A JW Biography of AlanF (page 6)

seeitallclearlynow

I loved your biography in Randy's Newsletter too, Alan. I'm always enriched by what you write, past and present.

GetBusyLiving

That Brain/Heart crap is just embarrassing to read about. No wonder we got the door slammed in our ignorant faces.

GBL

First, I want to thank everyone for their suggestions. I'm not entirely sure where I'm going with this piece, but I do have some ideas. As has been pointed out, it's still quite incomplete, has lousy formatting, is not well focused, and needs a lot of work to be really useful.

I actually began writing this more than ten years ago, when I was repeatedly asked for a short history of my experiences with the Witnesses. I added to it from time to time, as more things happened. In 1997, a poster on the old H2O board asked a number of people for their biographies, which he put up on his website (it no longer exists). I hadn't modified my bio since then, until a few weeks ago when a personal situation arose that I thought an updated and expanded bio might be useful in dealing with.

So, once again I want to invite interested readers for suggestions on how better to focus, organize, and so forth. I intend putting this into Microsoft Word and then into a pdf document, so it's not intended ultimately for html viewing. Minor editing mistakes will be taken care of by my wife Julie, who does this for a living.

Some comments to individual posters:

Narkissos: Interesting information on the French translator of the Creation book. I've been impressed with the French Bethel for taking a similar stand on a few issues. For example, the English NWT mistranslates John 17:3 by using the term "accurate knowledge of God" rather than "knowing God", for the obvious reason that the latter conflicts with the "little flock" doctrine. But the French NWT uses the correct word (from connaitre, I think) which means "to know a person" rather than "to know about something" (from savoir, I think). Do correct me if I'm wrong. The Spanish language makes a similar distinction with two different words, but the Spanish NWT slavishly and incorrectly follows the English original.

confusedjw and Quotes: I've thought about having my own domain, but I just don't see myself having enough time and interest to keep one up. Thanks for the idea, though!

jgnat: I appreciated your comments about it not being possible to reconcile with a mentally ill person. I worked things out about my dad exactly as you said. You said that you and Concerned Mama noticed an interesting thing: "Even mothers seem oddly distant to their own children. As if they "know" that their relationship may be only temporary." I've thought long and hard about that. It's often true of extended families, as with mine. It's even often true between marriage mates. I'm convinced that the reason is as you said, and that JWs really do "know" that all human relationships are probably only temporary. That's why JWs can be so nasty, and turn off their "love" toward others as if flipping a switch. But this isn't real love, because real love doesn't work that way.

SixOfNine: I'd love to detail my relationship and work with "Friend", but now is not the time. I can say that "Friend" had a great deal of influence on some surprising people. If they ever want to tell their stories, they will do it. I'm sure that this will happen.

outoftheorg: I believe that anyone with an ounce of integrity is going to have some level of suppressed anger all the time of being a JW. It's from the cognitive dissonance, from not knowing where to turn to get serious questions resolved because you know that the very act of asking them is liable to get you marked as disloyal.

Dave: Bite me!

GetBusyLiving: "did the governing body member Albert Schroeder speak with a thick Scottish accent?" No, he's as American as applie pie. He's also about 93 years old now, and too infirm to speak at assemblies anymore.

DanTheMan: "this part confused me." My point was, why was an even number like 6000 assumed to be significant? Why not 5998 or 6003? Or 5729 or 8966? Where did the Society get the numbers 6000 or 7000 from the Bible? The answer is: they didn't. That's why their claim that "6000 years from the start of human history would be a significant date" was nothing but an assumption based on ancient tradition. It was a purely circular bit of reasoning. "I was going to make a comment about Harry Peloyan sounding like somebody who was a real obnoxious ass, but then I saw where at least he was one of the ones trying to get the GB to change their child molestation policy, so is he a good guy or a bad guy?" He's both an obnoxious ass, and a good guy in terms of the molestation policy. He's a complicated and inconsistent man. He's been at Bethel for more than 50 years, and invested his entire life in the Watchtower dream. He's a true believer, with all the mental baggage that entails. At least he's not a hardline conservative like that asshole Ted Jaracz.

