by fairy 7 Replies latest jw friends
hi everyone,
i just want to say that i am amazed at the wealth of knowledge on this site..i went to the meetings for about 25 yrs and i didnt know a lot of the stuff that you all mention on this site.........i just want to say well done to all those people that DO know what they do.............for instance, i never ever knew about the questions changing for the baptism, i got dunked in 1979....and havent been going to the meetings for the last 10 yrs...
i just want to say that i am amazed at the wealth of knowledge on this site
You're not the only one.
Just recently I got the chance to talk with my former "mother in the truth". I told her the Society does not only meddle in religion, but also in things like what to do with your free time. With a topic posted on this board in my mind, I told her that Awakes even frown upon playing chess, and other sports. And imho that was ridiculous. She told me in a reprimanding voice that i had been studying the wrong [read apostate] things. So I felt rather gleeful in telling her it was an Awake that had told me this. Ah well....
Well! I can understand their disdain for higher education, and wanting to know all about a person's sex life, and brushing off their history of false prophecies--but not liking chess!? That's it, that's it, now I'm really mad!
(Especially with my moniker!)
I'd love to hear why, but I think underneath the fog it would be something like: promotes independent thinking, time could be better spent selling, sees things in black and white, pawn promotion makes one lust after a higher position or salary in life (outside of the Society that's wrong, but inside--are you kidding, Bill?).
Wish I could have seen the look on her face when you cited your source!!
Lol @ Kingpawn. Well, her face was worth a study. But I must admit, facing all these religious fanatics, all I could think of was that chess article.....
I've just had a terrible shock!
I thought it was Kingprawn and every time I read their posts my mouth watered.
Life will never be the same.
link
Link, don't be downhearted! You've just gotten "New Light!"
Hey the WT Society developed "new light" (tm) after their 1973 Awake article which roundly condemned chess as a dangerous game of war. Yes, just 6 years later, it was mentioned as a game many can pleasurably pursue!!
Note first:
CHESS IS BAD
*** g73 3/22 14 Chess-What Kind of Game Is It? ***
Thus Reuben Fine, a chess player of international stature, wrote in his book The Psychology of the Chess Player: "Quite obviously, chess is a play-substitute for the art of war." And Time magazine reported: "Chess originated as a war game. It is an adult, intellectualized equivalent of the maneuvers enacted by little boys with toy soldiers."
While some chess players may object to making such a comparison, others will readily acknowledge the similarity. In fact, in an article about one expert chess player, the New York Times noted: "When Mr. Lyman looks at a chessboard, its squared outlines dissolve at times into the hills and valleys and secret paths of a woodland chase, or the scarred ground of an English battlefield."
When one considers the complex movements, as opposing chessboard armies vie with-each other for position, one may wonder whether chess has been a factor in the development of military strategy. According to V. R. Ramachandra Dikshitar, it has. In his book War in Ancient India he examined this matter at length, and concluded: "The principles of chess supplied ideas to the progressive development of the modes and constituents of the army."
The
Need for CautionSome chess players have recognized the harm that can result from playing the game. According to The Encyclopdia Britannica, the religious reformer "John Huss, . . . when in prison, deplored his having played at chess, whereby he had lost time and run the risk of being subject to violent passions."
The extreme fascination of chess can result in its consuming large amounts of ones time and attention to the exclusion of more important matters, apparently a reason Huss regretted having played the game. Also, in playing it there is the danger of "stirring up competition with one another," even developing hostility toward another, something the Bible warns Christians to avoid doing.
Then, too, grown-ups may not consider it proper for children to play with war toys, or at games of a military nature. Is it consistent, then, that they play a game noted to be, in the opinion of some, an "intellectualized equivalent, of the maneuvers enacted by little boys with toy soldiers"? What effect does playing chess really have upon one? Is it a wholesome effect?
Now notice the changed tone later that same decade:
CHESS IS NOT SO BAD
*** g79 1/22 10 Playing Indoor Games ***
Backgammon, probably the oldest of the board games, is resurging in popularity. In the ruins of the ancient Chaldean city of Ur, archaeologists unearthed a still-playable backgammon set. The ancient Egyptians and Romans also played it. Contributing to backgammons popularity is the fact that it is easy to learn, yet is very difficult to master. And, of course, chess is another board game that has long provided many persons much pleasure.
Very entertaining, too, are word games, which are excellent for increasing ones vocabulary. A favorite is Scrabble, which grew out of the idea of crossword puzzles. Originated in the 1930s, it did not really catch on until about 1953. Now millions of these board games are sold each year.
Oh, but "of course" -- never mind our narrow-minded silly 1973 article. We didn't really mean it!!
So chess was considered bad because it uses up large amounts of time (obvious) and can encourage competition, but Monopoly (based on the idea of accumulating wealth) is OK!?
About the only game I can think of offhand where there's no competition involved is Solitaire.
If you're interested in stories about past players, read on. If not, feel free to pass over this.
Actually...a number of stories come to mind about eccentric behavior of chessplayers. Dr. Alexander Alekhine was known to smash furniture or throw his King across the room if he lost. Aaron(sp?) Nimzovich, who so hated smoking he'd complain bitterly if an opponent even put a cigar case down beside the board. Bobby Fischer (yes, I have one about America's first World Champion) who at first worried the 1972 match in Iceland couldn't be seen in America because Iceland didn't have the best TV facilities, and then lost a game by forfeit during an almost all-tournament-long battle against the match being filmed, are some. So the effect on a person isn't always wholesome.
But...a frequent writer of chess books was once asked to list the benefits of the game. Some of them were:
and so on.
So there's something to be said for both views.
Thanks for posting those articles Gopher.
