It needs to be remembered that Watchtowerism is a religion-by-rote. It consists of study and study only. At the WT study you study what the "latest" teaching to come off the printing press assembly line is. At the Ministry school you study HOW to preach, and at the SM you study WHAT to preach that particular week. The BS and PT are the same : You study. Read underline answer. Read underline answer. In an endless mind-numbing process of servitude. This ensures that every WT follower is a clone of WT HQ. A WT follower, whether he is in Alaska, or Zaire, must answer EXACTLY the same as the WT demands. This can only be ensured by a rigorous regimen of STUDY!!
Of course, this then means that WTism is NOT a religion of worship, despite the protestations of the WTS that study IS worship. This of course is absurd because, study, whether individual or communal is designed to benefit ourselves only. Worship on the other hand, stimulates a need to reach out to God.
The Book of Acts at 2:42 tells us of the four elements that constituted early Christian Worship: " [The Christians] devoted themselves to: 1:the teaching of the apostles 2:fellowship 3:breaking of bread 4:prayer " As can be seen, the first bit was not part of a "study" program since no one asked stipulated questions and no one vounteered prepared answers. However, it does emphasize that "Teaching" [rather than study] is a necessary ingredient of Christian worship, that is why "teaching" is a gift of the Spirit and not study.
The "Fellowship" mentioned here may have included the "breaking of bread" or it may have constituted a seperate function, such as singing of hymns [Eph 5:19] Whether music was supplied, or if the singing was "a capella" we don't know but as can be seen it formed a primary element of worship.
The breaking of bread is almost universally accepted by commentators as meaning the Lord's Supper Commemoration, although the WTS will disagree because they insist on an empty once-a-year celebration.
Prayer was a real element of worship as well. Not just at opening and closing of meetings. But it was spontaneous, and could be dispersed throughout the service.
In this atmosphere of communal spontaneity, the WTS finds no place, and that is the primary reason so much of their singing comes out as so flat. I swear that one of the songs from the songbook of the 60-70s had a melody that reminded me of this:"Oh dear what can the matter be, three old ladies locked in the lavatory"
Cheers
