STUMBLING STONES TO STEPPING STONES
What famous "Talks" do you remember that you heard as a Witness?
by BonaFide 13 Replies latest jw friends
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WTWizard
I noticed that about the illustrations. Before that washtowel about that all the illustrations one needed were found in the littera-trash, I often made up illustrations in my 5-minute talks (and even comments) that were far superior to anything ever coming from the Filthful and Disgraceful Slavebugger. They were on topic, intended to support the religion, and probably more interesting than anything that the Filthful and Disgraceful Slavebugger ever put out. And no trips to the back room.
These days, I have seen more talks (and transcripts of same talks, online) that tell people to not go off like that. Even if the illustration was on topic, supported the material, and gave a positive outlook on the religion, if the Filthful and Disgraceful Slavebugger didn't put it out, you are headed for apostasy and will be given a side trip to the back room. I am beginning to wonder if I would have been another Raymond Franz, except that I would be exposing the whole Bible as well as the witless religion.
On top of that, I have remembered many a talk that eliminated recreation. I was there all those nights where the Kingdumb Misery had articles about gatherings no longer being allowed, or that they were to be limited. Invariably, the gatherings would stop after such material. They also have more than their fair share of talks about pio-sneering--the most memorable was the Feb 2004 Kingdumb Misery urging congregations to push getting people in street work at 5:30 in the morning and picking up all school children after school for field circus (in the "It has been tried in [congregation name] congregation with excellent results" format).
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ziddina
Ooooh! I remember "Can You Sleep On a Windy Night?"!!! It started out real spoooookkyy - like a ghost story!! It was all about being able to sleep at night when the wind rose and howled around the house (my favorite kinds of nights, by the way! Which I always said to myself at the beginning of this talk, and then laughed at their attempts to 'scare' people...). As the wind howled, supposedly presaging "Armageddon", would 'you' be able to sleep, wondering whether you should have gotten that Bible study (NEVER referred to as an actual 'person'...) baptised? Did 'you' place enough magazines??? Perhaps there were interested persons in that territory 'you' handed back in without finishing... Oooooo! Booogey boogey boogey!!! You get the picture.... Guilt and Fear used to manipulate....
I LIKE stormy nights! I either stay up and watch the lightning, or am lulled to sleep by the sound of a howling wind. And if it's winter, with a blizzard... Snow Day!!
Drifting off-track, as usual...
Confucious, when you said, "And then in time - it got all streamlined." I would LOVE to have seen the word 'regimented' instead, as in, 'And then, in time - it became rigidly regimented' - as in STRAITjackets for the brain!! Nyuk, Nyuk!!
Darth Frosty, when you said, "The 2nd end to the 'movement' was them reigning in control over every little thing." Didn't you mean reining - as in pulling a recalcitrant horse to a stop... Oh, Waitaminute.... Oh, yeahhhh! As in 'they set themselves up as little 'Kinglets'!!!' Got it! Good one!
Chaos, disaster, catastrophe - My work here is done! Zid
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BonaFide
There was a talk in Dodger stadium when I was a kid entitled, "Do you have the courage to be different?" It really made me feel like being different as a Witness was the way God wanted me to be. For years I bought that.
BF