Never more than a baptized publisher, but I was used for microphone handling, the literature counter and as attendant. Never gave more than no. 4 talks, but was used for reading at the bookstudy so I was an unofficial assistant there (sometimes I even got to take the lead when it was our turn to clean the KH, great--not really), and also prayed at the theocratic school and service meeting. Although I never got any "position", I'm sure I could gotten them if I wanted it. You just have to be willing to work the system. Get your quota of hours, study all the JW dogma, and emit an ambience of piety. You might have to participate in a little elder politics too, but otherwise no problem if you can stomach that kind of life.
maxwell
JoinedPosts by maxwell
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34
Getting Baptized, did you really want to, or did you feel extreme pressure?
by run dont walk ini was never baptized, but boy did i feel the pressure ....... what are you waiting for ???
don't you love jehovah ???
(i was in my late teens and brought up in the borg)
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maxwell
I didn't really feel pressured. I was 12 years old. My parents had done a very good job of immersing me in JW rhetoric. That was the only way I knew how to look at the world--the only paradigm I had. I remember when I was 7, my dad suggested that I join the school. And when I was 8 I started doing my own simple presentations. When I was 9 or 10, probably 10, I don't remember whether it was suggested to me that I might become an unbaptized publisher, but I do remember one of the questions was, "Are you doing this because your morther or elder father told you to do this?" The correct answer was no. In our family study, which we had regularly, my father did express his desire that one day we would become JW. But he never gave a time table and neither of my parents ever pressured or even suggested to us individually that we get baptized. I basically believed the JW philosophy myself, because that was the only philosophy I knew. And there was an article in a Watchtower that kind of motivated to go ahead and do what I always knew I was going to do anyway. I was 12 at the time and I decided at that young age, that I knew what my life was going to be so I might as well go ahead get with it. I knew what was right and there was no excuse for not doing it. Of course, I was wrong, as I had never considered any other path in life. Although I was too young to decide something that serious, I do remember some JW rhetoric for pressuring your children to pioneer. Some parents pressure their children to become doctors or musicians and start grooming them for this as soon as they are born. And now I think of some monarchs. I suppose if its just your profession, sometimes its not so bad, but in other cases, you realize that your path in life has been predetermined by someone else and it starts to bother you.
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Are you REALLY sure?
by Dawn inwhen i was one of jehovah's witnesses i was absolutely sure i had the truth.
so sure i would have been willing to sacrifice anything for my beliefs.
i worked hard at study, meetings, service - even aux.
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maxwell
Yes I'm pretty sure, but I'm aware that can be deceived. Right now, I don't see any conclusive evidence that there is a God. But I could be wrong. Maybe one day some supernatural being will come tell me, "you were wrong." But right now, I'm comfortable with what I believe, and even more so with what I just don't know. It's not necessary that I spend my whole life trying to know things that are perhaps unknowable. My life can be fullfilling without that. I feel that I have put enough effort into trying to find this being that so many other people seem to feel is there. If he is there, perhaps he's having a bit of fun with us by giving us the ability to reason and letting some of us run around do crazy things. I'm enjoying my short time here nonetheless, actually more now that I'm not so preoccupied with knowing this alleged being.
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9
What did you miss out on most, because you were stuck in JW land ???
by run dont walk in.
could of been as a child, teenanger, adult,anytime in your life, did you feel that being a jw (or jw parents) prevented you from doing things you really wanted to do.
why does the watchtower find it necessary to "rob" people of being human and enjoy things in life ??
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maxwell
I'm not sure what I missed out on most. At this moment, what strikes me is the fact that I filtered almost all ideas through JW belief systems. So that limits creativity, possibilities and the extent of ideas. I happened to come up after the JW decided to stop taking such a hard line on University education. So I was fortunate enough to get an electrical engineering degree. But what would I have done if I had not been trying to stuff this into the JW lifestyle. What would I have chosen to do if I had actually considered all of my options. Maybe I would expanded my major and went after other things I wanted to do.
As for differences, I could see differences even in different congregations. I would occasionally go several days without shaving, walk into the hall, and someone would grab me for microphone duty, and no one ever told me to stop helping behind the literature counter because of this, but I know other congregations were strict about this. After the society stopped taking a hardline on University education, I mostly got positive feedback from people in my congregation when they heard that I was going to college, but my wife, who's still a JW btw, told she still heard harsh words about that from the platform in the congregation she used to go to, and she actually would try to avoid letting people know about this because she knew the attitude toward this that still existed there.
Believe it or not, I remember some talk or article counseling elders about making rules out of things that are "suggested" in the Watchtower or other publications. Of course, you could argue, how can you tell what is a "suggestion" and what is "law." You could also argue that the JW powers may be spinning a bit of double talk there.
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Do you have any musical talent?
by sandy in.
do you play an instrument; do you sing or write music?.
just wondering.
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maxwell
I've replied to question like this before, but I'll do it again.
