Women can't face the audience from platform? Is this in writing?

by InterestedOne 19 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  DanaBug

  No problem. Also, if I remember correctly, there was new book released for the TMS in '04, right before I got df'd so I never used it. I can't remember the name of it, so I can't find it in the library. I don't even know if they still use it. But there might be something in there about it.
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  truman

  I remember one ministry school during which the sister performing her assigned part turned to address the audience directly as a sort of addendum at the end of her householder skit. There was a barely audible gasp from the congregation as they sucked in their communal breath in shock at the breach of JW protocol. She was fairly new and didn't know any better.
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  WTWizard

  In writing or not, that women can't teach others is just plain idiotic on the part of these scumbags that made the rules. What would happen, for instance, if a "sister"--at that, only 13 years old, was much smarter than any of the men in the congregation and probably most of those in the world? By suppressing that "sister" from teaching others would keep a lot of good out of the congregation.

  And, hopefully a lot of the donations that otherwise might have come in.
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  pirata

  I have seen translated talks where the female translator faces the audience. Though it is obvious that it is the speakers words and not the translators.
• 

  Honesty

  'Sisters' aren't really teaching when they teach the audience how to

  entice householders into accepting a 'Bible' Study.

  They are just recounting their true experiences in the ministry.
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  Cindi_67

  pirata	Re: Women can't face the audience from platform? Is this in writing? posted ~ an hour ago (2/24/2011)
  Post 1093 of 1093 Since 12/31/2009	I have seen translated talks where the female translator faces the audience. Though it is obvious that it is the speakers words and not the translators.

  ---

  Pirata:

  I understand that there is a recent Watchtower article where they show a "sister" translating in sign language with her head covered. Can someone please scan it and put it here? I can't wait to see that one .
• 

  pirata

  I don't have the picture, but here is the article:

  *** w09 11/15 pp. 12-13 Questions From Readers ***
  Questions From Readers
  Is it appropriate for a sister to wear a head covering when interpreting Bible discourses into sign language at Christian meetings, assemblies, or conventions?

  Generally speaking, a Christian woman ought to wear a head covering when she cares for matters that are normally the responsibility of her husband or a brother in the congregation. This is in harmony with the principle stated by the apostle Paul that “every woman that prays or prophesies with her head uncovered shames her head” because “the head of a woman is the man.” (1 Cor. 11:3-10) When a sister wears a modest and appropriate head covering in such situations, it is a sign of submission to the theocratic arrangement in the Christian congregation.—1 Tim. 2:11, 12.

  What, though, of situations in which a sister interprets into sign language for a brother who is delivering a discourse? True, the sister is merely acting as a linguistic intermediary. That is to say, the teaching is not her own but that of the brother for whom she is interpreting. However, sign-language interpretation is very different from interpretation between spoken languages. With spoken languages, the audience can focus on the speaker and still listen to the interpreter. Also, unlike sign-language interpretation, sisters who interpret spoken languages are usually not situated so prominently. At times, they may even have the option of being seated while interpreting or, if they are standing, of facing the speaker rather than the audience. So it would not be necessary for a sister interpreting into a spoken language to wear a head covering.
  In addition to this, because of developments in the technology used when talks are interpreted into sign language, the interpreter’s role may become even more magnified. An image of the signer’s interpretation is commonly featured on a large screen, while the speaker himself may not even be visible to the audience. With these factors in mind, it would thus seem appropriate for the sister who interprets into sign language to acknowledge her secondary role as an interpreter by wearing a head covering.

  How does this revised direction affect the interpretation into sign language of parts on the Theocratic Ministry School, demonstrations, and comments during the Congregation Bible Study, the Service Meeting, and the Watchtower Study? Should a sister who is a sign-language interpreter on such occasions also wear a head covering? It would appear that the sister’s use of a head covering in some circumstances is not necessary, since all in attendance should be able to appreciate that she is not actually conducting the meeting. This would be the case, for example, when she interprets comments from the audience, talks given by sisters, or demonstrations. However, when interpreting talks for brothers during these meetings, when interpreting for the Watchtower Study conductor or the conductor of the Congregation Bible Study, or when taking the lead in signing songs, she should wear a head covering. During the course of a meeting, a sister may have to interpret for brothers, sisters, children, and elders. In view of this, it may be more practical to wear a head covering during the entire meeting.

  [Footnote]
  For a detailed discussion of the topic of head coverings for Christian women, see pages 209 to 212 of “Keep Yourselves in God’s Love.”
• 

  Cadellin

  So much for not making rules like the Talmud. If there was ever any doubt that the head covering rule was designed to make sure everyone knew where women's place was, it's this stupid and insulting QFR...
• 

  Band on the Run

  We lived near a black KH. My family was the only white one. Poor, single sisters abounded so men were highly sought after. My Ministry School talks were burdensome. We were not friends with the other witnesses. I memorized my MS presentations. My father would corral a sister right before my whatever. They did not memorize their lines. Once they flubbed, I had no skill to not rote. Aged twelve and thirteen, I was severely critiqued. My father would scream at me how stupid I was and how I received my just reward all the way home back to safety from abject poverty. During this time, nothing was more important than pleasing Jehovah and the KH crowd. They were important than school teachers.

  My brother was worshipped for his penis. A dubious distinction in my book. I hated him when I should have hated the system of oppression. Giving talks straightforward is so much easier. The Witnesses could not wait until he came of age so they could have maybe four brothers in the KH and d2d work. I remember crying so hard. Doesn't this remind you of the Taliban?

  A casual reading of Acts and Paul's true letters reveals women did teach in the congregations and were deacons and bishops. This was at a time when women were mere chattels legally. Imagine the contrast with today. One of the hard parts for me with the Bible is Jesus' and Paul's endorsement of slavery. Dietrich Bonhoffer, a German elite theology professor returned to Germany from safe harbor in NY to assasinate Hitler. He taught at Union Theological where I studied shortly. The plot was foiled at the last minute. Bonhoffer was executed. Politics did not compel his actions. Jesus compelled him to act.

  The Witnesses cannot separate general principles from extraneous details relevant to the culture of the time. I have a vagina and I am a full person. Many times I have addressed men. So far as I know, no man has died. No man has had anxiety attacks. JW men need to grow up and man up. How manly is it for a men to be threatened by such trivia?
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  DanaBug

  The Witnesses cannot separate general principles from extraneous details relevant to the culture of the time. I have a vagina and I am a full person. Many times I have addressed men. So far as I know, no man has died. No man has had anxiety attacks. JW men need to grow up and man up. How manly is it for a men to be threatened by such trivia?