Do Witnesses really want to go to the meetings?

by BU2B 34 Replies latest jw friends

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  Lore

  I think some of them actually do enjoy it.

  But most of them just pretend to like them.

  My dad is an elder, my mom is an elders wife. (Probably a coincidence) They openly admit to me that they both dislike going to the meetings. And dread the conventions.

  Every time it snows a little bit mom makes sure my dad has his phone turned on so we don't miss the call if the meeting is cancelled.

  They don't like the meetings and they don't like spending time before and after talking to "the friends". (There's an interesting phrase: 'The Friends'. Not 'my friends' it's 'THE friends'.)

  I think the only people who enjoy the meetings are the single old pioneer sisters who live alone an have nothing better to do. It's their social club.

  But everyone with some semblance of a life would rather be elsewhere.
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  wha happened?

  From what I remembered, it was the necessary duty, along with service and participation at meetings. People just continued, hoping it made a differance
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  Londo111

  It’s a duty. A work that must be performed to earn salvation. And it’s sort of a sin to say anything but, “Wasn’t that a wonderful meeting? Fine talk Brother So-and-so.”

  I remember an elder saying, “When worldly people have problems they go to church more. When Witnesses have problems, they stay at home.”
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  JWOP

  I hated going because it was just so darned boring. I swear the public talks were on a 5 year cycle. Same old stuff, nothing new. Watchtower studies were just as bad: No imagination, no interesting alternative points of view, just a parroting of the paragraphs.

  I had myself convinced that it had to be that way so that those who were new, very young, or mentally slower wouldn't get left behind on the teachings.

  Nine years out, and I still don't miss those boring, rote meetings!
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  wha happened?

  I remember an elder saying, “When worldly people have problems they go to church more. When Witnesses have problems, they stay at home.”

  Now that's quite a statement. I guess the support at meeting isn't there, so if u already feel beaten down by life, attending a meeting would just be a continuation of that same beat down
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  Apognophos

  Missing a meeting is like being the first to leave work when everyone else is still stuck there. You know they're going to be talking about you while you're not there. The only motivator for me to still attend is that I will hear about it from all sorts of people if I'm not there, wanting an explanation.
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  LostGeneration

  
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  Barrold Bonds

  wha happened: You're so correct. I mean, the WT and elders literally teach that if you're depressed, feeling down, or having some sort of problem it's because there's a problem WITH YOU. You are either missing meetings, not going out in service, not reading the Bible, OR PRACTICING SECRET SINNNNNNNNN.

  Of course the cure to your problems is literally to go out in field service. No wonder witnesses turtle up when there's problems.
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  NeonMadman

  I remember one time when we had a big snow storm, the meeting was cancelled and a lot of the Witnesses went out and had a sledding party. The elders went berserk and said they would never cancel another meeting, but let individuals decide whether it was safe to go if there was bad weather. It was many years before they cancelled another meeting, and of course, everyone felt pressure to go no matter how bad the weather was.

  In a different congregation, a big snow storm was predicted for a Thursday evening, so the elders decided about 30 minutes before the meeting was to start that they would cancel. Of course, that wasn't enough time in advance, lots of people were already on the way to the KH, especially since it hadn't started snowing yet. So we all stood around the bone-dry parking lot looking at each other and wondering why the meeting had been cancelled. As it turned out, the storm veered out to sea and it never snowed at all that night.
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  redvip2000

  I remember i absolutely loved it when a meeting was cancelled or i was "sick" and couldn't make it.

  Obviously most JWs go because they feel it's their obligation and that Jehovah is counting on them to be there. It is truly one of the best parts of leaving the organization - the fact that i don't have to attend the meetings and instead enjoy some time in the evening at home and not having to waste my time on sunday mornings doing field service.