You MUST answer!!

I wanted to ask, does anyone remember the directives from the 'Mother Ship' that is no one raised their hands during the Wacktower study to answer, the conductor of the study was a liberty to ask any of the elders present to answer!

I remember the letter being read and THEN the Bombastic PO who enjoyed torturing his fellow elders if other members of the congregation didn't raise their hands really quickly!

Crumpet

Nope - but maybe it was after my time. I used to deliberately prepare answers to trhe difficult questions - usually the last two paragraphs before the end as they tended to be the most obscure so that the watchtower would finish on time and not be delayed while waiting for people to answer the questions. In fact I would do almost anything to make sure the meeting finished on time and as quickly as possible, including clapping before talks were finished if i felt they were over running....

Gill

Crumpet LOL!! - In fact I would do almost anything to make sure the meeting finished on time and as quickly as possible, including clapping before talks were finished if i felt they were over running

That's so funny! I can imagine it! I bet they 'loved' you!!

I think this 'direction' was pre 1989 because I remember it being in an old KH that the letter was read. There was a really bad problem in our cong that no one wanted to answer and it was the same two or three in a cong of about 120 pubs that answered!

Crumpet

That's so funny! I can imagine it! I bet they 'loved' you!!

I just masked my impatience for it all to be over with rapturous enthusiasm!

Your PM which I replied to about re the hall being next to Maggie Thatcher's place brought back some memories. I remembered that actually I shunned the congregation from age 14 to 16. After meetings I used to go and stand outside for half an hour until my parents and sisters followed because I hated it that much! This is why I say my happiest memories of attending meetings were after I was disfellowshipped because then I didnt have to make conversation with anyone.

Have to say I really don;t rememeber that announcement though. Is it possible your PO made it up? LOL!

Gill

Crumpet - Is it possible your PO made it up?

He was a right tyrant, Crumpet! But I don't think he made it up. If I remember, it may actually have been announced at the end of the CO's visit, so perhaps it was a local needs thing. This was the same PO who told my cousin and her fiance that they could not both sit in the front of the fiance's car at the same time. When he was driving my cousin was to sit in the back and when my cousin was driving, her fiance was to sit in the back seat as they were setting a 'bad example' to the young ones in the cong by both sitting in the front of the car at the same time.

Infact, I'm still laughing about that now....so perhaps it was worth being a Watchtower slave for all those years.....just for the hilarious memories!!

Glad to hear you did such a good job of shunning your former cong!

Dismembered

Greetings Gill,

I do not recall any protocol from "Mother, that was to be followed if no one would answer during the Watchtower torture study. All I can remember are the all to eager hands that went up. Some of the long-winded drones use to put their hands up for every question. Lack of answers, and the urge to be heard, in the congregation I was from, was never a problem. At times you'd have to wear sunglasses from the brightness of all the fluorescent highlighter ink that was used to impress the elders who looked on to see if different ones studied their magazine.

Dismembered

Crumpet

Some of the long-winded drones use to put their hands up for every question. Lack of answers, and the urge to be heard, in the congregation I was from, was never a problem. At times you'd have to wear sunglasses from the brightness of all the fluorescent highlighter ink that was used to impress the elders who looked on to see if different ones studies their magazine.

You talkin' bout me?

Dismembered

Greetings Ms. Crumpet,

With now 4800 posts under your belt, I'd wager you had your hand up all the time.

Dismembered

OnTheWayOut

I recall a CO saying it at an elders meeting during his visit. I don't remember any specifics, but it
was more like a request that the elders would raise their hands and provide an answer, and if not,
then the conductor would call on them as a group. "Perhaps one of the elders will answer this one."

I always felt that the conductor should be ready to answer if nobody else did. That's the only
reason I even remember covering it. The CO did not show us a letter.

You MUST answer!!

Share this