...and had it printed, perhaps?
Just wondering. What's the process on doing this anyway? Do you have to be a baptized JW?
Has anyone ever submitted a "Question from Readers"?
by M.J. 23 Replies latest jw experiences
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under_believer
LOL, "Questions From Readers" is obviously manufactured. It's either used as a teaching tool (in which case the question is completely made up out of thin air, written by someone in the Writing Department) or in some cases a synthesis of many letters the Society receives. Simply scanning the past questions will convince you of this beyond any shadow of a doubt.
I'm not even certain the "Letters" section is real, though it's possible. -
Mary
I don't think you have to be baptized, but don't expect them to print your question automatically. I wrote the numbskulls about 10 years ago asking them why it was okay to celebrate the anniversary of your marriage, but not the anniversary of your birth as neither are mentioned in the bible as being celebrated by either the Israelites or the first century congregation.
Needless to say, I never got an answer and it wasn't printed in QFR either. Big surprise.
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nvrgnbk
LOL, "Questions From Readers" is obviously manufactured. It's either used as a teaching tool (in which case the question is completely made up out of thin air, written by someone in the Writing Department) or in some cases a synthesis of many letters the Society receives. Simply scanning the past questions will convince you of this beyond any shadow of a doubt.
100% true. It would appear that some are meant to quell divisions within the Writing Dept. itself because no publisher in the real world could even dream up questions for some of the absurdly irrelevent wastings of ink and paper they call answers.
Nvr
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willyloman
Many years ago, I worked in "News Service" upstairs at a summer convention. My job was to go into the locker room with the just-baptized males and ask them if the circumstances under which they "came in the truth" were at all unusual or newsworthy. If I uncovered what sounded like an interesting experience, I was to make an appointment with the fellow and he'd come upstairs that afternoon or the next day and I'd interview him at length. Then I'd write their story and these would be collected and sent off to Brooklyn to the writing department. The best experiences, I was told, would be used in a Watchtower magazine at some future point (or perhaps an Awake, I can't recall - this was 25 years ago or more).
Skip forward several months. The magazine comes out. I examine it carefully to see if any of "my" experiences were used. At first glance, it didn't appear they had used any of mine (I assume other district conventions were also providing reports). Then, on reading more carefully, I noted two of the experiences were in fact based on my reports... but they had changed them dramatically!
After that, I never looked at Questions from Reader's or anything else in the magazines without recalling that they use a great deal of "literary license" in the retelling of stories.
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M.J.
Interesting find.
I was looking at the WT CD and noticed that prior to 1972, the initials of the inquirer (made up or real?) is printed, along with the country he/she lives in.
example:
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w71 1/1 p.32 Questions From Readers***
What is the meaning of the prophecy: "As for your old men, dreams they will dream. As for your young men, visions they will see"?—D.A.,U.S.A.
Starting in 1972, the initials of the inquirer were dropped on all QFRs, but the country of origin was retained.
example:
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w72 1/1 p.31 Questions From Readers***
Do homosexual acts on the part ofa married person constitute a Scriptural ground for divorce, freeing the innocent mate to remarry?—U.S.A.
Starting intermittently in 1974 and totally in 1975, neither country or initials were included with the question, which continues to this day.
example:
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w75 4/15 p.255 Questions From Readers***
Do Jehovah’s witnesses feel that it is proper to consult a psychiatrist?
So perhaps the title, "Questions from Readers" is now a bit deceptive?
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stillajwexelder
about 18 months ago there was a thread entitled "Questions from Readers or Questions from Writers" Ray Franz also discusses it in Crisis of Conscience. Quite often they are not genuine queestions just the Slaves way of giving counsel
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ninja
If you listen to Bill Cetnar on his 3rd tape...he tells you he wrote to the society about the question "can you give your pet a blood transfusion"? and it got printed in a watchtower 2/15/1964 questions from readers...he says it actually got his sister in law out of the witnesses
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veradico
When I first began questioning things, I sent in a few questions since the publications did not seem to address a lot of the things I was curious about. Most of my questions they refused to answer, but they advised the elders to speak to me because my questions indicated that I was in trouble spiritually.
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IsaacJS2
My wife wrote a letter to the Society a while back. She was DFed for 2-3 years and it was during that time. They actually quoted her in the WT, but they changed her name. It was only several months after she'd written it. I think the article had something to do with people who'd been DFed and how they should keep trying to get reinstated, but I won't swear to that. She felt abandoned because the Elders kept dragging their heels about getting her reinstated--they admitted she was ready to be reconsidered months ago, but had just never gotten around to it.
It must suck when others live and die--spiritually speaking--at your whim, huh?
Maybe I can ask her for the article tomorrow sometime and tell you which one it is.
IsaacJ