I wish that we NEVER have midweek meeting in my life while I was growing up. I could not play basketball for my high school because the games sometimes are on Tuesdays. What a fucking cult!
No Reason For JWs To Go To The MIdweek Meeting (CLAM)
by JW_Rogue 28 Replies latest jw experiences
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wifibandit
There are official video recordings made of the Meetings in several languages that the infirm can watch at home. Beta Test for the rest?
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2+2=5
I envisage that eventually they will adopt the tried and tested system of mainstream Churches. Hold the main sermon on Sunday for everyone to come and socialize, and drop midweek meetings. Keep the hall open throughout the week, manned by retirees, looping videos, so the lonely and religious zealots have somewhere to go and meet or meditate.
I think this could happen within the next 5-10years. They will have regular assemblies at regional cult complexes at least a few times a year to drill for fear and raise a few dollar$.
I see them cutting to just one meeting a week in an effort to make the religion easier and more appealing and keep inline with more mainstream religious cults (I'm talking about you Mormons). It's hard work trying to make a pseudo Jewish/Christian cult stay viable in this age of information.
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ctrwtf
@Moly Sorry for your predicament. That song has always touched a nerve for me too. Particularly the line "when I was a child I had a fleeting glimpse." I knew at age 13 that this was BS. But waded through it until 45. Cannot get those years back but am making the best of the time ahead. My best to you and yours.......
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WTWizard
The hounders need to make sure no one is going to apostate or blatantly Satanic websites. If you are at the boasting session, they can ensure you are following their script under threat of being hauled to the back room. At home, you could have a browser window open to your favorite apostate, mainstream xian, or openly Satanic website and compare it to what the washtowel has to say.
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TMS
Actually, I suggested back in the 80's, when I was still a braindead JW elder, that the assembly program could be on video, shown at the Kingdom Hall, saving individual JW families hundreds, even thousands of dollars. I cited the radio hookup for convention overflow and annual meetings as the precedent.
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westiebilly11
i suggested long ago that they could drop meetings midweek. That way they could revert to hiring 'worldly halls' just for sunday meetings, they then could sell all the underused halls and revert to using 'worldly halls'...which these days are equipped with sound etc. Of course, literature etc might pose an issue but the way things are going pretty soon there will be nothing in print. The way halls are underused at present is a waste of resources and fundraising. It also incurs 24/7 insurances etc just for the use of halls for approx 6 hours a week...perhaps more if shared with other congs.
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Sugar Shane
I envisage that eventually they will adopt the tried and tested system of mainstream Churches. Hold the main sermon on Sunday for everyone to come and socialize, and drop midweek meetings.
At my 'mainstream Church,' which I attend quite irregularly due to my work schedule, we do have a mid-week meeting of sorts, but it's nothing like the CLAM as described here. It's more like this: spaghetti dinner (or other dish) served at about 6pm. Three dollar donation appreciated. Adults socialize while youths play pick-up basketball, or get tutoring for school work. Most of talk between adult men is about fishing, sports, cars, ect. At some point, the pastor shares info on what community programs are going on, and/or how we can volunteer. Somewhere in there, he'll share the balance sheet and give income & expenditures. Any projects that come up are held to a vote by members. Yes, there is Bible study, hymns and so forth, after the spaghetti & socializing & youth round-ball. Btw, the Bible study is more a guided discussion, than a one-way lecture. Also, it's not very scripted. So, what might start out as a discussion on the nature of Jesus, can easily go off into a tangent. It keeps things interesting, but could be annoying to someone accustomed to more structure.
That's what we do. Not saying it's the 'right' way or not, but I enjoy it. It just sounds like the JW leaders are going to have to make a stark choice, eventually: become more 'mainstream,' or whither away into some type of internet based e-religion. I'm pretty amazed that the JWs have been around so long while not contributing much (it seems to me) to the community at large. I've never seen a JW free-clinic, unless they just don't have 'em in my area.
Oh...and our Wednesday 'meetings' or get-togethers, are open to anyone in the community. I think that's true of most mainstream type churches. Is that the case with these CLAM meetings? I have JW relatives, but kind of afraid to ask (they'll want to set up a study with me). 😁
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FadeToBlack
Since my wife switched to the English-language group in Warsaw she has not attended any mid-week meetings anywhere. I haven't heard her complain about it. Big test is this weekend - RC/DC (not sure what they call it in Poland). I told her I already saw all the videos she is likely to see and asked her to pay attention to the 'shunning' video.