i was just thinking about this.
having been raised "in the truth" post-1975, i didn't grow up with any specific year in mind.
yes, there was the notion of "this generation will by no means pass away," but by the time i was old enough to think about that concept, the people who were born in 1914 (to stretch it out as far as possible, as the society ultimately did) were still only in their 60's.
Some Witnesses try to explain away China by claiming it already got a witness in the early years of the 20th century when the work wasn't banned. Of course, this disregards the hundreds of millions of people born there since then, but oh well...and of course, the Hindu/Arab world is written off altogether.
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how many of you ex-jws can recall a particular instance during your life as a jw when you or someone you know had a mini crisis of conscience over what you now, upon reflection, consider to be the most trivial or petty in nature?.
i've got a good one for you.
i remember my mom and one of my aunts engaged in a very serious debate about whether they should feed a freshly caught mouse to the cat because it hadn't been properly bled!!!.
Haircut. Suit. Physical exercise. Record collection. Doing anything (totally innocent) with worldly kids.
These were a few of the matters "kindly brought to my attention" by "mature ones" attempting to "readjust my thinking" in a "Theocratic manner."
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i was just thinking about this.
having been raised "in the truth" post-1975, i didn't grow up with any specific year in mind.
yes, there was the notion of "this generation will by no means pass away," but by the time i was old enough to think about that concept, the people who were born in 1914 (to stretch it out as far as possible, as the society ultimately did) were still only in their 60's.
I was just thinking about this. Having been raised "in the truth" post-1975, I didn't grow up with any specific year in mind. Yes, there was the notion of "this generation will by no means pass away," but by the time I was old enough to think about that concept, the people who were born in 1914 (to stretch it out as far as possible, as the Society ultimately did) were still only in their 60's. So for me, it was more a feeling of "well, it's going to come one of these days," but I never felt like it would be "the day after tomorrow," as the Society encouraged. Of course, in the 1980's there were plenty of reminders about how close it was, but perhaps when you're raised with it you become a little numb to the constant suggestion. Anyway, as a faithful, well-behaved Witness kid, what did I have to worry about? I guess I thought that even though I wasn't baptized yet, the good conduct of my Witness parent would get me through whenever it came.
When I was baptized near the start of the 1990's, the whole idea of Armageddon's imminence became more vivid. For several years, I had a sense that the political and social upheaval in Eastern Europe and Russia would be a precursor to the start of the great tribulation (i.e. the king of the north would get riled up and start wreaking havoc). And so I thought Armageddon might be "soon," in the next decade or so.
But then, when the Society changed its definition of "this generation" in 1995, thus potentially extending the start date of Armageddon into the indefinite future (despite all its insistence that this wasn't so--conveniently overlooking that with God "a day is as a thousand years" and Peter saying "the end of all things has drawn near...be vigilant with a view to prayers" etc., which really illustrates the Biblical approach toward "soon"), I lost my sense that it was going to come any time in the near future.
Of course, all "mature Christians" realize that this attitude would mark me mentally as one of those weaklings who was "serving for a date" rather than "with eternity in view." Blah blah blah. (Or maybe I simply realized that it was a cheap con trick to drop a major doctrine just because 1995 minus 1914 equals 81; oh yes, of course, we must all view the true human lifespan as being 70 or 80 years because of what the psalmist wrote 3,000 years ago. And who was it that created the notion that the dying off of a bunch of people born around the start of the 20th century might have something to do with the start of God's "great day of vengeance," pray tell?)
Anyway, I'm just curious now. When did you think Armageddon would come? Somehow, my guess is that people who adopted the Witness faith rather than being born into it would have more of a sense that it was "right around the corner." But I could be wrong.
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i don't know how many others here have listened to the audio recording of the speaker linked to under the topic "jw legal dept.
speaks out," but if you did, you may have heard him mention the recent institution of a united states branch committee.
(in addition to various things about the new corporations and the practice of answering the phones at headquarters with "jehovah's witnesses" instead of "watchtower.").
I don't know how many others here have listened to the audio recording of the speaker linked to under the topic "JW Legal Dept. Speaks out," but if you did, you may have heard him mention the recent institution of a United States Branch Committee. (In addition to various things about the new corporations and the practice of answering the phones at headquarters with "Jehovah's Witnesses" instead of "Watchtower.")
What is the purpose of having a separate branch committee for this country? Is there really so much work to be done that it can't continue to be done under the auspices of the regular headquarters staff, or is this potentially another way to deflect legal responsibility in case of lawsuits? Any thoughts?
And does anybody know who the members of the committee are going to be?
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i was recently informed that in european union countries, it is no longer legal to keep written field service records.. is this true?
thought i'd bring it up in light of the discussion about the data protection stuff in britain.. comment
I was recently informed that in European Union countries, it is no longer legal to keep written field service records.
Is this true? Thought I'd bring it up in light of the discussion about the Data Protection stuff in Britain.
