Propaganda vs Bible study

by Clambake 18 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Clambake

  Is it just me or is the WTS increasingly just becoming more about watchtower propaganda.  Every week it seems to be about killing your children over blood transfusions or worshipping the magical men in Brooklyn or the loving provision of shunning or the magical power of the elders or some brother in far off land who is in jail because he can’t stop handling out magazines he doesn’t understand to people who don’t want them. 

  Try and get a JW to explain the gospels or the book of the Romans and what was significant about the book of Acts………………………No clue. 

  Mind you I don’t actually attend anymore. I just have to listen to those JW.org recording my wife plays before she goes to her meetings. I have never once ever seen her read the bible.

  Do you believe the Watchtower will soon just get rid of the bible ?
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  One Last Kiss

  I think for all intents and purposes they already have.

  This new lead-grey lump of a bible is nothing more than a prop, comes in handy when they need to claim they're a 'proper' religion.
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  OneEyedJoe

  They're definitely dumbing things down, but that's been going on for several years.  I don't know if there's any way they could increase their propaganda, though.  That's always been a mainstay of the cult.  There have been times that I've thought the propaganda was ramping up, but I think that's mainly because my view of the cult has changed so drastically relatively recently when I woke up.  I definitely pay more attention to the BS propaganda these days, whereas before I ignored it because it made me too uncomfortable.

  They won't get rid of the bible.  If they did that they'd probably lose a good portion of non born-in recruits that they're getting.  The bible is the bait in their bait and switch, so it's pretty necessary.

  They have effectively neutered the bible, though.  The latest "translation" has words brazenly (haha) inserted/changed without bothering to indicate it.  Their app sorts search results for scriptures by frequency of use, so the inconvenient scriptures that they don't use end up all the way at the bottom.  The best thing, though, is their clever use of .epub literature and pushing tablets for study.  Now JWs don't bother to look up scriptures in context, they just tap the link to the scripture and it brings up the cited scripture and no more.  Now that it's easier to read just the cited scriptures, JWs will be less likely to get curious and read the context.  
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  Magnum

  I agree with One Last Kiss about the Bible. They have basically already gotten rid of it. Their only attempt at some semblance of real Bible study is the weekly Bible reading and the Bible Highlights based on it. But that reading is just a cursory reading through. Most JWs just read the material without real understanding and then just look in the Watchtower for some point to read for a comment during the Bible Highlights part. No questions or real analysis are allowed.

  In the old days, when they had their oracle (F Franz) still around, I think they really thought they had doctrinal truth and they did study the Bible more and pay more attention to it. But now, their oracle is gone; they no longer have any confidence. They're no longer bold. The JW higher-ups know that a real, honest, open-minded study of the Bible will bring JWdom crashing down.

  Now, it's all about propaganda, cutesy cartoons, real estate, promoting organizational agenda, making superstars out of the Magnificent 7, etc.

  
  
  
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  Vidiot

  clambake - "Is it just me or is the WTS increasingly just becoming more about watchtower propaganda?"

  I tend to think it's kind of always been that way, but it does sure seem to be more in-your-face, these days. Regardless, it's a lot easier to see when one is out, that's for sure.

  clambake - "Do you believe the Watchtower will soon just get rid of the Bible?"

  I sometimes wonder if they'd like to.

  Best they can do is "retranslate" it to be more and more WT-centric, though, which, I suppose, does the same job.
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  Clambake

  So Basically we just have

  1. Blood transfusions and dying for god

  2. The dangers of marrying and UBM.

  3. The dangers of higher education

  4. Brothers and Sisters in jail.

  5. The magical power of the Slave in Brooklyn

  6. Make sure you kiss the elders asses because they have special powers.

  7. That ridiculous and dishonest 1914 calculation.

  8. Be good cause we are all working our way into God kingdom. 

  9. Bad mouthing other Christian dominations

  10. Book of revelations, and how all the dogma is tied together. 1 plus 1 = 5, and cat really means dog expect every third thurday blah blah blah.

       

  So pretty much any given Sunday, that is all its about now. Of course hating on gays and how Jehovah killed people in the old testament so you can be assured all the worldly people are going to get it at the big A.

   Have I missed anything ??

   

   

   
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  TTATTelder

  The bible is the bait in their bait and switch...
  Their app sorts search results for scriptures by frequency of use, so the inconvenient scriptures that they don't use end up all the way at the bottom.  The best thing, though, is their clever use of .epub literature and pushing tablets for study.  Now JWs don't bother to look up scriptures in context, they just tap the link to the scripture and it brings up the cited scripture and no more.  Now that it's easier to read just the cited scriptures, JWs will be less likely to get curious and read the context. - oneeyedjoe

  Strong points.

  They have shortened, just this month, the only two parts left in their meeting program that featured the Bible exclusively. The No. 1 Bible Reading assignment has been shortened and the Bible Highlights part has just a 2 minute section for the brother to comment on the weekly bible reading. The brother is even instructed to only cover One point in the 2 minutes. 

  Just a bit controlling wouldn't you say?

  What good, sound, real, "Christian" reason could there possibly be for shortening these parts? If the BIble is the "Word of God" why are they minimizing discussion of it? 

  I think we all know the answer...

  -TE
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  Crazyguy

  They outlawed in the early 1980s independent bible study, that was telling. To bad i was to young to notice back then.
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  FayeDunaway

  Wow this is all so scary. :( I hope my extended family is starting to wake up. But I imagine my parents are crazy about the jw.tv thing. But my mother loves deep bible and publication study, but then again, never read context much. 

  I think this spells I'll for the org tho. Without bible knowledge, everything is based on shallow traditions, a foundation that will crumble. 
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  Phizzy

  Their Foundation has always been one of Lies. It has served them well for over a Century.

  I do not see them "crumbling" anytime soon.