Using School Assignments to Give a Witness

Mysterious

Anyone remember all the examples of youths being encouraged to work something about the JWs into school assignments on abortion, evolution, volunteer work etc? I remember cheekily ending an essay with "remember the theory of evolution is just that, a theory" in about 8th grade but that was about it. I did just get a fantastic A grade mark on my philosophy paper on shoudl parents have the right to refuse life saving medical treatment for infants and children too young to decide for themselves. Too bad for the witnesses they just helped me make a stronger case against. =D

Kudra

I did that. As a term paper in a botany class...

It was embarrassing and horrible. Kind of.

I wrote the professor years later to tell him the truth about the situation...

He never wrote back.

-K

neverendingjourney

I gave a speech about the role of JWs in securing freedom of religion during my freshman year in college. It was pretty embarrasing as well. The old professor clearly did not like Witnesses, but he held back his critique. I think he had personal experience with Witnesses because most people find JWs to be an interesting curiosity but rarely harbor any ill will towards them. This guy clearly disliked them. He was a professional, however, and gave me a good grade on my speech. He wanted me to join the debate team and/or take his theatre class, but I think he knew it was pointless after my speech.

Kudra

The assignment was to write a paper about the plant that has had the most impact on humans- like cotton, potatoes, tobacco, poppies...etc

Well, I chose the tree of knowledge of good and bad... (or was it the tree of life? whatever).

Then I gave a good ol thorough witness. ugh.

I really would love to know what he thought...

-K

Mysterious

Kudra,

I have to say that was pretty created for a Botany assignment. I can see how it would have been thoroughly embarassing after the fact. Your prof probably thought he had a real religious nutjob on his hands.

neverendingjourney,

I was never sure why witnesses were attracted towards debate teams and the like. I never felt equipped to be a great critical thinker as a JW something I find essential for debate. However, I suppose at least witnesses are dogmatic and well trained to argue against all odds.

neverendingjourney

That reminds me, I wrote a history paper my sophomore year in high school about Jesus. We were allowed to pick any historical figure. This was right around the time that I had begun to pursue the "truth," so I was really, really enthusiastic about it all. The teacher was not happy about the subject, but she allowed me to do it anyway because she had not specifically prohibited using religious figures as a topic. I tried to do about as good a job of giving a witness as possible. I remember I even quoted scriptures in it. The teacher was a smart young woman, most likely an atheist. She clearly had distaste for religion. She was also very professional, though. I think I made an A on the paper. It would have fueled my persecution complex had she given me a bad grade, so I'm glad she didn't.

neverendingjourney

I never felt equipped to be a great critical thinker as a JW something I find essential for debate.

Very true. I wish I had joined a debate team because I didn't have any critical thinking skills at the time. I was very good at being dogmatic and asserting opinions as truths. It's funny because I was cleaning out some stuff the other day and I ran into my old school papers. I couldn't believe how much I sounded like a JW when writing my old assignments. I would make leaps of logic all the time. I wouldn't take into account other possibilities or alternate explanations for things.

Ideologues usually are the best public speakers because they speak with conviction. Critical thinkers come across as wishy washy and tend to give on the one hand on the other hand types of speeches.

Kudra

Mysterious-

He DID have a religious nutcase on his hands!

I won a debate in jr high debating for a side I didn't even believe in. Actually, as a 12 or 13 yr old (and JW to boot) I didn't even have an opinion on it...

It was pro/against gun control. I argued against gun control and made poster boards using all the inflammatory bumperstickers I could think of- like the "hitler was pro-gun control" one, except I wrote them out as key talking points...

Ha ha. I was pitted against my two other friends. I was on my own.

-K

Hortensia

I actually brought an elder into class to debate evolution - don't remember the circumstances now but I'm sure everyone was bored to death. The only thing I remember is that the class laughed when the elder said, as an example, that a car left in the desert would rust, not evolve. The teacher said it wasn't a valid examle, cars aren't living things. He said, well if you were left in the desert for a hundred years, you'd rust too.

Metamorphosis

i actually had a teacher in high school once make me redo a paper because all my references were watchtower and awake magazines. talk about embarrassing.

Using School Assignments to Give a Witness

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