For those who still show up at the meetings, How do you manage?. Do you still offer comments and how do you actually muster up the boldness to gave talks and still do all of those craps?.
Those who still show up at the meetings, How do you manage?.
by Mr Facts 76 Replies latest jw experiences
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Lore
I still go, since I still live with my witness family.
I give 1 answer every Sunday and none during the other meeting. . . pretty much the bare-minimum to avoid people saying: "I missed your comment"
I give maybe 1 talk per year. (Bible readings not counted) Actually the last one was over a year ago: " How Do Jehovah's Witnesses arrive at their explainations of the Bible?"
Everyone said I did a really good job, but they won't give me any more talks unless I comment more and get more hours in service. They still give me readings though, which is fine since it doesn't take any effort.
I like to view it as a challenge. Being able to make an argument for something when you believe the exact opposite is not a very noble skill, but it's a useful one. Maybe someday I'll be a politician.
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Mr Facts
Lore- I am also in a similar situation but I dont know how long it will last, it has been very exhausting and frustrating though.
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No Room For George
Like anything else I guess, it's what you make of it. To be honest, I really enjoy the Bible Highlights, and it's something that I wish was longer as opposed to simply 10 minutes. I'd prefer it if it were 15 minutes considering all the ball hoggers who refuse to keep their comments at 30 seconds or less. I always gain more from the Highlights than what I anticipated, which is similar to this message board, or even the internet in general.
I loathe the Service Meeting as it's really a waste of time considering that it's purpose is to provide training for the publishers to assist them in their ministry, yet we're not accomplishing anything in the ministry, so what's the point? Half-assed demonstrations and repetative parts with suggestions that don't accomplish jack shit when you're actually at someone's door. Plus the demos always end with the person accepting the literature and come off like it's a guaranteed Bible study, when the reality at the door is the exact opposite. I actually prefer the occasional hostility at the door as I find it entertaining, even humorous, something to laugh about to myself or the group later on. The apathy is depressing, and these territories are so apathetic that I don't see any rhyme or reason for the Service Meeting as it's really just a waste of time considering the apathy.
The WT Study can be enjoyable at times, although I hate with a passion the self serving agenda often found within the WT. I feel the same way about the Congregation Bible Study. The current book being studies could have been a real gem had the book simply focused on the historical and encouraging aspect of the events found within Acts, but instead the WT had it published with the agenda of its publishers wasting their time out in field service accomplishing jack shit.
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stillstuckcruz
Like lore said, I do the best to stay under the radar by doing the bare minimum. When I am assigned a talk...i give it(doing it last minute of course). Barely give any comments...maybe one or two in the last six months. Field service has been reduced to around an hour or two a month.Still carrying mikes and doing stage. In fact, I just did parking duty at our recent Circuit assembly day.
It's not difficult in that I've been doing these responsibilities all my life here. But the real difficuly does come when you don't believe any of what you deliver a talk on or have to show people in FS.
Thankfully I don't have to count on any additional responsiblities unless I get my hours up or put in more "effort". So for the time being, I'm just coasting.
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ShirleyW
That's what I've always wondered about the folks here who still attend. There's no way in Hell I could sit through that man made drivel anymore.
It's amazing how you guys can sit there taking in all that BS when at this point you know for a fact it definitely is man made rules of BS but still sit there and take it.
More power to you !!
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Londo111
Because of the Pharisees, all I can do is attend meetings. However, at least, I have a covert purpose in attending. Sometimes I can agree with 70% of what is said, at least, "on paper", and not always in terms of the Society's application of it. The rest I mentally note and try not to roll my eyes. I also observe that by and large, these are sincere people who believe they are doing what is right, but they are horribly mislead and under mind control. I see in the people in attendance the potential of good in what they could be, if only they had the freedom.
When people raise there hands and "thank the Slave" for this or that, sometimes it is too much. They don't realize they are giving praise to Bethel's Golden Calf. Though, I suppose it's better to thank the Calf for such things as 30-hours of door-to-door Treadmilling in March or April, than to thank God, who never willed such a thing.
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What Now?
I have an active, noisy 14 month old - that's the only way I handle it!
It's a great excuse to hang out in the lobby or the mothers room or the second school.
He fell asleep for the first half of the meeting this past Sunday and my husband and I nearly went insane!
I don't know about the rest of you, but ever since the midweek meeting was readjusted to include the book study ... it just seems to drag on and on and on.
We look for any excuse not to go to the meeting. We pretty much go to show our faces, just to stay under the radar.
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Azazel
When i was attending with the outward apperance of wanting to be re-instated i used my Galaxy Tab for viewing magazines etc. I would sit so as to have no one looking over my shoulder and i would switch off from the meeting and surf the net , read threads here or play games. I would do the 5 minute WT preperation so the elders would comment how good it was i prestudied for the meetings.
My old congregation elders stuck the knife in a second time and i would likely have another year of BS before being re-instated and that was just too much so ive let them know that i no longer have any wish to be a JW as the WTS has become an Apostate religion just as the Pharisees did. I left that as a voice message on an elders phone.Havent had a reply as yet?
Az
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breakfast of champions
I haven't given any parts on the stage or the ministry school in probably five or six years. . . stopped commenting completely the summer of 2010 (when I figured out it was all bullshit), haven't given a public prayer in a few years. . .I will accompany my wife in service one weekend a month to check in on a couple of older folks in the area and spend an hour or so at Starbucks. . .
It really is wearing quite thin, now. I remember my first Sunday meeting when I had just mentally escaped feeling disconnected, thinking, Wow. All of these people are falling for this just like you were. How sad.
Then I started to look at it like more of a sociological project - almost like when Festinger infiltrated that UFO cult.
I has become more difficult to look at it that way, especially when I could be home studying for school or relaxing on meeting nights.
I do see going as a chance to observe the logical fallacies and nonsense that comes from the WT or other parts, and then ask my wife questions about them. She has usually come the the same conclusion as me, yet she still just doesn't go that extra step. . .