Getting rid of the Book Study - a way to isolate the JW?

by skeeter1 35 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Marvin Shilmer

  Everything Watchtower does is to further its own business interests.

  Business is not good if you kill too many of your employees, and meeting three times weekly (plus field service, elder meetings, judicial meetings, preparing for meetings, filling out stupid reports, etc) was contributing to an attrition rate in excess of new employee (converts) recruitment. So Watchtower reduced employee working hours to stave off excessive attrition.

  From the employees’ perspective, the general response was something to the effect of “Thank GOD we have another FREE evening per week!”

  Marvin Shilmer
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  discreetslave

  It's not exactly a free night Family Worship Evening (Night) was introduced. Each Family or individual publisher is encouraged to fill the spot formerly occupied by the Book study night. They admitted that a family Bible study was difficult for many along with the the meeting nights so now there is no excuse. The January 2011 KM has an insert with ideas. There have also been wt articles and talks emphasizing the importance. This arrangement is to be viewed and held like a meeting just more relaxed.

  It does have the suggestion to invite a couple or a publisher over and interview them. The 3/15/2011 WT encourages using Family Worship to research the history of the org. to understand how the theocratic arrangement works
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  Jack C.

  Research the history of the Org? That I gota see! Not much chance of them interviewing me.
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  Anony Mous

  They have indeed been emphasizing Family Worship Meeting. The fact is, 80% of the dubs don't get around to it and the rest usually discusses family matters that are not necessarily spiritual. My family reads a bible chapter or an article and then the discussion usually goes wayward (in my case, sometimes critical of JW's) or about other things that concern us.

  The book study was a breeding ground for apostasy though. Many times when elders got disfellowshipped in the past, part of their book study went with them. Also, when contributions were dwindling in the early 2000's (when the dotcom and housing bubble busted and the recession started) more and more congregations were dipping in the "no interest savings account with the branch" to pay the basic utilities so keeping the lights, airconditioning and heat off for an extra night (which was basically 1/3 and in some congregations with 2 bookstudies at the hall 1/2 of the total active time of the building) and consolidating 3 congregations in 1 building became much easier to do. The branch actually sent out a letter that those accounts are not to be used for the 'operational expenses'.

  They have never really cared about the individual dub. It's all about the money. They're starting to feel the pinch though as they have been emphasizing no college and piosneering and the average dub doesn't have much more to share and the above-average dub has become aware of their lies.
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  WTWizard

  I hope it erodes the religion. What happens when you have a value of going, and a cost. There are things that add to the value. Then, they start removing those items, and this reduces the value. The cost is going to stay the same. You keep removing those items that add value to your being there, and pretty soon the cost is going to exceed the value. At which point, the wise thing to do is to start skipping boasting sessions and do little or no field circus.

  This happens when they cut opportunities to meet others, particularly those single men meeting the opposite sex. Cut too much of that, and you leave nothing but other men. To me, when I saw that, the value crashed faster than the US toilet paper dollar when Bernanke wants to type a trillion and types in 10 to the trillionth by mistake instead. The cost remained the same, and hence the value went well below the cost. Needless to say, it wasn't long before I totally quit going.
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  BluesBrother

  Whether they planned it to happen, the isolation of J W's especially single ones is a definite result of the decision to drop the Home Book Study..

  I wonder how the dubs who move in are going to get to know the locals ? It is OK if you are a good mixer but a lot of the quiet ones are not. I do foresee a lot of isolated ones ...
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  Wonderment

  I suspect too that the WTS was concerned of reports of money contributions not making it to the Kingdom Hall. Hey, after the voluntary arrangement episode, every penny counts...
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  Kensei01

  In my humble, but rather informed opinion:still in for now. The book study was incorporated into the kh meeting program because no one was going. For years this had been the least attended meeting. It was also the first meeting that was let go when ones were so called "spiritually " weak because it was not at the kh. I had heard it every co's visit from the time I was 10 until they cancelled the arrangement. Of course I found it humorous that when they were trying to convince more to go the book study that it was important to attend at others homes since when persecution would come then it would be only at small groups that the meetings would be held and you may not know where the next one would be held. This reasoning becomes immediately invalid when they decide to move it to the hall. The argument the gb gives about the third world not being able to afford to go doesn't really fly since most of those folks didn't have cars anyway, and they would have walked to the book study. The bottom line is that most people were tired of going out to ANOTHER meeting when people have families with children, hectic and varied work schedules, and other difficulties, and this was reflected in the extreme downward curve in book study meeting attendance that had been nosediving for decades . For myself it is refreshing; when I go; that the conductor is rotated, it was torture to have the same boob every week, especially during the Daniel book. As a well read amateur historian it was an absolute nightmare. The revelation book made me want to grind my teeth since the conductor just let his wife prepare it and then he would try to "conduct" it, but in reality the audience would....he offered nothing because he had nothing to offer. But he was an elder because he had "teaching" ability....what a joke.

  Anyway, take care all.

  Thanks for reading.
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  keyser soze

  The 3/15/2011 WT encourages using Family Worship to research the history of the org. to understand how the theocratic arrangement works

  
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  freedomisntfree

  It was embaressingly ill attended so they just axed it. But yea control. They didnt want people talking "deep bible things" in small groups. No more book studies was actually a big red flag for my younger self as I really loved the book study. It was the only meeting I ever really liked.