In Reply to: Depends on the year and the country posted by Oldtimer on August 26, 2006 at 16:40:40:
It just shows me, how different the observations are.
Frankly, I've seen woman, who really seemed to have enjoyed it in the times I met them (after their dates), others were at times disgusted, depending on the fish, bearing it with a grin, knowing, that they tremendously helped a morally weak home...last not least, speaking of myself, I often "enjoyed" it (, as men usually didn't have to do it for payment, you could allow yourself to be choosey)- that was my poor state then - but that wasn't necessarily the definition...I see it the other way around though: in the beginning not all would have to follow (as it was just pioneered)...pretty sisters were called to help out in Spain Teneriffe...& from what I gathered also liked it...(may be that was a front, but I doubt it, cause we could be among ourselves fairly open & tell our dislikes, if leadership wasn't around)
Later the pressure was more on, kind of, what's wrong with you for not trying...more like peer & financial pressure...people got used to it...but as long as there were alternatives, like selling lit, tapes, provisioning, there wasn't really all the burden on the FFers...you could escape it by taking of for a pioneer post, being on the road etc. It was a lot: what's your calling (as if the Lord wanted that...ugh...)...but on some/many missionfields there was "faith" for hardly anything else as good alternative...the alternative would be living poor...go back to the richer home fields....better leaving the cult...getting a job, but that was at the end of the scale....not that you were verbally pressured into it, not that I remember....but maybe I missed there something....could be, that apretty sister, who declined, found herself hitting the road or in another miserable home as a punishment...but that's not equal to "out you go", if you wanted to stay in TF...may be out of a "privileged" home
I know that people were reprimanded for not sharing their wives, from what I overheard...
Bad subject altogether...I just tend to agree with Jules: the longer you stayed & took part in more rubbish, the more one is personally accountable for.It's no fun to admit it, but anything else is for me closer to dishonesty...