Asking Questions At Meetings!

SYN

Reading the other thread about answering at meetings gave me the cold shivers. There is a fundamental part of being a Witness that I've never understood, that just seems so at odds with the philosophy outlined by Jesus and the Apostles in the New Testament - why weren't we allowed to ASK QUESTIONS at the meetings? EVER? HMM???

Think about it. We were basically force-fed the information. It was a one way flow of information, straight into our gullible minds. Now that I think about it, it seems so stupid and obvious, but I guess back then I couldn't see the forest for the trees.

I had an 'experience' just before I left, at the bookstudy. The Brother assigned to reading the paragraph had just finished reading his little block of mind-control garbage, and the conductor had just asked the question. Dumb as I was, I stuck my hand up and asked why the book said something, I don't actually care to remember what it was. Everyone in the bookstudy's lower jaw hit the floor - a Brother who ASKED QUESTIONS DURING A MEETING! EGAD! THE HORROR!

But I absolutely felt that I had done nothing wrong. The Elder got very uncomfortable, and just said "We'll answer the question another time", and carried on with the study. After the study, another Elder grabbed me and counselled me about it, saying I shouldn't do that, that I would throw the conductor off.

BLAH! Were they worried I might make them THINK or something? So they would actually have to use their frontal lobes for a change?

This was one of the big factors that led to me leaving. Anyone else have any thoughts about this?

I'm sure glad we don't vote anymore like we did before we got the truth. Now we get to complain about everything ALL the politicians do!
[SYN], UADA - Unseen Apostate Directorate, Africa

lv4fer

I have wanted to ask questions at times to. I never had the guts to ask during the meeting. I did ask afterwards though and usually my questions weren't answered very well.

Elsewhere

Hmmm, a "religious school" where asking questions is frowned upon.

"As every one knows, there are mistakes in the Bible" - The Watchtower, April 15, 1928, p. 126
Believe in yourself, not mythology.
<x ><

Pierced Angel

The one time I asked a question (after answering a simple question) I remember the elder stammering and only half answering my question. Afterwards he said
he'd look into it for me, but he never answered me.
I remember a few friends nearby looking at me uncomfortably at the time and I never did that again.

Anne

(wish I had the guts I have now back then, lol)

Ephanyminitas

I agree. There is an unspoken law that states that you are not to ever ask a question at meetings. In all my years in the organization, I don't recall anyone ever doing so (except perhaps in one fuzzy memory). It's just not done.

You have to follow the prescribed formula: read the paragraph, ask the given question, get answers, move on. I've often thought that this was a routine for the unintelligent. Modesty aside for a second, I'm a very smart person. I always just wanted to read the information without asking questions. This made so many family studies boring. I mean, they would read the information, then ask the most bone-headed questions:

CONDUCTOR: Brother, please read paragraph one.

READER: "Jehovah God is God. There is no other God except Jehovah God. Obey God. And obey the group of old men that speaks for him."

CONDUCTOR: Question 1a: "Who is God?"

(A few hands rise. The brother conspicuously avoids choosing his young daughter for the first question.)

CONDUCTOR: Yes, young Brother Faithful?

YOUNG BROTHER FAITHFUL: Je-ho-vah.

(Everybody laughs quietly and thinks, "Awwwww." Then an older brother or sister pads this basic answer to get a longer answer.)

CONDUCTOR: Good answer. Now question 1b: "Who is directly commissioned to speak for God?" (Hands rise.) Yes, brother?

YOUNG BROTHER FAITHFUL: Je-ho-vah.

(Everybody laughs awkwardly and thinks, "Awwwww.")

CONDUCTOR: Goob job. Yes, Sister Pioneer?

SISTER PIONEER: The faithful and discreet slave is the one and only official mouthpiece of God himself.

CONDUCTOR: Thank you. Yes, First-Name-of-Person-Studying-'Cause-Your-Not-My-Sister-Yet?

WOMAN STUDYING: Er, that's what I was going to say.

HALF OF THE ATTENDEES (thinking): Yeah, right.

Xander

I got a kid from school to go to a bookstudy once. Just before it, I explained the 'ground rules': don't ask questions, just sit there and listen. The conductor will ask questions based on a paragraph just read, and you paraphrase the answers out of the book.

Couldn't understand at the time why he didn't want to go back.

I mean, if you were to intentionally design a brainwashing institution, you couldn't make it creapier than that seems now.

A fanatic is one who, upon losing sight of his goals, redoubles his efforts.
--George Santayana

out4good3

I remember when I first started attending the bookstudy. During the study one of the attendees dared to raise his hand and actually ask a question which brought about some grumbling among those present. The elder, who was studying with the guy who asked the question brutally put him down by saying that they'll discuss that at his private study and that here they were only authorized to discuss and answer question from what was in the text.

I never saw that guy at the bookstudy again.

LDH

I do remember someone asking a question at our Watchtower study, and the brother conducting said, "If you have a question concerning the study you should ask your bookstudy conductor after the meeting. We follow the format of the FDS for the WT study."

NEXT.

Lisa

QUEENIE

THE biggest question that was always in my mind was why AM I here?? I just did not have the guts to confront myself with it!!!

truthseeker1

There was a question asked just a few weeks ago in our book study. There is this guy who’s family are Mormons going to our hall. He is trying to convert his kids from Mormon to JW so he brings them to the hall. His wife doesn’t like this so she had her son (10 years or so) ask questions in the book study, like ‘how come you people don’t have modern day prophets’ and ‘how come you people don’t call your kingdom halls temples’ Our book study conductor just said those are excellent questions and he would be happy to answer them after the meeting. The boy ran home before anyone got a chance to talk to him. His father got a pretty stern lecture about not having control of his family. I wanted to laugh so hard when I heard these questions. Oh yeah, he also read his scriptures from the KJ version, which made everyone feel kinda weird. The conductor made it a point to let everyone know it wasn’t from their bible.

Asking Questions At Meetings!

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