I quit the Theocratic Ministry School

by My Name is of No Consequence 41 Replies latest jw experiences

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  stuckinarut2

  You rebel Rattigan!! How dare you use your own words to help people follow along with the reading!!

  No wonder you are an evil apostate!

  hehe
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  DJS

  Rattigan,

  I didn't pay attention to the Dark Lords in this matter. As you can imagine, I was on a collision course with the BOE. And like the famous 20th Century philosopher John Mellencamp stated, I fight authority but authority always wins.
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  redvip2000

  In reality, the TMS is probably the only positive thing in the JW universe. It actually helps you learn how to compose an essay, work on your public speaking skills and help you feel comfortable speaking in front of others.

  It's not much, but for uneducated folks like most of JWs, It's a bit of help to sharpen those skills.
  
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  Gayle

  I think many have an appreciation of ministry school. Maybe it can seem that way for males, but not for females. The straight out talking to an audience was not the female experience. Also, for you males that have good audience speaking skills, I believe it is possibly your own personal inclination. You would have been inclined for such development thru school or college. Sorry, I can't give such talent for it to the limiting WTS. I give congrats to 'you' if you have gift/talent, not org.
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  Quarterback

  I think about a third of our cong has graduated(quit) the TMS. I predict that more will drop now with the renewed counselling arrangement. The TMS Overseer's wife has even quit the school. Now and then she makes an appearance as a householder.

  Nice graduation cake, Billy.
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  FayeDunaway

  LOL on the ministry school overseers wife!!!

  it seems like everyone is so miserable. They're waking up, saying 'I'm not going to do this anymore.' No wonder they're giving so many talks about loyalty and compliance.
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  snare&racket

  Coming off the TMS was my first step. I did it on a real subconscious level too, I couldn't vocalise it coherently and I wasn't mentally 'out'....but I could just not 'teach' and instruct to 150 people on topics I no longer felt were watertight,

  Next was ministry, for the exact same reasons.

  Then It was a year of being questioned to death.
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  snare&racket

  Redvip....

  i used to say the same thing, then my first essay in University came back and I got slammed. I read it back some years later and it was like reading an advert not a paper.

  Every single skill we learned was geared towards persuasion and avoidance, there are few ethical positions where this is valuble.

  The two positives I have taken from the TMS is the ability to stand in front of people and do presentations etc now, without being debilitated by fear. The second is to simply know how to construct something you are communicating to others, I.e. Get them interested, inform them then leave them with something interesting.
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  rebel8

  I am not understanding this thread. It sounds like you're saying you quit because you didn't like the new format of the talks, and that was your main reason for quitting. Is that correct?

  I was just thinking about you being counseled for introducing the scripture, and then my mind wandered to the "crit" after the talks. I never minded it at the time, but when you think about it, it's really weird to give a liturgy and then be critiqued in front of the entire flock. Kind of like a reality competition show for cultists.
  
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  My Name is of No Consequence

  @Rebel8

  It sounds like you're saying you quit because you didn't like the new format of the talks, and that was your main reason for quitting.

  That was part of the reason. The main reason was that I simply did not have the time to that I used to have to get talks out. I started on talks weeks in advance. I am not able to do that anymore. The new arrangement for brothers was just the icing on the cake for me. I certainly do not have the time to track my assistant down for him only to say: "we can go over it before the meeting".