Has anyone else recently been contacted by a once close JW friend or relative? Could this be a new JW tactic?

by Latte 23 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Latte

  Hmmmm...Yesterday my long life friend called my landline after many years of silence. Now the shock has subsided, I am wondering if I can forgive and forget the fact she chose not to keep in touch throughout a time in my life which was very stressful. Sadly, I gathered that she is still involved with Jehovah’s Witness faith. This being to reason for her absence in my life. The little boys she had, now have children themselves. We went to school together...Each other’s bridesmaids...she was at my first child's birth. I'm not hurting...just wondering what to think.......

  Has the CULT instructed the members to ‘attempt’ to get past members back into the flock?

  Has anyone else had this happen recently?

  I may well directly ask my friend just what prompted her to call me…

  I was gutted when she said something, which made it clear she was not calling to give me joyous news that she had finally realized that the troof is not the truth.

  Thank you
• 

  pale.emperor

  There's no way the cult would tell members to do this. They're afraid of active members speaking to awake exJWs.

  It's most likely your friends curiosity is getting the better of her, maybe she has doubts herself.
  
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  Diogenesister

  Well they've printed a return to Jehovah booklet last year, and some have heard from people still in....
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  Chook

  Always on the hunt for a lost sheep , then we speak and a label of wolf in sheeps clothing , elders on their cleanse the temple crusade try and tie loose ends in the territory, they want to know are you in or out. If your old friend has doubts it won't take long to recognise with the right questions.
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  Latte

  No, I don't think she has doubts... She made the point that her hubby was giving a 'talk' that afternoon. ..her brother and his wife are over visiting from Ghana (they are missionaries there).She is heavily surrounded I guess!

  Very difficult to get out even if she did have doubts.
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  punkofnice

  No one contacts me. In fact, if I'm seen in the street, they look away, down, pretend to look at their phone or cross the road.

  I am considered, as one Jobo told a relative of mine, the worst kind of 'apostate(tm)'.

  As far as I'm concerned, they can get F.O.A.D.
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  stuckinarut2

  One of our fellow forum members has had a couple of random former witness "friends" contact her out of the blue recently.

  These ones have asked questions like "which convention did you attend?" And "which cong territory are you in now?"

  It is kind of odd that people come out of the woodwork and show such "interest" after years of ignoring her!
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  Wake Me Up Before You Jo-Ho

  @stuckinarut2 Yep! I'm feeling very pressured and "watched" by Witnesses. As recently as today, I had another sister contact me to say "Try and get to all three convention days please? Ask your mom to have [son's name] so you can soak in the encouragement!?"

  I replied, "I've already done all three days : )." The John Cedars rebuttal counts, right?

  She wrote back, "Great. Pray please to not isolate yourself of seek out worldly people to befriend ... Satan wants your life! Jehovah promises to give you the real life if we can be patient!!"

  I'm not waiting for a satisfying life to live after I've died. This IS the real life. WAKE UP. Of course, I didn't say that. Sheesh, though. I assured her I'm alive/doing well. Things are great, just taking time to myself (absence from the meetings). And I get that frantic "SATAN WANTS YOUR LIIIIFFFEEEE" message. For f*ck's sake.
• 

  DesirousOfChange

  We've just had this happen, too. It's 10 days since the Reg Convention (that we skipped). A friend who is also a former Elder (he had issues being "uncooperative" and was deleted, and to my knowledge has never been re-appointed as an Elder), but who is still a believer, as far as I know, called me after many months of no contact. (We used to speak somewhat regularly, even after I became "inactive".) He has never brought up the question of WHY? we are no longer attending. I think most who really know us believe that we were "stumbled" and personally offended. He just wanted to chat.
  

  Within the past week my wife also received a very nice card in the mail from a sister in our old Cong. It was very nice and was not "preachy".

  Coincidence?
  
• 

  dozy

  I got a couple of the "God's love" brochures in the mail a couple of years ago , with a short letter with the usual "cut & paste" Society comments. I replied as briefly and carefully as I could.

  Very occasionally , out of the blue , I get a text from a family member or a former "friend". Otherwise I am pretty much shunned.

  I can't help thinking that these very occasional contacts represent a return visit & a notional 30 minutes of "time" on the report slip , rather than a genuine effort of concern.

  I remember many years ago , when I was still a believing JW , a good friend of mine stopped attending meetings ( it was more that he was "stumbled" than anything apostate ) and I phoned him up , said "look , lets sit down as adults , have a pint or a meal , have a chat - purely between you & me - I'll never discuss what you tell me with anybody and I won't judge you - I just want to hear what you have to say and see if there is any common ground or anything I can give any help with" and we had a good chat ( we both travelled 100 miles to meet up. ) Nobody has ever made any effort like that with me. Ever. It's really pathetic when many JWs spend countless hours cold calling on the same old streets in the ministry attempting ( almost 100% unsuccessfully) to contact strangers.

  I honestly think the individuals concerned can alway say to others "yeah - I contacted Dozy last year , but he wasn't interested." It's a kind of "covering your ass" statement and justification to themselves that they have made an effort ( albeit a token one. )