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Non-JWs in a JW Family

Non-JWs in a JW Family

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From the “Ask a Former JW” mailbag…

I’ve been reading your dialogue with JWs. I have no advice, though I have experience being married to a JW.

I have been told I have a distorted view of the Bible, that I am part of the great (?) Babylon. My parents haven’t seen my son in 1 year – they also are part of Babylon – and they live only 1 hour away.

I’ve been told that God doesn’t hear my prayers because I don’t use his real name, not to have a cross in the house as it may be a roost for some sort of demon. When she and my son are reading their watchtower stuff, she closes the door so I can’t hear the discussion ( we just don’t want to bother you.).

I have been screamed at when my mother sent my son a Christmas card with a cardinal in the snow, and only the words ‘happy holidays’ on the inside (don’t you know he may not survive Armageddon if he celebrates Christmas?). My mother walked through many aisles looking for a non offending Christmas card. I could go on and on.

Am I being critical ? Of course ….but this is just an “eye of the camera” report. I’m afraid to go where my real feelings have been shoved down for some 12 years….

So – that’s your ‘eye witness’ on JWs in the household —–I guess the love comes out at the Kingdom Hall.

Speaking of being visited in prison …..I’d like one of those loving and concerned JWs to come visit me in this one.

– Juree

Hi Juree!

“Babylon the Great” or “the Whore of Babylon” is based on the book of Revelation (esp. ch. 17-18). It is usually identified with whatever (corrupt) superpower reigns at the time (biblically, it’s probably Rome), but JWs see it as representing the worldwide empire of false religion (and most especially Christendom). They are, of course, interpreting themselves as being the only true religion. Many groups have interpretations of the Whore of Babylon and Babylon the Great – but JWs seem to refer to it more than other groups do.

On the issue of the Christmas card, they believe that the holiday is too pagan-affiliated in its customs and history to be celebrated, even if Jesus has not said to celebrate his death rather than his birth. I’ve not heard of any but the most fanatical JW invoke Armageddon at the sight of a holiday card, but it doesn’t surprise me either. Their sense of priorities is seriously skewed at times, and some are incapable of receiving the good wishes in the spirit in which they were meant. They might at least have explained their reasons – they will normally take any opportunity to do so.

On the cross issue, I have to say I haven’t heard the “demon roost” theory before (grin). Sounds like your family took some messages and cross-wired them in their fear. They do believe in demon attacks, and there is a lot of urban lore about smurfs and such, but that’s not the problem with the cross. JWs believe that Jesus was tortured on a stake, not a cross, so they don’t even use the word “crucifixion.” The other thing is that the symbol links the household, however distantly, to the above-mentioned “Babylon the Great.” One thing that we were told to explain out in service is that to wear a cross would be like wearing a gun when the person you loved most in the world had been shot with one. It has a certain appeal as an argument, but there are problems with the analogy.

Love and kindness are often reserved for members, as you have experienced. Family, especially non-JW family, are often treated worse than strangers (i.e., potential converts).

If there is a God, he/she/they/it hears your prayers. God is there for all, according to the central message of Christianity. I don’t know why you are in prison, but I do feel – always – that while there is life, there is hope. Find your freedom within, with curiosity and humor and forgiveness of yourself and others. Face your anger and hurt, talk with others, accept what you can accept, and move on to the next stage for you.

Don’t wait around for JWs to come and visit (lol), but do talk to the spiritual and psychological counselors that might be available to you. You can write to me privately too, if you need to rant someplace safe.

Islamic Fascists? Huh?

Islamic Fascists? Huh?

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I am very impressed with the Brits. Thank you, Lionheart, for protecting all those who fly between the U.K. and the U.S. Thank goodness there are still good minds working somewhere.

Here’s an odd thing, though. I was out of town and I just happened to catch the President reacting to this situation by saying that we are “at war with Islamic Fascists who will use any means to destroy those of us who love freedom, to hurt our nation.” It’s my understanding that most of the people involved in this plot were actually British citizens?

Anyway, what caught me as being particularly unusual was the linking of “Islamic” with “Fascists.” Huh?

I mean, “what? come again?” I don’t think that means what he thinks it means.

Unless I’ve missed some very important new development, there is no real fascist streak involved in any of the militant Islamic fringe-groups. There are lots of other things that can be said about them, of course.

However, since we are the ones who are melding corporations with government, that is a really really strange thing for him to say. I haven’t heard anyone challenge the statement either.

Of course, it was to be expected that the Republicans would use this to try to make themselves look like something they’re not and to somehow imply that if Democrats were in charge, we’d all be in danger. They’re calling Lamont a radical now. Sheesh. Sickening, but predictable.

I’m sick of the whole thing, and am really thinking a lot lately about systems that have more parties. If we have three or four or five parties instead of the “2 plus other” then coalitions would have to be formed, cooperation would have to take place to get anything done. Maybe we’d even get more people who would represent the interests of actual segments of our population.

As it is now, it seems that corporations are able to throw much of their tax burden on the population at large while at the same time bribing our representatives in various ways to represent their interests, even to the point of determining our energy policy, and writing our laws, and getting their own people placed in what used to be watchdog positions.

Funny how more and more and more people hate us and want to kill us since Bush took office. Maybe for some of them it’s about our freedom – although there it would seem they have common cause with the anti-toleration pseudo-christian right in America who also consider our culture to be a decadent “whore of babylon.”

I think it would help enormously if we started acting more like the good guys who could responsibly represent freedom and liberty and justice. Perhaps the situations that have begun to cascade rather exponentially now might still he slowed and halted, even turned around, if America took a good look at reality and started acting like a grownup.

There are better paths than this one into which we have allowed ourselves to be manipulated. We’re finally sensing it. If we’re going to conserve the very things that we say we value, we had best get to it soon. The damage to our national soul is already substantial.