by Gorbatchov 17 Replies latest jw friends
I remember that every time when my father and I came home from the meeting, my mother (who stayed at home for my disabled brother) asked us "Who was attending and who wasn't attending".
And then, we took some time to drink coffee and went through the list who was there and who wasn't.
There after there was an opinion made why someone was absent and what this meant in relation with his strength of believe.
Just curious, do you recognize this?
Gorby
no... and that is completely fucked up
pbrow
Yes. My family used to do that. And than, when I moved out of my parents house and struggled with meeting attendance myself... I stopped doing that.
I would say that doing this also largely depends on the size of your congregation and the percentage of attendance. For instance, if 5 people are missing on a group of 75, you will easily know who they were. From there, it will be easy to gossip about the why... However, if there are 25 people missing on a congregation of 130.... you won't even be sure of who was there, who was late, who was on the phone, who left early, etc... So, gossiping will only be happening for people you actually carefully watched for.
Hello Gorby!
I am quite familiar with your description. When I faded (10-15) years ago, and didn’t attend, to a meeting. I had always a call from one or two of the elders, asking if I were sick. Of course I told them on the phone that I didn’t, had the time to sit down and listened to this meeting. Of course they knew that spend my time with “higher” studies. And that made them nervous. Every half year the CO came to visit me, and there was a big dispute if I could proof all the things I actually had learned. Finally they decided, that I were I hopeless fader, and wasn´t anything wort spending their “hours” on. I still don’t know if I am dft or a member of the congs. I think that the members of elders are afraid of, publishing the actual attendees on the meetings. They are afraid of that the Soc. will close their Kingdom Hall . Anyway obviously the members are voting with their wallets.
Bugbear
Are you kidding me ???????????
That discussion occured on the way home........
Only about who DID'NT show up....., and yes...it is f√cked up.
Right on Gorb & Was....other than some of the embarrassing 'porn' talks...nothing. But the clothes & shoes & Idiosyncrasies & shuns yes!
Oh yeah, every congregation I was ever in, the first question from a witness who didn't attend the meeting would ask the witness that did attend was "who was there?" and start rattling off the names "was so and so there, what about this person and that?"
It was a ritual....one of the many dub social rituals that used to get on my nerves.
