Serena Williams, after winning the US Open women's tennis championship tonight, thanked "Jehovah" for blessing her family. In the background were numerous US flags, and of course, prior to the match, the Williams sisters were there and standing while various patriotic songs were played (oh, that's right....they were already standing since they had to walk out onto the court....guess that's okay).

While watching all that I could not help but think of all the JW youths who have been told that they could not particicpate in organized sports at school or otherwise. I just wonder what they, and their parents, might be thinking as they watch the Williams girls attain to the highest level of participation and success in the sport of tennis - and that is what bothers me when I watch these sisters compete. I think it's fine that they do so and that they are achieving great success (and making some nice $$$, $450,000 for Venus, $900,000 for Serena) but I am always bothered by the thought of all those Witness youths who never had a chance to do the same.

Maybe if other youths were making some nice $$$ to donate to the Society,they could participate too.

JW's are not the only one's that use that name.

Yes - how interesting it is that their family is 'blessed' for doing exactly what the borg prohibits and many would be marked for.  Just goes to prove that the borg will bend its rules for anyone with status and money.

Mimilly

Yeah...that makes me want to barf!

Should I thank "Jehovah" that I turned down full scholarships to university in order to take a one-year dental assisting course so that I could support my pioneer ass?  And should I thank "Jehovah" that I was STILL looked down upon by the congregation and made to feel guilty at every turn for the horrible SIN of pursuing "post-secondary" education?

<gag> <hack> <puke>

Still, I see the Serena thing as on par with other fundie Xtians.  I absolutely HATE it when rap/soul artists get on stage and thank JESUS for blessing them.  Give me a fucking break!  If Jesus exists, shouldn't he be a bit more concerned with all of the babies dying in Africa, China, and elsewhere rather than whether or not Boyz to Men have a number one hit?

ecchhhh!

A lot of it does also depend on the parents. I was always taught by my parents (3 generations of jws here not just newbies) to never show blantant disrespect for the flag. It is sacred to our country. No one can deny that.

A flag is incapable of being evil. It is an inatament object that represents who we are. SO we ALWAYS stood during flag salute at any event we went to that saluted the flag as part of the program and there are quite a few.

We never saluted it. But showed respect.

I know there were parents even during that time that would not even stand during the flag salute and that is being disrespectful and not necessary.

It's also drawing major attention to your self which is somathing not condoned in the Bible.

More and more JWs started refusing to even stand but there are still some from the old school who aren't that ignorant. 

Standing is not a Dfping offense or at least it wasn't. It was a matter of ones concience and if the WT could plant enough inuendo to make someone feel guilty for standing up then it's nothing less then really really sad. 

I just had to insert that "rap/soul" artists are not the only ones to thank Jesus, so do country music and most any musical artists.

And kenpo-

I missed your point. You do realize that Serena and Venus were raised JW's don't you?

She said *what*?

I missed it. Must-a been distracted by what she had on!

Thanks Stinky - yes, the Williams sisters were indeed raised as JWs.

My point was not to condemn the Williams girls for standing or being there, but rather the fact that so many other JW kids will never even have that chance. I was a bit sarcastic in the first paragraph of my post - but the again, these sisters once posed in Sports Illustrated with a US flag draped across their bodies. Is that wrong? Technically, no, but it sure looked odd for people who profess to serve "Jehovah". And I can't help but think that there are many JWs out there who would receive strong "counsel" against doing exactly what the Williams girls do or have done in the past.

Kaethra - what you mentioned about being looked down  upon for pursuing "post-secondary" education is very sad.

lol@teejay.....I guess you were too busy staring at her skin-tight shorts.

Edited by - jack2 on 8 September 2002 0:24:59

SP -

You're right, of course.  It is not only soul/rap artists who thank Jesus.  But, in my experience with award shows, which is admittedly and thankfully limited, I've yet to see a rock/alternative band get on stage and thank Jesus for their grammy or AMA or whatever.

I feel sure that you are correct in saying that many country artists also thank Jesus.  Not being a huge fan of that musical genre however, I have not seen many award shows dedicated to that particular type of music.

I don't know these girls and truly have nothing against them, but I'm with Kaethra on this one. Maybe not intended, but I find it nothing short of arrogant when someone in the limelight that is hurting for nothing, thanks God for blessing them......It's like, yea right, God is soooooo preoccupied with their life, career,  family, that he has blessed them and to hell with starving people, dying people, babies that end up in garbage cans.......

