Do you find any value in attending the occaisonal meeting? (page 3)

purplesofa

helped them get out in service even though they were handicapped or dead or whatever -

lol.........DEAD............lmao

devinsmom

Yeah kinda like Dawn said, if I did ever go it would probably just make me happy I didnt have to go all the time anymore!

JH

When I attend an occassional meeeting, I can't get over how long the meeting is. 2 hours is way to long.

The benefit one might get, is spoiled by the length of the meeting.

Honesty

I am so fulfilled attending the occasional meeting... with my "Ask the elders about the WTBTS/UN Connection" placard as I stand outside and direct traffic into the KH parking lot.

Goldminer

NO

Unfortunately,I'm in the same boat as you 24k.Trying to keep peace around here and slowly trying to convince the wife that JN 13:34-35 proves the WTS is not God's organization.

At times I have a inner need to connect with some of the friends and I must say I feel good when I'm warmly recieved. My hubby on the other hand hates going but will endure it for me, when he let's his guard down he smiles a little not much. But the information is so 1st grade-----my older brother (who brought our whole family into the organzation and left 15 years later) said to me once you learn you abc's you move on to 2nd grade, the way the truth is, you keep repeating first grade like you are a child. I will agree the information is for brain dead people and it gets very hard to sit though 2 hrs just to say hi to old friends so we only go occassionally.

24k

24K -- How long as your spouse been a JW? Did you come from a JW background? Is your spouse aware that there is a wealth of information about the Society that's on the Web? Have you shared any of that with her? Java

My wife and I were both raised Jehovah's Witnesses, and she is aware of the information that's available out here. Unfortunately, she's unwilling to open up and examine it with an open mind. Watchtower indoctrination runs deep, and she feels much of the information that is available is heavily biased or flat out false.

missy04

The only reason that I would ever attend an occasional meeting would be if my Witness friend in Memphis actually wanted to visit me. I'd do it for her, but I would be holding back from gagging and stuff.

Oroborus21

Greetings!

I would like to attend more meetings from time to time but over the past few years I have been too busy living.

Anyway, personally I think there is value to be had in attending.

For one thing, I like to keep in touch with the "latest" progression of God's "celestial chariot". I have found that it is very much like Days of Our Lives or General Hospital et al. in that you can go away (not watch an episode) for weeks, even many months, and come back and after a few moments you will find that you haven't missed too much as the plot (story unfolds) like molasses - so on this point it hasn't been too necessary to attend very often. I have further found that I have been able to keep in touch with what is happening by coming here and other JW related sites on the Internet as people still active or with connections feed the info online. (example, I first read of the change in Awake! frequency HERE at JWD a month or so before my JW contacts knew about it.)

Another reason is that I don't think it is a good reason not to attend a meeting, talk, discussion just because I know beforehand that I will disagree with some or all of it.

It seems to me that some persons here commenting in this thread and forum are somewhat ego-centric in that they appear to believe that they should never attend a church, lecture, talk, discussion, etc. in which they may find some material offensive, laughable, or generally disagreeable. For example, it was mentioned previously that attending a KH would be like attending a meeting of the Young Earth Society with the implication that it would be a waste of time. Well, personally, I think that would be very interesting. I may leave thinking they (YES) are idiots, etc. but it would still be an interesting time and I would have learned more about their way of thinking. If one only sticks to situations in which they find people like themselves and are exposed to thinking and ideas with which they totally agree - that's what I call a boring and shallow person who is unwilling either to grow or challenge their own mind.

Thirdly, probably due to my JW upbringing, but I have always found the meetings to be warm and comfortable and a great place to relax and THINK. As soon as the brother starts talking, I start day-dreaming. I have tapped into some of my most insightful understandings and creative ideas whilst some brother was droning on at the podium.

Fourth, I like the singing. The songs are cheesy, the lyrics sometimes moronic, sometimes ridiculous and sometimes very beautiful and touching, but no matter, it is fun. How many times in your daily life do you get to stand up with a big group and sing mostly off-key? (Well I sing on-key and am a good singer, maybe that is one reason I like it too.) Come on that is a lot of fun.

Fifth, I like Jehovah's Witnesses, at least the ones that aren't A-holes or self-righteous. Ok, so I like about 10% of them. They are generally good people and NOT everyone is fooled you know. Some know very well what is going on and what is happening. In any case, I am not their judge and neither is anyone else. So I don't refuse to associate with them because I am not their judge and they are sinners the same as you and me.

Finally, Jehovah's Witneses aren't all wrong. That is to say there is much in the JW theology that I do believe or at least feel that it is as correct as it can be. I have a vision of the future of the Jehovah's Witnesses which in a large sense is very different from how they are now but that I believe will (in relatively short time) come to be. I believe that so-changed, the Jehovah's Witnesses and the religion can be a nice, healthy (mentally and emotinally and spiritually) "way of life." No not for everyone, but for those Christians who find it attractive and who want such a structured form of worship and association.

So if I attend now, it is because I look around the Kingdom Hall not with scorn for the sinners, or pity for the deceived, or self-righteousness for the foolish; rather I look around with HOPE for my fellow Christian brother and sister. Hope and purpose to do my part to help bring about the change, the Revolution, that must and that is and that has already started.

-Eduardo

144001

About the same value I would get out of an occasional lobotomy. Take a little of my brain out each time, and eventually I'll reach a level where I could actually sit through a meeting.

Do you find any value in attending the occaisonal meeting?