by larc 23 Replies latest jw friends
I can remember the days when we had no permanent meeting places, always using rented halls and shacks. In those days, we always used to point the finger at those money-loving churches with their grand buildings and edifices.
It's funny how things change! Following the 'quickly built Halls' program, the dubs now are the ones in their comfortable, even luxurious surroundings. And the churches? Still there, but not nearly so grand.
Funny that, ain't it?
Cheers, Ozzie
They're softer on some things, like you say: shorter Assembly times, less hour requirements for pioneers, but on things that really matter, they haven't changed a bit.
Expecting people to go to 5 meetings per week is unprecidented in any other religious organization (as far as I know)........Some want to meet twice a week - Sunday and maybe Wednesday night, but that's it; Witnesses are the only ones expected, not only to go to all these meetings, but to study about it before hand and then participate wholly. And if that's not all, you STILL are expected out in service every single Saturday morning, no matter that you just covered the same territory 3 weeks earlier...........and geeze, if you have your Sunday meetings in the afternoons, god forbid that you be allowed to sleep in one morning; you're expected out in service Sunday morning too!
Of course, all this is done, so that the average Witness doesn't have time to think for themselves. I would love to see the Governing Body members come out to the real world for 6 months: get a regular job, commute to work, come home, eat, get ready for the meeting, don't get home till 10pm, put your exhausted kids to bed, do some work around the house, fall asleep, get up at 6:00am, and start all over again.........let's see how many meetings THEY'D miss!
Ozzie: We've come a long way from the days of rented walk-up Kingdom Halls and Circuit Assemblies in schools and armories. The Society loves to boast about the opulence of the Stanley Theater in Jersey City, NJ. And the money they've lavished on our Assembly Hall: they dressed the foyer and lobby out in white marble and gold trim! So garish, so tasteless: it looks like a lavatory in a Las Vegas casino! I just know my desar grandmother, who used to remind me that ``God doesn't dwell in handmade temples'' is spinning in her grave!
Mary: As I've pointed out in several related threads, most of the bigwigs at Bethel, GB included, need little excuse other than their exalted position to miss meetings and field service. Based on personal experience, I can tell you that the higher-ups, despite their bombast before the adoring masses at assemblies, are the most notorious slackers in the field service and meetings departments.
Take it from one who's been there, a tacit acknowledgement exists amongst even rank-and-file Bethelites that, apart from the adulation of the local dubbies, that the ability to miss meetings and service with impunity by invoking ``Bethel work assignment'' is one of the greatest perks of their status. Not even their Circuit Overseers dare call them to task!
Room 215,
What you said about the gb missing meetings is true. In 1999 while pursuing justice in my case against them, my brother and I went to the bethel kingdom hall so we could talk to gb members after the meeting. On 3 visits within a months time, the only gb member at the sunday meeting at the bethel kingdom hall was Lyman Swingle. And he was so busy taking pictures with visiting sisters and enjoying their adulation after the meeting that even though we waited patiently until he was through and got to speak to him alone w/o being confrontational, he told us to "just leave".
You also mentioned the Stanley Theatre in New Jersey. Well my soon to be ex-wife is still a tour guide there and I wondered if you were from New Jersey if you might know her.
Worf
