March 2012 Aux Pioneering

by truthlover 33 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

  • WTWizard
    WTWizard

    Nice to see the numbers dropping off. I personally don't see any reason to pious-sneer.

    First, I don't love Jehovah--because he has been so damn stingy with me, seeing it unnecessary to invest anything on me to enable me to be happy (and sabotaging my ability, even using the whole social structure, so I can't U-Do what needs to be done to attract the opposite sex). That Almighty Lowlife Scumbag then has the nerve to want special service out of me--monastery work, Beth Hell, Value Destroyer Training School, long-term missionary work in my least-favorite part of the world, all the same rubbish, in lieu of fulfillment. He also wants to just get something out of me right away, without first building me up. As such, there is nothing to love about that Almighty Lowlife Scumbag.

    Second, I am not of "good moral standards". According to the washtowel, I am not supposed to be posting on apostate forums, playing Christmas music or having Christmas decorations, watching porn, or viewing anti-Christian material. I do all the above on at least an occasional basis. Besides, I am planning on continuing to skip as many boasting sessions as possible.

    And I have not made any plans to enable me to devote 50 (or 30, as the case may be) hours to this rubbish. Fact is, I would rather spend another 3 hours fixing a computer than wasting it in field circus (fixing computers is actually fun, if you know what you are doing. Field circus isn't.) I would also rather put Easter stuff in the common area hallway in lieu of actual religious evangelism. And, if I get one of those things shoved in my face and fake-signed by the hounders (and calling that a commitment to get the hours), as Jehovah didn't invest anything in me, he shouldn't expect to yield pious-sneering at any level out of me. Or Beth Hell. Or Value Destroyer Training School. Or monastery work. Or missionary work, in any religion, in any part of the world.

  • wha happened?
    wha happened?

    I haven't heard a peep from wifey so I'm guessing it's pretty low key in her cong

  • Heartofaboy
    Heartofaboy

    'I am of good moral standing & habits'

    Jeeesh...........What habits are they refering to??

  • Joe Grundy
    Joe Grundy

    Excuse me if I am being a bit thick here. I have never been a JW, so I may have missed something.

    On recent threads there was evidence that WTBTS declared that JWs doing door-to-door/missionary/preaching work were doing so as individual volunteers, of their own volition, and were not emissaries of WTBTS.

    That being so (even if it came as a bit of a shock to those JWs who know about it) how on earth can WTBTS have an 'application form' and approval/vetting procedures for those who want to do this 'completely voluntary, completely independent' door-to-door stuff?

    Just a thought.

  • nugget
    nugget

    The form is only for pioneers whether the 50hr/30hr auxiliary pioneer application or the full 70hr full time service application. You are right that it is ridiculous to make someone fill in a form to commit time on the ministry and then tell them whether they are approved. I have known people who were not approved as regular pioneers who still did 70 plus hours in the service. For regular pioneers they get invited to the pioneer school but auxiliary pioneering gives you no extra status so the form is pointless. People volunteer their time on field service so in theory anyone can do over 30 hours if they wish even if they are not approved for pioneering. The only people not expected to do field service are those under restrictions because of conduct.

    It is a way of pressuring people to meet their hour commitment by signing the form the person feels contracturally obliged to complete the number of hours they have signed up for. It also helps with the report to the society so they can put it on the end of year report. So in short it is a statistical and control exercise.

  • carla
    carla

    What happens if someone signs the form but fails to get in enough hours?

  • Joe Grundy
    Joe Grundy

    nugget:

    Thanks for that explanation. It still leaves me perplexed, and perhaps I am looking at this wrongly (i.e. without the 'true' JW perspective).

    To me, with my simplistic/legalistic view, that form, and the implied 'approval' from WTBTS, or COCJWs, implies a legal relationship between the 'volunteer' and the organisation. I applied for approval to do volunteer work on their behalf, they approved me to do it. I have a responsibility towards them - they have a responsibilty towards me.

    I understand, of course, why a cult would want to keep its members busy in what is demonstrably unproductive work - and work where the likely result is at best apathy and at worst antipathy (this reinforces the 'persecution complex).

    I also understand that Jws are discouraged from questioning the 'organisation'. I have to say, from my own point of view, that if I was going to invest 30+ hours of unpaid labour a month the least I would want to know was whether I was an accredited member, acting on behalf, of the organisation or not.

  • Alfred
    Alfred

    Last April's extraordinary pioneering numbers were simply a result of many JWs believing that there was quite possibly something "divine" behind the GB's invitation to do a "dirty-thirty"... (that's not to say that peer pressure had nothing to do with it)...

    However, since nothing out of the oridinary happened in Dub Land following that campaign, many JWs are quietly realizing that it was nothing more than a push to get some numbers on a scoreboard... not some sort of prelude to the start of the new system...

    I believe the GB will put this on the shelf next year and just come out with some Nu-Lite to get everyone excited about going door-to-door during the 2013 memorial season... this "dirty-thirty" doesn't seem to be cutting it any more...

  • Joe Grundy
    Joe Grundy

    Interesting ... do you think many JWs know that the 'pioneering work' is officially reagrded by WTBTS as 'nothing to do with the organisation' and as a purely voluntary activity?

    And if it is 'purely voluntary and independent' why ask for time-sheets?

    Does not add up to this simplistic outside observer.

  • wannabefree
    wannabefree
    What happens if someone signs the form but fails to get in enough hours?

    Do you remember what happened to Ananias and Sapphira?

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