Att: ex-Elders and Their Kids: Did You Really Have a Regular Family Study?

by Room 215 41 Replies latest jw friends

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  Room 215

  Friends, this is a sort of poll, directed mainly at -- but not limited to --ex-elders, their wives and kids. It was my impression that, with the possible exception of meaningful personal prayer, the other aspect of the idealized, exemplary JW lifestyle that was portrayed at the assemblies and at meetings-- the regular, weekly family Bible study -- was the one most neglected. It seemed to be something the ``other" spiritual family did and the one thing we constantly agreed we ``needed to work on."

  Was that your experience as well?
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  stillajwexelder

  NO -- I did not have the time --it was all spent in service to the organization -- I negelcted my family to my eternal shame -- doing the Borgs bidding -- never again -- but a family study would be conducted about once every 4 months -- I was very poor in this area
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  Emma

  I know my ex (as an elder) reported a family study and counted the time, but we didn't have one.

  Emma
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  Elsewhere

  Oh hell no. We did NOT have a regular study at home, even though my family was the one who was always put in demonstrations to show a family with regular bible studies.

  Granted, eeeeeevery now and then my dad would get a hair up his ass and would have us all do a study... even talking about future schedules and such... but nothing ever came it. We would do the "panic study" and then things would go back to normal.
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  Nosferatu

  When my dad was starting to get involved, we would sit down at the kitchen table for an hour and read the bible. It lasted for a while, but then fizzled out just like all other theocratic activities. I hate that word "theocratic".
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  flower

  We had periods of time where we had a regular family study every week. But it usually didnt last more than a month or two because we all hated it. It was soooooo incredibly boring like sitting at a 6th meeting every week. My father did nothing to make it enjoyable or interesting.

  He assigned us each paragraphs to read...and we took turns giving the answer. When it was our turn most of us (i have a lot of brothers and sisters) would not even know what paragraph we were on because we were so zoned out.

  Every week us kids would try to find a new excuse to get out of the study and then it would get to the point where my father would get so mad at us and be yelling and screaming so that by the time we all sat down for the study we were all upset and angry. Then he would get pissed because we were not interested and he would blame us that he couldnt have a regular family study. My fathers overall attitude as a JW was that if it wasnt for his stupid kids he could have been the perfect Elder.

  So it would last a couple of months and then become irregular until finally we didnt have to deal with the study anymore until the stupid Circuit Overseer came to town or there was an Assembly or District Convention. Then all of the sudden it started again.

  Flower
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  maxwell

  My dad was an elder till my mid teens and we only missed the family study on very rare occasions. Yes we actually had the study. And on a few occasions when my dad wasn't able to be there my mom conducted it. I was required to be there and actually kind of liked it till maybe the last year or two that I was at home. I was at home till I was 22. Some of my earliest memories are of studying the pink Great Teacher's book before we were old enough to read. I was four and I had two younger sisters 3 and 2 at the time. I'm not sure I remember every book we went through, but I know we did the old red youth book, the blue Young People Ask book, the red Live Forever book, the United in Worship book, the Greatest Man book and we studied the Watchtower lessons in our family study for some period of time. And beyond that, when we got older we were expected to do some preparation for the family study. Not necessarily underline answers and look up every scripture, but at least read ahead of where we had stopped the previous week. And do you remember those examples on the convention programs where the children were given reports or assignments to do for the next study. We actually did that few times. We had the family study almost every week like clockwork. I had JW dogma pounded into me. If I never pick up a Bible again in my life, I'm sure there's things I'll remember till I die.

  I never really had much of an idea what other families were doing in that regard. I do know that sometimes when I went to visit my cousins and my aunt, their single mother, that sometimes I sat in with them on their family study.
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  starfish422

  My dad's not an ex-elder; but yes, always, always always. One of my earliest memories is standing beside my dad at the dining room table learning to read from the Watchtower during our Monday night family study. From the day I was born until the day I left, Monday night was family study night.
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  franklin J

  My dad was an elder, and we had our "family" watchtower preparation regularly on monday evenings. It was expected that we would prepare and comment at the Sunday Watchtower study. It was a real treat when I got to invite a buddy over to prepare with us. ( UGH! In hindsite, we would have had so much more fun going out drinking!!!) We also went out in " The field service " every saturday morning, as a "family".

  My parents, irrespective of the watchtower teachings, believed and instilled in me and my 2 sisters, the meaning of family unity. Now that I am a parent, I recognize how important that unity is.

  I credit my parents with teaching me good values, not the WTBTS

  Frank
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  Nosferatu

  When it was our turn most of us (i have a lot of brothers and sisters) would not even know what paragraph we were on because we were so zoned out.

  LOL! Oh the memories of sitting at the table, with your head down, staring at the blurry words in one of the Society's publications, thinking of what you would rather be doing.

  From the day I was born until the day I left, Monday night was family study night.

  I think that was the standard for most families.