I was wondering about that half-table/half-podium thing that JW's use on the platform. Is that unique to JW's & do they build them, like Shakers had their own furniture?
Is that podium thing unique to JW's? Do they build them?
by InterestedOne 30 Replies latest jw friends
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sabastious
They are just standard wooden podiums, right?
-Sab
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InterestedOne
They are just standard wooden podiums, right?
I don't know. I've been to many lectures in college and lots of church services, and I had never seen a podium like the ones I see in the KH's until I started attending. It was one of the first things I noticed thinking, "hmm that's an interesting gadget with the wheel underneath, etc." Then I went to a few other KH's & saw it was the exact same design but with different wood colors. I was wondering if they all come from the same vendor, or if JW's design & build them.
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mrsjones5
Kinda like this?
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Joliette
Good questions. I'm surprised the watchtower hasnt came out with an article saying that they invented the wooden podium, and see how humble we are, because we make them with our own podiums with our own hands, we cut the wood, we mode the podiums, while christian-dom has million dollar statues that decorate there chruches, that they still from their members. LOL.
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InterestedOne
Here is a pic of the thing I'm referring to. I've never seen this style anywhere else but a KH.
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Incognito
Actually, the proper use of the word Podium refers to a raised platform that is stood upon. A Lectern is a slanted book support.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lectern
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podium
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lectern?show=0&t=1297834156
I think some dictionaries recognize that the incorrect term has been commonly used and have included a link to Lectern within the Podium definition, as shown here: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/podium
I recall hearing (unconfirmed) that the two/three tier style of lectern commonly seen in KHs are either built at Bethel (and I assume sold to the Cong) or are built by a brother in business to make such items.
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DanaBug
Wow, that pic brings back memories. I've never seen them anywhere else either and every hall has the same design.
Off-topic: That stage set-up is subtle. Every hall, it's the same with some decorative variation. But you have the same podium design, microphone stand, the text on the wall behind the speaker's head, and chairs for demos one side and a chair for the watchtower reader on the other and their always the same sides of the stage. And you spend about 2 hours looking at it. And every hall you visit has the same set-up. Other churches of the same denomination don't do that, do they? Anyway, that's weird.
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WTWizard
It seems to me like a complete waste. All it does is provides a place (the podium) to place whatever littera-trash you are reading from, with a place (the table underneath) for whatever else you are going to use but are not currently. It also necessitates a complicated mechanism to adjust the level of the podium--a simpler podium can be adjusted with simple friction locking mechanisms (I have a Christmas decorating pole with the same mechanism) and a wing nut friction mechanism to adjust the angle--instead of rack and pinion mechanisms that need to be built into the podium.
And, why would you need so much littera-trash in the first place? My solution would be to place your Bible or whatever else you are planning on using in a bag on the floor, and whatever you are currently using on the podium. Then they might get the exercise of bending down to pick up that bound volume or washtowel article they need later. And, for those who are giving simple talks, they wouldn't need that provision at all--the podium part is enough for my Bible and simple notes for a Number Two Talk.
Additionally, I never saw why adjusting the podium is so critical. And why someone else needs to do it. If someone is giving a 45 minute talk, they should be able to easily adjust their own podium and microphone, not have someone else do it for them. And the height is not critical--as long as the reading material is between 10-16" below eye level, that is enough. (Or, 25-40 cm, for those in metric countries). The angle is a little more important--but I don't know of anyone that doesn't feel most comfortable with the angle around 15 o . (Which could easily be fixed at that angle.)
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DanaBug
WTWizard,
Lol! So that's what you were doing during the meeting instead of paying attention to the abundant spiritual food?!
