Ok, Question: Was there a comment made at a meeting that finally convinced.

by New Castles 52 Replies latest jw experiences

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  cyber-sista

  Was there a comment made at a meetin g that finally convinced you, this is not right?

  Well, there was a lot of things that had been building up, but the last meeting I recall was a thurs night. An elder as giving a talk on association and using the example of Dinah who got into trouble because of worldly association. He was using one of the newer books and an outline it appeared...

  Anyway, the elder suddenly stated screaming like one of those TV evangelists: He said Brothers, we may reason that we know people in the world who are honorable. We might say these are good people, they don't smoke, they don't drink etc. etc. But brothers remember we should not be associating with these people. WE SHOULD NOT BE PLAYING BASKETBALL WITH THESE PEOPLE--WE SHOULD NOT EVEN BE SPEAKING WITH THESE PEOPLE, BECAUSE IF WE SPEAK TO THEM WE MAY BECOME LIKE THEM!!!

  He had just said that these were good people--yet in the next sentence he said if we spoke to them we may become like them, which was not a good thing??? He went on to say that we should only be with people who are members of the Org, etc..and on and on...

  There was one man who was sort of a bible study of someone in the congo--wasn't a real regular meeting attendee, but during that talk I saw him jump out of his seat and run to stand in the back of the hall with a rather horrified expression on his face. I heard he never came back again. This and many other things also occurred in the final part of my WT daze....

  Also heard an unloving talk about about the "widow and orphan" I think the talk was supposed to be how to help those kids who have no "spiritual father" An elder, while not mentioning by name, pointed out a sister and her son as a burden to the congo...

  PS the basketball thing also killed me too--never heard of the old basketball rule before...
• 

  Flash

  Anybody heard something like that, that frustrated them??

  All the TIME!!!
• 

  willyloman

  Wow, this is just amazing. If you printed this thread out and showed it to the average person at work or at school, they would not believe it! Yet, as we can all attest, it is absolutely true, all of it. And this is just the tip of the iceberg.
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  Leolaia

  It's been so many years I can't remember very many comments made at meetings, and the few I recall are not those that convinced me to leave. But I will never remember a comment made by one elder who had a reputation for making ridiculous-sounding comments (at least to me and my friends). It was the Sunday WT study in the early '80s and the article discussed the dangers of porneia, sexual immorality, and what not. He then raised his hand and said when he was called on:

  "Masturbation doesn't just offend Jehovah God; it has been medically proven that affects your eyes, making them more sensitive to light, and eventually leading to blindness. I saw this discussed on the news a while back, and medical studies have shown this to be the case. That is why so many people wear sunglasses, to protect their eyes. They should really just stop masturbating. But worldly people are slaves to the flesh and Jehovah will hold them accountable for their sins."

  Another comment I recall is really just a Freudian slip, which we all thought was funny. In a book study going over the Creation book, an older sister marvelled over Jehovah's creation, even those "glorious little orgasms" we need to see through a microscope. Funny how I only recall the sexually-themed comments. *shrug*
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  CeriseRose

  When my Mom was sick and close to dying I had moved back to the cong. I became a JW in, for the added support of people who knew me and knew my personal situation. My Mom lived 5 hours' drive away so it was common for me to, after working full time all week, do quick weekend trips up to see her (at least 2 a month in her final months). The KH was in the middle of renovations, so the meetings were being held at odd times and in a different KH. So instead of Tuesday/Thursday/Sunday, they were Friday night, Saturday a.m. and Sunday night. Needless to say, with me leaving town on Friday afternoon and coming home exhausted Sunday night, I wasn't making a lot of meetings. I got the call to go when Mom declined, then spent a week following her death dealing with funeral arrangements, etc. The congregation sent a large bouquet to the funeral (my parents were not JWs), which I thought was very loving. I got back and when I made my first meeting, came across an older sister, known for speaking her mind with little tact. Even knowing this about her, I still couldn't believe her comment to me. Her: "Oh, you're visiting again." Me: "I'm in this hall." Her: "Well, we never see you." Me: "My Mom has been ill and just died." Her: "Yes, I heard about that." And without another word, she turned around and walked off. Not a single word of condolence, or even a "oh, well I can see that, then". I remember standing there feeling like all I wanted to do was walk out and never return. I should have then. No matter how many people supported me, no matter how much good some of them did, that one incident, and many that followed in a similar vein, really showed me the judgement and lack of love some people display. Because I wasn't regular at meetings, I was being judged. That attitude prevailed all through the next 3 years before I finally left. And all the while I had everyone telling me that my 'worldly' friends (all 4 of them online) didn't know how to love. They showed me more support from halfway around the continent than people who were close enough to hug me. I still boggle at that.
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  CeriseRose

  Okay re my last post, it will not let me fix the formatting. sorry for the ickies. :(
• 

  willyloman

  They showed me more support from halfway around the continent than people who were close enough to hug me. I still boggle at that.

  Adding this to the WT file under "lack of love."

  It is mind boggling, isn't it?
• 

  bebu

  "How much math do you need? Just the basics" was his counsel...."

  What with their gymnastics with botched chronology, I'm sure they hope that students don't even get the basics!

  bebu
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  Lieu

  The Watchtower Study article that fully contradicted the previous week's Watchtower study article. I admit I had not been a goodie goodie and pre-read the article or I might have caught it in time to stay in bed. I understood that any ole "brother" writes those articles but--it had me sitting there looking around thinking, "OMG! What on earth am I doing here?" I had suspicions due to the overall JW environment. The taking a verse out of context used to always piss me off as I was one of those folks who would always read the whole bible chapter to see in what context the verse referred. Anyway, that article was the defining point when I knew I had to "roll up outta there".
• 

  Disheartened

  Yes, the circuit overseer came to visit our congregation one year (this was 1996-the LAST straw for me) and he was giving a talk. I remember him saying, "Sisters with unbelieving husbands, don't worry if your husbands don't accept the truth. Jehovah will surely give you a NEW husband in the new system of things." What the f*%&?? Also, a couple weeks before that, there was a talk for the theocratic meeting where a "brother" said that Charles Taze Russell was foretold in the bible by Jesus. What a bunch of horse doo-doo.