by Titanic 17 Replies latest jw friends
Hi Titanic and Son :)
Welcome to the real life - the cares of the world are nothing in comparison to the burdens bestowed by the Watchtower Publishing Corp.
Since leaving the borganisation, the quality of my life and the ones around me that I love, have increased tenfold.
"when you lose small mind you free your life"
I thought that was really something that he addressed them as "careless elders".........knowing how full of pride (amongst other things) they are, this one would have really hit home with them.........not that they'll give a crap.
It is too bad your son felt the need to use that option to leave. The Society will still get the last lick in, by "kicking him out". If the pharisees spent half the time looking after and showing love to the flock that they spend forming committees they might do a little good. But their actions show where their hearts are. But are there only two ways out of the WatchTower world? Just because they say there are doesn't make it so. Check out the Baptism Nullification letter in this forum. The letter is carefully worded to take the stick out of their hands and the power away from them. And if they are not careful they leave themselves open to a slander lawsuit. Maverick
It is too bad your son felt the need to use that option to leave. The Society will still get the last lick in, by "kicking him out".
Too bad? Rather judgmental of you. He wanted to quit, so he quit. How can the Society kick him out if he left it? The announcement of his disassociation is an announcement of a personal decision he made. It's obvious that the letter got him some satisfaction, since he made his feelings toward the elders very clear, something I doubt a baptism nullification form would do so succinctly. And I'm positive that a baptism nullification would be viewed the same as a disassociation anyway -- he'd be shunned, shunned, shunned for it.
Dedalus
He played their game set up by their rules and he forfeited. Yes, he probably got some satisfaction out of venting but that was it. He is near powerless now. No doubt they view baptism nullification as the worst form of apostasy. But they would be deprived of the satisfaction of announcing it to the friends. They then would have to resort to gossip. And in time he would be forgotten and would feel no obligation to tell anyone of his past. He could do real damage then if he wanted. But what is done is done and hopefully he will be able to deprogram himself of the exit phobias and other trash that the GB install in the membership and develope a relationship with the True God and His Son. After all, there is a difference between religion and worship. Maverick
He played their game set up by their rules and he forfeited.
Huh? What exactly did he forfeit, anyway? Tell me. Be specific.
Yes, he probably got some satisfaction out of venting but that was it. He is near powerless now.
It seems to me that he's actually empowered now, speaking up, probably for the first time, to an overwhelming authority on a personal subject most people would cower from. And now he's free from their influence in his life.
No doubt they view baptism nullification as the worst form of apostasy. But they would be deprived of the satisfaction of announcing it to the friends.
Right. If they decided that baptism nullification was something they'd recognize, and if they decided that it wasn't effectively the same thing as disassociation, they would have a "public needs" talk about him and his family, and "mark" him, and spread all kinds of misinformation about him and his lifestyle -- malicious gossip and slander, something you admit yourself. How is that better than the consequence of the decision he made instead?
Your way, this kid has to worried about what satisfaction the elders do or don't have, and persist in some semantic struggle about the status of his baptism in relation to his status with the Organization. His way, he can be sure of his own satisfaction as an individual exercising control over his own life, without giving a damn about whatever "games" he might or might not be playing, and how the elders may or may not feel.
And in time he would be forgotten and would feel no obligation to tell anyone of his past.
Huh? What are you talking about? I don't think this makes much sense. The Witnesses would forget about him, and therefore he would keep his past (as a Witness?) to himself? So what? So he could be reactivated as some kind of sleeper anti-Witness terrorist?
He could do real damage then if he wanted.
Who said he wanted to do "real damage"? And what constitutes "real damage," anyway? How do you quantify it? And is it the immediate obligation of every Witness who wants out to become some sort of militant fighter for the cause? What about just getting on with your life and leaving others to do the same? Why isn't that a viable option?
But what is done is done and hopefully he will be able to deprogram himself of the exit phobias and other trash that the GB install in the membership and develope a relationship with the True God and His Son.
Maybe he doesn't give a shit about your sky god and theirs. Maybe he wants some time to live with the ambiguity of not knowing, and not being told, the answers to all of the difficult questions religion pretends to answer so easily. And your insinuation that there's only one right way to leave the Organization kind of reminds me of, well, the Organization.
After all, there is a difference between religion and worship.
What the hell does this have to do with anything?
Dedalus
Edited by - dedalus on 12 February 2003 22:20:7
Dear, dear dadalus: I have read your posting on your disassociation. And I feel for you. Maybe some anger management counseling would help? I know a lot of academicians but you are more caustic and cynical than most of them! You respond to my comments as if they were directed at you. Maybe I hit a nerve. Do you feel the need to justify what you did? I think you handled yourself with that heartless bunch well. I do think you are a bit emotional and you appear to crave the pity of us all. And that you have from me --in spades! Yours with tears in my eyes, Maverick
I do think you are a bit emotional and you appear to crave the pity of us all.
Huh? I disagreed with you and am therefore hysterical? I observed that you didn't address my actual remarks in this discussion (you still haven't), and suddenly I'm too emotional? I tell a personal experience -- actually, not my own so much as a relative's -- and therefore "crave the pity" of the entire board?
Interesting.
Dedalus
