Posts by Franklin Massey

61

Wow, This is Getting Tougher!

by Franklin Massey in

jw
friends

i'm having a really hard time giving my meeting parts.

i had a service meeting part this week and i could hardly get through it.

i am no longer convinced of some of the things jws teach and so i try to either eliminate those things from my parts, or reword them so that i'm not speaking about that which i do not personally believe.

Franklin Massey

Bro. Dan. Thank you for sharing. SBC and trueone, thank you for the direct questions/comments.

I'm not a faithful follower of this religion. Unfortunately, the WT doesn't allow one to bow out gracefully if they disagree with certain aspects of the religion. Both sides of my JW family (mine and my wife's) have been facing a lot of difficulty over the last couple of years. Sickness, injury, depression, family issues, economic troubles. In addition, my little congregation is in need of assistance. We have an aging servant body and a declining population. My wife and I have been fortunate to not be personally affected by any recent catastrophe. Our family and friends turn to us for support. I do not want to be a cause of stress, worry, and confusion to an already vulnerable bunch. I don't want to let my sisters and brothers down either. I do not mean this next comment in a boastful way: I have a good speaking and teaching ability. I handle at least one meeting part per week and do a lot of the behind-the-scenes work in the congregation. I love everyone too much to let them down and hurt them all right now. Although I would like to fade, I have yet to devise a working plan. Also, in my position, I have the ability to help others either wake up or gain comfort from some of the heavier elements of JW life. In JW world, I'm playing a role. This is the game I've decided to play. It's not an easy one. The more I study and research, the harder it all becomes as the truth about the Truth grows more apparent.

I'm not going to laundry list my personal beliefs here. I'll spare you that. My question is, who has had success at juggling a "loss of religion" if you will, with everything else that goes along with the busy and intricately woven JW routine?

Maybe stepping down is the answer. But before I do that, I would like to weigh any other viable options.

61

Wow, This is Getting Tougher!

by Franklin Massey in

jw
friends

i'm having a really hard time giving my meeting parts.

i had a service meeting part this week and i could hardly get through it.

i am no longer convinced of some of the things jws teach and so i try to either eliminate those things from my parts, or reword them so that i'm not speaking about that which i do not personally believe.

Franklin Massey

I'm having a really hard time giving my meeting parts. I had a Service Meeting part this week and I could hardly get through it. I am no longer convinced of some of the things JWs teach and so I try to either eliminate those things from my parts, or reword them so that I'm not speaking about that which I do not personally believe. The problem arises when I get too comfortable on the stage. I almost slipped and gave what would have been a controversial personal opinion. When I tried to correct myself, I reverted back to uber-JW speak and started on about doctrine and promises that I don't personally believe in.

Prayers are getting tougher too.

I practice in advance but it keeps happening.

Any advice from Brothers who have been in a similar situation? Practical advice, please. I know what some will say, "Step down and fade out." That is not something I'm going to do right now.

29

Did you make very good comments at the Kingdom Hall?

by Iamallcool in

did you study beforehand?

alot?

did you only "study" while you are reading the paragraphs during the wt study and still make great comments?.

Franklin Massey

If I have time, or if I have to conduct, I'll study. I give darn good comments

Here's something I enjoy doing that livens up the meetings for me: I'm known for giving mostly the secondary comments or the elaborating comments. The conductors know this and often use the time during my comment to prepare what they are going to say next. So, every once in a while, I throw a really short comment in.

"So what are some ways we can we sure of Jehovah's love? Bro. Massey..."

"Jesus."

*awkward pause*

"Errrrr. OK. What are some other ways?"

8

A good speaker, teacher, etc.

by free2beme in

jw
friends

answer this and think about it .... if i was an amazing speaker, and taught in ways you never saw before and touched your heart deeply.

how would you explain to others if you had, no internet, no phone, no usps and the roads were nothing more then dirt paths between locations.

also, keep in mind that the people you tell it to are unable to read or write and have to share what you said from their own memories and only after days had passed or longer.

Franklin Massey

Good point. Even with the abundance of ways to verify accounts today, many still get twisted. Imagine the lack of control over stories back then.

Let me play, pardon the expression, Devil's Advocate, and give this reply, "But we know the accounts about Jesus are accurate because the Bible is God's Word. Holy Spirit both directed its writing and protected its accuracy down to our day."

29

Have you ever thought about, what is nothing? If you did, did it make your head hurt?

by miseryloveselders in

jw
friends

as a born in jw, i've always believed that jehovah had no beginning per say.

at the same time i've had the house and watch having a creator argument stamped within my brain for use against evolutionists.

some days its difficult rationalising god's existance as having always been, with everything else needing to be created by him.

Franklin Massey

Totally blows my mind and I love it. Greek spiritual thinkers and the Vedics used to meditate on what God is until they could process no more. The goal was to get to that big, empty, undefinable place where your mind is blown wide open. That point of acknowledgment of not knowing was where they said we are closest to God. After reading about this practice of meditational discipline, and trying it for myself, I've never been able to go back to the JW definition of God. Come to think of it, I can't land on any defintion of God. It's a wonderful feeling.

