Comments at the hall

JH

When you were an active dub, did you comment at the hall because you believed what you were saying, or because you wanted to repeat what was said in the article and look spiritual?

I think, deep down, I was trying to convince myself that it was all true and that I believed it - by answering as sincerely as I could, I almost fooled myself into believing all that garbage. After a while, I couldn't stomach it any more, the doubts grew too strong and I stopped answering up. Then I came off the school. Then I stopped going out on field service. Then I stopped pre-studying for meetings. Then I stopped going to meetings. Pretty gradual really. I hope I never feel I have to go back.

xxR

undercover

Because my parents said I had to.

Seriously though, as a kid, I had to. As an adult it was because I felt if you didn't comment then you weren't following directions. But the last 5 years or so before completely dropping out, I never answered.

blondie

Why did I comment at the KH?

It kept the boredom down.

I always answered in my own words. No reading from the paragraph or saying "the paragraph says," "the slave says," "the magazine says." I always used a scripture, sometimes one that was cross-referenced from the one cited/quoted. I brought in material (briefly) from other sources. I was best known for my insightful illustrations (a little self-praise here). I would always have people come up to me afterwards to thank me and comment specifically on what I said, not just a general attagirl.

When I started missing the meetings, more than one person said that the meetings seemed to lack something. I knew it wasn't just a ploy to get me back because I listened to the tapes of the meetings. Few elders comment or older ones, mostly young children reading words they didn't understand. I call it the Regurgitation Hour.

All that is behind me and the only comments I make now are on JWD. One poster told me I posted BS, another commended me. It matters little in the end. I appreciate the opportunity to share my thoughts and feelings here in a way I never could and will never be able to at the KH.

Blondie (I saw the light)

JH

Blondie,

Did you make it Emperor Class at the hall?

imanaliento

it took me a number of years to comment at the new cong we had moved to, certainly there was never any encouragement to do so and no pat on the back when done so.

I would try to look up further information so I could sound semi intelligent and not the box blond I am. So in a sense I believed what I was saying because it was all from the source material made available by the WTS. The thing is hardly any one really listens to another individuals comment Many times you would hear someone make a comment and a few seconds later someone different will say almost the same thing.

blacksheep

I commented at the hall because it was expected. I remember my mom/others saying after the meeting "so and so commented." Even though all people could basically do was repeat the words written in the pub, commenting at least once at the meeting was some show of confirmation of belief that all good dubs did. I always kind of got stressed about it because I had a generally reserved personality (not any more, after escaping from the JW box), it really seemed stupid to just repeat what was written in the publication, and I labored about how to put it into my own unique words, while not stepping out of bounds of the intention of the pub.

In short, it was a stupid exercise. Still is.

freedom96

Answered only because it was expected of us.

CoonDawg

Well, I met my wife due to commenting while visiting at the hall she went to. But other than that, it kept the boredome down and besides...i'd been parroting this crap since i was about 4.

Coon

berylblue

I hated commenting, and my answers were never the contrived garbage that was expected. I suspect that I was frequenlty not called on due to the uncertainty on the part of the conductor as to what I would say.

That did not stop me from turning my "talks" (such as they were for us mere women) into full blown theatrical productions, with usually two "householders", in one case having one woman storm off the stage in disgust at what I was saying. Hey, I believed in reality "talks" long before "reality TV". Nothing the elders could do about it once it was over, and no one asked to approve my talks before I got on. I suspect most everyone got a kick out of them. .

My concept of theocratic drama did not play well at my second hall; I was told in no uncertain terms that there was no need for creativity in my talks. Consequently, being the mature person I am, I stopped giving them.

Beryl