[REPOST] Memorial Non-Attendance: The Single Most Impactful TTATT Witness to Family and Friends

by AMNESIANO 15 Replies latest jw friends

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  AMNESIANO

  (Originally posted March, 2014)
  
  Anyone who has awakened to TTATT and has conscientiously left the organization--especially a once-prominent, highly-regarded, studious believer from a prominent multi-generational tribe of JWs-- after decades of devout, high-profile "serve-us," who continues to put in an annual appearance at the Memorial thoroughly subverts and undermines, by this one act, any hope s/he may entertain that his/her departure will stir family or former friends to question the whole Watchtower bamboozle. By this one concession s/he assigns him-/herself by every single JW to their handy and dimissive purgatory: the "spiritually-weak."

  
  Nothing blasts a louder, clearer, and more deliberate message to the JWs who personally knew you and those familiar with your JW bona fides that you are not merely "not making the meetings," "inactive," or "spiritually-weak," but that there is a conscientious reason you have rejected the entire Watchtower Society life than choosing to forego what they know you once believed to be Jehovah's must-attend, one-and-only, holy/sacred event of the year for his people, the Lord's Evening Meal.

  
  You hand them the very justification they so relish to self-righteously label you as a "submarine Witness" deserving of Jehovah's, and more importantly, their judgement.

  
  Much more tragically, though, you squander your prize opportunity to nudge thinking ones to seriously ponder the possible reason for your shocking departure. Again, all accomplished without any confrontational unpleasantness.

  
  Attending the Watchtower's Lord's Evening Meal, though likely well-intentioned or for many understandably unavoidable at present, is a colossally misguided go-along-to-get-along concession for anyone whose intention or desire it is to awaken others to TTATT.

  
  AMNESIAN
  Captive 7/1972 - 2/2001
  Last Memorial attendance: April 8, 2001
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  eyeuse2badub

  AMNESIANO

  You have an excellent point. I still go for the sake of my 'still-in' wife. Because she wants me to be there. Same reason I attend Catholic funeral services for my relatives. Just showing respect for the beliefs of others is not a crime, IMHO.

  just saying!

  eyeuse2badub
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  Mad Irishman

  People go for their families. It's rather silly to think every ex-witness or fader all has to be on the same plain of consciousness and if they are not there is something wrong with them. Every person has to live their life that best suits them. You can't ask people to leave the borg and then tell them, well you now have to exist in a mini-borg or there's something wrong with you or you're not doing the right thing.

  Let everyone make their own decisions.
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  Magnum

  I understand and agree with your point, though I don't fault any who go for the sake of mates, who are fading, etc.

  As an example to show how/why I agree with your point, consider my case. I was well-known and looked up to in my area. I rapidly faded to the point that I go to zero meetings. If I don't go to the Memorial, maybe some will wonder why I left and it might cause them to start thinking "Wow! I can't believe he has completely disappeared. He didn't even come to the Memorial. He was smart and knowledgeable. Does he know something that I don't?"

  However, if I show up at the Memorial, they might think that I still believe it all, but that I'm just weak. I think it would make a statement for me not to even show my face at their most important event of the year.
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  OnTheWayOut

  I have to agree with the Mad Irishman. I do admit the thought is good. I agree that in my case, attending the Memorial would be sending a hopeful message that I might come back one day because I must still agree with the doctrines if I attend the Memorial. I must not want to be destroyed at Armageddon and hope Jehovah can forgive me for everything else- IF I attend the Memorial.

  So I personally am better off to skip that meeting and send the message that I don't agree with the doctrines and won't be coming back anytime soon.

  But many people have family that can only overlook so much inactivity. It is highly likely in some cases that people will lose contact with family were it not for this one yearly appearance.
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  OUTLAW

  Inactive JWs go to Memorial for a number of reasons..

  1) Family..

  2)Keep the wife happy..

  3) Hope of a "Pass" for when Armageddon comes..LOL!!

  .

  ..................

  
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  Phizzy

  I agree 100% with the O.P, and with Magnum's excellent summary of the issue.

  Those who say the "go for family" need to look at what they are really doing.

  If you use the "I go for family" excuse, just read the O.P again.

  The reason I stopped going in 2008, and will never go again, is "for family".
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  stuckinarut2

  Great post, and great comments!

  Yes, this makes sense...if we keep attending, it just reinforces the idea that the org must be correct, and that we are the weak ones....
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  SAHS

  “AMNESIANO”: “Anyone who has awakened to TTATT and has conscientiously left the organization . . . after decades of . . . "serve-us," who continues to put in an annual appearance at the Memorial thoroughly subverts and undermines, by this one act, any hope s/he may entertain that his/her departure will stir family or former friends to question the whole Watchtower bamboozle. . . . you squander your prize opportunity to nudge thinking ones to seriously ponder the possible reason for your shocking departure.”

  This reminds me of how the Watchtower organization keeps telling its members that by being firm in upholding the disfellowshipping arrangement, it may be what is needed to shock a loved one back to his/her senses so as to repent and “return to Jehovah” (that is, the Watchtower organization). We (us “apostates”) can use that same kind of tactic to our advantage: Those of us who have stopped going to meetings, assemblies, conventions, and field service could make it a point of also not attending the annual Memorial to show that we ourselves are standing firm and resolute in our personal decision to completely move on from the Watchtower “religion,” in all its forms. And this might end up being just the very thing to shock, or “nudge,” our loved ones into finally questioning the Watchtower organization to enough of a degree that they too might see the light and come to their senses! It’s only fair, as it’s sort of like using one of the WT’s own tactics, that of shunning, only in our case we’re only shunning the WT organization instead of our family – which I think is more what it ought to be!
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  stan livedeath

  i last went to the last supper in 1980--and that was to shut her up.

  she divorced me a year later lol.