Letter Regarding Academic Researchers

by Bangalore 14 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Bangalore

  Letter Regarding Academic Researchers.

  

  Bangalore
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  Bangalore

  

  Bangalore
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  simon17

  I dont think they really get the concept of academic research lol. I dont think any university researcher is going to interview 200 JWs to try to figure out what their headquarters wants them to say. They want to see what THEY say.

  Sad but predictable.
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  jamiebowers

  I dont think they really get the concept of academic research lol. I dont think any university researcher is going to interview 200 JWs to try to figure out what their headquarters wants them to say. They want to see what THEY say.

  Sad but predictable.

  Absolutely! Basically that letter written to let the rank ad file know that they shouldn't participate in research surveys. The PEW Report had some interesting and unflattering things to say about jws as far as the gb is concerned. One is that jws are the most poorly educated group. Another is that they are on the lower end of the income scale. And the divorce rate is pretty close to the national average.
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  Mythbuster

  Translation:

  If you want to know what our biblical beliefs are, read our literature.
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  smsalvit

  im interested in knowing what university or organization was conducting the research and what type of project it was.

  my guess is that they're statistic seeking about population, race, employment (or lack thereof), age, gender, etc.
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  VM44

  For some reason The Watchtower thinks "doing research" is equivalent to reading Watchtower literature!!

  They give the same "advice" both to JWs and outside researchers, "Read the literature that we have published!"
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  slimboyfat

  Contrast this with the article Jehovah's Witness lawyer Carolyn Wah wrote in the Journal of Religious Research also in 2001.

  http://www.jstor.org/pss/3512060

  In this article Carolyn Wah encouraged outside academics to study Jehovah's Witness and advised on methods to go about it. Still not encouraging independent information gathering through surveys and like, but a bit more open to enquiries than the above letter would suggest.
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  teel

  I laughed out loud at this: "we certainly want to avoid having publishers expressing personal viewpoints" - it's sad really, but I can't help now but laugh at such display of cult characteristic.
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  ambersun

  we certainly want to avoid having publishers expressing personal viewpoints

  Yes teel, I was quite taken aback by this blatant comment. It speaks volumes!!