A story about Reggie and Reginald... and why it makes me cringe... more vomiting
by confusedandalone 49 Replies latest jw experiences
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dog is god
A I few years ago my elderly motherbchecked out her neighborhood territory....and kept it. Once in a blue moon she would try to work it....by herself. The reason I know this is because one day as usual I went over to h house and there was a black couple letting h out of their van. They were pioneering and saw her trying to make her Way down the street so they picked her up. W all went inside and had coffee. I called them at home to thank them again for helping my mom. They wanted to come over so I let them and I had champagne and treats. After the second glass of wine they opened up about the racism in e cong....the remarks people said...like one elder in particular. Someone else's kid was sitting with this black family and the kid acted up...they gave him back to the mom and after the meeting the elder said, "that's what you get when you don't sit with your own kind". They ultimately moved away.
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JWdaughter
BOTR, I lived in Upper Montclair NJ and went to the halls nearby nearly 30 years ago for a few weeks or months(wilst trying to be reinstated/please mom)
I remember the Nutley(?) hall was integrated pretty well (Ok, I remember a black family who seemed very integral in the mostly white/hispanic congregation), but that was when I lived in Bloomfield (near Nutley and Upper Montclair). Then I MOVED to Upper Montclair (nice neighborhood!) and was told which hall to go to. I had conflicts sometimes because of my job so I would go to the hall I was not assigned to as often as not. There was a double hall (I think) and the congregation I was to meet in was the white one, but the one I often went to was the one from the other neighborhood (not UM, I presume) and it was mostly black. NO ONE spoke to me in either hall except one very nice white lady married to an UBM who was lonely, I think, even though she was pioneerinng. I worked as a nanny and was just the help in the white neighborhood cong. and I am not sure what the problem was in the other congregation. Maybe they thought I was slummng or just went there to be the orange in the apple grove or something. I did NOT like either of those congregations, but the one that was actually integrated (Nutley) was really nice. It was in the other congregation(s) that I decided that the WT servititude was not for me. I think visiting Bethel figured into that largely. Also, knowing a few arrogant little bethelite boys (sorry if that was any of you) showed me a few things about the spirit of brotherhood in the WT. It was my first experience in a congregation as an "adult" and it was a bit of a shock. I left for doctrinal reasons originally and found that I couldn't reconcile them even though I REALLY REALLY wanted to.
My congregation growinng up was technically integrated, our one black family showed up every week, dad was a nice guy, kids were all good. He was never elder, but our elder body seemed kind of cemented in place since the 60's. I don't remember anyone advancing to elder in the 70's or 80's. They seemed separate somehow and I think that was in our head. The sister was SO kind to everyone. She was totally in everything, but the rest of her family seemed to just fade into the woodwork somehow, til the daughter went into labor during the memorial and her water broke. Maybe that shifted things;) Maybe the fact is was about 1980 helped !
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confusedandalone
JWdaughter - Think we may have crossed paths! In 1984 my family moved from NC to NJ because we could no longer make ends meet. We moved in with my Grandmother who lived in Montclair and we went to her kingdom hall which was the Black congregation there! My grandmother had recently been reinstated after being df'ed for 6 years. Her prime warning when we moved in with her is that the congregation is extremely cold. The first meeting we attended there the secretarys son roughed me up in the bathroom. I was only about 8 years old LOL.
No one in the hall talked to our obviously poor family. NO ONE. The black friends in that hall had money or atleast pretended to, and they wanted nothing to do with us. The experience nearly caused my family to stop going to meetings at all. I wished it would have worked.
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rebel8
I would love to get in touch with these people today, say, on Facebook.
I would send a friend request and then start posting on their wall telling them about this story. "Isn't it great how far we as jws have come? I remember how, just a few decades ago, we were more worldly and not loving. For example, I remember white brothers saying all black brothers looked the same, flashy like Reggie Jackson--even calling them all "Reggie" to their faces"! I hope those brothers have made their apologies to all those they hurt, and confessed their sin to the old men in the congregation, just like Jehovah admonishes. That would be the mark of a true Christian. Not doing so would be totally worldly and would be a stumbling block for onlookers."
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stillin
Times change, attitudes change. There is no defense for how the white brothers treated you guys. It was just the way to "handle it" during that time. Some of those guys may be totally over that racism now.
I lived in the Deep South during the mid seventies when the black congregations began having meetings with the white ones. In defense of the Borg, I feel like they were ahead of the curve when it comes to integration. My congregation had only black elders so white boys never got very far until one circuit overseer rattled things around a little.
but the hypocrisy of tooting your horn about what a wonderful, mixed crowd they are, while in actuality harboring these attitudes, and protecting the ones who displayed them, is despicable! I, too, apologise for my white "brethren" who allow ignorance to guide them, even now.
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wasblind
" In defense of the Borg, I feel like they were ahead of the curve when it comes to intergration "____Stillin
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The WTS is a business diguised as a religion
When it comes to free labor for thier publishing Co. anybody would do
Black or white , blind, crippled, crazy, tall and small
the Borg would take 'em all. It's all about free labor
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When it came to secular matters such as inequality caused by segregation
They considered activist against such as trouble makers
who would be better off " Waitin' on the Kingdom " That still haven't arrived as of this very day
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As for apologies, That can go both ways
Whether your black or white. If you happen to be the minority
in any given situation there is risk for bein' mistreated
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Oubliette
Racism is alive and well among Jehovah's Witnesses. When OTHER religions do it, it is proof that they are part of Babylon the Great, the Worldwide Empire of False Religion. When JWs do it, it is excused as "human imperfection."
Hypocrisy is hypocrisy. But the worst hypocrites are the ones that go around publicly condemning everyone else. I believe this is what Jesus meant when he said:
- Why, then, do you look at the straw in your brother’s eye but do not notice the rafter in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Allow me to remove the straw from your eye,’ when look! a rafter is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the rafter from your own eye, and then you will see clearly how to remove the straw from your brother’s eye. - Matthew 7:3-5
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ADJUSTMENTS
Yes racism is alive and well within JWs, not to say all are, but Ive seen it from both ends of the spectrum. Its almost too TABOO to mention... Like never in JAHS Borg would things like that ever happen... The funny thing is I've never seen a WT study actually address the issue...Probably one sentence in a paragraph at the most, but never a whole article dedicated to addressing this issue of racism within the organization. They cover everything else very well. I think it would put many elders in the hot seat and ruffle too many feathers in the Borg. They just want to just keep sweeping it under the rug and continue to hide the TRUTHS as usual. Hoping it disappears because their old comments on the topic are not flattering to say the least.
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Joliette
To be honest I saw it both ways...I saw blacks and whites getting treated bad, as well as other races. But I think that the experiences has all been the same. Religions like Jehovahs Witnesses dont care if your rich, poor, black or white. There just looking to exploit people, thats all. I'm trying to work on not getting so caught up in the racial thing and focusing on who the real enemy is.