Was it REALLY a Bible Study?

fullofdoubtnow

I've just been reading an email that an ex jw sent to dedpoet recently, and he raised an interesting point, so I though I'd post it (dp emailed him back, and he gave permission). Anyway, this is what he had to say:

Hi Trevor

I came across your website recently, and as an ex Witness living in North Derbyshire, I thought I'd share a few thoughts I had recently with you.

Like yourself, I joined the Jehovahs Witnesses in the early 90's, being baptised in 1992 at the District Convention (the same one as dp). I begab studying with the Witnesses in 1991, using the You Can Live Forever in Paradise On Earth book. I wasn't raised a witness, starting my study at the age pf 27 and being baptised just after my 29th birtday. I made some progress, making MS by 1996, but doubts started to rise after a few incidents I won't go into, and I stopped attending in 2003, and was disfellowshipped in 2004 because I had started attending another Church, which I still attend.

My point is, I know the Witnesses call it a Bible Study, but was it really that? Looking back, I remember the Live Forever book containing a lot of information, with the odd scripture cited, and explained by the material in the book. A lot of the scriptures seemed somewhat out of context, and were from the NWT, as dishonest and distorted translation as I have ever read. I imagine that, like me, you were encouraged to use the NWT rather than any other bible from early in the study, and your conductor soon had you reading the paragraphs out loud, a practice I found made them easier to remember.

My idea of a Bible Study, pre - Witness, would have been to read a portion of scripture and try to understand it, maybe in company with others. That's what we do at the Church I attend now, but it's very far removed from the Witnesses idea of a study, which is why I question their use of the term. As an indoctrination tool, studying their publications the way they do is second to none, but they aren't really studying the bible. They are merely using whatever book they currently use on interested ones to indoctrinate them with Watchtower interpretations. I don't know if bible studies are covered by the Trade Descriptions Act, I doubt they are, but if they were I suspect the Witnesses would be breaching it with what they class as a bible study.

So, what do you think? I would be interested to hear from you, and, if I may, contribute to your website.

Cheers

Ken

I hadn't really thought about this before, and neither had dedpoet, but he may have a point, what do you all think/

Linda

blondie

It's a lure to get people to study with JWs. Remember they call the meeting using one of their books (brochures sometimes) the Congregation BOOK Study and on Sunday, the WATCHTOWER Study. Actually, most JWs could not conduct a study with anyone without a WTS publication to use as a crutch. The WTS wants to be sure the JW is teaching the WTS doctrine, their interpretation of the Bible. It would be too easy for the individual JW to drift off into their own interpretation.

Blondie

lovelylil

Hi Linda,

I totally agree we never did really study the bible. I have attended several churches bible study groups since leaving the Witnesses and they ONLY study the BIBLE and do not use any books to interpret it either. The members are allowed to give their own opinions on the text which is how it should be.

I've been out over 2 years now and read the bible a lot on my own and I am utterly amazed at just how much the WT pulled texts out of context to put their own spin on it. By reading the bible alone you can never come to the same conclusions that they do which is why they push the WT publications all the time rather than saying just read the bible alone.

I will never be duped like that again! I read every verse in its context. It was a hard but good lesson to learn. Thanks for sharing this point as it is a great one, Lilly

james_woods

In my day, (1970s) we would not have given a single serious thought to starting a "bible study" without using that little blue mini-book "the truth that leads to eternal life." There was no compulsion to look of too many of the scriptures, but you had to ask and answer every question and then read every paragraph.

I think I heard on JWD that this book is no longer used or even printed due to several doctrinal changes within the folllowing two to three decades.

So, not only is it manifestly not a "bible study", but it is only a "witness book study" using the "flavor of the day".

drew sagan

You study a book with somebody one on one in the ministry:
- That's a Bible Study
Study the same book as a group at the Kingdom Hall
- That's a Book Study

They use the term 'Bible Study' to sipmly hide what it really is....
Watchtower Study

lisavegas420

no no no...it's not a bible study, It's

The Great Watchtower Deception
Nothing else can have this absolute blocking effect on the human mind, because by nature, we normally have a natural urge to reason things out and come to a conclusion. With Jehovah's Witnesses however, this natural urge to reason and conclude, has been completely removed from their minds, because they have been hyptonized not to think for themselves so that they become robot servants for the Watchtower organisation.

A Comparrison Between A Jehovah's Witness Meeting And A Clinical Hypnosis Session
this is not just simple brainwashing, it is advanced clinical hypnosis which, in time, has the ability to completely take over a person's free-will and mental judgment and reasoning skills and turn that person into a totally non-thinking zombie-like robot who will do anything they are told to do, even if they are told to commit suicide.)
Read more here

http://www.energeticsolutions.com.au/great_watchtower_deception.html

lisa

troubled mind

I recently brought this subject up to my neice that is currently inactive . An elder and his wife have offered to have a "bible study " with her to strengthen her . I asked her, " is it really going to be a bible study or are you going to read a paragraph answer someone else's question , then read another paragraph ?" She said she has a list of questions she wants answered .

frozen one

we would not have given a single serious thought to starting a "bible study" without using that little blue mini-book "the truth that leads to eternal life."

That reminded me of the last time an elder visited my door (I suspect a family member concerned about me told him where I lived). He offered to help me with a bible study and showed me a copy of whatever book he had as the study aid. I said that I would like to have a bible study but I wanted to use a different book. I went and got a copy of "The Truth That Leads To Eternal Life" and showed it to him. He wasn' interested. How could he not be interested in studying a book called "The TRUTH Book?"

Actually the whole encounter with that elder was kind of fun. I didn't give a hoot who this guy was and zinged him a couple of times. His wife was with him and he said that she often helped him out in his house remodeling business and she worked "just like one of the guys." I told him that I was impressed at this tidbit and then asked why, if she was just like one of the guys, she couldn't pray in the kingdom hall without covering her head. I then looked at her and asked if she felt less spirtual than a man because she was born with a vagina and not a penis. Right after I used the words vagina and penis the elder said they had to be somewhere else but they would be back again to continue the discussion. That was 5,6,7 years ago and they haven't returned.

undercover

Sometimes when elders call on inactive ones to try to get them to come back, they offer to "study" with the inactive one to help get them back on track.

I've often thought that if they ever tried that with me, I'd take them up on it. When they showed up, I'd be ready with my NWT Bible, my KJ Bible and maybe a couple of other translations. Then when they pulled out the Knowledge book, or whatever they're using these days, I'd say, "I thought we were gonna study the Bible?" If they tried the ole "bible aid" bit, I'd say something like, "sure, you can reference that if you want to, but I want to study the Bible. Why can't we study the Bible? Let's start in Genesis...I have lots of questions about Genesis."

I don't think they'd stay too long or bother to come back. And it wouldn't be my bad attitude...I wanted to study the Bible, they're the ones that refused to do so.

nsrn

What?!?!?! They don't still use the "Truth" book????????

Was it REALLY a Bible Study?

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