"Commenting" at Meetings (page 3)

ID Crisis

"The WTS says you can filter out inactive or df'd/da'd jws by the fact they haven't kept up with the new words."

Blondie, where has the WTS said that? In a publication? Or informally? I'm interested.

Hope4Others

They do not want you to answer in your own words because it often tends to put your own thoughts and slant on the answer...

And then older ones well they have to read it word for word...things change so much they can not keep up with the new thoughts

and changes.

hope4others

blondie

ID, using vocabulary (speech patterns) to identify "enemies"

***

w915/1p.19pars.16-17SpeakthePureLanguageandLiveForever!

***

You must use the pure language regularly, or you will lose the ability to speak it well. To illustrate: Years ago, some of us learned a foreign language. We may recall some words in that tongue but have likely lost our command of it because we have not put it to constant use. The same thing can happen with the pure language. If we do not use it regularly, we can lose our command of it, and that would have tragic consequences spiritually. Let us therefore speak it regularly at meetings and in the Christian ministry. These activities, coupled with personal study, will enable us to say things correctly in the pure language. And how important that is!

17

Speech can be lifesaving or death dealing. This was shown during a conflict between the Israelite tribe of Ephraim and Judge Jephthah of Gilead. To identify Ephraimites trying to flee across the Jordan River, the Gileadites used the password "Shibboleth," which had an initial "sh" sound. The men of Ephraim betrayed themselves to the Gileadite sentries at the fords of the Jordan by saying "Sibboleth" instead of "Shibboleth," mispronouncing the opening sound of the word. As a result, 42,000 Ephraimites were slain! (Judges 12:5, 6) Similarly, what Christendom’s clergy teach may sound close to the pure language to those not well acquainted with Bible truth. But speaking in a false religious way will prove fatal in the day of Jehovah’s anger.

wavvy

I agree with you Virgochick! Had all the same as an elder's daughter. But believe it or not, it was even worse when I later married a man who desperately wanted to become an elder. The other elder's in the cong told him he couldn't become an elder until I started "commenting" at the meetings. We even had a shepherding call purely for that purpose! Every meeting became a nightmare for me. Sitting there and sweating in my seat and wondering which was worse: regurgitating vomit into a microphone in front of 150 people, or the verbal beating from husband and other elders if I didn't.

cameo-d

Blondie, when exactly was that published? When did they start to claim that they have "the pure language"?

As I remember, the last time I discussed that with a JW (years ago) the impression I got was that they expected the "pure language" as a future event in the "new system". I understood they were expecting it to be like a one world language like before the tower of Babel.

So, did I just get a unique spin on it...one of those Tall Tales of the New System....?

Lillith26

During the time I was studying and preparing to be baptised I often took my eldest son (6yrs old) with me on sundays. His two pet peeves are sitting still and being quiet- As we were "new to the truth" I would not let my son 'comment' untill he understood the question and to keep him quiet we always stopped for icecream on the way home... lol

I never commented myself even though i am usually a very outspoken person- I just couldn't let go of my 'worldy ways' and 'gay friends' long enough to be fully assimilated i guess! at my last meeting it took all my thrength to just sit, smile and not say a word... Acting-something I learned during theocractic ministry school.

Well here is my comment now guys/elders/satan...

"I believe in not being a hypocrite- how could i say smoking is evil when i would light up as soon as i was out of sight from the KH? How could i say that fornication is wronge when my partner and i had our 3 children before we got hitched? and i damn sure am not going to say anything bad about my Aunty Cooper and his partner Aunty John- it wouldn't be paradise with out guys too!!! I love G_d, I love my children, I just love everyone... I, even I, an evil sinning apostate whore in babylon bitch, am capable of showing unconditional love! So take your lies and DIY How To Be In A Brain Dead Cult Manuals and stick them up your so called annointed virgin pure and stinking asses!"

Had to get that out of my system, sorry if i offended anyone.

BluesBrother

The official instruction is to put a comment in your own words :

Wt 03 9/1 p21

"Learn to answer in your own words. Reading a comment from the study material may indicate that you have found the right answer, and it may be a good way to get started commenting. But progressing to answer in your own words shows that you understand the point. Our publications need not be quoted verbatim. Jehovah’s Witnesses do not simply repeat what their publications say."

