by jambon1 36 Replies latest jw friends
I had a lot of conflicts with the concept of blindfaith to an organization over God and Jesus.
I had lots of problems with people who truly believed the publications were like "Jehovah talking to us"............
I liked the brief Berean period of the late 70's I was raised in, after the early 80's the only decent palatable time after that was the 90's when education got some good press and things seemed to be finally moving forward...... everything else has been weak cultic tatics.
I put it in perspective: I have just spent more time and money on Christmas decorations for the hall of my apartment unit than I would have on field circus. And for it I have a sense of accomplishing something that brightens people's day. And it did not seem at all burdensome, even though it involved more work than simply going up and placing a waste of paper with each householder.
To contrast, I could be out in field circus and it would feel even harder than it actually was. Plus I felt I accomplished nothing more than wasting the day.
My life in the cult was very tiring. Always something to do as an elder … there was never enough time. To be an elder the way the cult demanded would take more than 24 hrs in a day. The publishers put you under the microscope and so did the cult leaders.
They always said that to be in Bethel was the most demanding work. Try being an elder in the cult, have a full time job with its overtime and stress, and take care of family duties and see how much time and stress it takes.
I really feel for those still in and despise those in charge!
Leaving was a relief, yes.
Oh my, yes. When you work full-time, there is not a single morning to sleep in. And after field service on Saturday, I was too exhausted to do anything but come home and sleep all afternoon. So there went the rest of the day. The yoke didn't feel kindly or the load light to me at all. And really, no matter what people SAY about how refreshing and upbuilding it all is and how they feel so much better when they come to meetings even though they are exhausted, you see the truth of their feelings when a meeting is canceled. The joy of it! A night or day off without guilt! Of course, that is the real reason they feel better for going regardless, they don't feel guilty.
I remember one CO who said that those who work full time should go out in service Saturday and Sunday. He implied that if we were going to spend the week in materialistic activity, instead of pioneering as he does, we should use our time off for spiritual things. Of course, we never had an actual "day off" with one day being for field service and the other the public talk and WT study. I was feeling guilty about this, until I found out that he took every Monday off to play golf with friends. No field service on Mondays, it was the day between congregations. Sunday he finished with one congregation, Tuesday he met with the next congregation, and Monday was his day off! Typical! Meanwhile, we were supposed to feel guilty for wanting a break.
Cate
What Cate said.
I disliked not having any days off on the weekend. When we switched with the other congregation on Sunday to the afternoon, we did not go out in field circus and slept in.
I can remember trying to find time for homework on meeting nights; having to hit the books right away when I got home was not always enough time.
The meetings were so boring...........and a waste of time.
Blondie
Yes!!! Most definitely.
And of course, nobody spoke out about it; nobody dared. I never heard anybody do it, but it would surely mean being counseled.
Later, when being hounded by my father and once talking to a zealot in another country, I mentioned to both that I might return to meetings, but that I WOULD NEVER DO FS AGAIN. The silence was deafening and the reaction was priceless.
The ingrained reaction to this sacrilege is amazing and speaks volumes concerning the effective "mental regulating"/brainwashing technique of WTS.
Mustang
If they really cared and were loving , teh ywould tell us how well we were doing and to encourage us to take the weekend off.
"THIS WEEKEND BROTHERS, NOBODY GO ON THE MINISTRY. THE ELDERS ARE GOING TO ATTEMPT TO VISIT YOU ALL ON SHEPHERDING CALLS TO TELL YOU HOW MUCH YOU ARE APPRECIATED"
STILLA, " Shepherding calls to tell you how much you are appreciated ? " You have a great sense of humor, don't you ?? That might happen in a witnesses dream perhaps
