Why 5 meetings a week?

by G Money 32 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

• 

  Sunspot

  So what do they do instead? They tell you to prepare for each of the meetings you do go to. So you have Monday night preparing for Tuesday night. You have Weds. night preparing for Thursday night. You have Friday night preparing for Saturday service. You have Saturday night preparing for WT Study.

  If you actually follow the advice (bombardment of Fear Obligation and Guilt) you will have very little time to do anything else. Exactly what they want. It appears to me that most

  of the dubs are doing those things but in a most basic manner. They don't study their WT like they used to, they preparing in 15-20 minutes. The old timers would take an hour or more. Same for the rest of the preparation

  TheListener has made some very good points, as well as everyone who has posted. The time invested seems to be the main interest where the WTS is concerned. As TL said, the time JWs are not physically there at a meeting, that time is spent preparing for a meeting.

  Then we see the business (pun intended) of filling up the old service bags with everything under the sun, so as to be "well-equipped", so the $$$ end of things is at the top of things whether JWs admit it or not. WHO benefits from having a well stocked service bag---the JW? a householder? or the WTS?.

  How many of us spent waaaay much more $$$ on "materials" for being a loyal JW, than we ever got in return? I think about all the outfits, shoes, books, bookbags, all for the KH and related meetings and assemblies----that was spent on five kids and myself.

  How much more could I have given my kids all those years if we weren't joined at the hip to the WTS. Things like the "better" sneakers and more trips and movies would have been allowed for, but the "frivilous" things always had to take a far back seat to the "necessary" things ala WTS needs.

  (Sorry-I got into a bit of venting there)

  I was exactly where the WTS wanted me for too many years and bought the whole ball of wax. I loathe them for everything they stand for, and I feel sorry for those that are living under this FOG.

  Annie
• 

  itsallgoodnow

  I do think it's to keep control of your thinking. If you unquestioningly believe everything, this is just the right amount to keep you from starting to question or to keep you from getting involved in other things that could take you away from their control.

  People miss meetings all the time. They put a guilt trip on you, but that's about all they can do about it, unless you actually want them to like you or something. They nag because they are otherwise powerless.
• 

  Shania

  We had this very wise elder announce to our group he thought we had too many meetings to go too, we were shocked but not one person disagreed with him. Good for him for being so honest.
• 

  steve2

  I remember the huge fuss that occurred locally when discussion arose over the suggestion that the Sunday night public talk/Watchtower study be changed to Sunday morning, to accommodate the then growing number of JWs with very young children. At a special meeting before the decision was finally made, one of the more aggressive elders who was opposed to the whole idea of the change marched up to the platform and spluttered into the microphone with his beautiful Russian accent:

  "The brothers and sisters who are pushing for the meetings to the moved to the morning are trying to get out of field service!"

  It was a rare moment of blunt opinion giving. The meetings still changed to Sunday morning, and as intemperate as I think the elder was, I think he was right. But then, what normal minded person would choose to go door-knocking Sunday morning - or any time of the day, for that matter? As boring as the meetings were, they were far preferable to the door-knocking.
• 

  Evanescence

  Hmmmm what next? will the elder start marking the roll?

  If I went to the meetings i'll tune out in the first five minutes

  If the elder cracks it with me i'll tell him that I only have an attention span of 15 minutes unless its boring in that case my attention span is only 30seconds

  Do they ask you questions at the end of the meeting?

  And how long does the meeting go for?

  Evanescence
• 

  EvilForce

  It's the same old warmed over vomit week after week after week after week that most people get bored with. I don't mind sitting listening to someone speak assuming they are presenting me with some valuable, new, or interesting material.
  
  But 5 meetings a week is really 3 nights + 1 field service day if not 2. It's the PREP time that's a killer. Get dressed before meeting, drive to KH, arrive 10 minutes early....stay 15 minutes afterwards, drive home, change....this adds up. For me it would take about 20 minutes to get dressed and make sure I had everything....the KH was a 15 minute drive... arrive 15 minutes early... this added almost 2 hours onto each meeting. So bookstudy was 2 1/2 hours total time. The KM meeting was 3 1/2 hours. The Sunday meeting 4 hours. Saturday Service about 5 hours total. Plus study time of an hour throughout the week. 16 hours a week. Quite a lot thank you very little.
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  Evanescence

  OMG!!!! evil force are you serious!

  gee with the catholics mass only goes for 45 minutes to an hour (really depends on the priest)

  And you only really need to attend mass either its not really compolsary. (but it is prefered that you make an effort to come)

  The priest doen't really question you either. (depends sometimes on the priest)

  Will this idea work? if a friend walked up to you and asked why you havn't attended kingdom hall could you just turn around and say you went to a different one!" lol try that!

  Evanescence
• 

  trevor

  There are five meetings because we have five fingers to a hand. Without five meetings you will lose your grip on the truth.

  It is all very simple if you pay attention instead of doodling at the back of the hall. You must have all missed the meeting where these deep truths were explained.
• 

  vitty

  Trevor

  Now thats REAL unity ! we all heard the one about the five finger grip.

  Ohhhh it must be the truth we all have five meetimgs AND we all study the same material,whether you live in an igloo or a mud hut. I fell for that one
• 

  95stormfront

  There are five meetings because we have five fingers to a hand. Without five meetings you will lose your grip on the truth.

  OMG......I'd forgotten all about that little gem.

  What a crock......