I'd appreciate some insight on what my mother claims was said at assembly

by free2beme 74 Replies latest jw friends

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  free2beme

  Okay, well my mother called this evening and was all emotional about her one day assembly. I was shocked she brought it up, as we just do not mention the religion anymore, but lately little things keep getting said at her conventions and assemblies that seem to be making this line something she wants to cross more these days. What she brought up, was something I had not heard mentioned on here and I wanted some insight from people who actually heard it or knew more about it. My mother is very emotional with the religion and puts a lot of importance on everything said, to be the last day message. She was baptized in 1975, if that tells you anything.

  Here is what she told me was announced at the one day special assembly ...

  "The preaching work is over, and will no longer continue. The message is not being meant with success in the field and no one is listening anymore and their hearts have grown hard to the message. The work of preaching will no longer focus on the neighborhoods of nonbelievers, but rather on trying to get those who have left (disfellowshipped, disassociated, and the inactive) to come back to the religion. Elders, Ministerial Servants, and spiritually strong publishers will be making an active effort to let those who left know, the preaching work is over and this is a sign of the end being ever more near. This will be their final warning, of sorts."

  ... So what is this about. I explained to my mother that is sounded like the religion is seeing that people are becoming far to educated in their ways, for it to work anymore and their history of false warnings has finally caught up with them and hampered their work. She felt it was a sign that the end was weeks or months away and is crying and emotional that my sister and I have left the religion and will not be with her in the new system. The presumption that Witnesses have, that they think they know who and who would not, be privy to a divine reward, without knowing the heart, is always amazing to me. In any sense, I explained I felt it was just another attempt at gaining control through fear, and rather then saying the truth, "that their efforts have been failing for years now, due to the information on them being so easy to find (example, sites like this), that they have spun their decision to make it sound like something that will instill fear in their followers to keep coming to meetings and trusting in the elder body." She was very emotional, and kept saying that this is different. I hope this does not shake her faith to much, when years go by and nothing happens. I really don't want my mother to leave the religion, as she would be lost without it. I think in their end, though, their insane manner may push some away anyway.

  "Don't drink the punch"

  Anyone else know about this assemblies message?
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  joenobody

  Wow! I'd be interested if anyone else heard this. The one thing that makes me doubt the veracity of her statement is that I don't think they would try to gain disassociated ones back. That's playing with fire since many of them left because of what the knew about the WTS. It's pretty amusing if they've gotten to that point - knowledge is power, don'cha know?
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  blondie

  It's too bad we don't have the manuscript or tapes of that talk. It's hard to say how much she read into it or others read into it and told her. Based on the campaign coming up this month and next, it doesn't agree with what she is saying about the preaching work to non-JWs being over and the focus being on JWs who have left. The focus of the tract work is on non-JWs.

  I think your mother is about the same age as mine, facing increasing health problems, desperately wanting to believe that she is among the millions who will never die living right through the GT.

  Blondie
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  looking_glass

  I have not heard that at all. Did she say when the preaching work would officially stop? Because the crazy man that stands at the corner of Lake and State w/ the mags is still there. I will miss his Goodfellas look that frightens everyone off on a regular basis.

  Hmm, come to think of it, I have notice more JWs doing street work in Chicago. More so then ever before, so it would be nice to have people try and shove magz in my face on a semi-regular basis!
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  chiddy

  Was it for real ? or a joke? Not heard nothing like that , would love to hear more
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  free2beme

  She heard it at a assembly that took place in Northern Idaho. I must say, this does seem to be something new. I really need to know if anyone has been to or heard about the one day assembly this month. I know my mother reads a lot into thing, but what did she hear? Something had to be said and I would love to correct her, and explain what was really said. It would not be the first time.
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  Warlock

  THE PREACHING WORK IS OVER??????????????? DON'T EVEN BET A PENNY ON IT.

  Warlock
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  free2beme

  Trust me, my first thought is to think she heard it wrong too. I just wonder, what if? I think it would show just how much their are falling in on themselves, from their past mistakes and labeling it as something else.
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  chiddy

  I would say the same the financial implications are too vast for them to stop it
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  joenobody

  Now hold on a second... follow me on this one. Some of speculation about the new announcement/big change etc is that it centers on directly charging publishers for literature. What if the spin on this is as follows: - preaching work is slowing down to a stop - donations not coming in from the world - because it's stopping, in the short term til the Big A we introduce this new arrangement brothers to charge you for the literature which will be used as communications as the end gets closer Pretty easy spin huh? It's self-fulfilling prophecy: nobody outside the JWs wants to read the lit; therefore the preaching is slowing down and hence the end must be near. It would actually excite the brothers to be told that while they have to pay for the literature and support the work moreso, it's because the end is so friggin' close. Turning a negative into a positive...