The thread on pros of being a JW (not filled with many) led me to wonder if anyone has scientifically assessed the reading level of the average WT, Awake, books. I thought 5th grade but it is a guess. Software exists now to evaluate reading comprehension levels necessary to read documents. Curious.
Does Anyone Know the Reading Level of Society Lit?
by Band on the Run 18 Replies latest jw experiences
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frankiespeakin
Yeah 5th grade might be as good a guess as any, but I'm thinking 3rd grader, and highly delusional, with a big glob of confirmation bias.
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finally awake
IDK. My kids could read it just fine by the time they were in 3rd grade, but comprehension of the material is complicated by the fact that it is gibberish and double talk. My poor kids attended meetings from birth and still couldn't begin to explain any of the doctrines. The farthest they ever got was "we don't celebrate birthdays because Herod had John the Baptist beheaded." Of course, the WTBTS would say that I should have taught them better, but trying to teach that nonsense is like trying to nail jello to a tree. It just won't stick. I'm a fairly intelligent person, college educated and all, and *I* can't parrot back the party line either. It's like my brain just refused to retain the information - and maybe a large part of the reason I stayed in for over 10 years. I never noticed the discrepancies and flip flops because I couldn't retain the information I was reading. Oddly, I can remember details of cases I worked years ago without even referring to my reports. Peoples' names, details of the issues I uncovered, the physical layout of the offices I was in - I can remember that stuff just fine.
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designs
5th grade
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undercover
See Jehovah. See Jehovah destroy the wicked. Run, Sally, Run. Run to the Kingdom Hall.
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trueblue
are you smarter than a 5th grader - dumb blonde american - YouTube
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breakfast of champions
Didn't someone here figure out it was 6th grade (US) reading level? . . . .
Here it is:
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trueblue
ya must be 6th grader or higher because a 5th grader wouldn't be as apt to fall for it...
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Band on the Run
Finally Awake, I feel a bit better reading your post. My reading comprehension skills were superb. I read many grades above grade level. Yet I had no idea that Jesus was so demoted in WT teaching. My father and uncles served at Bethel. We stood out in KHS for our knowledge. I only learned many doctrines since coming here. Altho I could read the articles better than adult brothers could, I never could see the larger point. It seems it was hidden under data dumping. I wonder if this is a deliberate ploy.
If the WT wanted us debating or even thinking about doctrine, it would present the materials in a different fashion. I freely confess I never studied more than absolutely necessary. How I loved anyone with education in the KH. My KH was atypical in reading skill IMO.
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White Dove
My guess would be it's written at a third grade level.
I could read it just fine in third grade but didn't understand the concepts. Yet, I could read the newspaper and understand it with no problem at all.
Newspapers in America are typically written at a sixth grade level, or so I've read.
Now, after attending college and getting an advanced degree, I see it's because of the illogical arguments presented and not the intellectual way WT and A! are written as to why I couldn't understand a WT article.
After reading an article recently, I couldn't believe how simplisticly and clearly illogically they are written.
They are obviously written at a very basic elementary school level.
How condescending to their readers!