COs visit sep 2011 - feb 2012

by dozy 37 Replies latest jw experiences

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  wha happened?

  When I was in and hard core, (yes I was one of those totally hard core JWs who constantly scanned the KH for weak ones and apostates), The one thing I found odd was the restriction on large gatherings of witnesses. I could never get my mind around the fact that hanging out out with another brother was not looked upon in a favorble way, sometimes, especially in groups. My cong was so hard core they were suspicious of anyone who associatted with brothers in other congregations.

  so what was the biblical principle for not going to a JW sanction large gathering?
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  Scarred for life

  There is no biblical principle. They just don't want people talking among them selves and questioning things. The same reason they stopped the Book Study nights.
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  DesirousOfChange

  Pretty soon they'll have everybody moving to a commune in Wyoming.

  I thought it was upstate New York???
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  gubberningbody

  They need to do something new. I've not been in two years and it's still the same old crap.
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  Lady Viola

  (typing on phone, and it won't give me capitals)

  talking about large gatherings... i was always the one in the congregation that organised the nice cong-gatherings. going for a meal after the convention, bowling, bbq's in the park and a talentshow. the elders trusted me on this, because there were never any problems.

  so when i was dating my now husband, i lived on my own for a few years and wanted to organise a garden party in my own garden for a few jw mates.

  so i sent out invitations with an old 'midsummer nights dream' poster on the front with 'party' on top of the word dream. it said 'cocktails' 'summer' 'dancing' on the invitation. so i gave a few invitations to my hubby for his congo and he also invited this pioneer sister who went straight to an elder with the invitation and he wanted to come to my inlaws house to talk with him.

  my husband is a gentle 'mr bingley' kind of person, so i said i would join him in the conversation, because also i never fight when i do... i can make grown men weep. ;-)

  this elder asked me (a 25-year-old at the time, with my own place, not with mum and dad) if there was 'supervision' or 'elders' present... so i said to him 'no, i'm 25 years old, i am responsible for my own house and yes there will be an elder present. but that is a mate of mine and wanted to try my new cocktail recipe' and he went on and on about youngsters being there and 'large gatherings' and i repeated 'yes but i am 25 !! and not a youngster and there are only 30 -40 people coming, i had larger gatherings with my own congo, should i call you next time or can i give you the phone no of one of the elders in my own congr?' he also looked up a lot of info about pagan 'midsummer feasts' and i told him it was a 'play' and he looked at me with a blank look. the idiot probably never heard of shakespeare and just ignored that and kept going about scandinavian midsummer feasts etc and i explained over and over that it was a play by shakespeare and my friends would understand because they know my likes. what an idiot!

  a few years later he divorced his wife and married the pioneer sister, so at least she got something out of it. lol
• 

  TheOldHippie

  None of this was covered here. But that aside, one thing I never understood, was why one should not associate with "weak" ones. 'Cause that way, the weak would only grow weaker, as there were only other weak ones with whom to associate. Strong with strong and weak with weak. Resulting in two groups, one strong - and one weak, that could have grown strong if only the strong ones had associated with them.......
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  inbetween

  nothing like this from our CO, although he is definatly company man and rather hard-core.

  I think the 2nd talk is thier won making, no outline from society.

  In the elder+ms meeting he mentioned facebook, but said, we should not demonize it, rather learn how to handle it (private setting etc)

  which was not such a bad advice actually.

  Of course, the education stuff gets mentioned a lot lately, makes we want to scream, really...such a blatant hypocrisy...
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  Room 215

  I always thought that the JWs missed out on a very constructive use of the Kingdom Hall property, to foster bonding and interaction by holding informal social gatherings on the property. Then they lament the absence of a truly fraternal spirit in the congregation. Haven't they ever read of the early Christians' "love feasts?" I remember, in the fifties and sixties, the friends really loved the type of innocent social gatherings Lady Viola described above. It did bring people closer together .
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  Lady Viola

  Well, our old hall used to be a dance hall for ballroom dancing. It has the original floor and the lightbox in the middle (!!) still underneath the awful grey carpet... Remove it and you can have a hell of a party!! :P
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  ssn587

  The WTBTS policy there will be no gatherings and get togethers for fun, soicialization etc. until moral improves, and then only if an elder is present when the morale improves.