I play the alto saxophone mostly. I played a lot in high school. And I was part of a JW band when I was in and when I lived with parents. We played mostly R&B and blues oldies at weddings and anniversaries and a few general 'gatherings'. After not playing much while going through college, I started taking lessons recently learning jazz which has always been my favorite genre of music. My teacher plays with a professional swing band. They play mostly at dances around the area. But they have started doing a few jazz gigs where dancing isn't so much emphasized and I was allowed to sit in on one song recently, so that was really cool. I may build up the nerve to go some of the jazz jam sessions some day.
I also play around with the piano some. I bought a digital piano in the past month, but that's mostly for my own enjoyment. I might eventually get into playing the saxophone more publicly, but don't really have those aspirations for the piano.
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maxwell
I just got Crisis of Conscience earlier this week. I've read through chapter 3 and into chapter 4. Franz says the GB made many decisions with little or no scriptural basis or applied some broad scripture in a specific sense. Also interesting is how many disfellowshipping policies were upheld because 'that's how it has always been.'
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9
No. 1 annoyance in their lives!
by Joyzabel in"this is the core of the whole privacy issue.
people tell me this is the no.
1 annoyance in their lives.
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maxwell
I have caller ID. So whenever I see a private number or a number that doesn't come up, I simply don't answer. That's my screening. If it is a legitimate call, my answering machine works fine for taking the message. That's my method of dealing with telemarketers. Of course, these new gadgets are a cool way to deal with it too, but I was thinking of another low tech way people could try to keep their phone quiet during dinner. They could unplug the phone or turn off the ringer. When I take my cell phone out to movies or concerts, I always turn it off or turn it on vibrate. The same can be done with your home phone. Most friends will know you are unavailable during dinner. If they don't, they can call later if it is important. All the communications technology we have is nice and allows us to be connected 24 hours a day, but it's okay to disconnect if you want quiet for some period of time.
As far as the JW annoyance, I guess I've been lucky. I live in an 8 story apartment building with controlled access. I haven't had a knock from a JW in the year since I left the JW and I moved shortly after I left, so it's not as if the locals know where I live. If they have called, they were probably using a private number, the kind of calls I ignore. I remember on one of the few times I participated in telephone witnessing, they always blocked their number unless calling at the Kingdom Hall. I think some ever blocked when calling from the KH.
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Happy to be Living Now
by dobby ini just finished watching a movie called far from heaven set in the 1950's.
i can't help but think about how the wt always taught us how terrible the world was getting with each successive generation -that the past was better then the present.
well, i for one, would much rather live in the present.. maybe there was less crime in times past, maybe people were more polite and gracious, maybe life was a little slower, less stressful.
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maxwell
I have to agree. I'm happy to be living now. There are things that are better now. There are things that are worse now. Whether the world is in total better or worse is debatable. However, I'm quite content living with the advantages and disadvantages we have now than the advantages and disadvantages that existed 40 or 50 years ago.
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Is it OK for men to cry?
by JH inis it wrong for a man to cry when he feels pain, either physical or emotional pain.
we all know that women cry when they become emotional, but for a man, is it appropriate or not appropriate to cry.
is it seen as weakness for a man to cry?
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maxwell
Perhaps a more interesting question is why is it "OK" for men to rage, but not to cry.
That might be a more interesting question. Personally, I think allowing any emotion to go unchecked is not good, whether it's sadness, anger or even happiness. There's a healthy balanced way to express them. In my experience, people justify women's rage and tantrums at least as much as men's. If a woman feels offended by something a man says and throws her drink on him or slaps him, it usually goes unchecked. There are healthy ways to express or release emotions without assaulting or harming another person or their property. Further, crying indefinitely is not a healthy expression of sadness, even when no one else is depending on you. At some point, the tears have to end and you have to move on with your life. Just my view.
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Did you really want to start a bible study?
by JH ingoing door to door is an obligation in the jw's.
giving a bible study isn't.
you can ask people if they want to study the bible with you, but few are those who will accept.. there is lots of work and research to be made in order to answer all kinds of questions when a person is interested in a bible study.
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maxwell
When I was a full-fledged believer, I actually did to some extent. The work was kind of intimidating, but the thought of teaching someone watching them change their life did kind of intrigue me. I never did have a Bible study till about a year before I left and I always kind of felt a little bad about never having had a Bible study. I think I even prayed for one. The one I finally got was a young high school student. He wasn't particularly sophisticated, so no difficult Bible debates there. However, I don't think he was ever too much interested in it although he went along with it for a while. He was living with his grandfather who seemed happy to have him doing the study. But he had an older sister whom I never saw, but I got the feeling was not particularly in support of it. I gave him a NWT Bible. A few weeks later I come by and he has a brand new KJV Bible given him by his sister who has told him that is a good Bible. Eventually, he breaks off the study, which in retrospect, I am glad he did.