What's The Biggest Difference In Today's JWs And The Witnesses From Decades Ago?

by minimus 93 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  PaintedToeNail

  I remember in the early 1970's, 3 brothers played Satan and 2 of his demons at the Thursday night meeting. It was really funny. This was in Buena Park California. The rank and file do not seem to be nearly as close to each other now as they were several decades ago. We used to rent cabins in the mountains and have casual Watchtower Study in the biggest cabin. The newest person to the group was placed in a chair behind the door. At the very last paragraph, a sister or brother would walk in with a shaving cream pie and stuff it in the face of the person sitting behind the door. All pandemonium would break out with an all out shaving cream fight.

  The true closeness and love in one felt in the congregations is gone. It was a wonderful feeling as a little kid, knowing all these brothers and sisters really liked you and invited you over to do fun things. We had many parties on the beach and lots of kiddie parties complete with clown and pinatas, games and things.

  It was a fun time.

  CJ
• 

  smiddy

  I`m in two minds about this,in the 70`s & 80`s particulary the 70`s their was a real expectancy of the big" A" just around the corner and the jw`s were dillingently going about their ministry,almost running from door to door.Especially was this so with the special brochures that were delivered b4 1975,many bros. saw this as a anti-type of the walls of jericho falling,then of course the spiel from the gb.that if 1975 wasn`t the actual date then it would only be a matter of a few years if not months b4 all things would be fullfilled. In other words Armageddon,and Paradise earth.

  Their was a genuine urgency in those days,their is no such urgency noticeable today

  They are like robots going through their programmed tasks

  no enthusiasm, no real emergency,just going through the motions

  smiddy
• 

  lifestooshort

  Back then it was ok to socialize after the Memorial. The entire congragtion would go to Di Ciccos afterward. It was geat times! But that got squashed as innappropiate. Not ok to have fellowship and good times. I still cant believe that got squashed.
• 

  Twisty

  Cake and tea at your bookstudy.

  Twisty
• 

  Aussie Oz

  If i had to go by the four sets of JWs that i know, it is like this...

  My Mother, JW from 1972......Tired, worn out, unhappy and waiting to die.

  My Ex wife, born in mid sixties..... Slack where it should matter, hard on the stupid stuff.

  My Son, born in the 90s.....behaves like a worldly but outward show of JWism

  My daughter, born in the 90s....Wise to the scam and wants out.

  oz
• 

  Aussie Oz

  When i was a lad (geez i sound old! lol)

  In Ballarat Cong we used to have Bible drama's at the meetings!

  One brother would make the scripts and direct the whole show. He had wardrobes of props and costumes, i remember making roman soldier helmets and costumes...no lip syncing to bad tapes either, we learned our lines.

  (I think he also was a Trekky... He/we, had an office full of schemetics for space ships and outer space devices, would plan missions and all...a bit odd when i look back on it!)

  oz
• 

  bats in the belfry

  Way back they were serving purposefully but with a date in mind, nowadays they are just in for a joyless long haul experience - SOON !
• 

  breakfast of champions

  The timeframe for "the end" has long passed, the doctrine no longer makes sense, as several have pointed out. JWs are "being where they're supposed to be" and "doing what there supposed to be doing" just because...

  With that kind of inertia, no wonder you see such depression and frustration. They're like real zombies!
• 

  cofty

  What a fantstic thread, its making me nostalgic. I agree with lots of the comments - I think 3rdgen hit the nail on the head regarding the loss of orignality at the meetings. I remember some really fun demonstrations and question and answer sessions even during public talks. Loads of costumes and props - it might have been cheesy but when people laugh together they feel closer and rememeber it for longer.

  We often had "get-togethers" with picnics and games. Once or twice a year we would all rent static caravans at St Fillans in Perthshire and have a WT study. One year it clashed with the memorial so we all drove back to our own KH for the memoroal and then straight back up to the campsite afterwards about a 150 mile round trip.

  Like others have said we used to love to debate stuff and speculate about things without fear of being called apostate. We could also defend our beliefs and loved nothing better than calling on the local minister to argue the trinity with him. The pubication of the Reasoning book was the begining of the end of all that. During the 90s COs were always telling the pubs to get the Reasoning book out right away if they were asked a question on FS. I hated it.

  The borgs addicton to control has choked the life out of them all
• 

  ScenicViewer

  Back in the 1970s we had,

  -- Home book studies, with actual homes to meet in.

  -- Magazine subscriptions, which were so important to spiritual growth that every member of the family was told to have his own, to both magazines.

  -- 5 day District conventions.

  -- 3 day Circuit assemblies.

  -- A drama almost every day at District conventions.

  -- Food service at Conventions and Assemblies.

  -- Fudgesicles galore at Conventions.

  -- Great burritos at Assemblies.

  -- Plenty of books and literature released at conventions.

  -- Many more people getting baptised, regardless of what the published numbers say.

  -- 5 meetings a week.

  -- More lively meetings.

  -- Longer meetings.

  -- A reason to go door to door (or so we thought).

  -- More and better association.

  -- Eager anticipation of CO & DO visits and Special Talks.

  -- 2 or 3 Theocratic Ministry Schools, now 1 (where I attended).

  -- 5 talks in the TMS.

  -- 100 hr per month regular pioneers (now as low as 30).

  -- 75 hr per month vacation (auxiliary) pioneers.

  -- 25% of publishers in Japan was a pioneer.

  -- A much more thorough knowledge of the Bible.

  -- The ability to use scriptures at the door.

  -- Witnesses that knew what they were supposed to believe (I'm shocked at how many are clueless about WTS teachings now).

  -- Lots of janitors.

  -- Lots and lots of information moving us to "preach the word, be at it urgently" because "the time left is reduced" (2Tim 4:2, 1Cor 7:29).

  Now, everything else has been reduced too, including zeal, enthusiasm, association, hours in ministry, no subscriptions, number of meetings, length of meetings and more. If Witnesses today maintained the 'theocratic' schedule of days gone by, the KHs would be even emptier than they are now.

  What memories!