All of the preceding statements are true. I told experiences at several assemblies, the climax being in front of 50k at Dodger Stadium. Each time my stories were slightly embellished at each rehearsed. My experiences were related to sports. The cross country coach asked me to run, but I said no. This was because I ran in 9th grade and was pretty good. I only ran because I wasn't good enough to make the basketball team. Small details that I excluded. This happened in 10th grade and I started pioneering (90 hours per month) in 11th grade.
Is it me or were the experiences at the assemblies really contrived?
by keyser soze 21 Replies latest jw friends
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Jaidubdub
I remember on 2 occasions when witnessing with pioneers where they kept people at the door for ages. The householders were rolling their eyes and clearly too nice to tell us to go away or refuse the publications. These pioneers later relayed these experience on stage & exaggerated EVERYTHING to the point of one pioneer saying that they had asked for a study & was just praying to God for help and - voila - we knocked on the door. It was clearly a lie. So some of those experiences relayed even at the meetings are lies. Not surprising I guess since the whole religion is based on lies, lies & more lies...
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tiki
I always always hated those experiences and totally tuned them out. After your hear the ohs and ahs about how wonderful it was and I'd think wtf. Not that I used that terminology back then.....
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dubstepped
Oh yeah, as a kid I had elders and the C.O. standing there, judging my every word at rehearsals and making sure that I thought long and hard about how I could best encourage the "friends" by lying to them, and myself. It's horrible. Nothing is ever good enough.
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corruptgirl
This actually happens all the time during mid week meetings. JWs are constantly required to tell uplifting positive stories about whatever method they were supposed to be working on in the preaching work that month. For the few who actually tried it or had a chance to try it on someone who would actually open the door, didn't mean they would get a positive outcome from it. I remember all the time the elders on the platform would have to literally beg for someone to raise their hand, then my poor husband feeling sorry for the guy (because he was an elder and knew how hard it could be) would raise his hand, and I knew some BS was about to come out lol. Everyone is forced to exaggerate the truth all the time, and even end up believing their own bs sometimes. It's all a bunch of Bull S&*#.....
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fiddler
I used to take notes in shorthand at assemblies and one time it was noticed and related to the CO that there was a sister who took real detailed notes. He asked (rather rudely) if I would transcribe the part his wife was in and her experiences. They were looking for some kind of 'press release'. I took the experiences down in shorthand and transcribed them to the best of my ability. At times I admit I took more 'notes' than word for word (bored a little bit maybe?) but I went home and typed up the transcript. I don't remember the details at all today but whatever I typed up (and it was what was said and the gist of blah blah blah) he looked at it and with a disgusted face gave it back to me as unacceptable. I don't know what the hell he was expecting asking a random person at an assembly to do this and all but I remember feeling really put down and like I'd been such a disappointment. I was only in my early 20's, young married. I must have had at least one kid...I had four by the time I was 28! I don't remember. If I could go back in time now I would have called that CO what he was to his face, a rude and insufferable asshole. That incident really shook me up but I chalked it up to just one bad apple. The next year there was a new CO. He was even worse! Can't believe I stuck with it for so long.
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Listener
Fiddler, my guess is that he expected your typed transcript to be perfect and that he could use it just as it was. When he realised he would have to reword it and get it typed again he was frustrated and took it out on you. He was rude and bossy. You probably ended up saving yourself from being called upon by him again in the future, so the laugh is really on him.
I doubt a word for word transcript would have read well enough to be used for a 'press release' and would have needed some work to tidy it up anyway.
I used to practice my shorthand at the meetings, it was purely to get my speed up and not for transcribing. Another benefit was relieving the boredom.
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smiddy
I must admit nobody ever inquired about what I was reading in my lunch breaks ,for the many years I did it.
However dumbass me was converted by a co-worker.
smiddy
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Listener
One of the latest videos on JW TV is the Miconesia Branch Report. The experience related is another contrived fairytale.
There was a couple who decided they would contribute $20 US dollars per month to the org. This one month the couple's expenses were $80 more than what they took in but they were resolved to stick with their commitment and contributed their normal $20 to the org. Low and behold, BOTH of the won the employee of the month. Part of the prize included a monetary reward. Can you guess how much that was? You're absolutely right -$50 each.
Maybe it was the way I retold it, but it was more believable coming from the Branch Office Elder ;).
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alcyone
I recall our 1st circuit assembly after the fall of communism (there were no assemblies before the fall). As a young boy I was asked to relate my experience and it came written completely from the branch office! It was completely written, we were not allowed to change a word. So I told "my" experience about how schoolmates were pressing me to do something nasty, etc. totally fabricated!