Did it bother you that they taught, "miss a meeting and you'll fall away?" (page 2)

bafh

At the same time however, we were given stories of those who sustained themselves in isolation. What are we to think of that - if you do not have faith that can withstand questioning, consideration, and living an actual life - how are you to survive isolation?

Jeffro

Constant indoctrination is important for maintaining irrational beliefs.

DwainBowman

Remember the saying, "Seven days without meetings, makes one WEAK!"

I Was scared to death over that, I was often sick and in the hospital, and missed lots of mettings. I just knew i was going to be destroyed at the BIG day!

Dwain

punkofnice

Yes. It was a mantra that was relentless. We were guilt tripped into going to all the meetings(TM) and then they had the gall to axe the group study(TM).

Typical cult ttactics for getting money and power and keeping the 'mind cleansing(TM)' topped up.

What if you were washed up on a desert island (or dessert depending on your taste)?

Zordino

I remember an Elder saying every time we miss a meeting, Satan rejoices cause he's made you take one step in the wrong direction.

WTWizard

I can only wish Satan would have got hold of me. It was common sense, not Satan, that led me to not believing it. Of course, joke-hova shares part of the blame for abusing me while I was in the cancer. But, I never believe the truth is so unstable that missing a few boasting sessions could throw one out of it if it was the truth.

Similar to my belief in hyperinflation. I am surrounded by news that inflation is too low, record high stock prices, and that silver prices are being smashed down. I do not need to attend a meeting to realize that it is all lies, or to go and buy some more silver whenever they smash the prices down. That being the case, why do I need to attend every boasting session in order to maintain faith in something if the faith was well placed in the first place?

sparky1

Some of you Bethelites may have had the same newboy talks as I had. In one of the talks about NEVER missing the meetings an example was given about a Bethelite at Kingdom Farm who had missed a Sunday meeting. He was found dead in the swimming pool on Sunday afternoon after everyone else had returned from their respective meetings. We were told that had he been at the Sunday meeting where he was supposed to be than he would be alive today. The speaker made it clear that Jehovah was not punishing the brother for not attending the meeting but that his accident never would have happened if he had been at his meeting like he was supposed to be.

Simon

It's to keep you busy on the WTS treadmill.

If you take a Sunday off, go for a nice pub lunch and sit in the sun for the afternoon you realize that the world didn't end, there's no god coming to smite you and it's simply a much more pleasant way to fill your time.

Alternatively you could work on one of those interesting projects you never seemed to have time for.

So yes, they want to keep their members busy because otherwise they'll quickly discover a new and better life away from the WTS drudgery.

Apognophos

Even now that I should know better, I sometimes feel a twinge of guilt when I skip meetings, and particularly I worry that something bad will happen to me that wouldn't have if I had gone to the meeting. If I stay home to get some stuff done and it's not going well, I find myself thinking, "See? You should have just gone to the meeting, now because of your selfishness in staying home you're going to have a bad time."

cultBgone

Simon summed it up perfectly. Life is well worth living outside the stodgy walls of a "kingdom" hall.

Did it bother you that they taught, "miss a meeting and you'll fall away?"

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