were friendships in other congregations discouraged?

by hoser 17 Replies latest jw friends

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  hoser

  I had a good friend with a lot of common interests but he was in a congregation about 40 miles away. We did a lot together with both of our families

  until we had a local needs part about association with ones not in our own congregation. Nothing was ever said to us personally but we knew the local

  needs were about are family. It basically put an end to a good thing because my friend is a ministerial servant and they got the same message as we did. I

  think he may have got more pressure being a ms.

  So what is the purpose of breaking up a friendship just because we don't attend the same hall?

  hoser
• 

  Finally-Free

  People who are isolated are easier to control.

  W
• 

  WTWizard

  Same hall? They wanted us to associate closest with those in our book studies, which frequently changed out. And, when they put all the blah in my book study, they wondered why I stopped going at all.
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  Gayle

  another sad rule for the youth. Many congregations do not have much of a selection within.
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  UnConfused

  What wasn't discouraged or "cautioned"? Except service, reading the WT and praising Jah?
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  Jaidubdub

  We had nothing like that... So long as u associated with jw's, it was ok...
• 

  jgnat

  Oops. Then we are in big trouble.
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  5go

  Quite the opposite here and the ones I have been to. Maybe they had a flight problem I knew of some brothers running from hall to hall trying to flee being dfed while banging the new sisters they met on the run.
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  blondie

  jws are expected to "build up" people in their "own" congregations as if they aren't all part of the WTS "worldwide" family.

  I know some jws that went out in the d2d (etc) with people from nearby congregations rather than go out by themselves. They were told they should arrange to go out with people in their own congregation (as if they hadn't). If these were jw family in the other congregations, it might be viewed differently.

  I can remember jws that moved outside the territory but stayed in the congregation because of family or "close" friends. The CO came through and told all the elders, MS, and regular pioneers that they were to attend the congregation in whose territory they lived or lose the positions. Everyone switched....of course the distance wasn't 40 miles but less than 10.

  I figure it was based in jealousy. jws really have little social time available and if they spend it outside the congregation, then people in the congregation feel slighted.
• 

  stillin

  Territory lines used to be very strictly observed but mostly in the field ministry. The elders wanted to be able to report that the local field assignment had been covered once or twice since the last CO visit. And God forbid that you ever actually start a study in the territory of another congregation! All of the posturing and cliche's and wringing of hands and turning the study over to somebody else is enough to make you never want to go out in service again...along with all of the other stuff.

  but as for friends in different congregations, there's always that shadow of doubt....hmmm...