When you were fully in, would you lie about how loving your congregation was?

by TTWSYF 10 Replies latest watchtower scandals

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  TTWSYF

  Not long ago my elder brother got very sick. He was hospitalized for a few weeks and his JW wife and children were at his side often. Also, his non JW family was also bedside with him, siblings and parents.

  His recollection involves asking us "Don't you remember all the JWs that came visiting me when I was sick?"

  Neither I nor any other [non JW] family members saw even 1 JW come visiting. Is this the norm?

  I mean, drop off a meatloaf, or ask if you could help in any capacity at all. But, no,,,nothing My brother has a revisionist recollection of history.

  Much like the Watchtower's..although, I didn't tell him that.. lol
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  Ucantnome

  no
  
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  Wasanelder Once

  At first I made allowances based on the "wait on Jehovah" mantra when the congregation was a bunch of rude bastards. Once I learned TATT I didn't kiss ass anymore. I just dropped the pretense.
  
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  Dunedain

  Just playing devils advocate here, but is it possible that maybe when you or some of your other non JW family were not there, maybe some JW's came?

  Or were you guys totally in his room, and by his side. Cause if you were, and there was no chance that some JW's snuck in to see him, it is kinda absurd that he is saying that.

  Its just another example of their delusional behavior, and mind set. Really, if you think about it, almost every JW, is living a life full of fantasies in their heads. Its pretty sad, in all honesty.
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  LevelThePlayingField

  I have been in three congregations in the 26 years in the "truth". And I've always been honest with how loving the congregation has been. My first congregation was the envy of any congregation in the state. And to this day they still are. They were the true loving people that the Bible should be. I wish I was still there. They were real loving people. I know in this forum you won't hear much about that, but I have to tell you they were true Christians. I think that if the ARC happened back in 1995 and I was still in that congregation they all would have left. Well, maybe, no. I don't know about that. But, that's the emotion that I felt with them at the time, when I was fully in.

  Anyway, I never deluded in conversation how I felt about a congregation. For example. I don't feel that the current congregation I belong to is very loving. So when people ask me. I tell them, "the congregation is very friendly", even though they are not very loving. Whereas I would have told them that the congregation was very "loving" if I was in the other congregation from years ago. See the difference? I moved about 500 miles away and it's different. So it goes, my friend, so it goes. I don't have the answers. I wish I did.
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  Chook

  The whole problem with the " is the cong loving" is , that their version of love never extends to the general population. If you only have friends in one social group , of course that is the only place you may experience love. Real love exists outside of the org. The good man was right when he said more happiness in giving.
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  Wayward

  When I was a kid the congregation I belonged to (I was with the same one my entire JW life) really was a warm and loving place. Like an extended family, the way families should ideally be. Fast forward twenty years and the situation had changed. The congregation had become a colder, more rigid place to be. People were more openly judgmental. It had shifted to a more corporate mentality. I think that reflected changes in the Society itself. It's showing itself more openly as a controlling, rigid corporation and the congregations are just following Mommy's lead.
  
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  Pete Zahut

  I didn't lie about it but because of my JW programmed mind, I was definitely looking at the normal kindnesses shown among the Congregation members, as proof that there was real Love and Truth there. After one breaks free of their hold, one is able to see how JW's tend to compare themselves to the worst examples in the world as proof that they are the chosen ones. They paint everyone in the outside world with the same broad judgmental brush. After a time, it's easy to start seeing the world from that perspective and turn a blind eye to all those folks out there who are decent, good and are pleasing to God (if he actually exists).
  
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  Lostandfound

  When in I was in the sterile confines of the Borg, no friends or even acquaintances in "world" , so the general noise but no action about being loving not noticeable. Now out and mixing with people , neighbours, colleagues, etc, shows how many are really loving. When I could not drive and needed weeks of radiation treatment who offered to help my wife by sharing the load ,(100 mile round trip) not one witness, but my barber did on his day off, and newsagent also, both clients of mine who willingly stepped up to the plate , worldy but generous souls with more love than an entire congregation , who confined themselves to asking my wife "How is he"

  learned tatt from this, previously would have said cong very loving, not now.
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  joe134cd

  The thing that really got me was when I left. Only 3 people could be bothered to see how I was. 2/3 called because they were waiting for a bible study to return home from just down the road and I was left with the latest mags. So go figure on that one. To this day I'm really don't know what to make of it. Should I be happy as it saved having to deal with them because made fading so much easier, or insulted that after 40 years of faithful service only really one person could be bothered to genuinely see how I was. I literally new thousand of JW through out the country.