Friend said they're really emphasizing "Family Worship Evening" at the Convention - why did they get rid of the book study then?

by truthseeker 22 Replies latest jw friends

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  truthseeker

  I just had a chat with a friend I haven't seen for a while. He knows we're inactive. He was trying to encourage us by relating what he heard at the convention, saying "the end is near" and then proceeded to tell me that what stood out the most was how many times the Society emphasized "Family Worship" night at the convention.

  It got me thinking, why did they get rid of the book study arrangement in private homes if they're so keen on forcing people to have Family Worship night? Was it really gas prices or asking too many questions during the book study?

  I don't get it. They say they're simplifying but really what they're doing is pressuring people to have a meeting in their own home on a certain day.
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  TheMan

  For years the society has been berating, er, encouraging everyone to keep up on their family studies, "not enough families are regular duing family studies," etc.....What made them think that a "family study night" would actually work this time around??? The GB don't really care, it's just another tool at their disposal to brow-beat everyone with, to make them feel guilted into doing more for the organiztion, er, Jehovah.
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  OUTLAW

  It`s further efforts to keep JW`s Isolated from each other..

  Kill the book study..

  Isolate the JW family from other JW`s in a less controlled setting..

  And..

  Start a new way to study WBT$ literature..With less distraction..

  ..................OUTLAW
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  blondie

  I think they combined the book (now bible) study with the school and service meeting for 2 reasons:

  1) the difficulty finding personal homes to have them in (keeping clean even if sick, and 2 times a week)

  2) finding enough qualified elders and MS to conduct

  My husband sometimes had to do 2 meetings a week and the KH sometimes had 3 there a week. He often did not have a brother to assist, let alone an MS. It is pretty much the pattern around here. Now we find out that people are being made elders and MS that would never have been appointed 7 years ago.
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  lrkr

  I still think that it was a move inspired by fear of liability. If you have an organizationally sponsored event in a private home then the organization has some liability for what happens there. I think some molestation must have happened at a book study. The legal department is the only department able to make the GB move so fast.
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  Lucky Calamity

  Maybe they're moving from macro- to micro-management and downsizing for any number of legal and/or financial reasons. Surely there are plenty of legal reasons to do so.
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  passwordprotected

  Good post.

  The cancellation of the BSG in private homes has "massive cock-up" written all over it. From the little I've heard from the convention it jumped out at me that they're already fighting fires re. brothers using the extra free evening to work overtime or get involved in recreation (shock-horror). I wonder if they're regretting giving the R&F that little bit of extra slack.

  I mean, think about it; they announce the change 7 months before it's due to take effect, market it as a loving provision and cite gas prices as part of the reason. The gas prices part is what really started to wake me up and make me question. Plus, as gas prices a high as they were last year?

  The whole thing smacked of legal knee jerking. I hope it continues to bite them on their Italian suited asses.
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  dozy

  From what I've read in the KMs , the societies view of "Family Worship" isn't to study the bible. There have been 2 articles in recent months getting parents to use the "Family Worship" to prepare for the ministry , doing practice sessions & role play. The Aug KM tells parents to use the evening to "build up anticipation" for the Special Assembly Day , marking off the days until it arrives.

  The few that I know who have a family worship night basically use the time to do all their weekly studying and meeting prep (Watchtower , any talks etc) so it frees up the rest of the week.
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  wannaexit

  I've noticed too the great emphasis on a "family worship evening".

  Its being pushed down every dubs throat. What they don't talk about is the FAMILY STUDY. Is the family worship evening to replace that?. There has not been one mention of the family study since this "new" arrangement has been in effect.
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  sir82

  In my experience, in this little corner of the world, the effect of the loss of the private-home CBS has been big. The congregation seems more distant from each other - more people "slip through the cracks". Attendance at meetings is dropping, maybe 70-80% of publishers even on Sundays.

  I have perceived no corresponding "increase in spirituality" among families - if any are studying, it's likely as is mentioned above - preparation for Watchtower study or some other meeting. Which of course they "should have" been doing all along anyway.

  It seems, after 7 months, to be a complete bust with little hope of improvement. And of course there's no going back now.