Proficient Jehovah Witness Apologist Per Kingdom Hall, How Many?

by Bubblegum Apotheosis 18 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Bubblegum Apotheosis

  On average, how many highly trained Bible students would you estimate existed in your Kingdom Hall? To define this further, I am thinking of men or women who studied more than Watchtower literature, spent time in libraries to dig deeper than most shallow minded drones.

  How can someone be a baptized JW for forty five years and be stupid regarding "The Trintiy, Hell Fire, First Century Culture, Church Father's teachings, Rapture, Heaven, reasons for defending the reliability of Bible Texts."?

  Could the watering down, diluted teachings be the problem with "New-Gen's" impotent Bible understanding or lack of understanding?

  I kid you not, the most self-assured dubs, have not peered into the "deeper things" of God's Word. Would a Television, Computer, Facebook or any other kind of electronic media hiatus(fasting) help?

  Instead of craving a big 32oz "Porterhouse Steak", I am surrounded by men and women who enjoy predigested milk, fresh off the udders of the Watchtower Cows. Reviewing the last few Sunday Study articles, nothing "deep" is mentioned, just the same pressure to preach more and more in field service. Your posts confirm even our Circuit Stars are losing their shine, treating Jehovah's word as ordinary, not practicing what you preach, is the fastest way to have Jehovah pull his Holy Spirit from you! When was the last time you came across a practing Jehovah Witness apologist who impressed you with her Bible wisdom?

  Would allowing the elders and servants more wiggle room with talks, updating material in outlines that are stuck in the 1970s, bring out more joy and effort to educate the flock? Instead these outlines are another form of control that qualsh the speaker's creative juices!
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  jemba

  The only ones impressing other JWs with their wisdom are those with good memories who can quote watchtower articles from 1987 word for word. A bit like EGGY. I never met one with personally discovered bible wisdom it is all quoted from JW literature. Brainwashing!!
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  Bubblegum Apotheosis

  @jemba: Yes, this is part of the JWs falling into shambles, how can they keep pace with a changing theology? Qouting the Watchtower as the "almighty" source of wisdom is not enough to be a good apologist today! The Slave, other teachers in Gilead-Teaching HQ are allowed to read different books from different points of view, allowing them to "qoute mine" material for the magazines, is not promoted for lesser unqualified JWs.

  Once upon a time, recommended readings from the Organization were books such as "The Two Babylons" "The Paganism In Our Christianity" materials from Fredrick Kenyon and others. This freedom started to be weeded out in the 1970s to our current date. We have everything we need to be the "Renaissance Man" by reading the Watchtower and Awakes!
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  Black Sheep

  They are only ever proficient at wiggling out of confronting difficult questions.

  All the real scholars never joined, or left.

  My Dad came across a few scholars in our travels. He never converted one of them. He would get hung out to dry, but it didn't matter to him because his faith was in his spirit directed WT scholars, not the Bible.
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  designs

  We had two in the last KH I was in, we both left
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  FWFranz

  Bubblegum Apotheothis This is a good question and the answer is quite depressing. Simply put, an intellectual or academic response from the rank and file has always been discouraged. I have relatives who have been going to the KH faithfully for over 50 years and they still know the same 5 words in Koine greek that they learned in the first year of being a JW. Can you imagine if the WTS had taught a short but progressive Koine greek course every week since its inception. By now my relatives would all be completely fluent in 1st century greek. That is absolutely NOT what the Society wants. Keep feeding the flock on bread crumbs and make sure they never really mature. Its the only way they can maintain their hold on them.

  FWFranz
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  FWFranz

  OOPs! That would be Apotheosis. I was typing a bit fast!
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  wasblind

  LOL @ Designs

  I had a visit one time from two "bible trained" sisters,

  I brough up the reason they call themselves Jehovah's witnesses

  they proudly nodded wit a bold smile

  Until I pointed out that Isaiah 43:10, did not overide Acts 1:8

  because Isaiah 43:10 was qouted before the birth , death and the resurrection of the Christ

  Jesus had the authority to tell people to be witnesses of himself

  They went from this to this

  so much for the " Theocratic edge " from ministry school
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  jgnat

  I met one who thought he could do it. He was a convert, a former evangelical, knew his bible backwards and forwards. He truly believed that armageddon was just around the corner, and lived it. At sixty years of age, he was still renting. He was given all the crap jobs by the other (born-in) elders.
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  Disillusioned Lost-Lamb

  One if you count me.