I went to a Sunday meeting recently (for family reasons). It was the first meeting I'd attended in a few years. I couldn't help but notice how utterly soulless it was. The whole thing was so dry and lacking in any real joy or heartfelt feeling. There were a few small jokes but otherwise it was totally bereft of any joy or happiness, almost totally prosaic and cerebral. Especially the singing....it was, literally, sad and almost forlorn.
JW meetings are of course nothing like most modern church services, with their animated, passionate speakers and emphasis on stirring music, and most meetings were more or less quite dull, juiceless, bookish experience in my 35 years as a born-in JW, but I don't know if it was my imagination or it was this particular congregation or speakers or what but I swear I never experiened a meeting as dull, soulless and dry as this. Perhaps the effect was magnified in my mind because of my long-term absence and cynicism of the organisation, I don't know.
I left feeling pity for my former friends there, still devotedly attending this prosaic, dry, gathering, bereft of any passion or spark. It was like a boring business meeting at its worst. I especially felt sorry for the little children who must endure this twice a week. It was truly a rather sad experience and feeling and has put me off attending again. I hate to imagine what any interested ones would have thought if that was their first meeting.
Anyone else experienced this recently?