by UpAndAtom 15 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
I was just discussing this with my husband. In my congo. You wouldn't find yourself a spirtual husband if you didn't highlight your Watchtower.
When I got married I was so happy to find out my husband didn't make highlighting a priority but wathcing videos or Saturday night live was done instead the night before.
Now we don't highlight anything.....lol
Loosie (from the non-highlighting class)
I treated it like I would any college course. I read every paragraph, every scripture reference (sometimes comparing multiple Bible translations), and hightlighted key points in different colors--so they would stand out in my attention when I was brain dead at the meeting but still wanted to comment. I sometimes wrote related scriptures or related ideas on the page to share and incorporate into my comments.
One of my best 'tricks' for studying was to let my study with my young kids be MY study. Doing it out loud and having to actively take the language of the paragraphs and put it into simpler terms young kids could relate to and understand actually helped sink the information further down into my heart/ brain. [Yes--I was the one who studied with my boys, not my ex-husband whose responsibility it supposedly was.]
Yep. I applied myself to meeting preparation every bit as dillegently as if my livelihood depended on it. [According to them, my and my kids' spiritual livelihood did!]
Oh, yes, and I would start physically preparing myself and the kids and bookbags and diaperbags and any other pertinent materials three hours ahead of the time we needed to leave. So even though they claim it's only about 5 hours out of your life to attend all weekly meetings, this doesn't take into consideration the hours spent studying and physically prepping and travelling--and recuperating, since it took a physical toll to keep up with this and LIFE as well!
How does a typical JW that has been in the organization many years prepare for a typical Sunday meeting? What happens if they don't?
A double scotch neat seemed to work best for me. If I didn't do this, it was harder to fall asleep.
Thanks for sharing everyone. It seems the highlighting is one of the things that this religion should be know for. I am unaware of any other group or organization that expects members to highlight magazines. Since it seems expected, you would think they would provide space in and around the magazine text to fill-in-the-answers. What's next; hand your magazines in at the end of a meeting to get corrected?
So what happens when a non-JW shows up spontaneously at a Kingdom Hall? Wouldn't they be completely out of place and have no idea what's going on (since they have not studied)? It doesn't seem to leave room for non-JW's to enter a discussion... does it?
Using highlighters to study is not unusual. When I was going to college, highlighters were in vogue.
The difference is they did not highlight the whole paragraph. Of course, they weren't dealing with "spiritual food" from God, that is the WT not the bible.
I still use a highlighter for those phrases and sentences that stand out in the swill that the WTS passes off as knowledge from God.
But I use a pencil to circle the real plums.
Much as I used to do but now different words stand out.
I can remember looking over and seeing that someone had underlined the whole paragraph..............or had nothing marked...............or didn't notice they had the wrong rag...woops, mag.
I could tell when the conductor was looking at the article for the first time as he read the title and the theme scripture. I remember one conductor that had a different issue than the rest of us (Blondie did that once, reviewed a week ahead). I could tell when the WT reader was either a last minute replacement or had not practiced outloud.
How about the people who didn't even have a copy as they entered the KH and got an extra copy from the attendant. Had they placed it by mistake, couldn't find it at home, never gotten one in the first place at the literature counter.
Remember when the bible floppy disks first came out and enterprising JWs looked them up in advance and printed out copies for others, even made large print copies for the older JWs? Some even posted them on the internet but have been all chased off by the WTS. I was bad and continued to make lists for myself despite the following:
*** km 11/99 p. 5 pars. 19-23 Use of the Internet—Be Alert to the Dangers! ***
Others will post all the scriptures for an upcoming Watchtower Study or provide source material for the Theocratic Ministry School or the Congregation Book Study. Some may offer suggestions for field ministry presentations. Are such really helpful?
For example, when looking up scriptures in your own copy of the Bible, you can briefly review the context of each scripture. You can ‘trace all things with accuracy,’ as did Luke when he wrote his Gospel. (Luke 1:3) The extra effort will also help you to be skillful in looking up scriptures in the ministry and when giving talks. Many have stated that they are impressed with Jehovah’s Witnesses because they know how to use their Bibles. The only way that this can apply to us is if we make it a practice personally to look up scriptures in our own Bibles.
*** w02 6/15 p. 15 par. 14 Follow the Royal Pattern ***
And rather than read from a computer screen or printout, she had the Bible in her hands.
*** km 9/00 p. 3 Question Box ***
When the speaker reads selected scriptures, he does so directly from the Bible, not from a computer-generated printout.
*** km 9/95 p. 6 par. 8 Maintaining a Balanced View of Computer Technology ***
What about the distribution of computer printouts of scriptures used in the Watchtower Study or in the Congregation Book Study? Well, it may be preferable for publishers to make their individual notes and markings right in the Bible and the publications being studied. At the meeting, use of computer printouts of Scripture texts that are cited in the publications could discourage use of the Bible itself in finding scriptures. Yet looking up Scripture texts during a Bible study or at a congregation meeting is part of the training received, equipping us for effective use of the Bible in the field ministry. In most instances, and especially with longer quotations, reading directly from the Bible is more effective, particularly when the audience is encouraged to follow along in the Bible.
