Doing your own research

by Reazon22 12 Replies latest jw friends

  • Reazon22
    Reazon22

    We all know Watchtower doesn't encourage their members do research for themselves. Can anyone point out any articles where it mentions this? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

  • nonjwspouse
  • steve2
    steve2

    JWs genuinely believe they are 'going back' to the Bible whereas all they are doing is 'going back' to the Bible with Watchtower-tinted glasses which shape and influence what they see in the Bible.

    But JWs are not alone in doing this.

    Each of the 100s if not thousands of groups, big and small, that claim to go back to the Bible, bring their own learnings, backgrounds, understandings and needs to their readings.

    it is disingenuous of anyone to claim all they are doing is reading the Bible because sooner or later they will ask, What does this or that passage mean - and given the large amount of symbolism in Scripture, thus begins a never-ending rabbit warren of excuses for changes and speculation and "interpretation".

  • scratchme1010
    scratchme1010

    Can anyone point out any articles where it mentions this? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

    Manipulation 101: You never say "don't do this". You mislead people to believe that they are making a choice. There may be one or two instances in which they say "don't do this or that", but most of the times is fooling people into feeling ashamed for having "independent thinking". You have to have heard that expression before.

  • sparrowdown
    sparrowdown

    If you want to prove the point to someone just ask them to accompany you as you take some outside research on any subject that JWs believe to any JW and ask them about it. Better yet take outside research to the hall and watch what happens when you try to use it in a comment.

    Wt are smart enough to to never say "never do this" or "don't ever do that" so newer literature will be ambiguous and general, making it difficult to prove outright.

  • sparrowdown
    sparrowdown

    Sorry scratchme, I was writing while you were.

    Great minds...

  • LevelThePlayingField
    LevelThePlayingField

    I was once told, not to Google things, but only stick to WT library or JW dot orgy. So I asked the elder, so I can't go on weather.com and check the weather? Or go to cnn.com and look up the latest news? He had nothing to say.

  • Wake Me Up Before You Jo-Ho
    Wake Me Up Before You Jo-Ho

    @scratchme1010 You actually underestimate the brazenness of WT's demands for members to "shut their ears" to any information from outside the WT. I'm not kidding - that's their actual words. In a fantastic twist of irony, here is the FINEST example of propaganda in this article about... propaganda:

    https://www.jw.org/en/publications/magazines/watchtower-study-july-2017/propaganda-winning-battle-for-your-mind/

    Propaganda 101: Instill fear into the hearts of your victims. Opening words of this latest WT article? "YOU are under attack!" The rest of the article is a contradictory battery of nonsense, terrifying Witnesses from looking outside WT approved literature. Sad. Really sad.

  • stuckinarut2
    stuckinarut2

    June 1st 1967 WT:

    "move ahead with Jehovah's organisation"

    paragraph 12

    We may think of study as being hard work, yes involving heavy research. But in Jehovah's organisation it is not necessary to spend a lot of time and energy in research for there are brothers in the organisation assigned to do that very thing, to help you who do not have much time for this.

  • Nathan Natas
    Nathan Natas

    This is IRONY, isn't it?

    You want HELP proving that the WTB&TS discourages research?

    Searcher, assist yourself!

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