by minimus 53 Replies latest jw friends
Was that important for you? Most people, I believe, forced themselves to give an answer. I knew many elders and servants over the years being counseled because they rarely answered.
funny thing....my mom who is 88 cries if she doesn't give a comment. She regards it as part of her worship, even if it's done via telephone.
I never liked answering but I did like the feeling afterwards that I had made the effort to answer as like us nan, it was considered as part of our worship to god. now, thinking about it, it seems rather silly putting our hand up to answer a question and equating that with worship! Seems a very childish way of worship if u ask me.
That would all make more sense (answers as worship) if the answers required (or even ALLOWED)any independent though, research or inquiry. In fact, if answering the question without using the WT paragraph was encouraged or researching questions was encouraged. I got counseled once for using an appropriate scripture that wasnt referenced in the paragraph. That is messed up.
Yeah, they like you reading it right from the paragraph.
I have always found that 95% of comments are just basically just rephrasing the question that was asked.I think our COs wife is literally a retard.
You can sure tell the people that are mentally out by theirs comments or lack of.
I only ever commented in one of 3 senarios. When I was younger, my parents forced me to. Back (years ago, now) when the study actually had something resembling 'meat' to it, and the questions allowed for an answer that required more thought than just re-reading a section of the paragraph (or the conductors were allowed to ask their own questions), I would sometimes enjoy answering because I felt like I was actually adding to the study. Those days are almost completely over. Save once or twice where there was oppurtunity to give a comment that was actually interesting, the last 8-10 years I've only given comments to 'save' the conductor because no one else was raising their hand.
hated it and i rarely commented. Once an elder called on me to try and make me comment i just ignored him. A girlfriend said i should always comment and even if i only raised my hand and said ' Jehovah is God' i should, irrespective of the question
I don't like commenting and practically never do it but the after feel of it was good, like you accomplished something big. I think it's that good feeling that gets some to comment often. I get pushed to comment sometimes, someone either brings it up or my mother tells me to comment but I never do. To be fair, I hardly comment in school as well, unless the professor really needs one.
Speaking of comments...There was one brother in our congregation (an elder until his health got bad) that would routinely make comments that were directly contrary to what the WT/book stated. For example, there was recently a question on the review about Lev. 5:1 where they asked why is important to report wrongdoing to the elders, and the "approved" answer basically says that if you find out something that someone's doing you need to tell the elders so that they can 'help' them, otherwise you share in his sins. If he were around for that one, I have no doubt he would've answered referencing Matt. 18:15 (where it says to go to the person first, and not involve the elders) and pointed out that Lev. 5:1 was only in a case where the matter was publicly known and people were asking publicly for witnesses to come forward.
He very frequently played devil's advocate, but was so entrenched and looked up to in the congregation no one questioned it (except for some of the elders, but he was close friends with many so they let it slide). One elder even told me that he was almost appostate because of some of his private views. I wish I'd woken up before he died, as I now suspect he was awake but stayed in because he and his wife were in poor health and all his family was in. It would've been nice having the support of a well-respected ex-elder while trying to make an exit.
Oh, and the worst thing about commenting, for me, was (since I don't do it often) after the meeting everyone feels like they need to come up and congratulate me on my wonderful comment. It's so insulting being treated like a child who needs encouragement.
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