"Theocratic Warfare" and the Annual Report

by Billy the Ex-Bethelite 141 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  james_woods

  There is one other aspect of this issue which needs to be mentioned again - and that is the pressure felt by the congregation secretary right before the circuit overseers visit.

  Depending on who the CO was, there could be a great deal of pressure to fill in zero records for publishers who simply did not go out in service - the fallback was - "well, didn't you talk to somebody about the bible at the supermarket?" - and then an hour or two (or maybe more) would get written down.

  This not only put some false hours on the books (sometimes a lot - most congregations I was in had only about half the members actually going out door to door) - but it also falsely inflated the number of publishers and made regular publishers out of people who never went out in real service.

  It was all about making numbers that the society wanted.

  BTW - and further speaking of false reports - there always seemed to me to be an awful lot of magazines thrown away or left in the back of everybody's car considering the number claimed as "placed".
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  life is to short

  One other point is my husband as an elder was always out in service on Saturdays always, we never could have a day just to spend as a couple especially when we were first married we ALWAYS HAD TO BE IN SERVICE!!!!

  I cannot not tell you how many halls we have been in where the other elders are not out. THEY ARE NEVER OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The last hall I was in there is a phantom attorney elder who get tons of time in and we were in the same service group, the last year I went to the meetings we NEVER missed a Saturday for the whole year. I have my calendar and I wrote down who was out each Saturday. This attorney elder was out TWO Saturdays the WHOLE YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yet he gets up on the stage and brags to the hall how much time he gets in, yad, yad, yad. And of course if he can do it why cannot everyone else.

  I brought it up to the CoBE after his part on the meetings as the CoBE was also in our service group. The CoBE to give him credit was out almost all the Saturdays also, he only missed maybe six the whole year. The CoBE just looked blankly at me. I showed him my calendar and said the attorney elder's name is not on here and you know only too well he is never out. The CoBE just kept looking blankly at me never answering me. I asked again who he could give a part like he did and stand in front of the hall saying what he had just said when he is never out with us.

  It was after that, that I found the guts to finally stand up to my husband and say no more. I have given up to much of my life to this insane religion. NO MORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  LITS
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  outsmartthesystem

  Lastly.....take the advice of Oz and the dwell on the words offered by Sizemik. Yes on this site you are going to find a few current JWs that come here to tell us we are all condemned. And you will certainly find a few ex JWs that are beyond livid with the organization and will/would do anything (including lie) to get other witnesses out of the organization. These ones are unfortunately the ones that the society focuses on when they speak of apostates. The society takes the actions and mind sets of the minority (that have a vendetta agains the organization) and paints us ALL with that same brush.....thus making current witnesses believe that we are ALL poisoned....vindictive...diseased.

  Overall I agree with Sizemik. I think you'll find that the MAJORITY of us are good people....truth lovers that are simply relieved to have found out the truth about "the truth".

  Correction - In my last post....when I said that "most" of us fudged.....I meant the people commenting on this thread. My belief is that the majority of witnesses DO NOT fudge.....but those that do most likely did it becuase of pressure to conform. Keep in mind that this thread is regarding dishonesty. Those of us that posted admitted that we were ones that for one reason or another did indeed fudge. Yet there are 50,000 other members on JWN that DIDN'T post. Likely because they were like you in that they did not get caught up in the political aspects of being a witness (climbing the ladder.....therefore needing to pad the stats).

  The worst thing you can possibly do is take personal experiences as your main reason for believing/not believing something. And do you know why? Because EVERYBODY FIBS. Perhaps not intentionally....but everyone tells it like THEY SEE IT. People exaggerate. People tell THEIR side of a story. You are going to run into the same thing no matter where you go. JWs sensationalize their field service stories. On this website......many people may sensationalize how badly they were treated by the organization. If you hate corporate greed and join an anti Wall Street protest you will hear many stories of investment banks that are in collusion with one another to make sure that the middle class falls into deep poverty. Everyone tells it HOW THEY SEE IT. It is quite simply human nature

  Maybe you don't like this thread. Maybe you are discouraged by the amount of people commenting on their personal experiences with "fudging". But none of this changes the facts that exist. The facts that lead you out of the Watchtower Society remain truthful regardless of the stories you like or dislike on this website
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  life is to short

  Thanks Quarterback

  I was always honest with my time, but it broke me. It just wore me down so much. I look back at how much I gave, I truly gave and gave and gave and for what?

