by DATA-DOG 25 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
Hmmm. So not to rock the boat too much here, but do you guys think the spirit of the mans quote was misinterpreted? I don't neccesarily. i would PREFER to have seen the entire quote, but I think his words are fairly stand alone even when read in context.
There are better examples than this. This one is kind of up for discussion in my opinion.
Check every quote the WTS for context. Many are misquoted, leaving off important words.
Hey, they could do that during the meetings and assemblies with their tablet computer that can connect use cellular data for the Internet seach- how wonderful it is, to be able to correct the brothers before the WT study is over.
I noticed that when they trotted this quote out many years ago, they actually gave the context:
The American educator William Lyon Phelps once said: “I thoroughly believe in a university education for men and women, but I believe a knowledge of the Bible without a college course is more valuable than a college course without the Bible.” And ex-President Herbert Hoover stated: “The study of the Bible is a post-graduate course in the richest library of human experience.”
wt 6/15/56
However, since then they have used some variation of this quote at least 5 other times in the literature, never including the part about "I thoroughly believe in a university education for men and women." Perhaps they are getting worse over the years with the misquotes.
Problemaddict,
I had the full quote on the first page. Here it is again just in case.
"I thoroughly believe in a university education for both men and women', said Dr. William Lyon Phelps of Yale University, 'but I believe a knowledge of the Bible without a college course is more valuable than a college course without the Bible. Every one who has a thorough knowledge of the Bible may truly be called educated, and no other learning or culture, no matter how extensive or elegant, can form a proper substitute.' " (Encyclopedia of Sermon Illustrations)
Chaserious,
I was not aware that the WTBTS had used this quote before, in full. That is very telling IMO. As time passed and thier mistakes became evident to more and more people, they had 2 choices.
1) Own up to thier mistakes and truly apologize by accepting full resposibility for the mistakes of previous leaders, and stop passing the blame to the rank and file who had no input on doctrine. Admit that they don't have all the answers and stop being a legalistic modern day Christian/Jewish hybrid.
2) Become more cult-like and change their stand on Higher Education, even going so far as describing exactly what it mean for the rank and file. Then labeling anyone who allows their child to pursue their definition of higher education as spiritually weak.
Pop Quiz!!
What avenue did the WTBTS choose?
Problemaddict,
While this mis-quote is not that bad, I think it is still very irresponsible. Granted, Phelps' main thought did get across, that he felt that bible education was more important than college education, but the choice to leave out his quote in the affirmative of university, carries with it a hidden agenda. We know how much the FDS tries to demonize university because of what it does to its students. This selecive quoting helps to perpetuate the lie that University is not important whereas it is clear that Phelps, a University man himself, was still a promoter of University. I think your right Problemaddict, but it shows a dangerous habit the writers of the Watchtower have, especially when the main demographic of readers are not the type to double check quotations.
Nose