35

Do not let work get in the way of pioneering

by life is to short in

the april 15th wt is strange and it just throws things in here and there that are kind of out of sort.

i think it sticks in your mind more like hey i probably should pioneer when they throw things in that are kind of in left feild.. like this example on pages 16 and 17 it is talking about making decisions and in paragraph 15 it says "for example a congregation publisher might decide to pioneer.

will he succeed?

Franklin Massey

Pirata, thanks for the excerpts. Just another example of the Society toying with the rank and file's expectations.

35

Do not let work get in the way of pioneering

by life is to short in

the april 15th wt is strange and it just throws things in here and there that are kind of out of sort.

i think it sticks in your mind more like hey i probably should pioneer when they throw things in that are kind of in left feild.. like this example on pages 16 and 17 it is talking about making decisions and in paragraph 15 it says "for example a congregation publisher might decide to pioneer.

will he succeed?

Franklin Massey

Don't even get me started on people milking the system! We had a low income family in our hall that encouraged their adult children who lived at home not to work because if they did, the rent would go up. They worked menial, low wage, low hour jobs so that they would stay under the government maximum income for their household. They got food stamps, clothing vouchers, low rent, free utilities - more than many harder working families could afford. They spent the extra they made on video games and computers.

20

Getting Crisis of Conscience

by d in

jw
friends

i will be getting crisis of conscience real soon.

.

Franklin Massey

Depends on your level of involvement with the Society. For me it was a total game-changer.

35

Do not let work get in the way of pioneering

by life is to short in

the april 15th wt is strange and it just throws things in here and there that are kind of out of sort.

i think it sticks in your mind more like hey i probably should pioneer when they throw things in that are kind of in left feild.. like this example on pages 16 and 17 it is talking about making decisions and in paragraph 15 it says "for example a congregation publisher might decide to pioneer.

will he succeed?

Franklin Massey

None gave us a dime for gas but spent tons of money on junk food while in service.

I understand your frustration. What did you expect, though? Pioneers should be happy to work full time in the ministry with no reward or compensation. Their reward is knowing that God is happy with them and that Paradise awaits, right? Griping over gas money is trivial. Although the actions of the non-givers were inconsiderate, this is a reality for many pioneers and sometimes it breeds an ugly quality in full time minsters, that of feeling entitled to something from others (I'm not accusing you of this extreme attitude. Your post just reminded of how bad it can get). I have always disliked the attitude of certain pioneers, that being, "We're doing the most important work in the universe so those who can't do as much as us should support us financially." In my area, we had a pioneer family of four who looked for handouts from their JW friends. They barely worked, lived with family members, and spoke against those who would purchase new cars or homes. "We're so close to the end! Why would anyone who fully trusts in Jehovah want to make a purchase like that?" They all pioneered but didn't really have enough money to do so. To make ends meet, they would remind the friends of their family size, the sacrifices they make for the ministry, and how hard it is to keep their kids in nice meeting clothes on such a small budget. In turn, generous friends would hand them money, buy them groceries, or take them out to eat. Problem is, we live in an economically challenged area. The friends generosity couldn't go on forever. When the handouts dried up, the family would begin the critical comments against those who they assumed had money that they weren't sharing. Eventually, they would get offended and switch halls and start the routine all over again. They're on their 5th congregation in 20 years.

Articles like the one mentioned above make the crazies even crazier. "I'm broke and should probably get a better job or some additional training but, WAIT! What's this? The WT says that true success comes when you don't let stupid jobs and worldly responsibilities get in your way. God will give me what I need if I pioneer! I hear assembly parts all the time about magic grocery deliveries and unexpected envelopes of money that arrive just in time for those who put spiritual things first." Those who believe in Pioneer Miracles usually burn out fast. Then begins the vicious cycle of self doubt and wondering if God is disappointed in you because you couldn't succeed in the Most Important Work in the Universe.

9

Questions about The Garden of Eden - Found nr. Rashaya, Lebanon

by paygan in

my name's paul and i'm carrying out important work to show and share with the world the location of real garden of eden and central site of the agricultural (neolithic) revolution.

i led the field walk there in november 2009 and saw the damage being inflicted and the urgent need for protection by getting world heritage site status, requiring public support and official investigation.. http://www.paygan.com/eden/images/500/kharsagpanorama.jpg - the garden of eden (kharsag) - panorama.

this location of the site was comprehensively mapped out by christian o'brien in his 1985 book, "the genius of the few" where he identified it through descriptions given in the earliest nippur tablets (the barton cylinder, etc), atrahasis and the book of enoch, along with other mentions in the bible, the book of jubilees, the koran etc.

Franklin Massey

I found a piece of Noah's Ark in my backyard. I'm selling it on eBay along with a tiny bottle full of real Holy Spirit and a tent stake that I'm 99% sure has been pierced through some ancient gentials if anyone is interested.