Thank you to all of you who commented yesterday. No doubt you gave me an accurate description of what to expect. When I first walked in, I was greeted by the JW who calls on my house. He showed me what I think was the literature counter. His reference was more to the territory assignments. Then he took me across the room to the information board. It was a bit overwhelming for a newcomer to see all the assignments and information, but I'm sure once used to it, it makes more sense. I'm pretty sure I shook hands with and was introduced to most every male and several females in the congregation. It may be love-bombing, but it is a smart way to make a person feel welcome.
Following the introductions, we went to the seat that my JW friend had saved for us. We stood and sang #1 from the songbook, "Jehovah's Attributes", a fitting song considering the talk given today. I smiled to myself during the song thinking about some of the comments you guys had made regarding the singing quality. Regardless of the "out-of-tune" nature of the songs, the one thing that bothered me was that there was no spirit in the singing. Not that I was expecting anyone to sing and dance naked like King David, but I didn't feel any real praise to our Maker. Two or three beats before the song was over, many people had closed their songbooks and had already assumed the prayer pose. Obviously, they knew what was coming next.
Following the prayer, we sat down and was introduced to the speaker for the day, a guest from another congregation to speak on who Jehovah is. Within the first several sentences, I was reminded of our doctrinal differences as some tenets to my beliefs were utilized as examples of wrong thinking. It didn't surprise me that it came up; it just came up very quickly. The rest of the discussion was agreeable, so I spent a little time examining my surroundings. Because I belong to a church in which young children are kept busy elsewhere, I was intrigued to watch the little kids during the meeting. There were only a few, but their behavior was great. A special-needs child in the back would make noises occasionally, but it didn't seem to bother anyone. Literally during every five-minute period, somebody got up and walked out. I only assume that they were using the bathroom (although the cartoon may suggest otherwise). Some people left two or three times during the course of my stay, even adults. Many of the adolescents in the room appeared somewhat disinterested, and there was a fair amount of yawning around the room. The speaker wasn't boring at all, but I can see that the subject matter has been thoroughly covered before with very little to add. When the speaker was finished, everyone clapped for him. I sort of felt bad that I was the only one who didn't.
A different elder came up for the Watchtower Study along with a young man to do the reading. I was surprised that the elder suggested that people should stay for the study. Did that really need to be said? And yet, still about a dozen people got up and left. To me, it didn't feel like a separate activity than the talk, but rather a continuation. We then sang #14, "All Things Made New". As I am sure that you all know, during the WT study, the young reader would read the paragraphs, and the elder would ask for volunteers to answer the questions. I had to stifle a giggle (after seeing the cartoon) when the first person to answer the question was a little child who answered verbatim what was in the paragraph followed by an adult with a few more practical things to add. The elder did a good job of trying to call on "new" hands following each question. A gentleman sitting near us had to have raised his hand 30+ times only to be called on twice. One must admire his tenacity. This process of going through the WT study was a bit exhausting for me. Little was said to add any practical value, the subject matter was completely agreeable to me, and verbatim answers were being overutilized. Even my JW friend yawned several times. Following the study, we stood and sang #134 "See Yourself When All is New", prayed and was dismissed. I then greeted everyone who I didn't meet the first time, spoke for a while with my JW friend and left.
As far as my analysis of the experience, I try to think of some of the deeper things. Of course, I can only contrast it with my own experiences, but here it goes. While there were some doctrinal differences mentioned, they were not matters of deeper discussion today. I differ on the idea of the great crowd vs. the anointed, where they end up, and what exactly the ransom sacrifice is and what it means for us. Those three things came up several times in people's answers. But, I can't blame them or judge them for having different beliefs. They are sincere in their beliefs (as am I) and clearly indoctrinated by hearing the same thing over and over and over (as I was). So, to me, besides the structure of the meeting, there was little that was inherently different from many of the churches that I have attended over the years. Except for one major thing.
The focus of the entire talk and WT study seemed to be on taking in an accurate knowledge of God...but not about knowing or experiencing God. To me, this is huge. This difference affects how one views God and their relationship with Him. Having before experienced the power of God, or the Holy Spirit, I am concerned to have felt that void during my visit at the KH. This difference is what creates that need to do things so God will find you acceptable vs. doing things because God has already found you acceptable. I would have loved to have genuinely praised God during the songs, but I felt as if there was no praise being lifted at all. It was these things that I had the most difficulty with.
The brothers and sisters there are very nice. Only one person made a comment about my beard, but not in a judgmental way. He has visited my house several times before, so I guess he felt comfortable asking about it. There is definitely a high amount of self-discipline within the areas of the meeting, although there is little bladder control. The people are generally enthusiastic about answering questions during the WT study, some more than others. I had no interest in bringing up questionable things today, perhaps in the future, although I have no plans on returning anytime soon. Well, there you go, please feel free to stoke my memory with questions. I'll answer the best I can.