by RR 47 Replies latest jw friends
ya know I remember those days. Sitting at someones door and my partner would get caught up in an argument and start to say stupid things. It was so embarrassing.
The rumours must be flying around about u. I wished i lived in the area so I could see it in action
I think one of the funniest experiences I had was one Saturday, I got out on the road pretty early because it was a light day for mail, add to the fact that we started an hour early. It was about 1 pm when I delivered to an elders house, apparentlt they had just returned from service and decided to have some snacks and frllowship because his driveway was full and there were cards all over the place. It was a warm day and the front door was open, as I passed by and crossed the street, I felt like someone was watching me and as I took a glanced, about a dozen JW's were standing outside teh door and window staring at me ... I laughed as i could imagaine what they were saying:
"so that's what they look like eh?"
"Kids, stay away from him, he's evil"
"The mailman mommy?"
"No, the evil slave"
"Why are they evil daddy?"
"because they left Jehovah's so they can celebrate birthdays and Christmas, and do the pyramid dance"
I invited him and his wife to my study, they were a bit apprehensive, I assured them I wasn't a serial killer, that I just wanted to show them something. When they came in, their jswa dropped to the ground, as they saw every book by the Society ever published, I then took a book off the shelf and showed him where I got my information from. He began to stutter, and said that they had to go as they had another study to visit. I looked at them and asked "at 10 pm???" He said, "yes, it's a late study".
You are the kind of person JW legends are made of!
I can totally see a story circulating about the "evil apostate" that had all of the Socities literature in his home just so he could 'criticize' and be evil. They probably thought they where at an apostate headquarters!
My thoughts about the Bible Students and those who believed the older things fell along these lines: The Bible Students are small and believe "out of date" things. If anybody has the time to dedicate themselves to such a small, insignificant movement, they must be crazy and evil!
Not trying to put you down, that's just how I would have felt when I was a JW. So I can only imagine what those people must have thought. I still remember the stories older JW elders would relate about "evil slavers" in the area.
Hey drew, when I moved to New Jersey, I remember going to a gathering, a bunch of us got into a car driven by a young elder, I don't remember why, but we were driving around and we cross these railroad tracks and the elder yelled "Look, the headquarters of the Evil Slave Class". I had no idea what he was talking about and didn't see anything as he was driving fast. 5 years later I would walk into that building and never be the same. The headquarters would be the offices of the Dawn Bible Students Association.
I agree with you, we are such a small and insignificant group, one would wonder why they would spend so much time and energy demonizing us. Although many JW's have been looking into the Bible Students.
RR
Gosh, it really is interesting to see the programmed fear manifest itself, as if you were the Devil himself. I do recall how I felt when I first contacted ex-JWs while still attending meetings, but that was more a fear of discovery...
RR...I am intrigued by your mention of CT Russell using the term LHMM....do you have any further information?
Hi Leo, years ago I had heard that Russell used the term LHMM, but had no proof, then later I found it. In the Watch Tower of his day, there is mentioned of the Layman's Home Missionary Movement in connection to conventions. When the Society advertised convention, those who were interested in attending had to:
"... advise us promptly for what days, how many are to constitute your party, and color and sex. Address all requests and information to Laymens Home Missionary Movement, Asheville, North Carolina." R5278
Later I found old newspaper advertisements for public discourses given by various Bible Students under the auspices of the Laymen's Home Missionary Movement, this was before 1916. Also I have several copies of "Everybody's Paper" that was published by the LHMM.
RR
My dad has used the term for years.
