How many meetings did you actually enjoy?

by nugget 35 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

• 

  nugget

  I was talking to my husband and we were trying to work out how many meetings we actually came away from feeling enthused or excited by what we had heard. Not including pre and post meeting association how many Wow moments can you recall?

  We had to conclude that most of the time in the organisation the meeting was something you endured. We went to the meetings so as not to feel guilty, to be seen by others, to stop others criticising, because we had an assignment and because we wanted to catch up with others.

  We had to admit that we didn't enjoy meetings of late and the children certainly didn't. We didn't spend quality time with the children at the hall and now we do. The hall was somewhere we took them to tell them off.

  Restore my faith and tell me that unlike our congregation, your meetings were exciting and vibrant full of meaningful scriptual application and heart stopping moments. What kept you coming back for more?
• 

  JWoods

  I was going to say absolutely none - but there was one after all. I had forgotten it.

  Two elderly ladies in our congregation in Oklahoma City went on the around-the-world JW trip back in 1968. They were pretty good amateur photographers and made a 2 hour series of 35mm slides of all the foreign countries they visited. It was a fascinating presentation - they were smart enough to not include anything of the various "international assemblies" - but rather interesting travelogue type pictures.

  Both are deceased now - I have often wondered what ever became of this historical photography.
• 

  ziddina

  Nun!!!

  I kinda sorta enjoyed the "drama" at the DCs, but usually because they were so 'cheesy'...

  Come to remember, my brother [fleshly brother] and I put together some "burning bush" prop for one of the DCs...

  We used plastic sheeting [dry-cleaning bags...] placed over a strong fan, with orange lights beneath it, beneath/behind a prop "bush". When it was cued, the fan switched on (powered by a car battery...), which blew the plastic up behind the bush. The orange lights made it look vaguely like flames dancing over the "bush".

  I was amazed to see numerous JWs snapping photos of this 'special effect' at the DC when it went into action... I thought we could have done much, much better, but hey... JWs are restrained from being really good at ANYthing...

  I think that was the only meeting I ever really enjoyed - except for the ones in which I got unexpected peeks at the REALITY that was normally hidden behind the JW BS...

  Zid
• 

  megaflower

  Guilt. We went for the same reasons you stated. It got to a point where we left early, usually after the theo school and after the sunday talk. It got to the point where I could not sit through another WT study. I do not know how we did it because when I look back at it all now it seems like one big friggin joke (nightmare too). If I was not preparing for a meeting, or field service then it was studying with the kids. Also, the time it took just to get to the meetings. It was alot offwork getting the kids bathed, dressed, fed a meal before the meetings. It always bothered me that the service meeting ended so late. The kids where so tired and they had school the next day. It was hard for them to get any home work done. We have been out nearly 3 years and life is good, not looking back.
• 

  watson

  I used to love it when the the Public Speaker forgot he had to be at our hall for his talk. We would just have the Watchtower, and off we went to enjoy our Sunday. Then they changed the policy to where we always had an Elder on standby to give a talk.....after the Watchtower..Dang!
• 

  snowbird

  I remember 3 WT studies that I actually enjoyed - all from the 80's.

  "Christian Greatness Comes From Serving"

  "Conducting Ourelves As Lesser Ones'

  "An Excellent Woman Displays Loyal Love"

  That's it.

  Sylvia
• 

  flipper

  NUGGET- I don't want to " restore your faith " in a mind control cult ! LOL ! That being said - I too didn't enjoy most all of the meetings. Most speakers who gave talks were boring as hell- had NO speaking ability whatsoever. BUT - In the old days ( late 1970' early 1980's ) I knew a few elders who gave really emphatic hilariously funny public talks ! I knew one elder who would have a tic, a nervous grin on his face when stating, " We know brothers if we don't do what Jehovah says- we're all going to die at Armageddon ? !! " With a big smile on his face ! LOL ! One time when he read the prophecies in Daniel of the weird wild beasts representing nations and world powers he asked the audience ," Well- Did you enjoy that ? Sounds like something you get when you eat anchovies ! " I mean- he made public talks FUN ! Dude was funny. People would roll in their chairs laughing during this guys talks. He was a close family friend as well. Tragically he died in a car accident in 1983 at age 46. 1,000 people at his memorial - e was well liked.

  But, generally speaking - MOST elders delivering these parts are organization men - the WT society doesn't want people to be happy anymore- just controlled. They insist that elders or M.S.'s giving public talks ONLY STICK to the outline. Elders giving talks can't get away with what they USED to in the old days before Jaracz Nazi administration took over ! Hope this made you smile - but have " faith " in yourself and hubby - not the organization ! Organization will dissappoint you. LOL ! Peace out, Mr. Flipper
• 

  blondie

  With me it depended on the speaker rather than the material.
• 

  OUTLAW

  I never liked any of them..

  When your a kid..

  You go where your parents drag you..

  ..................... ...OUTLAW
• 

  cantleave

  Flipper, you are right, in the 70's and early 80 there were some great speakers because they were allowed to be themselves and express their personality. This was stopped to the point where many of these speakers were in effect castrated (not literally). We had an a brilliant speaker who would use great humour and asides and he was always being counselled. As he got older he was only allowed to do announcements and the PO would script what he should say - you could tell he was unhappy and uncomfortable.