The Mormons spend a lot of time, also. There was a reorganized church near me when I was growing up and they met there multiple times during the week. Plus, for guys there is the two year missionary work.
Time demands of the Jehovah's Witness religion compared with other religions?
by stapler99 17 Replies latest jw friends
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saltyoldlady
I was a member of various Protestant churches during my first 40 years of life - well forget the first 5 or 6. My parents were both children of preachers - known as "preacher's kids" so we had a rather serious spiritual bent - BUT what it actually resulted in re time commitments were one meeting a week - Sundays - go to Sunday School first, then Church afterward - about 2 hours worth or less actually cause the Sunday sermons are rarely more than 20 to 30 minutes in length - then tack on the choir, the music prelude on the organ, some hymns and a couple group prayers - maybe reading a short liturgy of some sort. Sunday School also rarely took up a full hour but just for the sake of rounding things off we were probably at the Church Bldg for 2 hours a week.
In my teens I participated in a youth group that met on Sunday eve's - for about hour and a half - the half part was devotional in nature - the hour was more social and fun type stuff, game playing, roller skating in the church basement, playing ping pong, etc. My father in his later years attended a men's group once a week - don't think my mother ever got involved in any of the groups. She had had enough of that growing up as a Pastor's daughter to suit her for a lifetime.
Study for Sunday School - didn't involve much - maybe a hurried half hour per week or if feeling especially "spiritual minded" - lol - it would get a whole hour's worth of my time. When I taught Sunday School as an adult it was a different matter - I devoted great chunks of time to the lesson in preparation and that is where I got most of my Bible knowledge back then - also leading a youth group involved a 2 hours prep time per week for my hubby and I. But in total it never came to anything like the time requirements the WTS put upon us - not even close. I remember reading in an old Life Magazine way back in the 50's or 60's that WTS adherents spent an average of 30 hours per week in support of their religion and thinking to myself - those people must be amazing!
Later I was to learn just how amazing - and it wasn't amazingly good or spiritual - but the time expenditure required was indeed true.
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Bungi Bill
Stevenson, in his 1975 -Year of Doom? summed it up perfectly:
"No other religious group would demand so much from its members, in return for so little."
Bill.
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godrulz
Pentecostals used to have about a two hour morning service, over one hour evening evangelistic service, mid-week Bible study, etc. Our Pentecostal Church now has a one-one and a half hour morning service. I also lead a small group study of about 1.5 hours. There are special youth services weekly, men's, women's, children's ministry, etc. of varying frequency. I think most evangelicals try for at least one-two hours/week. We do not see it as a good thing to have all our activity in church, since that would affect family/community/relationships with unchurched, etc. Society is changing and the WT would be wise to treat people like adults instead of children. Jn. 17:3 is about knowing Jesus personally, but the WT mistranslates it as endless taking in knowledge about God, etc. Endless indoctrination is required, but useless without a relationship with Christ that can be nurtured privately in addition to corporate times. There are extremes of too much or too little formal involvement in spiritual things. It should not come at the expense of having non-faith friends/service, etc. Christians are free as to how much or little they participate in. There would be loving concern if people never gathered corporately and matured, shared their gifts/ministries, etc. Only cults control and coerce WT-style commitment as a test of love for God. One can be in a secular business cult without knowing God. One can be in a religious cult, highly devoted in time/energy, yet far from God (same applies to Catholics, etc.).
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darth frosty
Stevenson, in his 1975 -Year of Doom? summed it up perfectly:
"No other religious group would demand so much from its members, in return for so little."
Bill.
Thanks Bill I have been trying to remember where I saw that post.
I love that statement.
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jgnat
I attended a breakaway evangelical group through the eigthies and nineties. Their roots were in the "Jesus Movement", and ours was a fairly high time commitment. There was a midweek bible study for a couple hours, Friday evening coffee-house outreach for another couple hours, and of course, Sunday service. Once in a while we would sponsor a "revival" which may run for several days. The goal was to start and end the day in prayer like David and Daniel, but I rarely achieved this. The time commitment might compare to the "faith revolutionaries" compared in Barna's studies, above.
It did create a strong sense of community and commitment, which my daughter fondly recalls to this day.
I bring this up because my JW hubby scoffs at what he sees as a casual commitment by other churches. JW's proudly carry their burden like a martyr's shroud.
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godrulz
Many Christians are pew warmers and JWs put them to shame. Others are over committed to church and have little time to connect with unbelievers. We need to be edified and equipped by gathering together for corporate worship, etc., but we also need to be outside the fortress walls to enjoy and serve in daily life. This comes naturally as He lives His life in and through us and it is motivated by love, not keeping track of hours, literature handouts, etc. (Christianity is not like communism).
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Pams girl
Welsh Baptist Church...1 hour on a Sunday. Sunday School for kids....half an hour. Womens group....1 hour Wednesday. Saturday.....fun day/fete/meet n cook/general chat/quiz/music for kids.....every 2nd Sunday in the month.
Paula x