If You Were A Bro(tm) Did You Enjoy The Prestiage Of Giving A Talk? Do You Miss It?

by LoisLane looking for Superman 41 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  Separation of Powers

  @ Glander...

  Yeah, there are a lot of those "big egos" out there. I think Hoser's comment refers mainly to the "orchestrated" response of so many in the congo. They say what they think "normal" people would say. It's all about the motions. It;s like the doorman that constantly asks, "how are you today sir?" He doesn't care...not at all. He is just being polite.

  For witnesses, and particularly those that have a desire to climb up the corporate ladder, the "I loved your talk" comment to one of the elders or CO is perceived as humble and appreciative, and most of all...submissive.

  Perception is more important than reality.

  SOP
• 

  NewYork44M

  Great comments Terry. I had a general rule that my preperation time should be no more than 2 times the time of the talk. I would review a public talk for about an hour an half. I would allocate the time to prepare an instruction talk for about 15 or 20 minutes.
• 

  Finally-Free

  I hated giving talks. In 20 years, I can only recall one bible reading I gave that I enjoyed.

  I was working on 'enthusiasm, warmth, and feeling', so I added some extra emphasis and enthusiasm when I read the sentence, "Go up you baldhead". I did this deliberately because one of the elders, who was an asshole, was very sensitive about his lack of a hairline. When I read the sentence he looked up sharply and glared at me. This made me very happy.

  W
• 

  LogCon

  I ended the last public talk I ever gave with asking for 1 minute of silence for all the murdered aborted babies around the world.

  During that minute I looked everyone in the eye, knowing this would be the last time I was on the platform.

  Several brothers were formed at the rear of the hall, exchanging panicked whispers. I thanked everyone for their display of respect

  and walked off the stage.
• 

  Finkelstein

  Not not at all, I was under peer pressure or should I say congregational pressure to start giving talks at the young age of 12.

  There might have been a slight moment of self assumed ego boosting after the meeting, but basically I was nervously fearful before

  giving a talk, which shouldn't be surprising considering the age I was at the time.

  Being a member of this religion, there's always an overwhelming purveyance of guilt ridden pressure to do more such as give talks,

  go out in service, clean the Halls, build Halls, work as security or whenever.

  All realistically acknowledged now as being exploitations and curtailing manipulations created directly by the Watchtower Corporation.
• 

  Quendi

  Despite being the best public speaker and best teacher in the congregations I associated with, I was never appointed as either a ministerial servant or an elder and so never gave an instruction or a public talk. I gave talks only in the Theocratic Ministry School. It was frustrating to have everyone--elders included--tell me what a fantastic speaker and teacher I was and then never to give longer talks. I didn't understand the reason for this until after I left the organization when a Witness I knew told me that it was shear jealousy on the part of the servant body that withheld those "privileges" from me. Ah, well! Now that I'm out, it no longer matters, but it did while I was a Witness, particularly when Theocratic School overseers would come to me for counsel on how to give a talk!

  Quendi
• 

  jam

  Funny story. Because I was serving where the need was great,

  talks in assemblies, Sundays talk twice a month in different cong.

  I must admit I wasn't a great speaker, I struggled.

  After I left the borg I join a church continue to speak in the church.

  At the same time the PTSD and anxiety started to effect me.

  I couldn't speak publicly anymore, I starting passing out right on

  stage.

  Word came from my JW family members (hearing about my passing out

  while speaking in church), you see Jehovah is speaking to you he is stopping you

  from speaking in Satan's house. My JW family members are way out there,

  they are nuts. LOL

  So Jehovah is taking time out of his busy schedule , send an angel to church

  and smack me on my head so that I collapse on stage in front of 200 people.

  I know Jehovah works in mysterious ways but that's ridiculous.
• 

  LoisLane looking for Superman

  Jam... Too funny.

  FullTimeStudent ... Too funny.

  Band... So sorry that insensitive group of people laughed at you. ((Hugs)))

  LoisLane
• 

  Slidin Fast

  I still love giving talks. I am restricted to five minute talks and I am always careful to only say what i am comfortable with. The preparation needs to be meticulous. It is possible to plant doubts in peoples' minds and to leave the audience in a quandry without saying anything explicitly apostate.

  I have been frequently congratulated on this refreshing approach by people who don't realise how subversive it really is. I answer in the same way. One day someone is going to pick up on what is going on.

  My wife knows how I feel and think and is constantly on the edge of her seat in case I cross the line. I know that my position is hypocritical but I have never felt happier walking the line between subversive and out on his ear. I stick with it for family reasons. They all know how I feel. I am as open as is possible without leaving them all behind. But that is the nature of this two faced, ostrich minded sorry assed bunch I had the bad luck to be born into.
• 

  rawe

  Hi LoisLane,

  I found giving parts pretty nerve wracking upto the point of starting, but if I was well prepared I felt good about it, especially when it was done! I can still recall vividly some of the parts, especially one funeral talk I gave for a pre-mature baby that died at 9 days.

  After leaving the faith I had the truly odd experience of two individuals who left the faith ahead of me tell me that something I had said during The Watchtower review of the circuit assembly made them think that perhaps being a Witness wasn't for them. It went this way. The Watchtower made the point the 'law' was a 'tutor' leading to Christ and in ancient times a 'tutor' was one who lead the student on the path to the teacher. Furthermore, the Jews had failed to appreciate this role of the law, but instead hung on to it.

  I thought that was kind of a neat idea. So I said... you know what it is like when your child first goes to school. Afterwards you'll ask your child how their day had gone and make sure not to leave out any details. So they start by telling you they got on the bus, the bus stopped several times to pick up additional students, then finally the bus got to school and the students got off, then the bus went to the bus garage stayed there for the day, then... "Wait... did you not get off the bus?" "Those Jews needed to get off that bus... I concluded." Although I really wasn't trying to make a joke the illustration got a fairly hearty chuckle from the audience. But for my two, now ex-JW friends, it was apparently an epiphany moment when they realized... "I need to get off THIS BUS!"

  Cheers,

  -Randy