In practice, most WT Study Conductors like to stick to exactly what the article says - I suspect they are unsure if any other comment is right or wrong! And they are so bad at timekeeping that everything has to be "brief and to the point".

When I was a WT Conductor ,it sounds bragging to say it but I did enjoy off the wall comments, We had this old Bro, who had been in it since the year dot. He used to ramble a bit and say things that were uniquely his own. I loved it because his answers livened up the meeting.

They do not seem to want that now. I have known people be so discouraged that they stopped answering because he only wanted "baby" answers,,,

slimboyfat

I find it so tedious that the organisation prescribes even how comments are supposed to be given: The first comment is to be short. Later comments can be longer and quote scriptures. Don't summarise the whole paragraph... the list of dos and don'ts goes on. Give us a break! It's as if they have to suck out any last remaining originality or creative thought Witnesses might have left. (insert here that old emoticon with the eyes crossed out indicating being totally demoralised - what ever happened to the old emoticon? They were the best!)

blondie

Early development of "pure language" concept to begin now not in the future:

***

w50 9/15 p. 307 Turning to the Peoples a Pure Language

"For then will I turn to the peoples a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of Jehovah, to serve him with one consent."—Zeph. 3:9, AS,Da,

Yg.

JEHOVAH God’s language is as pure as truth. It is the only pure language. Now is the time to be speaking it. Mastered by the peoples of whatever nationality, his language is a mighty unifying force amid a divided, war-menaced world. It does away with religious error and false worship and unites all persons who speak the language in a pure worship of the living and true God. In an era when the 2,796 listed languages and dialects of the world act as a great barrier to people’s understanding of one another and when hundreds of religious sects confuse and prejudice mankind on the vital matter of worship, Jehovah God is turning to the many peoples of today a "pure language". This is in fulfillment of his ancient prophecy by one of his witnesses, Zephaniah: "For then I will turn the speech of the peoples into a purified speech; so that all of them may call upon the name of the LORD [Jehovah, AS], and serve him with one accord."—Zeph. 3:9, AT.

*** w50 10/1 p. 363 Report of Theocracy’s Increase Assembly ***

Wednesday afternoon, after reports from the British Isles and from Cuba had been received, N. H. Knorr introduced this new Bible translation with a talk entitled "Turning to the Peoples a Pure Language"

*** w51 6/1 p. 339 "Pure Language" ***But what is the "pure language"? Says the psalmist: "The words of Jehovah are pure words; as silver tried in a furnace on the earth, purified seven times." "Every word of God is pure." Every word of Jehovah is the truth! (Ps. 12:6, AS; Prov. 30:5; John 17:17) The "pure language" as revealed in the inspired textbook of truth, the Bible, is the glorious message that tells about the establishment of a new world of righteousness. What a mighty unifying force this proclamation is!

Already hundreds of thousands of people out of all nations have learned this pure language and now "call upon the name of Jehovah" and "serve him with one consent" in pure worship. You too can join this mighty crowd by reading your Bible. Get a copy of the New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures, for it further purifies this language by reaching back to the purity of the original inspired writings. Thus, by diligent study you too can be rescued from impending destruction at Armageddon.

*** w53 4/15 p. 231 The Language Barrier and the "Pure Language" ***Additionally this pure language has its own vocabulary, so much so that one United States judge once observed that Jehovah’s witnesses had their own vernacular. The most important term in this theocratic language is the name Jehovah, occurring 6,823 times in the Hebrew Scriptures and in such literal translations as the AmericanStandardVersion and Young’s translation. Other outstanding terms and expressions in this pure language are theocracy, kingdom, vindication, the Word, dedication, faithfulness, witnessing, Bible study, etc.

WTWizard

Answering in the words of the paragraph? Even back in the late 1980s, I have never seen so many people do just that (and adults, not just small children saying what their parents tell them to, which I have seen way too much of) in my life. Do that in school, and you are likely to get a "F" for the assignment (unless they actually ask you to read the material itself). Plus, I never ever highlighted or underlined anything in my Washtowel--the answers were too blatant just by looking at them.

"Commenting" at Meetings

Share this