesy of Voluntary Donations™ to the WTS from people like our parents who have nothing for their own retirements.
Don't get me started!!
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Warlock
He drinks, he swears, he plays the lottery but is an elder and faithfully goes in service and to meetings every week.
Send him over to my old congregation, and I might start going back...................voluntarily.
Warlock
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mia_b
He was appointed and deleted several times and it never phased him one way or the other. He did get in trouble for creating a social group of all the old timer elders that had been deleted. They all brewed their own wine and would hang out and socialize. They adopted special titles reflecting their "fall from grace" and jokingly greeted each other at the hall by the new title.
I think the younger elders complained to the CO and my dad was asked to refrain from using such titles anymore. It was really, really funny, but I can't name the title here as no doubt it could be used to easily identify him.Can you tell us any of the other titles? He sound really fun. Wish i was clever! hubby has semi photographic memory aswell - really annoying, no wonder i dont enter debates - i dont bother to argue! thankfully we agree on most things otherwise id be in right trouble! he thinks my "logic" is most amusing.
glad you had a good supper and that your family associate with you, it means alot to have family around.
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Rooster
Well you go to enjoy good food with entertainment..