by Lee Elder 29 Replies latest jw friends
Based on your list, I'm either a three or a four. Haven't had a shepherding call in years, so I don't know if they still have my card. My wife still goes to the meetings.
I'm still a JW? Big deal. I'll sleep just fine tonight.
I DO have a question, though. Am I included in the latest listing of publishers worldwide? Do they still count.... well... WHO do they count? Inactive? Df'd? Or only active? Something I never knew.
Thanks.
Irregulars are counted. Inactives (6 months or more) are not.
lv4fer - "The only reason I don't leave is because of my kids, it would really effect their lives and until I know they would be ok. Let's face it I have some good friends that I'm not ready to relinquish yet. I will just play the game."
Hi, lv4fer!
I know what you're talking about. I had the exact same feelings as you do a year and a half ago. It was difficult to keep going through the motions when my heart really wasn't in it.
The only thing thats keeping me going to the meetings is my wife. She still hasn't made up her mind as to which way she is going to go. However, having taken the "red pill" she won't ever go back. I'm getting more anxious and am starting to stir the pot a little more. My oldest boy is going to be 6 this month, and I want to leave before he gets too much older.
I also keep on turning in time to keep the elders from getting too worried about me. Spiritual discussions/letter writing about the witness' faith with non-witnesses counts as time, right?
I also have a couple of friends that I'm not ready to relinquish also. I do know that at least one if not two or three would still associate me as long as I didn't leave with a bang.
If you would like, feel free to e-mail me.
The Belligerent Paladin
Well, after I moved out on my own, I slowly drifted away but was never disfellowshipped or disassociated. The elders show up at my house once a year to deliver an invitation to the memorial although I have not attended in seven years. I think it is out of guilt for the poor way they handled an earlier situation. I was so angry when it happened that I actually demanded that they give me my publisher card . A request that they promptly refused. The presiding overseer actually showed up on my doorstep one evening and apologized a couple of years later. I was not rude but I told him that all of the apologies in the world could not fix what had been done to destroy my family and that I didn't feel he understood what the true meaning of loving and forgiving meant. They know that I associate w/my disassociated and disfellowshipped relatives and friends but leave me alone for several reasons. I think they know that they excercised poor judgement and are hoping I will come back.Secondly, my mom has been in the congregation for twenty years and she had a talk with them about how disappointed she was with the way they handled themselves. I told the p.o. that night that I will never go back and that he will never have any kind of control or say so over my life again and that someday he will have to answer for everything he has done. I haven't seen him since.
Holy Crap! I just had an epiphany.
Religiously based discussions should be able to be counted
as service time. I COULD COUNT ALL OF THE TIME SPENT
ON THIS BOARD.
Wow, this is great.
"Religiously based discussions should be able to be counted
as service time. I COULD COUNT ALL OF THE TIME SPENT
ON THIS BOARD."
BINGOBANGOBONGO, RunningMan!!
That's why the elders were wondering how I could possibly get 10-25 hours a month when they never see me out in service.
"Oh, it's the informal witnessing and letter writing thing. I get in contact with a lot more people that way than knocking on doors when people aren't home."
As long as it's a religious/bible/spiritual/whatever type discussion, you can count it! You can even count the time you spend writing a letter when you're off-line. (I never really understood that one. Why could a pub count every miniute s/he was writing the letter and doing research for that letter? I guess it evens out if you count the actual words you get to say per hour.)
-Belligerent Paladin
RunningMan:
I COULD COUNT ALL OF THE TIME SPENT ON THIS BOARD.
Hmmm...some of us would end up putting in pioneer time, and that would attract way too much attention.
I'm so glad I'm disassociated.
Gently Feral
Do you think that it is better to be disassociated or disfellowshipped or do you think that drifting away is the best option?
This is my first post....but I've been lurking for a while. Just wanted to let everyone know that their experiences have really helped me.
Out for 35 years. Never df'd, moved out of town and they never followed up.
DIM's Wife,
Fade away. There are no disadvantages and a lot of advantages for fading. I will elaborate if you want me to.
We are moving across the country...maybe that will work. I just don't want to be in hiding forever...maybe I'm just in the angry stage.
