by PublishingCult 8 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
I know the book study arrangement had been deleted in 2009, however, I am hearing that a similar meeting has been ressurrected and being called the "congregation book study". http://www.jw-archive.org/2010/09/usa-2010.html?m=1
Can anyone clarify, please?
No, no, no, it is the "Congregation Bible Study", the term Book Study has been dropped.
The midweek meeting (Thursday in my Hall) now consists of three distinct meetings in one.
1. Congregation Bible Study
2. Theocratic Ministry School
3. Service Meeting
Hey PublishingCult, it's simple really. The Borg mentioned that because of work, gas prices, other miscellaneous stress, etc., that they decided to condense it with the theocratic ministry school and the field service meeting.
So the weekly line-up would be, for example, Sunday- 30min Talk/60min Watchtower study
Wednesday- 20min congregation book study/20-25min TMS/30-45min FSM
I'm glad they freed up a night. Going 3 times a week was bummer. The CBS is the same ol crap as the book study, but in the hall.
BUT(and this is a big one), there is a "mandatory" Weekly Family Worship Night. It already technically existed, but it was far from mandatory. I use it mainly to study for WT, CBS and FS. It's supposed to be a pleasurable experience, like if you have kids, re-enact Biblical scenes, etc.
But screw that. Like I said, I use it to study things we have to study.
thanks for the 411.
Now that they have the 3 parts crammed into one 2-hour part (and it does a poor job at any of them), that frees up Family Waste the Evening Night. You are supposed to study the Not Well Translated Bible along with the Washtowel littera-trash, enact Washtowel dramas, practice singing those horrible Kingdumb Maladies, and practice field circus. All of which is a waste of the evening--and they expect people to waste a full 4 hours at this.
To add clarification, the book study was never dropped. It was just moved to the TMS/SM night and changed its name. It is the exact same meeting the book study was, only shorter, and studying a Borg book midweek was never dropped. It continued without a hitch or hiccup.
I don't think the real reason was to save gas and stress on the brothers, even though that was the stated purpose. I think it was to avoid the book study clique phenomenon where an elder could create a following for himself within his book study group. Now the book study is with the entire congregation.
BUT(and this is a big one), there is a "mandatory" Weekly Family Worship Night.
Just curious, how the hell do they make it mandatory?
Just curious, how the hell do they make it mandatory?
Through the use of guilt trip techniques such as Local Needs talks, and impromptu shepherding calls on Tuesday nights. "I just happened to be in the neighborhood and figured I'd stop by to say hi. What are you guys watching? Ohh Family Guy huh.....interesting. Well ya know Tuesday nights have been designated for......." Then there's always the technique of picking the weak link in a family like someone's child, and asking them what they did on Tuesday night. Kids can be brutally honest ya know.
The last time we had our CO visit, he emphasized to us that gas and traveling difficulties weren't the reason behind Mother puttin an end to the Book Study as we knew it for so many years. He stated it was because families are where Satan is hitting Jehovah's people the hardest nowadays. He also mentioned that strong congregations exist because of strong spiritual families. So by strengthining families by means of the Family Worship Night, we'll see the results come to fruition within the whole congregation.
The last time we had our CO visit, he emphasized to us that gas and traveling difficulties weren't the reason behind Mother puttin an end to the Book Study
Yah, but I think they make up new reasons as they go. If gas and traveling weren't the reasons, then it was a lie when they were given as a reason ... or "New light" I think they call it.
