Those awkward magazines

Addison0998

I’m sure we all remember those really weird, awkward magazines we were expected to place in service. And it was before we are had the website or the thing on the back to fall back on. Imagine being a 12 year old girl, and having to place magazines on God’s view of pornography, sex, homosexuality. What we should know about Armageddon, religion, cringey and weird stuff like that. It’s so irritating to think about. Does anyone remember those magazines?

Addison0998

I remember we were placing the magazine about Pornography, and the question was, “Do you think pornography is harmful or harmless, and one guy said, “Oh me and my wife love watching that, it helps us out. LOL we didn’t know what to do.

skin

I remember being on the TMS and given a talk slip on those subjects. Had to make those talks last 5 minutes back then. Thanks WT, that sped up my decision to ask to be removed from the TMS. I dont miss it one bit.

EverApostate

Many times I would feel so silly when distributing (Selling once upon a time) those magazines.

I would think to myself. SO the Almighty god gets Watchtower to publish these magazines and made us to distribute these to save people. And people should take them, read and get converted else they would die in Armageddon. Wouldnt god have a better plan ?

Perhaps those silly and rational thoughts later blossomed into an Apostasy in me. I commend myself for that

contramundum

I would hide the awkward magazine behind its companion magazine (those were the times when we had to leave W & A together) and feel extremely uncomfortable thinking about how I had deceived the householder into accepting it.

I often wondered what they must have thought when they discovered the carefully hidden article as they watched me hastily running away

pale.emperor

The pornography one instantly sprung to mind when I read this. Just shows how out of touch with reality the Watchtower writers are. All of my girlfriends since leaving the cult either enjoy pornography too or couldn't care less if I have it.

stan livedeath

i think the sex articles in the rags were the only ones i ever read.

OnTheWayOut

I never did magazine distribution as a kid. But as an adult, if I did not care for the subject matter, I highlighted the other magazine (Awake! vs. Watchtower) or some other article within. I typically focused on positive nature stuff from Awake!

But the term, "Those awkward magazines" really makes me think of articles that Watchtower corporation printed and now the articles are glaring reminders of their lies, contradictions, changes.

Freedom rocks

I hid the awkward magazine inside the less awkward one and didn't discuss any subject I just said "we're leaving these magazines with people to have a read of" then I took my leave as quick as possible In case they opened the magazines and saw the subject

Pete Zahut

This post reminds me of an experience I had out in service one time

Back when I was in high school my best friend and I were going from door to door one Saturday morning. Neither of us had really prepared well but we had been going out in service and talking at the doors since the first grade so we could usually just wing it.

We knocked on the first door and a woman answered. My friend started talking about world conditions (of course) and he featured one of the typical articles in the Watchtower that highlighted some timely topic that showed how deep into the time of the end we were (this was back in 1974 by the way).

There was an oil shortage going on and there were long lines at gas stations all over the country and after the woman agreed that world conditions indeed looked pretty bad, my friend said very earnestly:

" And along with the Watchtower, we are also offering it's companion magazine the Awake which features many thought provoking articles such as this one, Kop-ping With Seenus Trouble."

The woman and I looked at each other and we both burst out laughing. She said with a smirk " Um...I think you meant to say "Coping With Sinus Trouble" my dear.

She and I were laughing but my friend was mortified because it was so obvious that he had come to her door to recommend that she read a magazine that he hadn't bothered to read himself. There was no coming back from this one....the woman closed the door and we got in his car and got the heck out of there.

Back in the car he exclaimed "Pete....we are the WORST example of Witnesses EVER !!! Why the do they have to have such stupid articles in these damn magazines???? Why are there two magazines and why would anyone who wasn't a JW want to read them??? I barely want to read them !!!

We both agreed how ridiculous it was to be offering two magazines full of JW specific information in them. Somehow we both continued being JW's well into adulthood. He eventually left when he was in his late 30's or early 40's after his JW wife cheated on him and he saw the religion from behind the scenes for the first time and realized that the Elders in his hall were a bunch of buffoons who weren't being directed by anyone.

For years afterward, whenever he was being a bit too cocky or full of himself I'll I had to do was say to him " Kop-ping With Seenus Trouble" and it would put him in his place...he still cringes at the very thought of it.

Those awkward magazines

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