  I am just hurt now as I truly wanted to give to God but now I realize Jehovah did not want me to kill myself the way I was. I am just hurt now understanding it all.

  And Billy the ex thanks for such a great thread. I do not think the ones on this board are liars they just were doing what they had to do to keep up with the religion's demands.

  LITS
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  Found Sheep

  Well this is funny...... I just got that old "JW guilt"????? As odd as it may sound, I'm a MUCH more honest person now then I ever was when I thought I was "perfect".....
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  sabastious

  ((((LITS!)))) You have been through a great deal. You are a wonderful person and a defender of truth.

  -Sab
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  watson

  Great thread Billy.
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  Quarterback

  This is a great thread, and you're welcome, LITS
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  Robert7

  I have to agree with the observations Billy made. I myself never was an Elder or MS, but I can give two examples of 'number fudging'

  - I used to have book study at my house. The elder was so obsessive with numbers, and trying to be over 100%, he would count our baby, even when he was under 1 year old, and even if he was upstairs not attending due to being sick (also counted myself or my wife who weren't attending due to taking care of the baby). I recall on at least one occasion he counted our cat! It was weird because we'd tell him how can we have 100% attendance even with people missing. He was not trying to lie at all, and was actually very sincere about it. He was just all wrapped up in the numbers game, image and perception.

  - We would all get automated 4-hour credit and 1 bible study for 'studying with your kids'. I always counted the 4 hours and the study, even though I almost never actually studied with them. I could not go out in service in a month and have 4 hours in, enough to keep the elders off my case. This is easily justified, because the society gave us that credit. I know many people who took advantage of this.

  I think it all comes down to justifying all this in your head, and this is true with religion (and life) in general. We all justify things. For example for most of us, including JWs, think it's ok to drive 5-10 mph over the speed limit although it's technically illegal. Also, how can factfinder be upset about some number fudging, but as a JW was ok with the fact that 7 billion people will be brutally killed by our loving god soon?
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  willyloman

  Powerful post, Billy, and the honest replies shed much light on the capacity for untruth that permeates our former religion.

  An experience to add to the file:

  Two of us were asked by the BOE to make a call on a sister whose monthly FS reports looked like this: 1, 1, 60, 1, 1, 60, 1, 1, 60.

  Her BS conductor said she was never out with the group, even in those months when she reported 60 hours. We were to find out why she hadn't signed up to auxiliary pioneer (in those years, the Aux Pio number was 60 hours), and also to "encourage" her to be more visible in FS and to be "more balanced" in her approach to FS.

  She told us she thought of herself as an auxiliary pioneer once every three months but had never "signed up" for it because her usual monthly report was only 1 hour and she didn't think her application would be approved. We asked her how she got her time in since she did not meet with her bookstudy group and had not checked out any territory. She said that every three months she just made a concerted effort to visit some of her neighbors each morning for coffee and often looked for an opportunity to witness to them.

  After talking with her, we realized her time was almost completgely bogus. We suggested she meet with the group whenever possible and balance out her FS reports and then sign up to Aux Pio after she had put together a few months of consistent FS activity.

  We reported back to the BOE and the PO told her BS conductor to "monitor her progress and encourage her."

  About a year later, our congo Secretary moved away and I was asked to fill in for a few months until a ministeral servant, who was about to be appointed an elder, could be given the job. I was the congo secretary for a couple of months. During that time, I reviewed all the cards - including the one turned in by the aforementioned sister. I was not surprised to see 1, 1, 60, 1, 1, 60, for months on end.

  My point: This sister turned in 248 hours a year, an average of more than 20 a month, and never really went out in service. The elders knew this and sent in the report anyway. This was just one example, in one congregation. Imagine what the big picture must be.