Poztate: "It must have been frustrating for you to have all of your well reasoned out arguements fall on deaf ears." You have no idea. . . On the heart/brain nonsense: "That really was a Freddy Franz at his best moment." You got that right. The man, brilliant as he was in certain ways, was a moron in terms of common sense. "Unlike you, who questioned I was a true believer at the time and largely brain dead. I just thought... Isn't this exciting. WE know something that those STUPID DOCTORS don't." That was about what my dad said, and it really pissed me off that a man of his apparent intelligence could choose to believe something so stupid.

dilaceratus: What on earth does your handle mean? Sounds like a dinosaur of some sort. "Mr. F-". Why so formal? "Alan" is just fine. Your family history is fascinating. If you don't mind, please PM me and think about talking more about it. The Society would not be nearly so able to perpetuate itself without the long term buy-in of extended families like yours and mine.

Your ruthless criticisms are appreciated and largely correct, as I said above. The piece needs much work to get a clear focus, and that's what I'm having trouble with. The purpose, as of now, is deeply personal, and so in contrast to most of my essays, my purpose here is not so much to deal with a specific topic as to informally set forth the general reasons for why I am where I am with respect to the Watchtower cult, for an audience that has not and will not read formal criticisms of the Watchtower cult. So in a very real sense, your comment that this can be called propaganda is correct, in that Webster's defines propaganda as "the spreading of ideas, information, or rumor for the purpose of helping or injuring an institution, a cause, or a person; ideas, facts, or allegations spread deliberately to further one's cause or to damage an opposing cause." I most definitely want to spread the truth about "The Truth" to as many people as possible, both for obvious reasons and for deeply personal ones. Given all that, and your analytical ability, I will appreciate specific suggestions for improvement.

New Worldly Translation: I think you've summed things up quite nicely.

Dansk: It was likewise a real pleasure meeting you and Claire!

Aztec: I'm glad I got you to post! Where have you been, my friend? Yes, I'm certainly a verbose bugger.

BrendaCloutier: You may certainly print it out, with the understanding that the contents are likely to be changing daily, as I add more stuff and organize the piece better. I'm with you on the heart/brain thing.

startingover: "From what I have read regarding Barbara I thought she was still and wished to continue as a JW until she was DF'd in 2002." She informs me that she became inactive in 1997 and no longer thought of herself as a JW, much as I did in 1983 when I became permanently inactive. However, for obvious reasons, especially to maintain family relationships, she didn't want to be disfellowshipped. After all, her husband Joe was a respected elder, and her son is a typically braindead JW.

AlanF

Aztec

Aztec: I'm glad I got you to post! Where have you been, my friend? Yes, I'm certainly a verbose bugger.

Alan, I have been inhabiting more licentious areas of the net. I do read here once in awhile, mostly looking for your posts. Reading your argumentation against Scholar has been a joy! I think you've got an excellent start on a great piece of writing. Few people can expound upon their Watchtower experience as well or include so many fascinating details. I vaguely remember meeting Dan Sydlik once. That's the best I can do. My Watchtower story in two words: it sucked. My love to you and yours!

AlanF

Well hey, Aztec. Get in touch with me, please. I'd like to yak with you.

AlanF

Aztec

If you want to get in touch with me the only way currently is through email. [email protected] I might get a phone again one of these days. If you're a yak can I be a buffalo?

AlanF

Got it.

You could be a lady yak.

AlanF

seven006

***Dave: Bite me! ***

What's wrong buddy? I bought you a new sense of humor last time you came out here to visit, what did you do with it? You weren't playing the proctologist and the jack hammer lady with Julie again and you lost it did you?

Senses of humor aren't cheep ya know. I had to sell you three old watchtowers to pay for it.

You know I love you like a brother. Come to think of it, I haven't spoken to my brother in over ten years. Maybe it's me?

Dave

Aztec

You could be a lady yak.

Wouldn't that make me a heifer though? Okay, I will stop derailing this thread from it's intents and purposes now. I think I've posted as many times to this thread in the last day as I have to any others in the last nine months. Must be hormones...

AlanF

Dave, that was an invitation, not an insult. Julie's been tied up lately.

Heifer, Aztec? I suppose. You know you can cross yaks and cows? I read it on the Internet.

AlanF

A JW Biography of AlanF

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