 

 

 

 

 

StinkyPantz

How sad for them. No I did not know that ... I knew there was a reason I hated Tennis and never followed the news. Do you have any references to this, as I have never heard that before now.

This is what I found ...

Venus and Serena Williams as Jehovah's Witnesses

SYDNEY -- "Unstoppable Venus Williams laughed off the suggestion she had nothing left to achieve in tennis after adding an Olympic gold medal to her growing list of triumphs." [NBC Olympics.com]

The fact that Venus (and her sister Serena) are both active Jehovah's Witnesses participating in the Olympics has provoked an interesting reaction from the organization. None at all. So while many Witnesses cheer for Venus, they know deep in their hearts that they would be subject to judicial procedures for much lesser offenses. And when Venus stood on the podium to receive the gold medal to the tune of the American national anthem, she became a different kind of pioneer than to which we are accustomed.

A usual matter of contention among Witnesses is whether the Williams sisters are actually Jehovah's Witnesses or not. Their mother certainly is one of us, and has been for years. The father certainly is not. (He often takes cigarrette breaks during the sister's matches.)

It's Serena warrior princess
By Patrick Miles, Wimbledon
July 08, 2002

AS a sporting spectacle, it was not of the highest order; as a psycho-drama, it was riveting.

At least it was a vast improvement on the last time the Williams sisters met, in the final of the French Open last month.

This time, there was much more to admire on an athletic level and less of which to despair, as far as skills and execution were concerned.

Serena, who beat older sister Venus 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 for her third Grand Slam title and her first at Wimbledon, displayed more power and more powerful emotions on court.

Venus, hampered by a strain in her right arm, played with an expression of stone and the body language of someone who does not want to lord it over her younger sister Venus, 22, was aiming for a Wimbledon hat-trick on Saturday night, while Serena, 20, was trying for her first on the sacred grass court.

Right from the start of the fortnight, it seemed that Serena had the greater desire to win the title no matter who she met in the final.

Just as she had been at Roland Garros, the older sibling appeared subdued, to the extent that her normal weapons the serve and the backhand were lacking their usual penetration.

Venus, who afterwards played down the pain in her arm, hit one ace, two service winners and six double faults. Even though her first-serving percentage was 70, it had little effect on Serena.

The count of unforced errors, so high in Paris, was down to 25 for Venus and 22 for Serena from a total of 133 points.

However they match up against each other, there is a conviction that the sisters will dominate for years to come.

Of all the leading players, possibly only Lindsay Davenport, who was unable to play at Wimbledon due to injury, can challenge the Williams duopoly.

It is to be hoped that Davenport will make her presence felt again by the time the US Open starts on August 26.

Nine-time Wimbledon champion Martina Navratilova has warned that Serena's triumph represents the start of what could be a decade of Grand Slam domination by the American sister act.

"I think if they both stay committed they can do this for another 10 years, easy," Navratilova said.

"Right now they are dominating and they have been doing it all year. Lindsay Davenport matches up with power but not the speed, and Martina Hingis needs to get a better serve she is losing too many points on her second serve."

Serena, who will be officially installed today as world No. 1 when the new computer rankings are released, and Venus are likely to be seeded to meet again in the final at Flushing Meadows, where the former won her first Grand Slam title in 1999 and Venus is reigning back-to-back champion.

"I can't become satisfied," Serena said, "because if I get satisfied, I'll be like: 'Oh, I've won Wimbledon, I've won the US Open, now I can relax'. But now people are really going to be fighting to beat me.

"In the beginning of the year, I said: 'I don't care what happens this year, I want to win Wimbledon' and it was an extra bonus for me to win the French.

"Sure, I really wanted to win the French . . . I just couldn't even believe I won. But I just wanted Wimbledon. I wanted to become a member of so much prestige, so much history. I want to be a part of history."

That much is taken care of: the extraordinary phenomenon of two sisters becoming the two best players in the world.

The crowd for the final, though fully appreciative, was muted compared with other such occasions on centre court. No one knew quite who to support.

But there were many glad to witness Serena's win, after which she thanked Jehovah, as well as her support team.

"If you don't believe in God, it's going to be tough to live life because pretty much that's the basis of life it comes from God," Serena said.

"So being a Jehovah's Witness, obviously we believe in God and the Bible. Without Him, I wouldn't be here right now; I really thank him for everything."

