30-minute Public Talk = More association ??? (page 2)

wha happened?

I guess people are learning to live their own lives

Yep, I always ran home as soon as the meeting was over like most people did after making sure that some of the elders saw my "token" appearance and I remained in "Good Standing". Besides... the "brotherly love" was as fake as a $3.00 bill. Then I didn't give a crap and just stayed home. With gas prices the way they are... going to the meetings is way too expensive. Just say'n...

steve2

I notice that the sign boards outside some kingdom halls now list only two days a week for meetings. One on Sunday, the other during the week. In this regard, their 2 meetings per week is standard for churches of Christendom (Yes, I know the JWs will protest that each time they meet it is more than one meeting - but that's splitting hairs. Fact is, they're becoming more and more like other religions. Time was when the JWs proudly told others that they have 5 meetings a week! They cited the scripture in Hebrews that encouraged meeting more as the end draws near. They've dug themselves a hole with the reduction in both total number of meetings and the duration of those meetings. It signals that the end ain't at all near - and you guys can rush back home and watch TV.

mrquik

When I was a kid it was 2 hrs. with a 15 minute intermission.

anezthy

Was there a popcorn stand? Just kidding... Just say'n

Chariklo

There are many extraordinary things about JW meetings. One of them is how they love association. And how they come to call "talking to other people" "association" in the first place.

They tell newcomers and visitors how unfriendly the churches and chapels are because people don't talk to each other. They reproach those who don't go round trying to talk to every single person.

They completely fail to realise that when people go to church they go to pray, worship, and then go home. Talking to other people happens afterwards but it isn't in any way a functional part of the gathering.

Another extraordinary thng about JW meetings is how little prayer or worship there actually is. There is no silent prayer. No-one sits in their chairs praying. No-one prays when they arrive. They talk and talk and bustle around and talk. Then there's the public talk and the Watchtower indoctrination session, complete with brothers and sisters vying with each other to make "comments" to prove they've prepared, peeping at each others' Watchtowers to see if you've written and underlined more than they have, and answering questions that any reasonably bright 7 year old could answer.

I have struggled to find any element of worship in these meetings, and yet repeatedly they call this "the kind of worship Jehovah prefers".

Extraordinary.

Scott77

During my days, it was five meetings a week. Public Talk and Watchtower study on one day (2mtgs),+ Congregation BookStudy (1mtg)+ Theocratical Minisitry Sch(1mtg) and Field Service meeting (1mtg)= five in all. Iam unsure if the last meeting was the right name. Its been years since I left. All the meetings were very boring tome and they took a significant amount of my time and resources. The situation was not helpful to the fact that I was still in High School then. The stress and public redicule was unbearable.

Scott77

mP

i really wonder how they keep coming up with new talk outlines, surely they have run out of topics. You can only repeat the same b/s so many times.

jemba

Our hall emptied pretty quickly when I was still going about a yr ago. I put it down to most of them not being able to stand the sight of each other. When youre made to associate with the same people a number of times week in week out....whats that scripture? 'familiarity breeds contempt"

Alfred

One time I was forced to stay behind (i think an elder wanted me to look at the back-up generator... can't remember)... anyways, I thought I was the only one who ran for the exit right after the closing prayer... turns out that everyone else did too, only they allowed about 3 to 5 minutes so it wouldn't look so obvious..

Thanks to everyone for sharing!

30-minute Public Talk = More association ???

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