Obviously that dumbars sister had never experienced a full bn migrane, wat a bitch
As a JW Did you Feel " Guilted " to go to Meetings /Service if Injured /Sick ?
by flipper 45 Replies latest jw friends
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Mad Sweeney
They want us to feel guilty whether we attend meeting or miss meeting. They're putting the guilt on both ways nowadays. Alongside the constant counsel to attend meetings they've been giving local needs parts about not spreading your contagious illnesses to the rest of the "friends." So if you stay home you're guilty for "forsaking the gathering together" and if you attend you're guilty of making your brothers and sisters sick.
Nice way to keep people in their place. And don't forget, God doesn't think you deserve anything good, either.
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cantleave
Interesting topic. There has been a recent letter regarding infectious dieseses and staying away from the Kingdom hall. The result? A slight sniffle and the meeting is missed. Attendances are down - Good. However, I was speaking a friend of mine yesterday, and he made a point that this will need to be addressed because brotheres are missing out on spiritual food for spurious reasons. I had to laugh, because he was having a go at me in a non-threatening way, after I said I wouldn't be there tommorow (today) because I have a sore throat.
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Bonnie_Clyde
I remember an experience in one of the magazines (several years ago) about a family on their way to a convention. They stopped at a lake on the way and their son went swimming - he drowned. But they didn't miss the convention. Don't remember how they worked it, as far as taking care of the body, but they had the funeral afterwards. The "brothers" and "sisters" at the convention made a big fuss over them about how wonderful it was that they put Jehovah first. Even back then, I thought that was stupid.
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Mary
Surprisingly---no I was not. Nor was anyone else I knew. In fact, the general consensus of the elders in my area was: If you're sick: STAY HOME.
I specifically remember one elder telling me how irresponsible he thought it was that people either: a) come to the meetings when they're sick and spread the sickness to everyone else; or 2) bring their kids when they're sick. He said "If they don't want to miss the meeting, they can always phone in."
Geeze---imagine that! An elder who actually put the welfare of people ahead of the meetings!
Then one day, we had a new dingbat of a CO visit. One of the elders was in the hospital having an operation (I think he needed his appendix out. Whatever it was, it was causing him alot of pain) and he missed the Memorial. The CO lambasted him for that and wanted him removed as an elder because of the bad example he had set.
Asshole.
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WTWizard
I have been to a boasting session with a tooth abscess, and given a talk with it. And, I ended up going the same day the tooth was extracted.
I almost never got regular sick (colds, flu) as long as I took my vitamins. And, if I did, I would go to the boasting session anyways because those picking me up (hounders) insisted that I always went to the boasting session.
The worst, however, was one Big Boasting Session. I had to work all night Friday night (and I mean until 6 AM, not just 1 or 1:30). Then I had to go to the Big Boasting Session. That night, I had to work from 6:30 to 2 AM. Then there was a regular boasting session, and of course they would have rather seen me in field circus despite that I had to work that evening too (it was an afternoon boasting session). That was worse than going with the toothache.
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Bonnie_Clyde
We had a nasty CO a few years ago who got after a brother for not reporting FS time the previous month. The brother told him he was sick in bed that month. The CO said, "Well you could have written letters."
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yellow
Never went to the D/A this year hate them. The super sleuths came round, I said I didn`t like going to them. Then I was given the exemplary account of Sis fanatical, and although suffering extreme depression still managed to go and can still pioneer attend all mtgs etc despite her infirmities. Well I said if it makes her happy good I used to think that way as well but I don`t anymore. (This same sis will refuse any external help for her condition as she has Jehovah in her life!)
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flipper
Thanks for the great responses !
QUANDRY- I hear you. Like yourself I too gave many talks when I didn't feel up to it. A few times with the flu also. What were we thinking ? We'd be destroyed or something ? It was crazy.
SNOOZY- Good point you make. There is always a " Sister Concerned " in every congregation waiting to make you feel guilty about not bringing your children to the meeting with mumps or a fever. Always insinuating they aren't as sick as you say. I'm glad you had the courage to stand up to her and keep your children home so they could get better. I've never seen people SO NOSY as Jehovah's Witnesses intruding into other people's personal affairs.
CREATIVHONEY- Oh, yes. I remember people who would have to walk in the back of the kngdom hall through the entire meeting with a bad back. Why didn't they just stay home ? The WT society loves martyrs .
LANCELINK- Exactly , I agree with the good points you make. I mean , it shows the total lack of empathy and caring on the elders part to insist you and your wife " support " the C.O.'s visit by taking your sick children to a meeting in a snowstorm for Christ's sakes just to increase the meeting attendance numbers. This organization has a lot to answer for in a criminal way.
CRAPOLA- I hear you. I too went to meetings either when I was sick, or my kids had the sniffles or a cold. It was ridiculous how the elders made us feel guilty for missing meetings. I mean I remember seeing so many OTHER parents attending with snot nose running kids coughing and snotting all over the place ! It would be so weird to hear numerous people coughing at the kingdom hall, sometimes upwards of 10 to 15 people coughing at once ! Were the meetings THAT important ? Nope. I'm glad that young man you mentioned is out and happier now.
FINALLY FREE- I'm glad you stayed home if you felt like it. Sounds like your reasonableness dictated what you did over being made to feel " guilty ". That's a good thing. Sorry to hear you had a lot of back surgeries or knee surgeries. That sucks. Hope you are hanging in there now physically.
TROUBLED MIND- I've always been amazed at the lack of compassion shown by elders towards people suffering from depression or panic attacks. They think that by just going out in service and knocking on doors it will make it go away and cure it. What ignorant men they are. That's too bad they guilted you into taking your 5 year old to the assembly a day after his operation. It's a crazy guilt inducing cult.
FINALLYSOMEPRIDE- I'm glad you didn;t feel guilty for missing meetings. Especially with how very sick you got with the lymphoma . I bet it was quite an eye opener for you once going back to the assembly and experiencing the lack of love by the witnesses. I'm glad you got out. Hope you are doing better now.
ASILENTONE- Migraine headaches are horrible ! Obviously the sister saying we shouldn't miss meetings with a migraine- never experienced one.
MAD SWEENEY- Exactly. A witness can't win no matter WHAT they do. If they miss meetings so as not to infect others with illness they are made to feel guilty for missing. If they attend while ill- they are told to not be unloving by infecting others. It's a no-win situation.
CANTLEAVE- That's funny that people are missing meetings for spurrious reasons. Serves the society right for putting out a letter informing people to not come due to the swine flu. I hope MORE witnesses don't attend. Might hasten the fall of the WT organization. One can onl
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OnTheWayOut
I never felt guilted to go because I guilted myself. One time, I scratched a cornea and had to have chemicals in my eye that kept the pupil dilated for weeks. There was a circuit assembly. I didn't even consider staying home despite the headaches that could ensue. I didn't take notes that year, but I put on the dorky dark sunglasses they give you that don't let the light in very much and I sat at the assembly.
I am sure people thought I was asleep (or blind). I wasn't. I still had a headache, it would have been much more sensible to sit it out in a darker environment. I worked at night and didn't drive myself, so work wasn't a problem. I didn't miss any meetings for this.
I was young and I think I learned from that mistake. I learned to stay home from a meeting if I were sick. But I had to be pretty sick to do it- sniffles were not enough.