Did the meetings ever really help you in life??

freedom96

Just thinking to myself a few minutes ago about the meetings, and I was comparing it to the non-denominational church my family and I have been attending.

The last few months the pastor has been talking from Ephesians. Taking just a few verses at a time, and discussing them in detail, and at the same time applying in our personal lives.

Today, for example, he talked about being an employee at a job, and what the bibles thoughts were on that. Next week he will discuss about if we are the employer. He talked for about 50 minutes, and it was enjoyable, and made sense. Bible principles made practical for every day life. So nothing huge and life alternating, but just some good common sense.

Thinking back to the meetings, I don't remember having any talks ever on success principles, (of course) or things to just help you get by in life.

It was always teaching or telling you to do more in service, or a boring as hell bland public talk, or the Watchtower study which has got to be the worst hour in history. Do this or do that, your not doing enough.... etc.

What a huge contrast. You basically go to the meetings to hear that you are not doing enough, and how bad you are, and mentally whip you into shape. They offer nothing to help you out in life at all.

I tell you, I have learned more about how to lead a good life in 6 months of going to this church, than I ever did in 25 years of JW nonsense.

Think about it...... any time you had a challenge, their advice was to do more. More service, more personal study, more meetings, etc. Never taught how to lead a productive life in all areas. Somewhere along the line they missed the boat.

caligirl

This was not meant to be under humour. Is there a way to move it to a different section? (Asks freedom96 through his loving and perfect wife who is now hogging the computer)

jeanniebeanz

NO, NO AND NO!

All the meetings ever did was convince me that I was worthless, my parents that they were worthless, and my kids that they were worthless. You can never do enough in that cult. And the meetings were just the way you were beaten for your inadequacies.

I didn't learn about the love of God, or the mercy of God. I learned that God is a murdering tyrant, bent on destroying most of the worlds population because they don't hold to his teachings which he has not even bothered to make clear in the first place. This shoot first and ask questions later kind of God disgusted me. I never loved him; I feared him.

No area of my life was safe from his prying judgement. The scriptures were not preached if they dealt with anything but obedience to the 'slave' and the fear of God. The first time I ever thought of God as anything but a murderer was when the Listening to the Great Teacher book was released. Then I was doubly confused since I found myself drawn to Jesus, and even more disgusted with God. The New Testament didn't even seem to be a part of the Bible, well except for Acts. The "apostle" Paul was more in line with the God of the Old Testament than Jesus was. More judgement and biggotry...

The meetings were worthless, and the answers that the elders gave to my honest questions were worth even less; they were threatening.

By the end, the only function of the meetings was to show off my latest dress and go for a snack with the family afterward. Major waste of time...

J

PaulJ

No, if anything I just felt depressed I couldnt do enough. Not enough study, not enough FS, not enough of anything!!!

greendawn

Absolutely nothing good going to meetings in the midst of zombies that could not express their opinions in a dictatorial org, while the talks were almost always boring, repetitive and guilt inducing.

Honesty

Taking just a few verses at a time, and discussing them in detail, and at the same time applying in our personal lives.

Hey, that's exactly the way our senior pastor does it. When the chldren are about 4 or 5 they come out of the nursery and are just as attentive as the adults. The messages are practical and interesting. When we get counsel it is upbuilding and doesn't involve marking or shunning someone. I've learned 1,000's of times more about christian living and the reasons behind bible accounts of individuals in 7 months than I endured for 15 years of indoctrination courses in the JW synagogue of Satan.

I always dreaded the meetings because they were boring; all the songs were about the organisation or Field Service and there was absolutely nothing of substance to help you cope in today's world. I always left with one question that really bothered me... "Why no mention of Jesus and where is the worship because it sounded like a sales pep rally at every meeting?".