Someone on my twitter timeline has retweeted posts that contain the hashtag YouDon'tKnowEvangelicals. It surprised me how familiar a lot of the comments felt to me and I was struck that some of what I think of as JW behavior, mindset and attitude is shared by evangelicals. There are differences too of course by read the list of tweets below and see if these sound familiar. Each tweet was posted by a different person:
1. #YouDon'tKnowEvangelicals if you've never seen a Stevie Nicks record smashed to pieces because she was deemed a witch
2. #YouDon'tKnowEvangelicals if you've never been told the Smurfs were satantic and pushing a gay agenda
3. #YouDon'tKnowEvangelicals if you think "rock and roll" is an acceptable music genre to listen to.
4. #YouDon'tKnowEvangelicals if you think it's okay to date in high school
5. #YouDon'tKnowEvangelicals if you haven't been told you had to take a formal dress back because even 2 sizes bigger was "too fitted"
6. #YouDon'tKnowEvangelicals if you haven't seen them overlaying Trump with the bible
7. #YouDon'tKnowEvangelicals if you think tipping a waitress 50 cents and a New Testament tract for a table of 15 is inappropriate
8. #YouDon'tKnowEvangelicals if your pastor hasn't discussed "The End Times" at least 6 Sundays a year
9. #YouDon'tKnowEvangelicals if you can't imagine being asked if your history Ph.D dissertation addresses whether Russia is Gog of Magog
10. #YouDon'tKnowEvangelicals if you haven't been accused of "attacking everything we stand for" over a specific criticism of a particular belief
11. #YouDon'tKnowEvangelicals Until you've been molested and disowned by them. I am a better Christian today because they taught me what NOT to do.
12. #YouDon'tKnowEvangelicals if you don't have to weigh if it's worth the pain (on both sides) to tell family/friends your beliefs have changed.
13. #YouDon'tKnowEvangelicals if after you left the church none of your friends was allowed to associate with you.
14. #YouDon'tKnowEvangelicals unless you hid it that you let your children read H.P because your friends believed it's a demonic influence.
15. #YouDon'tKnowEvangelicals if you've never wondered whether Satan put the dinosaur fossils into the earth to tempt us away from creationism
16. #YouDon'tKnowEvangelicals if you don't know a family that has been disowned, excommunicated, ostracized, shunned a family member who is gay LGBTQ
17. #YouDon'tKnowEvangelicals unless your siblings justify their lack of concern about mon's dementia b'c she's in god's hands.
18. #YouDon'tKnowEvangelicals unless your husband is asked if everything's alright at home because you miss a couple church services
19. #YouDon'tKnowEvangelicals until they tell you your very ethical and god-fearing Catholic mother is going to hell because "Jesus" said
20. #YouDon'tKnowEvangelicals if you didn't notice the predatory glances in any and all conversations, seeking to steer it to their faith