Not so quick on their feet

by Jourles 7 Replies latest jw friends

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  Jourles

  How many times have you been on a conference call for work or in a meeting with a large group of people and all of a sudden your boss asks you a question? Normally, you know the answer and immediately give it. If you are well prepared and know your job inside and out, it should be an easy task. Other times, you might get caught off guard and stumble around for the answer. In this situation, you obviously are not prepared for the meeting at hand and probably shouldn't be pretending to know what is going on.

  Did you ever have one of those book study conductors that always deviated from the questions in the book? You know the one. He would ask a question related to the material, but it was asked in his own words. If he was real ballsy, he would call on you to answer if you appeared to be paying attention. Do you remember how hard it was to come up with an answer that wasn't printed in the book? You were so afraid that your answer wouldn't be Society Approved and that he would ding you on it in front of everyone.

  On the other hand, if you had a conductor who liked to come up with his own questions but not voluntarily call on someone, most jw's would just sit there looking down with their brains in overdrive trying to scan the paragraph looking for the answer(hint - it probably wasn't there). It would get so quiet and after about 15 seconds of silence and him scanning the room looking for a raised hand, he would just say the answer he was looking for.

  I think it's so funny that jw's are supposed to be the most biblically educated people in the world, but yet most cannot think quick on their feet when a simple question is thrown at them. If it's not in black and white and published by the WTS, the answer doesn't exist.
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  truth.ceeker

  That is funny now looking back. It had happened on many occasions with conducters wanting to look like they were spiritually 'in-the-know' and the sheep just looking down grazing for anything except to be called on and have the conducter just give his answer. I know I would think, 'whoa' how did you logically ever get to that point?
  Oh well, just goes to show some people will do anything to flatter their egos by putting other people down.
  
  ..truth.ceeker..
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  Warlock

  I knew of one who would do that just to look like "Mr. Intellectual" and to make the publishers look stupid. I was never in his cong. but I knew him.

  He would also tell of some experiences that he had, but some became so unbelievable, that you never knew whether he was telling the truth, or lying.

  Warlock
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  XJW4EVR

  My dad was the kind of conductor (Book Study & WT) that asked those questions. One time after the WT study, I asked him why he asked those type of questions (off the page) he said that in the DTD work we must be ready for everything, since the householder won't have a Society book to read from. It made sense, and I can see why those questions would embarrass people that didn't prepare for the studies. On the other hand, even being out for as long as I have been, I can still fake it.
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  Theocrat

  Yes this is very true for the drones that serve the organization and not God.

  It is impossible to have a relationship with your Creator without being well-versed in scripture. Unfortunately, many Witnesses are well-versed in WT rules and regulations, which put them no closer to spiritual comprehension. Therefore, those Witnesses find themselves in a crisis at times.
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  Warlock

  XJW:

  It sounds like your dad asked those questions, with that idea in his mind. We had several WT/BS conductors that did the same thing.They asked with all sincerity and we knew it.

  We also knew when someone was just doing it to stroke their ego or to show off.

  Warlock
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  mkr32208

  We had a study that was really good once the condutor would ask questions to make you think and it was more like an informal discussion than a study. My wife and I would get really involved and it would be like it was just the three of us discussing things! After the study people would come up and say "this is the best study I've learned so much! We always kept it under the hour but we would get WAY off the material! In fact now that I think back I bet he was a fader... He left the area soon after but many of his questions would have led one to more questions than answers! I was certainly on my way out at that point and asking questions and stuff that would have thrown up a TON of red flags to an elder who was toeing the line! In fact now that I reflect on it I think the study assistant may have ratted us out right before he left town!

  Its funny how sometimes you start typing and remember stuff you thought you had forgotten YEARS ago! I haven't thought of those studies in a long time!
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  XJW4EVR

  Warlock,

  I totally agree with you on the ego-boasting conductors. I ran into many of them during my time in the WT$. In fact, they were easy to spot. They are like peacocks preening for the peahens.