by minimus 10 Replies latest jw friends
Do you remember going to the meetings because you had to?? There were times when you were sick or definitely under the weather or perhaps you were exhausted physically and or mentally, and you were still required to go to the meetings!
Even during inclement weather you had to go. In New England we had very bad weather during the winter months and it was unbelievable how certain circuit overseer's demanded that we still make a meeting even if the weather was treacherous!
Oh yes!
Even when i was married, my then-wife and i would go even though we didnt want to, or had other things on our minds. But we went because if we didnt we'd get called from our parents asking why we wernt there. And after a few meetings elders would call.
It was easier to just go to the meeting, sit there thinking of something else, counting the minutes down until you can leave again.
Waste of time. So glad it's all history.
Oh yes, the meetings were what I moved everything else around for, imagining I was gaining points in heaven for it lol.
I was a very conscientious witness, I tried hard to be supportive of any arrangement but my good record counted for nothing in the end once my attendance dropped off my worthiness went with it and my "treasure" in heaven turned out to be worthless. Kicked to the curb, treasure not redeemable, all for the ghastly sin of fading.
I use to joke hyperbolically that if Jack the ripper turned up at the KH he would have been treated better than I simply because he wasn't baptized so not accountable, but I was.
Never again.
When I was first studying, the meetings were somewhat interesting because everything was new.
But it didn't take long before they became boring because of all the repetition.
I thought the worst were the WT studies where everyone just parroted the answers out of the literature.
Do you remember going to the meetings because you had to??
Since I am born-in, I think that going to meetings because I had to was a given. I had no saying as a child. As an adolescent, for about 2 years I went because I decided to give the Jehovah crap a try. So out of the 23 years I was dealing with the WT I went to meetings because I had to for 21 years. Yes, I remember.
Guilt guilt guilt - meetings were the top layer of a religion built on guilt. Yes, I felt obligated - and I hated going to meetings - dressing up even in freezing weather, nights when I just wanted to stay home and relax or Sunday mornings like today when I just wanted to sip coffee and read the paper - But miss one meeting and all of a sudden people view you as weak and the elders are calling you up - never mind you really are sick, spreading disease is much less of a concern than missing a meeting.
So glad I am over that now - as I sip my coffee and my kids are in their jammies on this Sunday morning watching cartoons. I am so glad they will never know that kind of stress and guilt.
Service too...I remember being looked at like I was sporting a second head when out in car group and it got snowing and way slippery and I decided to call it quits and go home. Or when I cancelled going out because it was less than 10 degrees out. And how many times I came home with frost bit toes and chill blains. Damned insane religion. And meetings...youd have all these flu ridden diehards there spewing their germs all over the place when they belonged home in bed.
Oh yes, do I ever remember going to meetings because of being obligated ? You bet I remember. My folks got into the Witnesses before I was born so yeah, I had no choice the first 18 years of my life ! I was tired due to attending school and having to stay at meetings until 9:40 P.M. and get home by 10:30 P.M. or 11:00 P.M. due to my dad's elder commitments - yeah it got old in a hurry. One reason my mom let me sleep through meetings on the floor as a little boy. ( Yay mom ! ) Or attending those gawd awful 6 day conventions at Dodger Stadium sitting in the sun all day from 9 : 00 A.M. in the morning until 9 : 00 P.M. at night was like abuse ! The only saving grace was getting a grape flavored snow cone at lunch time ! For a 9 or 10 year old it was like torture- literally.
Then back in the 1980's when I got older raising my kids up in it I had to pay $ 400.00 per weekend to $500.00 just to eat and get hotel rooms for my family to attend these wacky JW conventions - all the while as my then JW wife who didn't work secularly but pioneered- guilted me to donate more contributions to " Jehovah " to show "appreciation " for the " fine spiritual food " we allegedly received from the WT Society.
And it goes on and on . Having to rush to meetings to open the magazine counter and change out my clothes at work into meeting clothes just to get to meetings on time to do my " responsibilities " - then after the meeting rush to my jobs change back into my work clothes at 10:30 P.M. and work all night while my " brothers & sisters " went back home to their families sleeping like normal humans. Can anybody say " felt like a hamster on a treadmill syndrome " ? These are the things I remember from years ago being " obligated " to attend these meetings. It robbed the joy and spontaneity out of my life. Not much fun. I'm so much happier now
circuit overseer's demanded that we still make a meeting even if the weather was treacherous!
Oh ye of little faith...don't you know that if you go out on roads, even if the government has decreed NO TRAVEL that if you are in a wreck it is only material property? At least you will still have your life in order to continue doing more in field service. And if you die...well there is always that promised resurrection..."soon"...
Did I cover the bases the Jdubs use as excuses for being stupid?
And meetings...you'd have all these flu ridden diehards there spewing their germs all over the place when they belonged home in bed.
On the bright side though...that gave US the perfect opportunity to show how "spiritual" WE were by then coming the next week hacking, sneezing, and blowing snot and spit flecks all over THEM!
