WT Q&A Study Method (page 2)

mynameislame

Funny (not ha ha funny) how so many of the thing the dubs say about others apply equally to themselves.

Strain the gnat swallow the camel frequently comes to mind.

Reading this reminded me of Lifton's 'Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism' where he describes how the Chinese would create small 'study groups' with a confederate as the group leader. They would read aloud communist propaganda and answer questions and discuss the material as part of their 'indoctrination.' From what I remember, I don't think it was quite as structured as the Watchtower study or Bookstudy! Seems there was some actual discussion going on in those chinese communist prisons.

jgnat

Also, no open-ended questions. The answer must be embedded in order to underline.

WTWizard

This is one reason I never studied my washtowel before the boasting session. As for comments, I remember trying to give comments that explained beyond what the paragraph said--I viewed giving a comment in the words of the paragraph "cheating". Asked to illustrate, I typically challenged myself to come up with one not in the paragraph(s) that would add to the meaning--again, using the stock illustration was cheating.

And now that they don't like people doing that, I don't go at all.

Bobcat

WTWizard:

As for comments, I remember trying to give comments that explained beyond what the paragraph said--I viewed giving a comment in the words of the paragraph "cheating". Asked to illustrate, I typically challenged myself to come up with one not in the paragraph(s) that would add to the meaning--again, using the stock illustration was cheating.

I'm proud of you. I would think the same way. Funny how the question for the paragraph would ask, "Illustrate how such-and such was the case." As if you were being asked to come up with your own illustration. But in reality, what was wanted was the illustration in the paragraph.

Also, I started never trusting the experiences that were put in the mags. Simply because I saw how they were worked-over at the assemblies. Whenever they quoted someone about this or that, their English was too perfect, or they included too many details to have been an off the cuff comment. I also noticed they would quote someone on something that they themselves did not want to say, so that you could not say that they (the WT) said it. Yet, they still wanted you to believe it.

All this is done under the guise of "the end justifies the means." Theocratic Warfare at its best!

JakeM2012

Before I started my fade, we had moved to a new congregation. If someone's comment was not word for word from the paragraph, the conductor would ask the question again until it was read word for word. At the time I thought it was just a local thing.

I have never parroted the paragraph and I noticed that the conductors stopped calling on me. I would hold my hand up with the WT in hand like a flag when no one else had theirs up, and the conductor would look around until the sister that had already commented 12 times would hold her hand up and he would call on her.

Conductor couldn't see me with wt in hand, but they could see the hand of someone in the glass room in the back with no lights on. It was if I was the invisible man; then I really did become the invisible man. (at least in attending the meetings)

Joe Grundy

I only ever attended a KH 'Bible Study' once - in Cyprus, at the invitation of my JW neighbours. I was interested, in an atheist academic sort of way, and I knew that it would get them some bonus points (which they probably lost when I popped outside for a cigarette).

I was somewhat taken aback ('gobsmacked' in the vernacular) at the procedure. The guy at the front called up an old guy to read the paragraph from the magazine, which he did stumblingly (this poor old bugger lived in the same apartment complex as me and later committed suicide by drowning himself in our pool after he learned he had terminal cancer). The set questions were asked, and the set answers were given. I had independent knowledge of the bible on the subject discussed but was not allowed to speak (maybe because I was wearing jeans?). An old dear in the congregation piped up with a comment about 'blessed Pastor Russell' but she was soon hushed.

This was not a 'bible study' in any accepted sense, it was the repeated regurgitation of propaganda, and I agree with other posters' opinions that it was a mass mind-control exercise. Thinking back it reminded me very much of Hitler's Nuremburg rallies, where the crowd was encouraged to join in with 'Sieg Heil'.

PaintedToeNail

Agreeing with Blondie, I remember as a little kid, the Watchtower going on what seemed like forever and ever. Some of the studies were 30 or more paragraphs long and were supposed to be continued the next week. Everyone in the California cong. liked to answer, so the studies ALWAYS ran overtime!

leaving_quietly

@Joe Grundy: " This was not a 'bible study' in any accepted sense"

Notice, it's not called a bible study. It's The Watchtower Study. That's the official title of this meeting. JWs have a Congregation Bible Study, but it's far from that. We study a book that happens to quote some Bible verses. It used to be more aptly named the Book Study, but apparently they felt that name gave the impression we weren't studying the Bible, so they renamed it. The original name is still what it is, in reality. JWs DO NOT HAVE A BIBLE STUDY IN ANY SENSE OF THE PHRASE.

kurtbethel

During my study I never bothered to pretend that the literature had any validity, much to the annoyance of the conductor.

When I saw an obvious variance I would give my real answer. The conductor would try to get a different answer and I would inquire if he wanted me to parrot the Watchtower answer or give him the Bible answer. Many times I would not give him the answer he wanted and despite his nagging I would insist that I had given the real answer and that he was obstructing my progress by lingering on that paragraph and I wanted to move along.

I have to laugh when I think about how I constantly tampered with his attempts at mind control.

WT Q&A Study Method