my boyfriend's family...

well, he coulda had a joho lady...he chose me.

 

I wish I had a camera to capture the look on his mother's face when I walked in on election day wearing a t-shirt with a politicians face printed on it. Priceless.

 

are you sure?

 

I coulda had a V8...*smacks self*

 

Well he did things little by little even before he left. For example he let his hair get super long, got a tattoo and grew facial hair. No if you're familiar with the religion, these things are big no-no's. Growing facial hair is like basically announcing that you are against them. Silly, yes, I know. But it's what they believed (at least then, it may have changed now?)

He also stopped attending the meetings. At first he'd miss one here or there, then it got to him simply stopping altogether.

He did not believe what he had been taught, had a lot of problems with the religion in general. His sister had been disfellowshipped, and his mother was forbidden by the Elders to have any further contact with her. To me, any religion that would forbid you to have contact with your own flesh and blood is not right. But, that's how it was.

Now as far as my brother in law, I'm not for certain if he's actually been disfellowshipped at this point or not. I know he hasn't attended any meetings for about 7,8 years now (he's 25). My husband hasn't been to a meeting for about 16, 17 years.

My MIL had visions of getting our kids to become part of the Witnesses, and would try and sneak them to meetings but my husband made it known that that was not going to ever happen again. She's never tried since.

Would you believe that she had still not given hope of my husband coming back until a few years ago? She would send Witnesses from her congregation to our house to talk to us, trying to get us to come. Of course, we never did.

 

That sounds really creepy HCM.
I saw a program about children being molested by joho elders and when the children tried to get help, they were not believed because no one would dispute the word of the elders.
Also, the boys were told they were gay because they were molested by men.

It was really fucked up.

 

yes, the facial hair issue still exists. they sent someone to my house for weekly bible studies, and she tries to convert me....i don't believe it. It all just seems like on big fairytale to me, as they try to explain it. But when you really examine the practices, really stifling. I am a firm believer in women having a voice...if my boyfriend expected me to be a good joho wife, I would have to break up with him.

 

Yeah, I think it's pretty creepy too!

And I swear to this day my husband is still freaked out by the elders. He hasn't technically been disfellowshipped. If it were ever to get to the point where they sent an elder to our house and he was forced to admit that he no longer wanted to have any affiliation with the Witnesses, he would immediately be disfellowshipped and his mother would be forbidden to have contact with any of us, which is why he's tried to avoid the whole situation.

It's messed up I tell you.

She tried to get me to go to meetings with her on occasion, but I always changed the subject. She was more concerned about getting her son back in it though than getting me there. I think she figured if she could rope him in again then eventually I too would follow.

 

Forget your boyfriend, sleep with the family. They'll love it, love you, he'll love you, all happy.