Prepare for meetings?? (page 2)

Frazzled UBM

So that's why the missus disappeared upstairs for an hour on Saturday night - I think she must have been shephered (reprimanded) for missing 5 Sundays in a row so has reverted to being super conscientious. The bullying drives me crazy - b@st@rds!

AlphaMan

The JW religion is works based judgemental religion. Your spirituality is judged by the members based on your works of what the organization thinks is righteous. The underlining or highlighting of a study lesson is evidence of a work you did to show your righteous spirituality to others. Every facet of the JW religion & lifestyle is like that. (Field Service, grooming, clothing, etc.)

Splash

This is actually very guilting.

To know someone is looking over your shoulder at your non underlined magazine can be very humiliating and stressful because you know you are being judged for it.

I took the approach as above, that I just don't write in my books and that doesn't mean I've not pre-read or pre-studied it. Especially if I'm reading for the congregation do I not want scribbles and lines all over the page.

Get a tablet since many more of those go un-underlined.

After all, once the meeting is finished there's no difference in who can remember the main points, whether you have underlined or not.

Splash

piztjw

both elders with critical wives and highly judgmental teenage daughters.

I know what you mean. Back in the day when I still cared enough to "reach out" and was a WT reader, a couple of the eldurrs complained to the P.O. (who happened to be a close friend) that I didn't prepare ahead of time because they saw that my WT wasn't all highlighted and scribbled in the margins like theirs were. He actually stood up for me and told them if they LISTENED to my reading and the personal comments I made they would realize I was much more prepared than their sons or other fair haired boys who couldn't read a sentence accurately or with meaning, and didn't comment at all.

It's all a game of politics. Thankfully I have quit playing their little games, jumping through their self-righteous hoops and now can be a thorn in their side just merely by filling a chair occasionally.

I took the approach as above, that I just don't write in my books and that doesn't mean I've not pre-read or pre-studied it. Especially if I'm reading for the congregation do I not want scribbles and lines all over the page.

Exactly!

Ding

The WT religion is so much what other people think of you.

Your spirituality is constantly being judged by trivial things like the extent to which you do or don't underline your Watchtower or how well you parrot answers from the articles when you are called on.

BU2B

You are so right about how people are judged if their WT isnt done.. MY wife always brings out if some elders wifes WT isnt studied as if that means they are worthless. When I go to the WT study, I take 5 minutes to underline random sentences just to make it look good and to keep people from bitching.

PelicanBeach

I don't prepare for meetings. Nothing is underlined. I do not comment. I do not go door to door but I do report time.

My contribution to the congregation is to occupy a seat which in my book is more than enough.

Pelican

Billy the Ex-Bethelite

"sometimes their whole family seems to be straining to see if my stuff is underlined"

Here's what you do, buy some of these in as many colors as you can find:

And highlight the sh!t out every WT, KM, brochure, etc. just as soon as you get them. Highlight your Bible, too. If anyone remarks about your extensive and colorful highlighting, say, "Well, each time I read it, I like to use a different color to highlight the points that stand out. I suppose if I was just rushing through it on a Sunday morning, I'd probably just use a pen and underline. But I get so much more out of it this way."

For extra brownie points, get some of these:

Write random quotes and Bible verses, then stick them in with the study article. You can restick and reuse them from week-to-week.

Quarterback

I do not underline my paragraghs becuse I prepare the WT study while sleeping. I just put on my head phones and sleep. I wake up to the WT. I put the lesson on my Bluetooth radio in my car as I go to work. I put my headphones on as I continue to work. I live, breathe, walk, run, talk, eat, the lesson. When it gets to sunday I can recite the paragraph. The mike handlers can't figure it out.

Phizzy

I never underlined. Once when asked about it I replied, and I really meant it, "I do not think answering other peoples words from the paragraph is an offering from the heart, and therefore it is not acceptable to Jehovah".

I was never criticised again.

Prepare for meetings??

Share this