PDF (Whole thesis) whole_PageMelan...pdf | Request a copy Full text restricted Available under University of Tasmania Standard License.

Abstract

"You must search out and find the true, unhypocritical worship that will bring you
God's peace and protection. Does any such worship exist today? Millions have
found it among Jehovah's Witnesses."
True Peace and Security- From What Source? (How Can You Find It?), 1986.
***
In the corner between the kitchen doorway and the lounge room dresser stands
our first Christmas tree. It hosts a strange assortment of decorations. Being an
only child I have been left in charge of decorating it. One long gold piece of tinsel
and a short, thin, wiry strip of gold tinsel had been delicately intertwined between
the dark green branches of the tree and an eclectic selection of gaudy red and
gold coloured baubles hastily bought from Chickenfeed, Tasmania's cheap
budget store, their metallic coating easily scratched. A large padded material bell
sits alongside the tree.
1991 turned out to be one of the most eventful years of my childhood. I was 12
years old and it was the first time a Christmas tree had stood in our house. It was
my last year at primary school, I got my period that summer, and Santa visited
me for the first time. My first Christmas, and indeed every Christmas after that,
was a lonely one, as if I was looking in from the outside. Being able to celebrate
what other children had been celebrating for years was an exhilarating and
exciting occasion, but how was I supposed to celebrate it?
I woke up that morning so long ago with a traditional Santa sock at the end of my
bed. A large, thick plastic bag with a Santa design on the front. The important
part was it was crammed full of presents. I was delighted. Finally, I was doing
what every other kid had been doing. Then, with a mounting feeling of dismay I
realised that Christmas morning was an anticlimax.

Item Type:	Thesis - Coursework Master
Authors/Creators:	Page, Melanie
Keywords:	Jehovah's Witnesses, Cults, Sects, Children
Copyright Holders:	The Author
Copyright Information:	Copyright 2004 the author - The University is continuing to endeavour to trace the copyright owner(s) and in the meantime this item has been reproduced here in good faith. We would be pleased to hear from the copyright owner(s).
Additional Information:	Thesis (M.J.M.S.)--University of Tasmania, 2004. Includes bibliographical references
Item Statistics:	View statistics for this item

Actions (login required)

Item Control Page