How Well Does the Watchtower Educate? (page 2)

OUTLAW

Wanderer..The truth is always there,for those who wish to see.....Q:How many "Well Educated Jehovah`s Witness`s",do you Know?..A:There are very few,thanks to the WBT$...OUTLAW

proplog2

The Watchtower pretends to teach and the congregation pretends to learn.

The talks gave each student lots of experience in getting up before an audience. Over time, your stage fright lessens. At some point you feel very natural, because you've been doing it for so long. The School was good for overcoming that nervousness. The ONLY distinction, IMHO, it had over a public speaking course was that it was for free. And you know what's funny? Our PO said that the B.E. book was "a college level book."

As far as writing effectively and thinking critically goes...nope. None of that from the Tower.

The only thing you learn is how to sell a product.

JWdaughter

Dogs are trained. Adults should be educated. There is a difference.

If one is trained, they are taught a specific skill by practice(not putting down training, generally here, bear with me).

Education is more full than that-it is development of character or mental powers, formative experience. In a nutshell, training will get you from point A to point B.

Education will teach you to find your own path, rather than one you are 'trained' to go on. Education will show you that while B is great-you can go beyond the entire alphabet. It will show you that you don't have to take one road there, but that there are many ways to arrive at B or Z or the third star from venus.

Education allows your imagination to take flight. Training puts it on a track that is spiked into the earth, and does not allow for diversion.

So, sure, they train. Does any thinking adult really want to be 'trained' in their spiritual life?

Gill

Education is the expansion of the mind. It is the encouragement of critical thought and mental experimentation.

If you mean 'does the Watchtower encouraging reading its materials and speaking about its materials?' I'd say that yest it does that.

If you mean, 'does the Watchtower educate?' then I'd say, 'No! Not even a little bit!'

How many great free thinkers have come from the Watchtower's 'education system' I'd say 'a big fat zero!'

diamondblue1974

Dont you know that by reading all the Watchtower's and Awake's and all the publications the society publish you would have the equivalent of a university degree and that you will be more educated than most theologians?

I remember someone actually saying this to me once, can you believe it?

G

avidbiblereader

There are some really good views by all here and I agree with many of the statements.

For me, I learned how to give public talks even though now, I would not give any

I learned to have a healthy fear and respect of the Bible

I was trained to give up my thinking ability

I was trained to be a company man even when common sense said otherwise on many issues or subjects

The Awake to me was a magazine to push along side the WT and never did I find it stimulating to the mind or equal to a college ed

I did learn a vast array of subjects and feel like I know very little about a lot.

abr

Lady Lee

The talks gave each student lots of experience in getting up before an audience. Over time, your stage fright lessens. At some point you feel very natural, because you've been doing it for so long. The School was good for overcoming that nervousness. The talks gave each student lots of experience in getting up before an audience. Over time, your stage fright lessens. At some point you feel very natural, because you've been doing it for so long. The School was good for overcoming that nervousness.

My personal experience giving talks is so different. Perhaps that is because women never got to address the cong directly but I doubt it.

While a JW I learned sign language. Now that taught me a lot about standing up in front of people and really looking at them.

I remember in the public speaking course I took we started with standing behind a podium and giving a 30 second talk. I was terrified. And all I had to do is give my name and say why I was in the course so even the sign language didn't help me there.

Over the course of 13 weeks I went from that 30 second talk to a full 10 minutes - still nervous but I think a part of that was my subject matter - abuse. I actually got an award for most improved.

From that course and the school assignments where I had to speak to the class for up to 30 minutes I went to substitute teaching 3 hour classes and then lecturing without notes for up to 3 hours - yes 3 hour lectures with a 15 minute break in the middle. And even after the 3 hours people wanted to stay to hear more. And I could have gone on but the room was needed for another class.

As a JW I hated giving talks. Now I can do it without the notes on a subject as difficult as sexual abuse and I did more than 85 minutes of a lecture on cults with only a 10 minute break while being video-taped (which is a whole different issue talking to the camera)

You could never ever get me to do more than the 5 minute sister's talks at a KH. And it's not like I didn't know the material after 22 years It is so artificial and limiting

lovelylil

now cume on guys, yuz all now that being in tha wactower is lick having an univercity educatzion.

Yeah right! Think of all the professions most who are raised in tower have: maid, window washer, janitor, fast food service worker, etc. Not that there is anything wrong with these jobs but come on now. The WT makes statements that are totally ridiculous! My "education" didn't further my lfie course even one single bit when I left. Thankfully I was fully educated before going into the borg. Lilly

Mary

Education shows you how to think. Propaganda tells you what to think. (Awake! 2000 6/22 p. 9 Do Not Be a Victim of Propaganda!)

I think this basically sums up whether the WTS is using education or propaganda. I'm going through for my Bachelor's degree right now (something I should have done years ago but of course, I wasn't allowed to ). There is absolutely no comparison to what and how you're taught in university and how you're taught and trained in the Ministry School. Like Lady Lee, I've taken a course in Public Speaking, although I have to admit, the years I was in the Ministry School definitely helped me with this. I got 94% in the course.

That doesn't make up for all the baggering and harm that they instill in you though. The WTS does not "educate". Their whole purpose is to assimilate you, destroy your individuality and re-create you after their own likeness. There's a reason we call them The Borg.

How Well Does the Watchtower Educate?