Famous Jehovah's Witnesses

• Venus and Serena Williams - world chamption/Olympic gold medalist tennis players
• Michael Jackson - singer, pop superstar
• Prince - singer; convert to JWs
• Janet Jackson - singer
• La Toya Jackson - singer
• Jackson Five - musical group
• Selena - Tejano singer (Selena Quintanilla)
• Larry Graham - singer; member of Sly And The Family Stone between 1967 and 1972, founder of Graham Central Station
• David Thomas - songwriter/vocalist for Pere Ubu; convert to JWs
• Herman Pizzanelli - leading Uruguayan concert guitarist in the 1960's; convert to JWs

• Lou Whitaker - professional basketball player (Detroit Tigers)

• Evelyn Mandela - first wife of South African president Nelson Mandela; a convert to JWs
• Lieby Piliso - Nelson Mandela's younger sister
• Rene Montes de Oca Martija -- dissident human-rights activist in Cuba (son of JW)

• Wayans Brothers - comedians, actors, filmmakers
• Rustom Padilla - Filipino movie star
• Carmina Villarroel - Filipino actress

• Gloria Naylor - novelist, author of The Women of Brewster Place (1982, American Book Award)
• Mickey Spillane - best-selling crime novelist; convert to JWs in 1952 (still active)

• Carol Swain - political scientist; professor at Vanderbilt University; author of Black Faces, Black Interests and The New White Nationalism in America: Its Challenge to Integration

• Viv Nicholson - famous London lottery winner in 1961. She then became a devout JW. The musical Spend, Spend, Spend was based on her story.

... first time I ever hear they were on here. Now I know ... but I am wondering. Were they baptized?

Take Care

Dragon

Edited by - kenpodragon on 8 September 2002 1:26:22

jack,

: I think it's fine that they do so and that they are achieving great success (and making some nice $$$, $450,000 for Venus, $900,000 for Serena) but I am always bothered by the thought of all those Witness youths who never had a chance to do the same.

Obviously, you are too stupid to understand that this is all "Bible-Based(tm)."

Shame on you.

Farkel

 

I love that cat suit....She has a great ass. Would love to bang both sisters in the  back of hall..and there mom too..

Why would you even give a rats ass one way or another?

Pretend they were not, then what does the mother have to shun them?

Like Ive said many times before. I was born and raised a JW and never shuned anyone even when told to do so.

If know one likes it then tough sh**

Jack2, I've played competitive golf for forty years, eleven of those years as a professional. I never once had any problems from the friends. If anything, they sought golf tips.

Guest 77

Quote:  If Jesus exists, shouldn't he be a bit more concerned with all of the babies dying in Africa, China, and elsewhere rather than whether or not Boyz to Men have a number one hit?

Good point!    also....What determines which player Jesus chooses to pick as winner? Didn't the loser pray also to God, before they lost? Boxers are also famous for this. After beating the hell out of the other guy....they thank Jesus for the victory......truely horse shit.

Does anyone know the STANDING in the congregation of the two sisters? Have they been reproved as was Jackson for the thriller skit? Perhaps their playing is not condoned by others.  Playing sports is not a judicial action event.

I've never known one who had a POSITION in the cong. who played active sports

Edited by - Gumby on 8 September 2002 9:52:28

Simply using the name "Jehovah" does not necessarily mark these girls as JW's.  There are many groups who feel that this is god's name, but they use it sparingly.

Has there been a press interview or other information that would prove they are JW's?  Otherwise, without substantiation, perhaps it would be prudent not to make any snap judgements on people and their religious affiliation.

Point in case"  I say "Jehovah" on ocassion during conversation, and I am definitely no longer a JW.  Anyone that heard me might "think" otherwise.  It would be their misinterpretation of the facts.

Sentinel/Karen

Edited by - Sentinel on 8 September 2002 10:23:16

Whether or not Venus and Serena are in good standing, I think we should be happy for them. They are very talented young women and have remained true to their dreams. I know that "Jehovah" has much better things to do than follow tennis and "bless" certain players with success, but if they want to give Him the credit...let them.

By criticizing Venus and Serena and their actions, we are no better than JWs...who make sport of gossiping about other people' lives (because they have no lives of their own). Being ex-JWs and, for the most part, open minded I think we should be proud of anyone who refuses to let the WTBTS dictate what they do with their lives (active or inactive).

Edited by - OrbitingTheSun on 8 September 2002 10:28:58

Ooops,

Well, had I waited just a bit longer, someone would have supplied me with the FACTS.  Seems that these two girls are "active" JW's.  Thanks for the info...

That leads me to wonder how in the world they managed to do what they did without being disfellowshipped???

Karen