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In Reply to: Let's not forget posted by Thinker on August 09, 2007 at 10:01:58:
Well, that's on the "funny" side of things...see Susie's post on journeys...cause TF was really run by control freaks...but it seems to me we or you or some go a bit overboard with the control scenarios they describe...sure many we have experienced to a varying degree...as TF wasn't the super homogenic..."shortcircuited" movement,which may be they aspired...
However we shouldn't forget here, that we were allowed quite some indepence:
Few mention the letter in the exer-community: Your declaration of independence.It used to be one of my favourites.
I remember quite a few couples, who "pioneered" somewhere, to be on their own.Since I didn't have a mate for a longer time...I couldn't opt for that...cause I somehow wanted to ackknowledge the two by two rule...
But, I did go to my parents alone !!!! to forsake all...that was a "no no"- in those days...later I also went alone witnessing at some times...also forbidden...I went alone hitchhiking to the meatmarket in Delhi...or all those leaders who went alone to some meeting...there were always exceptions to the rules, I suppose...ok, that was for the areas & times I lived in...that's why I hate to generalise things...SGs fall prey to it too & I think it is much wiser to talk in the first person about things, as I, as we have it
experienced.
I also read at times some novel of Goethe which a girl friend of mine sent to me...I read some exegetic stuff of an Old Testament prof. of & in Germany at a time I was in a dialogue with a befriended teacher of mine, when it came to the subject of Daniel & the families take on it.
Frankly, I felt the opinions, statements of the prof pretty stupid & I still tink that way (Daniel as a book an apocryphic writing of later times) So much for modern theology to get my interest (not) early.
So I did think independantly to some degree, moved around independantly to some degree...liberties to some degree.By the way, I also went alone to Paris to meet said girlfriend...I mean, we had quite some liberties after the chain was abolished....sure later in the big combos you seemed to have hardly any free time, plus the screening with the OHR-reports etc...but that also when we left in 1989, when we disliked the disurption of families...childcare being put into the hands of fosterparents.
Anyway, I just rebel against these somehow pathetic sounding accounts of the TF-yesteryears.
My stance: We joined, because we liked something about TF....we remained, because we outbalanced the good against the evil...the problems against
the solutions...the fears against the serenity/peace...Sure it was endtime in our mind (theologically it's that way since the early church....the last days & with God a day is like thousand years for us) & therefore we felt obliged to reach the people with the good news...that's what kept me so long in TF, because the church didn't do their job properly either.
To whom should I go I asked myself a lot...problem was: I didn't know some of the really good groups, who would have been an alternative .(Since I was a non-Christian really before, I felt some obligiance/thankfulness towards TF)
So I'd say I constantly did some weighing: good (for what my weak morality considered to be true & good) against the bad.Plus problems were meant to be something to be overcome.
The big problem with us/me I see in the wrong application of scripture, despite TF's trumpeting of being sooooooooo versed in Bible-knowledge...
the opposite is rather the truth.Problem being:
Some real good exegesis, mainstream or fundementalism-alike, got mixed with some real dangerous, super deceptive stuff...mostly along the line of sexuality.
So why did we swallow/allow that...we/I didn't want to be old-bottlish like the "disobedient"/lukewarm churches...in proud manner I wanted to be at the forefront...the spearheads blah blah...pride comes before fall & I did fall.
Oh some more independencies of some couples in my times: the beloved furloughs!!!
You wrote:
"We were taught never to allow ourselves the free time to think.
(you did think though, didn't you??You weren't a complete zombie???)
Every single day was a battle to survive, and we thought we were doing it all for Jesus. Our whole life of never-ending sacrifices was only worth it, we told ourselves, because of the impending return of Jesus."
Some couples had a bit more "freetime", as they got childcare-money from the government & therefore some "chance" to think things over...at least in some European-countries that was the case.Battles in TF weren't homogenically "fierce".
I for one enjoyed, being on the streets talking to people...as I mentioned in some other post, I did have to kill though in the beginning my consciousness regarding collecting funds (deceivers....not too true etc.).
The bait was though: I got to talk all day to many pretty women...but who couldn't care less to join...in that they were much smarter than me.