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as a ministerial servant in the 1990's, i was sometimes bemused by the differences in the way the message and teachings of jehovah's witnesses were presented in public and private settings.. let me illustrate.. during this period, talks from the public platform seemed to focus a lot on social issues, the environment, health and so on.
our position was stated as "nicely" as possible: "look at all these terrible problems in the world, which are unsolvable because human governments and businesses will never change the system!
how good it is to know that jehovah god will soon fix the problems through his kingdom government!".
As a ministerial servant in the 1990's, I was sometimes bemused by the differences in the way the message and teachings of Jehovah's Witnesses were presented in public and private settings.
Let me illustrate.
During this period, talks from the public platform seemed to focus a lot on social issues, the environment, health and so on. Our position was stated as "nicely" as possible: "Look at all these terrible problems in the world, which are unsolvable because human governments and businesses will never change The System! How good it is to know that Jehovah God will soon fix the problems through his Kingdom government!"
While these sentiments may not have been "left wing" per se, they almost gave the organization the appearance of being humanitarian. There was so much emphasis on "education" and presenting the message in an appealing way.
But then, you had meetings for the ministerial servants and elders in private, and the tone was different.
I remember having a meeting with various brothers prior to one district convention. It was to discuss the running of the sound department. We opened with a prayer in which the brother said something almost to the effect of "bless our microphones." Then he read a verse from Revelation which had something to do with hearing. And this was just supposed to be an administrative/organizational meeting. I always liked to think of the brothers as being different from your "typical frothing fundamentalists"--more sensible and rational--but here I had this weird feeling of having stumbled into Uncle Bob's Prayer Hour.
Much more of a "right wing" feel.
Or as others have alluded to, all the fussing that went on behind the scenes when preparing for assembly demonstration parts. Wear the right kind of suit! Brothers, get that hair cut! Sisters, no short skirts! Etc. etc.
In the last few years, I think the publications have swung more "to the right" again (i.e. like the 50's and 60's) than they were in the early 1990's.
It almost seems to dovetail with the shifts in the political climate in the Western world.
I was disappointed ultimately to realize that the Witnesses had a lot more in common with the "Bible-thumping loonies" of the "churches of Christendom" than I had liked to believe.
Thoughts?
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i was thinking about this in several areas today.. 1) district conventions and house-to-house work.
if you were a witness for a long time, you probably remember a time when going to the conventions seemed perfectly "normal" to you: it was absolutely "the thing" to sit in a sports arena all day listening to bible talks and counsel from men in suits.. but at some point, did you ever start to feel like you were participating in a cultural relic, so to speak?.
as in, "here it is, the 1990's, and the society is still using fundamentally the same old format they've been using all century long.
One thing the Society does "have right" for the most part, though, is that field service time is an accurate indicator of your enthusiasm about being a Jehovah's Witness (read "spirituality" in their lexicon).
Let's set aside people whose physical limitations preclude them putting much time in. Personally, I found the times when I was doing the most service also coincided with when I enjoyed being a Witness the most. And when my hours dropped, it was because I wasn't enjoying it anymore.
No great revelation here. But going in service is just such a huge part of what being a Witness is all about.
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i was thinking about this in several areas today.. 1) district conventions and house-to-house work.
if you were a witness for a long time, you probably remember a time when going to the conventions seemed perfectly "normal" to you: it was absolutely "the thing" to sit in a sports arena all day listening to bible talks and counsel from men in suits.. but at some point, did you ever start to feel like you were participating in a cultural relic, so to speak?.
as in, "here it is, the 1990's, and the society is still using fundamentally the same old format they've been using all century long.
I wonder if the Society would be into doing a TV station, because it would tend to make it look more like other religions.
At a glance, will someone flipping through the stations be able to tell Brother TV Speaker apart from a regular TV evangelist? Maybe if it's the shout-and-weep Pentecostal type, but not necessarily other denominations.
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i was thinking about this in several areas today.. 1) district conventions and house-to-house work.
if you were a witness for a long time, you probably remember a time when going to the conventions seemed perfectly "normal" to you: it was absolutely "the thing" to sit in a sports arena all day listening to bible talks and counsel from men in suits.. but at some point, did you ever start to feel like you were participating in a cultural relic, so to speak?.
as in, "here it is, the 1990's, and the society is still using fundamentally the same old format they've been using all century long.
I was thinking about this in several areas today.
1) District conventions and house-to-house work
If you were a Witness for a long time, you probably remember a time when going to the conventions seemed perfectly "normal" to you: it was absolutely "the thing" to sit in a sports arena all day listening to Bible talks and counsel from men in suits.
But at some point, did you ever start to feel like you were participating in a cultural relic, so to speak?
As in, "Here it is, the 1990's, and the Society is still using fundamentally the same old format they've been using all century long. No nods to technology or people's different ways of processing information today: just the same old message in the same old package."
