Meaningful Study

Awake at last

I never thought I would be commenting, let alone starting a new topic in the category of Bible Research and Study. Anyone reading my comments on this site would have realised that I am the most Unspiritual person to have ever stepped foot inside a KH. Yet for the first time in my life, on Saturday night, I did some meaningful Bible study/research, on my own without a WTBTS publication in sight, except the NWT Bible. My whole existence has been:

Read the paragraph

Read the corresponding question at the bottom of the page

Look for the answer in the paragraph

Underline the correct answer according to WTBTS

Put an a or b in the margin if there are a and b parts to the question

Move on to the next paragraph and keep going until all paragraphs have been answered

In my 52 years of life, that was it. Bible study done. But Saturday night was different. I read an essay by a former brother called Mark Martin. I then read each scripture quoted very carefully from the NWT and then compared one with the Interlinear and the others were read also from the New International Version for a second opinion. I have never done so much meaningful study in my life where I actually thought about it and didn't just underline.

I actually enjoyed the study for the first time ever. I am not suggesting that I am following Mark Martin, but I was reading and checking up on his comments.

Just out of interest, the subject was The Resurrection of the Righteous and the Unrighteous, the First and Second Resurrections.

So there you go. My first spiritual topic. How did you find the Orgs way of studying? Effective or not effective?

Magnum

First, is the essay you read available online? If so, please provide a link. I'm interested in that subject.

Now, as to your question - NOT effective. There is no meaningful study in JW land. It is just as you described. Read paragraph. Read question. Search for answer to question in paragraph and underline. Read cherry-picked scriptures (if there are any) and do not read context.

I now realize that being a JW for 30 years kept me from meaningful study and kept me ignorant - just like the JW leadership wanted me. JWs are actually trained not to really study. Real open-minded study and analysis would destroy JWdom. Imagine what the meetings would be like if individuals were allowed to be open-minded and honest during, for example, the Bible HIghlights part. Imagine what it would be like if JWs could ask questions and admit what doesn't make sense and/or seems wrong and/or seems to conflict with JW doctrine. They can't do that, though. The Bible Highlights part is formatted to only allow for comments that show agreement with JW doctrine and policy.

Same with the Watchtower Study, etc. JWs are only allowed to be bobbing heads, and the heads can only bob in one direction - front-to-back - never side-to-side.

sparrowdown

Calling what the WT does with misinformation "study" is laughable, and I don't know how I swallowed it for as long as I did. Like you, I only started seriously "examining the sciptures" after I started turning apostate - oh, the irony wasn't lost on me.

The borg's "study"practices are effective at guilt tripping, fear mongering, shame inducing, self-esteem destroying, family bond breaking indoctrination sessions.

Wasanelder Once

In the 80's they encouraged using other translations for comparison, even in public talks so long as you read the NWT version first. Then they clamped down and said to knock it off. I think you have proven just why they said that. I never was satisfied with highlight and repeat. Knowledge is freedom, good for you.

Village Idiot

I don't think I can remember a single Watchtower lesson from the hundreds I've 'studied'.

prologos

Having been raised in a dissident institution in an totalitarian regime, Any prescribed study was automatically deemed suspect.

From my first years in wt, Any statement was automatically subject to question and Interesting alternative understandings noted.

Wt bible study does not have a logical leg to stand on, even if you look for consistency in their own doctrine structure. How could it be otherwise, being as it is, on

the talking snake story.

FayeDunaway

Awake at last, that's awesome. :)

sowhatnow

this morning i sat and dissected the march 2015 study issue, first and second lessons, and found several contradictory ideas, several scriptures that did not apply to the paragraph, and basically they confused everyone more with their new 'simplified ' understanding of yet again , back by popular demand,

the faithful slave.

apparently the faithful slave is now , more important? over the anointed. ?

well call me a dumb ass but thats what i got out of it.

and after circling all the words like, apparently, we understand, obviously, we may conclude, likely, evidently it may be, we may, ect

and then the contrary statement on page 14 in paragraph 10

'perhaps the most puzzling part....'

well, hey , wait you said it was simple!

and if that wasn't enough, questions from readers was well, puzzling, lol

Awake at last

To Magnum

Thank you for your comments on this blog. I was a bit wary of starting this as I am not really spiritual enough to cope with comments.

To answer your question the essay is available on line. The web page is

reasoningwithjws.blogspot.com.au. If you are overseas, you may not need the au as Mark is American and I am Australian.

When you go into the site, go to blog archive 2010 and click on What does the Bible really teach part 1.

He says in the blog that Revelation 20 will be discussed in another article but I cannot find it on his site or anywhere else. If you can find it, please let me know.

Mark has joined the Seventh Day Adventists and there is a video on YouTube. He may or may not still be with them as he seemed to have many doubts and also declined to be baptised into the SDA's. He wanted to use his JW baptism to symbolise his baptism to God. He appears to be a bit unsettled, so do not know what he is currently doing. I have thought about sending him a message, but haven't yet.

Hope this is of some help to you. If you do what I did, maybe you could check with another translation other than the NIV.

Awake at last

I

Thank you for your comments. I think what you are all saying is that the WTBTS method is not effective for most people.

A question and supplied answer does not stimulate thinking, therefore if we don't have to think to get our answers, we do not concentrate as much and as a result, we don't remember as much, if anything about what we have just studied. In my case, I became so brain dead that I didn't even put enough thought into it to even notice anomalies such as scriptures that are not relevant. I was bored and just got the underlining done, no wonder I don't know anything and am only learning now.

As I have said in other blogs, I left due to lack of love, lack of concern for the aged, disrespect for death and grieving and all this child abuse stuff, I wasn't aware of but now I am, it confirms my decision. I also was not comfortable with counting time in field service and people committing to pioneering and then stressing about not achieving hours. Is this what serving Jehovah is about, following the guidelines imposed by men? Not for this little black duck!

Meaningful Study

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