Not training speakers/teachers any more? (page 3)

Tech49

About 13 years ago, I spent around 5 years as a Ministry School Overseer. I loved it! I took it very seriously, and spent a lot of time making sure to match the right people together for demos, and to assign talks and subject matter to the most appropriate speakers, and to really "teach" using the BE Book (school guidebook). I wanted people to be better public speakers, and to learn to reason, no matter what the subject was. I never had a formal teaching degree, but it was rewarding to see the efforts of my "students" really make a difference in the way they read and were able to carry on conversations with an intelligent level of reasoning.

All that is gone now. There is no Ministry School any more. Currently, it consists of: 1. only a cursory reading of a set of scriptures (Bible Reading). No opening or closing comments. Just get up and read, get down. Any brother of any age, even those with years and years of experience with public speaking. The other "parts", or "talks" are scripted "presentations", or "return visits", or "bible studies", all limited to 4-5 minutes. Most of the time, those parts are just watching a video presentation of how to do it "right". About once every 5-6 weeks, there is a 5 minute slot assigned to a brother to give a "talk", on some random subject, using only WT information of course. Literally, some of the initial call parts are no more than offering a business card, pointing to JW.borg.

The other day, my wife says "hey, you were assigned a TALK". I said "actually, no. I was assigned to read 13 scriptures from the bible". Any child can do that. No thank you.

There is no more "school". The sheep are no longer taught to reason in any way, shape, or form. Public speaking training is non-existent. There is no latitude for freedom of expression in any of the parts.

I remember when I was assigned to give a "talk", that consisted of taking the lead in a field ministry style initial call, with some other brother as my "householder". Seriously? What's the point? I'm over 50 years old, I'm not taking the time to do an initial call/presentation with some dude I cant stand. And I'm sorry, but I'm not going to do a "bible reading", when you can have any 8-year old do the same thing. I don't consider that a "privilege".

The Ministry School has become so dumbed down that it is pointless. Even when a meatier subject comes up, it usually gets assigned to someone completely incapable. (example: I was almost disgusted when an actual "talk" assignment, with the subject matter of PORNOGRAPHY (of course), was assigned to a pasty pale 15 year old in our congregation..... jeez come on already!)

compound complex

Excellent book, definitely old-school training:

road to nowhere

Waton; not even orchestrated by local elders, mom calls the shots they just nod yes

Tech; only good thing about reading is you do not have a householder, and I am a good reader so do not even have to do any more than find the start and stop places

smiddy3

Co Co ,I used to love that book before i realised the whole JW thing was just another American based crackpot religion who is only interested in getting money from their followers.

WingCommander

Cults don't need educated individuals with critical thinking skills, NOPE!!! They need OBEDIENT WORKERS. People just smart enough to be functionally literate and to operate a cart, an iPad, and to be able to present a business card at the door, and yet dumb enough to keep getting bent over week after week, month after month, year after year, and buggered in the ass while simultaneously having their pockets picked. Afterwards, these "Sheeple" pull up their pants and dresses and ask, "Oh please Governing Body OverLords, may we have some more? Please Sir, some more?"

This is what the JW cult has been reduced to.

If you want a clearer analogy think of it this way:

Picture Tony Morris da Turd as a militant Drag Queen wearing his Vietnam era issued combat boots.

Now picture him standing over a Sheeple laying out bare on the ground, sheered down to it's skin, cold, shivering, hungry. The Sheeple is blaaaa-ing in misery. Now picture militant Drag Tony stomping on the Sheeple's face, over and over again, forever, with a Scotch in one hand and a fistful of money in the other, all the while grinning like Satan himself.

Now you see how this cult operates.

eyeslice2

Agree with you Tech49, reading a few verses from the Bible with no introduction, no application and no conclusion hardly counts as a privilege.

minimus

Jesus would be so proud of what the Watchtower has become!

joey jojo

I was having a debate via text message with a pimi elder friend recently and what struck me was his complete inability to use his own brain to reason.

I know this isn't that surprising for a Jw but any question I asked was answered with a link to jw org. He wasn't willing or able to discuss anything that required him using his own critical thinking.

It became obvious that if I didn't accept without question the articles in the links he provided, that it was my problem. He wasn't interested in whether they answered my question or not and he refused to discuss it further.

So yes, I have witnessed the outcome of an 'education' program which is literally making people more stupid.

jookbeard

I cant imagine a Thursday meeting bereft of The Instruction Talk, Written Review and talk no 2,3,4 and 5, they even wised up to the fact that the TMS was doing the exact opposite of what it was originally planned; making good public speakers and gosh I've heard so much mind numbing hopeless public speaking from the platform of the KH over the years to last me a billion lifetimes, LOL. JoeyJoJo 100% agree with you.

joey jojo

Wow Jook - written review, I haven't heard that phrase for so long. Just reading the words written review did things to my head.

Not training speakers/teachers any more?

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