I got that feeling. And I also got it eventually in the door-to-door work: something that had passed its best-before date and now felt more like participating in a historical reenactment. No more being invited in, rarely a magazine placement (let alone a book or a Bible study), and even if someone did achieve something, you got the feeling the householder wasn't nearly as interested as we liked to think they might be. Whereas I remember having a very different feeling about door-to-door in the 1970's and 1980's.
2) Field service
You know how the joys of sacred service are just supposed to increase as you do more in God's work? It kind of ended up the reverse for me.
In the years after my baptism, I typically stayed well ahead of the congregation average hours. But I only auxiliary pioneered once, under pressure because all the ministerial servants and elders were "supposed" to do it one April. So I ran all over the place getting my time in that month--and after that, I never recorded more than 10 hours in service again. The juice just went out of the experience for me. I was already having some doubts at the time of auxiliary pioneering, and I found I didn't like all the "stretching" that went on among the pioneers to get their time in (of course I worked a lot with them that month).
Has anyone else had similar feelings or experiences?
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i recently obtained a copy of the april 1, 2001 watchtower and felt moved to comment on the fine spiritual food provided therein.. consider the title of the magazine: "the kingdom good new--is it for you?".
this certainly reflects the admonition we receive in the theocratic ministry school to avoid using "theocratic jargon" in the field ministry.
undoubtedly householders will immediately grasp what the "kingdom good news" is, and they will sense the need to adjust their dress and grooming to more closely follow the 2,000-year-old model of the apostle peter and the three other israelites on the cover.
I recently obtained a copy of the April 1, 2001 Watchtower and felt moved to comment on the fine spiritual food provided therein.
Consider the title of the magazine: "The Kingdom Good New--Is It For You?"
This certainly reflects the admonition we receive in the Theocratic Ministry School to avoid using "theocratic jargon" in the field ministry. Undoubtedly householders will immediately grasp what the "Kingdom Good News" is, and they will sense the need to adjust their dress and grooming to more closely follow the 2,000-year-old model of the apostle Peter and the three other Israelites on the cover. A catchy opener!
Here are some more highlights:
Page 3: "Those doing this worldwide preaching and teaching work are all volunteers. From a secular point of view, they may appear to be ill-qualified for the task."
An interesting point, considering the introduction discusses the 700 million pieces of printed material and thousands of audiocassettes and videocassettes Jehovah's Witnesses distributed over the last service year. Should not the high quality of such materials make all Witnesses WELL-qualified? And if so, why does the secular point of view make them appear ill-qualified?
Pages 6 and 7 contain many fine points that all readers would do well to take to heart, applying them no matter what their religious background might be.
"[Rather] than expecting a miraculous revelation from God, why not look at the matter objectively?"
Indeed!
"Ask yourself: 'Do I really know what God's wil is regarding mankind and the earth? What proof can I offer to substantiate my beliefs?'"
Hmmm...
"You have nothing to lose from examining your religious beliefs this way. In fact, you should want to do so..."
Really!
Further on in the magazine, paragraph 16 of the study article "True Christianity Prevails!" states: "The preaching of the good news is directed and backed by Jehovah God and his powerful angels. By just making ourselves available, unexpected opportunities to make disciples sometimes arise. In Nairobia, Kenya, two Christian women in field service had finished working the houses assigned to them. A young woman suddenly approached them and excitedly said: 'I've been praying to meet someone like you.' She implored the Witnesses to come to her home immediately for a discussion, and a Bible study was started with her that very day. Why did the woman approach the two Christians with such urgency? About two weeks earlier, she had lost her baby in death. So when she saw a youngster carrying the tract 'What Hope for Dead Loved Ones?" she wanted it desperately and asked the boy to give it to her. He refused, but pointed to the Witnesses who had given him the tract. Soon the woman was making fine spiritual progress and was better able to cope with the painful loss of her child."
This account clearly demonstrates angelic intervention. Some might reason on matters from a worldly standpoint, saying: "Well, the woman was in great emotional pain and was ready to reach out for anything that might help to alleviate it. She just happened to see the Witnesses, and of course the idea of seeing her child in Paradise sounded very comforting." But should we even contemplate such a possibility? Far from it!
The article "Do You Feel Misunderstood?" contains many valuable reminders. It is certainly to be hoped that the Governing Body considered the article carefully prior to approving its publication, and that they would support the application of its counsel to both themselves and ALL whom they might come in contact with.
Finally, I enjoyed the life story of Sister Melba Barry, the Australian wife of the Governing Body member Brother Lloyd Barry.
Consider the following expression of loving concern and care from Jehovah's spirit-begotten organization, in a passage dealing with the couple's missionary service in Japan:
"[On] one of his visits to Tokyo, Nathan H. Knorr from world headquarters said to me: 'By the way, do you know where your husband is going on his next zone trip? Australia and New Zealand.' He added: 'You can go, too, if you pay your own way.' What excitement! After all, it had been nine years since we left home."
I believe this passage speaks for itself.
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