How to Endure Meetings Constructively - My Approach

by Room 215 19 Replies latest forum tech-support

  • Room 215
    Room 215

    I occasionally attend Sunday meetings, either just for curiosity or to placate my dear wife. I've recently developed a method whereby I tune out all the proceedings from the platform and audience, and take to reading Acts (I've just begun to learn a great deal about Roman history via audio CDs from The Teaching Company, which I listen to on my long commute to work).

    The lecturers on these all highly praise the accuracy of the book of Acts and all the gospels in general, in terms of their accurate depiction of life in Judea and the Hellensitic kingdoms under Roman rule.

    So... I read through sections and refer to the footnotes, to identify characters, customs, etc., and have found it quite rewarding and antidote to paying attention to the meeting. My wife often has to poke me in the ribs when it comes time for the closing song and prayer! If you MUST go for whatever reason, try it, you'll like it. You could do a lot worse!

  • wobble
    wobble

    When I was young and at the meeting my Mother caught me reading a novel! I had taken the precaution of puttong it inside a bible but my Mom was suspicious that I was avidly reading the Bible for so long. In later years I took up reading the bible as you suggest,but sometimes fell asleep and started to snore,thus suffering a sharp dig in the ribs from my dear Wife.Now that I no longer go to meetings I read the Bible when I want and when I am alert,it is most rewarding.

    Love

    Wobble

  • carla
    carla

    You mean go to a kh and actually read the Bible? What a brilliant idea! maybe you could pass it onto the gb.

  • Mary
    Mary

    When I was starting The Fade I did the same thing. If the talk was boring (99% chance of this happening), I'd just open the bible and start reading and tune out the drone on the platform. It at least made the meetings bearable until I finally left for good.

  • ID Crisis
    ID Crisis

    That's cool - just reading the bible in meetings. I've always done that - not Acts, as such, but I can never read just the one scripture. I need to read the wider context. Even during my BS (that's bible study v bullshit) days, I would sit there reading beyond the scriptures we were looking up. The sister who studied with me was very patient and just laughed it off. I've continued to do it in meetings - that sister is still laughing it off, saying 'typical' ... The speaker gets us to look up a scripture and I read on and on ... It doesn't help that my interpretation is usually 'off' - ie not 'in line' ... So I rarely comment.

    By the way, one lady in our congregation did fall asleep last Sunday - she was poked in the side by one of her (biological) sisters. Soon after 'awaking' (pun unintended) she put her hand up and gave an answer - as compensation, I wonder?

  • DoomVoyager
    DoomVoyager

    I follow along and make mental notes of how many scriptures are twisted, misrepresented, or forced into a predetermined explanation per meeting. That recent Washtowel on the door-to-door field circus is one of the recordholders, for sure.

  • ID Crisis
    ID Crisis

    Yes, DV, last Sunday was torturous (sp?).

    I made a decision a long time ago that when I do pre-read (sad, yes, I often - still! - prepare when I do go to the meeting, I hope I'll get over it one day)I underline only the quoted scriptures, nothing else. In other words I don't underline WT statements. So the point I'm leading to is that I had very few 'underlines' in last Sunday's article because most of it was made-up stuff.

    Don't know why I went ...

  • DoomVoyager
    DoomVoyager

    Live with your folks? Trying to fade? Masochistic tendencies? I don't know.

  • ID Crisis
    ID Crisis

    Hey, DV, your posts are funny tonight (I guess it's daytime on your side) - made me smile twice now.

    In answer to your questions: no, yes, don't think so ... I just end up going and 'enduring' ...

  • DoomVoyager
    DoomVoyager

    Heh, thanks. I attended a Polish festival last night, large quantities of kielbasa, beer, and terrible polka music played by red-faced Eastern European grandfathers tend to have a liberating effect on the mind.

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