by Inquisitor 23 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
The cong I belong to has a very normal type New Yorker persona. They were friendly toward you but everyone minded their own business. If you wanted to become friends you had to make the effort yourself. I had two close friends.
The Elders made the effort to become aquainted with all of the R & F. If you are a New Yorker you accept that has normal behavior.
Rachel,
the coldest congregation I ever visited was in NY (and Germans are not warm and outgoing people either). It wasn’t just any congregation, it was the Columbia Heights Congregation. It had about 40+ elders and half of the GB, Karl Adams was the TMS conductor (actually he was one of the few friendly persons). Some were distant, some were arrogant and many were nervous. The delivery of the program was not what I expected. Only Adams and another speaker were confident all others were highly nervous (I guess because of the big cameras). Members were assigned to give answers in advance. And everyone that had a part or a comment assigned was shaking. It was like backstage atmosphere. GB Barber was there too, but he didn’t know much of what was going on, due to his age, he was told where he was and what he was to do (like raise the hand to give a comment, stand up for the song; I wonder how he is leading the worldwide work). It was more a show of a congregation than it was a real congregation. What I expected to be most encouraging turned out to be the opposite.
There was no love in the congo and that's what got me to question whether the JWs really were the truth. They used to think that love was primarily not to harm your brothers and also that due to the stress of modern day living the brothers had little energy left to invest in each other.
The several neighbouring congos were the same or worse, but I was never sure at the time whether this was a regional sort of problem or universal.
They have consciences?
Why does the truthful GB avoid discussing this fading love when the topic of Jah's spiritual paradise comes up?
I mean surely they oughta give us an expert opinion on whether the country congs actually have a stronger shower of Holy Spirit so the rest of them tired dubs can go and refresh themselves in those backwater places where "the need is great".
INQ
They have consciences? - Honesty
Ouch! lol INQ
The people in the last congregation that I went to had lots of money. They didn't need to be loving. They had it all-Lexus, Hummers, Jags, fine homes. I remember having to work full time, with a child and husband who was an elder. With five meetings, field service, studying for the meetings, keeping the house elder's wife clean, etc., I felt stressed all the time. At the same time, I couldn't quit my job and pioneer, because hubbie and I had no higher education and worked at low income jobs. So, I felt guilty when we went to conventions and heard the talks about pioneering and "putting Jehovah to the test," etc. I was beginning to get so stressed out at the end. I always felt when I went to the Hall like many were looking for flaws-Oh, you missed a meeting, or you didn't have some wonderful sermon at the door with memorized points from the magazine. Sometimes, I'd get to the service meeting group and realize I hadn't even looked at the Kingdom Ministry or the "suggested presentation." Horrors!!!! The guilt!!!!! I have read the comments here about the J.W. shuffle in service--ha ha--that was me. I just wanted to walk slower and slower and constantly looked at my watch.
When my husband became ill, he could not get to all the meetings. This upset him, as we had always been regular. As I said, he was and elder for many years. Some of the elders on his body never called him. The P.O. would ask me how he was one minute before the meeting was to start. How can you answer in that length of time? I just said "Fine," and went to my seat. Loving? Nooooooooo.
Quandry
I read your post with sympathy and amusement! I believe my JW folks would be amazed at how much they can identify with your feelings esp. about housekeeping, being ready with a kick-arse sermon and looking at one's watch in the field. In the rare moments of self-evaluating honesty, they can even bring themselves to admit there is no love. BUT when pressured to admit that there is something wrong with the Religion, that's when they switch to "but-we're-imperfect-humans" mode.
Yup, other religious groups have no love cos they are not the Truth. JW's lack love only because they are imperfect.
INQ
Yes inquisitor, but that really is the point. The SOCIETY claims that this organization is sooooo different from every other religion that you expect to see the real, family type love. You desperately try to find it. That's when the dissilutionment sets in. You realize you are reading about it but see so few real examples. I would even agree, yes, all are imperfect.
The real slap in my family's face was when my child did a couple of childish things. The "loving" elders took her in the back room, tried to force her to admit to things she did not do, and then told her she was a piece of filth and would burn in the lake of fire with the devil and his angels. These same men are still giving talks from the platform about love, love, love.
Many on this forum have experienced this type of "love." I never would have believed it possible until it happened to my family. Perhaps some will never see until they have been personally dealt this type of blow.
The congregation I grew up in always seemed very loving to me. Then again, I was a young up and coming firecracker of a brother, on the fast track to becoming an MS and a pioneer.
Later I moved out from my parent's house, and in the new congregation I fell on hard times, got publically reproved. I have never been particularly active since then (though not inactive until recently.) I have never felt any love from any of the four congregations I have attended post-reproof.
Also, that original congregation, the one that was so loving? My parents, a longtime elder and a longtime pioneer, have been having horrible problems there, being gossiped about behind their backs, being removed from their "privileges of service," all for misuderstandings and miscommunications.
I think that the degree of love you get from the congregation has everything to do with how hooked in you are, how "spiritual" (read: how active in the field service) you are, how much you are "doing for Jehovah." In other words, you will get lots of adoration and love if you are doing a lot of works.
