This week marks the 50th anniversary of my mother's baptism as one of Jehovah's Witnesses. She and a childhood friend, who was baptized at the same assembly, will be having a "get-together" this weekend to celebrate. (Hmmm...wonder if that doesn't tread too close to "glorifying the individual"? Oh, well, it's not like she's ever had a birthday party in her entire life.)
I suppose I should do something nice--it's a milestone with significance for her. Maybe I'll send her flowers.
Still, I wonder if they sense the irony of "celebrating" 50 years in an organization that told them they'd never get to be 50 in this system...let alone the 64 that they both are?
Awake, 5/22/1969, pg15
If you are a young person, you also need to face the fact that you will never grow old in this present system of things… .all evidence in fulfillment of Bible prophecy indicates that this corrupt system is due to end in a few years… as a young person you will never fulfill any career that this system offers. If you are in high school and thinking about a college education, it means at least four, perhaps even six or eight more years to graduate into a specialized career. But where will this system of things be by that time? It will be well on the way toward its finish, if not actually gone!
That was published when my mother was 28 years old. Now, at 64, she's got unstable angina and heart disease, fibromyalgia, suffers from migraines and is 150 pound overweight. She's been on disability and unable to work for years. But she's one of "Jehovah's happy people." Never mind that she's constantly made to feel guilty that her husband is disfellowshipped (ah, yes, she's "kissing a corpse"), none of her children are in "the Truth," and all her grandchildren are "worldly."
I could forgive the WTBS if she were happy and fulfilled in her life, but she's not. She's so depressed it's scarey.
And mostly, I just wanted to vent. ARRRGGGH!
Jankyn.