The elephant on the street

Normalfulla

As a contractor I travel around for my job, I was stopped this morning to buy some milk at a store in a small village I guess and as I turned a corner I saw 2 elders I know personally manning a cart in the cold outside the store with not a soul in sight and an unlikely place for much traffic even though it was outside a country store.

1 elder is my brother in laws father and the other was in my old cong when I left, I said hello, talked about the weather and general chit chat and was my usual self, they were pleasant also but nothing was mentioned to me about anything spiritual etc. I know they will be aware of some of my reasons for leaving (the few that I talked about initially before shutting my trap) but they were unwilling to engage in saving my life with their work! Ha ha.

Apart from a pathetic excuse for witnessing, I thought it odd that these guys can be pleasant to an obvious org deserter but others I. E family and friends act as I'm pretty much dead.

So that's my experience given from this platform to all in attendance here.. Ha ha

If this forum had a truman show catch phrase like "good afternoon, good evening and good night "it would be

Peace out... Just saying! And let's review its a cult!

Happy Monday

GrreatTeacher

Dang it, let me finish enjoying my Sunday first!

Yes, shunning doesn't look good in public, so they don't do it.

Which means they know it's wrong!

LV101

Ahh, but they shun in public in my neck of the woods -- fine by me. One quite obvious about it at department store. She made it a point to walk over into the shoe dept., circle around more than once (not her department) and intentionally shun me when she could make it obvious. This is after having made a nice commission off of me few weeks prior. I'm sure at time of commision time she knew I hadn't been a witness in years but started talking about Jehovah this/that (confirming my position) and I told her I wanted nothing to do with the cult -- but not in those words but in a kind way. I'd never done business with her because I had my faves in the store for years and was loyal to but one in particular department retired so she latched onto me. I laughed because the store manager cruised by few minutes after the shunning event and the shunning JW noticed her manager was chatting with me -- I wanted to tell the manager about the shunning but I contained myself and decided it wasn't Christ-like. This is a store that many non-JW clerks had asked me about ex-JW associates being shunned by their families/friends and JW associates in the store/mall. Non-JWs couldn't believe or understand. What a witness the ex-witnesses are whether the cult likes it or not! Oddly enough next time in store the psychopath JW tries to smile and be nice. I walk on as fast as possible - I'm not playing their games.

I'm sure the manager knows about as I have a dear ex-witness friend working in the store.

I've also been shunned at baby showers where witnesses attended. I could write a book -- not unique as there's more on the outside than the inside. I couldn't care less.

LevelThePlayingField

Norm - where do you live because you said, "I saw 2 elders I know personally manning a cart in the cold outside the store..." in particular I noticed you said, "manning the cart in the COLD".

Could you name the country? It's 95 here today in the lower midwest in the U.S.

Finkelstein

The pressure to get those hours in makes people do things like stand on a street with maybe a person walking by once every 5 minutes.

I did this myself prodded along by someone older.

Its a privilege to do Jah's work but lets count those numbers so when the CO visits, he can see how well we've done.

Preaching the false apostate doctrines of the Watchtower Corporation isn't pleasing Jehovah.

Normalfulla

@level the playing field... Down unders little brother

Pete Zahut

Apart from a pathetic excuse for witnessing, I thought it odd that these guys can be pleasant to an obvious org deserter but others I. E family and friends act as I'm pretty much dead.

When JW's are manning those literature carts, they are not being their true selves rather they are merely actors playing a part they've often rehearsed for decades. They also feel particularly vulnerable and exposed while standing out there. Many times their backs are up against a literal wall . Standing against a building and watching the public pass by, they feel they are a spectacle, Even though no one notices them, they feel obligated to put on a happy face because they are representing the organization in public.

You had the upper hand over them as soon as you approached their cart. The dynamics would have been much different if they were on their home turf or in a situation that gave them the upper hand instead. Disciplining those who disagree with them is the only personal power they're allowed to exercise and they often revel in it.

neat blue dog

I contained myself and decided it wasn't Christ-like

I don't know . . . In the gospels Jesus went out of his way many times to piss off the Pharisees and those like them. He put them in many an uncomfortable situation, often in front of crowds. I say go for it, within reason 😋

moreconfusedthanever

My mother does the "babysitting the bookshelf" witnessing. She told me story of the cart being approached by an irate apostate. The woman was carrying on about something and the sisters asked her to show them. The woman said she couldn't. The sisters asked her to leave them be. She continues her rant until a lady watching came over and asked for a book. The lady said she had been watching the exchange and felt bad for the sisters so decided to rescue them by taking a book.

Goes to show that sometimes unwitnessing to cart watchers is not always the best way to go.

Wake Me Up Before You Jo-Ho

@Normalfulla: "...they were pleasant also but nothing was mentioned to me about anything spiritual etc."

They knew not to go there with you - alas the elephant would have unloaded on them with all its apostate glory:

The elephant on the street

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