by flipper 56 Replies latest jw friends
So after all that, i began to question things more closely, especially my own motivation for everything. I hadn't read CofC yet, at that time. But I began to figure out that I couldn't stand going in fs, there was no reason to, unless i just wanted to invite people into a lifestyle where they could get hooked in and waste years of their lives like i did.
What was I inviting people TO?! I couldn't do it anymore.
Nice thread Mr. Flipper. Enjoyed reading everyone's comments here. Never once that i was out in the ministry, did anyone say, Oh - i need to pass this message to everyone i meet today so that i can save some at least. Where as everytime it was about - I am yet to do 'x' hours for this month, may be i can adjust next month / may be i can do letter writing and complete those hours.
This makes me believe that this 'man-made' organization is like any other company who just need numbers to prove their stance and to have strong hold over people. I have had issues with reporting hours even before baptism. None was able to justify why did neither Jesus nor any of his disciples did not report hours. By making it number driven, I have also noticed that most of them dont do it whole-heartedly, but just for the sake of pleasing congregation elders or leaders and reaching their goal of meeting hours. I made a mistake by ignoring few things that i was not convinced but sincerely thought that these will get answered in due time. But now time has run out and i am happy to be my old-self! Hail TTATT..!
IOWN MY LIFE- Thanks for replying. Yeah, most elders will tell you that field service time isn't all that important - but it IS the thing the WT Society, C.O. 's , and elders look for if someone is " reaching out " for positions in congregations.
I started doubting this organization as well when I saw numbers being emphasized way too much. It should never be about numbers- it should be about love - but it isn't it's about numbers in the WT organization.
MISS CONFUSED- Thanks. Good point you make that never did any jW we worked with in service say " oh I really need to help save someone's life today ! " It was " Oh ! I need to get my service time in ! " Or a regular pioneer would be crunching for time in late August because the service year ended September 1st. Their priorities were absolutely ludicrous. I knew some pioneers who wouldn't even go on a short 15 minute coffee break because they were psychos wanting to get their field service time in. I often said to them, " lighten up ! Chill. You'll get your time in ". But nope. I often took coffee breaks on my own in service because fellow JW's were too hyper about stopping for my tastes.
I agree with you that by making field service " number driven " it creates JW's who go out in the service for the wrong reasons- not to save or help people- but to achieve notoriety and fame in the WT organization by putting large numbers of hours and reporting it to get noticed . They even might be jerks with personality quirks- but if they get field service time in they get appointed to positions. It's what WT Society values only- performing WT functions, not any love from the Bible or whatever. Peace out, mr. Flipper
I stopped going to meetings about 7 years ago and this website has helped me tremendously. It's been a while since I logged on here until a few days ago because witnesses showed up at my door. I didn't speak to them but my husband did briefly. So I signed on to just refresh my memory of all the reasons why I left. This topic brought back a memory to me that always bothered me. My husband was never a witness and I used to attend meetings alone with my two young children. It was a struggle for me back then having an unbelieving mate who was also opposed and a heavy drinker at the time (he's sober now 14 years) so I wasn't very active in service and missed a lot of meetings. One Sunday I attended after being somewhat inactive and about half way through the public talk, an elder walks up to me and drops a field service slip on my lap during the talk and just walked away. I felt so hurt. That was all he was concerned about. No hello, how are you, good to see you here. Just drops the slip on my lap and looked at me coldly. He couldn't even wait until the end of the talk. I got so upset and emotional that I had to leave because I started to cry. It's something that I'll never forget. It took a lot of effort to get there that day and that elder knew very well that I didn't have any service time in. He was very well aware of my home situation. Two of his children eventually left the religion and he will not speak to them now.
Thanks for sharing that. It's a sad thing that they have become, isn't it?
My husband and I are in a business that operates on a network marketing/direct sales platform. We operate mostly with businesses and as an employee benefit(direct), so the network thing is pretty minor. The other day my husband got a kick down from his "upline" because he wasn't making him look good as he hadn't brought in any new associates lately. Well, we are promoting the service rather than promoting the business because we believe in the service. People who love the service and are inclined to business approach us, but we are not in the business of selling a business primarily.
JWs are more about promoting the religion (business) than the product (faith). That is why they are constantly compared to a (sleazy) network marketing business. Even the best business needs to remember that they are not worth anything unless you have something to offer people that has VALUE.
Thats a good comparison. It's all about bringing people in, counting numbers, but where is the true love and true faith. I was thinking of something else which kind of goes off the topic here, but what prompted me to leave was when the elders started giving my daughter a hard time. She was 16 years old and started dating a nice boy from school. At first i was against it but I really liked the boy, he was such a nice kid from a good family and my husband was not a witness and had no problem with it. Well two elders came to my house and were drilling my daughter and I about it. My husband walked in the kitchen and showed them a Bible scripture at 1 Corinthians 4:3-5. Now my husband never ever studied or read the Bible and the scripture was so appropriate for what was going on at the moment. I truly think God put this scripture in his hand... "Now to me it is of very little importance to be examined by you or by a human tribunal. In fact, I do not even examine myself. For I am not conscious of anything against myself. But by this I am not proved righteous; the one who examines me is Jehovah. Therefore, do not judge anything before the due time, until the Lord comes."
I get goose bumps every time I think of it. The elders backed off. and little by little I started to fade.
Thanks for reviving this thread!
I would love to use this letter verbatim when hounded for my next report!
There is a certain poetic justice at work, and which has become particularly evident in recent years. Here we have a religious group that always placed numerical increase ahead of the welfare of its rank and file members, but which now is not even getting that all-important increase in numbers. You could say that any religious organisation prepared to sacrifice the welfare of its members for whatever other ends justly deserves everything that subsequently goes wrong with it.
Bill
I remember when I was an elder several times we discussed a really kind middle aged brother for possible appointment to be a MS. This guy was the nicest person you could meet. Really kind , hospitable , genuine - the kind of guy who would shovel snow or chop wood during the winter for elderly ones etc. First one at the KH to welcome people - virtually the last one to leave at night ( although we never gave him a key because he wasn't appointed. The only problem was that his ministry was consistently below 10 hours. So visit after visit a couple of the more self righteous elders consistently voted against and blocked his appointment. I recall one elder waving the brother's publisher record card in the air and stating "we cannot appoint this man."
Basically when you view "the truth" without the rose coloured glasses , it is evident that it essentially is just a MLM style literature distribution , property flipping business. In my experience people are no more " christian " |( in the classical definition ) than worldly people.
