Starting studies not a priority

by La Capra 8 Replies latest jw friends

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  La Capra

  My best friend got to see something that I would have loved to see. He manages a gas station and mini-mart, and he is in the enviable position of being on someone's magazine route. I have been nagging him to bring me the magazines, but he keeps forgetting. He'd forget his pants if he didn't need to get his car keys out of the pocket in order to go anywhere, but that's another story entirely.

  The point is this: Young Brother Bored-to-Tears actually stopped by while my friend was still working, the first time he'd been there to see the magazine delivery for himself. When the Awake was offered, my friend told him that he didn't read it but he had a good friend who really enjoyed them, so yes, he would take it. My friend said the look on Young Brother Bored-to-Tears 's face and was one of shock and incredulousness. Ah yes, I can relate. I never could believe that anyone actually enjoyed those ridiculous repetitive rags. I would have had the exact same reaction had someone said that to me. My friend did not reveal my apostate status, but was able to observe something that is so difficult to explain to non-ex-JWs......the JW guilt/fear/regret/self-hate for not enjoying all the service, meetings, assemblies and stupid publications...the awful catch-22 of hating it, but doing it more so you would be "blessed" (into enjoying it), and then hating it more because you were doing it more. (I sure hated those meetings-I never studied, and I avoided going out in service like the plague).

  But did my friend stop there? Oh no, of course not, he went in for the kill. When he noticed it was the Awake and no Watchtower was being offered, he asked the poor guy if he could get a Watchtower for me too, explaining to Young Brother Bored-to-Tears how "his friend" found it far more spiritual and deep than the Awake. The guy nearly flipped, and not with happiness, but with near horror. He never asked my friend who I was, whether I might want to be contacted by some nice pioneer lady to start a study, or anything. I have concluded that this young man was not a good JW, he didn't try to set up the study! The question is WHY didn't the JW pursue my identity to score a study? Don't they want converts anymore?

  Or could it be that Young Brother Bored-to-Tears is trying to drift away and goes out in service alone, and to businesses for the express purpose of not destroying any more lives with conversion? I wonder if he will ever go back to my friend's gas station. I bet not.

  Arghh!!! it's time to get back to briefing cases for torts class. All that studying of boring repetitve stuff pays off when it's time to study for law school!

  Shoshana
• 

  StinkyPantz

  Deep down inside all JW's HATE field service.
• 

  Gopher

  Yes, all or most JW's do HATE the field service (or ministry as they call it).

  But they're chided into constant witnessing by the goals that are set before them (and remember we don't want to let the circuit overseer think our congregation is less active than average!!). Also constant reminders that you AREN"T a Witness unless you "witness", and each opportunity that you pass up to informally witness means you could actually die at Armageddon for your bloodguilt.

  Oh and don't forget the JW/angel mythology -- that the angels are actually somehow "directing" the work of each individual publisher or group. Those angels must be slacking off, given the notable lack of increase in industrialized nations in recent years.

  Even the angels must hate field service (or the JW version).
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  Realist

  is it really possible that JWs actually preach more and attend more meetings the more they hate it? how crazy! also why don't they talk to someone outside the orgaization about what they really think? wouldn't that be a great relieve like going to a psychologist?
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  minimus

  This young Witless just was a typical dope. Don't read too much into this.If you got a hungry pioneer, you'd personally be bothered til you called the cops.
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  wednesday

  I stopped service a long time before i quit attending on regular basis. I was determined i not be party to letting the elders destroy anyone else's life as they had mine. I remember times in years gone by when i felt happy in service-especially when i was able to use bible to answer questions.But toward the end-i quit studying, service and missed most meeting. I would go over my weekly schedule while the talk was being given and the WT was the hardest to get through. I did not study so i did not undetand anything toward the end. what i used to know-well it has drifted away"the leaky vessel theroy". My son asked me who the anti chirst was yesterday and i couldn't tell him.. I had not read anything deep in so long-can't remrber "the deep things"Actually, when i disvovered i had lost my knoweldee of jw teachings(except for most basic) i asked for help-but was turned down"always leaning but never able to come to an accurte knnowlege of God" was what they told me. How judgemental can u get.
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  benext

  That truly is a shocker. Any publisher or pioneer I knew would have killed to get a study. That's one less hour, or two a week in the ministry. Plus it's 4 return visits on the old field service report. Come to think of it, any publisher/pioneer would have brought some older issues that your friend might have found "interesting." Cleaned out that service bag!
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  guanash

  Realist:

  exposing dirty loundry about the organization to the outside world? never!!!

  when I got disfellowhipped I was an emocional wreck, but would have never told that to a non WT. When I did it (my listeners couldn't believe it), I felt incredibly guilty, because I was tarnishing "Jehovahs name". And that's the way it is. It is a pact of silence, and of loneliness.
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  Realist

  guanash,

  that is really sad. is there really no way to help these people???