Its not just answering questions that is not allowed, but also offering up and tying in material not explicitly covered in the study material presented. One of my relatives is quite irritated that he's been put on restriction to not answer any questions for doing just that.
Don't ask questions
by linp24 24 Replies latest watchtower bible
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Heaven
That's right. No questions, no discussions, no thinking.
If this doesn't scream CULT, then nothing does.
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WTWizard
If you ask questions about the validity of whatever the Filthful and Disgraceful Slavebugger or the hounders tell you instead of blindly obeying, you are an "apostate".
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tinker
Nugget has it right, Questioning is not an aspect of JW culture. So much so that most conductors do not recognize a question as language. Often dead air is the only answer.
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OUTLAW
Asking Questions,means your Thinking..
Thinking!!..
.......................... ...OUTLAW
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BluesBrother
I can remember as a youngster we would often raise questions at the Tuesday Group Study..The Conductor would answer it if he felt OK with it or throw it open for discussion and if necessary we would all agree to go home and look it up and , yes we returned to it next week. Things have changed...
Oops...they don't even have Group Studies Any more !
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Farkel
It's not the questions as much as what they see as your motive for asking the questions. This of course means that those WT leaders must have ESP in order to determine whether your motive is a good one or a bad one. Since we all know they don't have ESP, then they just get to make up shit about your motives. Same thing goes on in a Judicial Hearing.
The question itself is really not relevant.
Jehovah's Witnesses are the most judgmental twits in the human race.
Farkel
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leec
I wish I could understand the discrepancies between what I read here and I what I am told by T when I have asked her about how things work. I actually did ask her a few weeks ago this exact question -- if people at the meetings are allowed to ask questions, and she said something to the effect that - yes, of course they are ... her mother asks questions all the time and no one ever gets upset.
Aside from just being lied to, I suppose it does depend a lot on the type of question she inferred. Is it a probing question, a rhetorical question, a question which confirms or expands on the statement being questioned, etc. I assume the probing questions are the one's that get people into trouble, and I guess that's not what T inferred I was talking about when I said "questions".
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choosing life
I remember a when a couple came to the meeting from out of town. They were relatives of an elder and the woman raised her hand to answer during the watchtower study. The conductor called on her and she took the scripture quoted in the paragraph and showed why it had been misapplied.
All eyes were on her. The crazyiest part is that she raised her hand again later and the conductor called on her again. She gave the "wrong" answer again and then the conductor refused to call on her again. I bet he got an earful after the meeting from the other elders for letting her speak twice.
The meetings are NOT a place to ask questions. They have even used Paul's scripture about a woman remaining quiet and to question their husband privately to emphasize this. If you want to test out whether asking questions is ok at the meetings, try it a few times.
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HappyGuy
Here is a question that I asked when the new "voluntary" contribution arrangement was announced:
Elder announces 'arrangement': "We will no longer charge for literature, literature will be paid for by voluntary donations. When you pick up the literature you are required to calculate what the cost of the literature would have been if you had been charged for it and then make a 'voluntary' contribution in the contribution box".
Me: "So, let me make sure I get this straight. I am REQUIRED to make a voluntary contribution. So, it isn't a voluntary contribution, it is a mandatory voluntary contribution, is that what you are saying".
After some more objections from me over this clear cut case of double speak they turned my micorophone off and threatened to remove me from the hall. I got up and left on my own accord.
