About a month ago I was going three times a week to physical therapy. I had been having chronic back pain and discomfort and it was affecting my work and general quality of life. Each time I went they would do an ultrasound therapy followed by a massage. This usually took about 20 minutes total and each time I would have conversations with whoever was doing it. They would try to figure out what was causing the back pain so early on they asked if I had any stress in my life. I took the opportunity to explain my experience with the Watchtower and how my entire family support system was suddenly ripped from my life. I told them that I felt like I was in a grieving process and that my back tension and pain was definitely due largely to the stress that I was under. They seemed to genuinely feel sorry for the circumstance and were appalled by the very idea of family shunning.
One day I was sitting on the couch in the waiting area with another person who was rehabilitating. She was a woman who probably weighed in the 400-450 pound range. She was very sweet and we started talking. She mentioned that Jesus was with her every step of the way and that she could hear him rooting for her and helping through the process of becoming more healthy. She often brought her grand daughter with her and I could tell they meant a lot to each other. The receptionist desk was only a few feet from the waiting area and the person behind the desk was forced to eavesdrop on our conversation. We exchanged pleasantries and spoke a little bit about the Bible and the Christain faith. She warmly invited me to her church and I told her that I didn't go to church, but have a strong faith in Christ. It was a very good experience.
A few vistits later the receptionist was giving me an ultrasound. I forget how the subject came up, but she ended up telling me that she was sexually abused when she was young by her father and that it was your typical religious-enabled abuse and cover up. I told her that something had happened to me when I was young too and we commiserated a bit. I also elaborated on the Watchtower with her as well.
The next time I went in I was waiting on the couch again and another woman was sitting right where the very large one was before. A conversation arose between us and she started talking about the "great tribulation" and how we were in it right now. I told her that Matthew 24 states that the good news of God's kingdom must be preached in all the inhabbited earth before the great tribulation was to kick off. She immediately asked me if I was a JW and I told her that I was an EXJW. The whole conversation had a negative tone from the start which was a stark contrast to the one I had with the first woman. She asked me if I knew who the god of the world was. Instead of just giving the basic answer I decided to say that humans were. She said I was wrong and that Satan the Devil was, but I then told her that she was correct, but that the process of which Satan rules the world is through his dark forces of humanity. So logically it's not innaccurate to say that evil humans rule the planet. At this point she got up abruptly and seemed very bent out of shape. I could tell the receptionist was listening intently. The woman then looked me straight in the eye and said, "Those dark forces you are talking about, I think they are inside of you. You should go back to the Witnesses right now, there is not much time left." I couldn't help but let out an audible chuckle. I really didn't know what to say and she walked over to a weight machine and starting using it.
When it was time for my ultrasound and massage the woman doing it told me they were very sorry for what the woman said to me. They said that they had never seen this particular woman act like that and they told me that she generally is considered a sweet old lady. I was ecstatic that they were able to see the difference between the faiths of the two women I spoke to. One was warm, caring and invited me to worship with her and the other called me controlled by dark forces and commanded me to run back to the Kingdom Hall. Not hers, just a Kingdom Hall.
-Sab