by jerome 18 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
When you suggest something that is not from the literature, they warn you about "running ahead of Jehovah".
http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/forum/thread.asp?id=29134&site=3
"As every one knows, there are mistakes in the Bible" - The Watchtower, April 15, 1928, p. 126
Believe in yourself, not mythology.
<x ><
If someone asks questions, voices doubts about the material in the article, challenges, contradicts, suggests alternate possibilities, he/she may be counciled at that moment by the conductor or/and be counciled after the meeting, and may not be allowed to participate. All the other obedient clones will recognise this one and make a mental note that he/she is possibly a rogue, not up to speed, or just odd. Peer pressure, subtle or strong is quite effective.
Sometimes an elder will razz or ridicule someone who has an individualist tendency. At times, i think it was the 70's, they have instituted programs sort of like the block parent program. The stronger, more mature ones would be assigned to a weaker, newer one as a mentor or pace horse. They would go in service together, spend some social time, etc, all w the purpose of bringing about a closer conformity/more wt activity from the slacker.
Also, jw's are encouraged not to spontaniously go from door to door. They are encouraged to follow the group door to door plans arranged by the elders of the congregation. The person leading this group meeting organises who goes w whom, and where they go.
All a congregation's territory is broken down into small map parcels and placed on cards. Then someone desiring to do some door to door must ask for one of these from the person in charge of them.
There are also a few other methods, but these give an idea how everything is directed from the top down. Dubs learn to be good followers.
SS
SS
I know what you mean about them placing the weaker ones with the more mature. This especially happens in field service. Every time I talk to them in field service there is always one who is easier to mess up than the next one.
jerome
Cant let the thread die yet.
After the question has been answered by 3 or 4 different people then brother highly impressed with himself repeats what the other people said using really big long words so as to impress someone with his intelligence!!! He may take up to 5 minutes with his answer. This is how you make 5 minutes of reading material last and hour.
"The reward for conformity was that everyone liked you except yourself."
Rita Mae Brown
Jerome,
To get the full flavor of it, you should attend one book study and one Watchtower study. You will find it to be one of the most boring experiences you ever have had.
Their study method is one of the most inefficient ever devised, but it surely does create mass conformity.
If anything I think that i'd attend the service/sales meeting. thats the one i'm really interested in.
I wanna see the little demonstrations that they put on to train the good little sheep to deal with non-JW people at the door like me.
jerome
In 1970 the paragraphs started being read first rather than as a summation after the oral comments had been made. So many people had not prestudied that they were reading ahead rather than answering the current question.
Today most answers are (1) very young children answering "Jehovah" or "Jesus" (2) young children reading the answer out of the paragraph trying to pronounce words they don't understand (and children who don't read very well)(3) children parroting an answer that is being whispered into their ear (4) adults (even LT JWs) reading it straight out of the paragraph (regurgitating) (5) adults rearranging the words to make it look like it's in their own words (6) all without reading a single scripture to back up their statements. You will hear "the paragraph says" 10 times more often than "the Bible says" which indicates who JWs view as the real authority.
If you want to bring something different into the discussion, I recommend doing some research in the Bible and the JW publications and coming up with a comment that is brief and to the point referring to your research source, i.e., "the cross reference to this scripture takes us to this scripture in the Bible which expands on the point..." or "a previous WT last year added this point."
Yeah, Syn hit the nail on the head, I'm afraid.
Have you ever looked at their books & Wts?
At the end of every page or section there are questions.
Not just any questions either, a regurgitated sentence from the above paragraph in the form of a question. Thus making the only 'right' answer a restatement of the sentance, again.
If I remeber right our book studies on Tuesdays were like this as well as my personal study, also the Sunday WT meeting.
The Thursday one was a sales pitch and talk night where the students gave their talks on 'Bible' topics ie: the outlines in the back of the New World Translation.
You think these scripts are bad, remember the reasoning Book?
In the front you have written out scripts of opening lines and what to say to various questions and claims in door to door 'service'.
Angie
