I guess less people are commenting now. Last week's whole WT study was dedicating to the issue of commenting. People were literally making comments about how to comment, it was very meta (not that most there would get that), Anyway the main reason that WT gave to explain away people's lack of commenting? Fear and shyness! Could it be that JWs just don't care about commenting anymore, realizing that it is not important at all? No. They are scared and shy, those are the only two explanations. LOL
Whole Study Article on Commenting at Meetings
by JW_Rogue 32 Replies latest jw experiences
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blondie
No comments because few jws read the magazines and thus are not prepared to comment. It would take a quick study for someone to listen to the paragraphs read at the meeting and have the question asked right afterwards.
Up until 1970, the questions were asked first and the paragraphs were read after as a summary, but the WTS realized that so many jws were reading the paragraph while the question was being asked and few commented, they switched so the paragraph was read first, and then the question was read. Also, some small groups of jws used to meet on Saturday night to do an informal study together to be prepared to comment or to get the courage to do so at all. That was kiboshed by the WTS around 1980/81 when the Great Apostasy occurred at Bethel.
Many jws know that commenting at the meetings is voluntary (so far) and not required to get everlasting life. I do remember one WT conductor told the audience that starting the next Sunday, if no one raised their hand to answer, he would call on someone without notice to do so and he did. Finally some started raising their hands so they could pick the question they were prepared to answer.
https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1977091#h=1:0-5:229 (paragraphs now read first)
https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/201977002#h=7:0-8:286 (articles shorter)
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waton
Kind of pathetic. keep it to 30 seconds, in other words it does not really matter what you say.
Wt ruminating is a great forum for the Jezebels to violate the Lords command spelled out in 1 Cor. 14.
Very effective self-indoctrination technique, outdoing each other and spouting wt temporary light.
It carries no weight, that is why it is called light, brighter.
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waton
Saturday night to do an informal study together to be prepared to comment or to get the courage to do so at all. That was kiboshed by the WTS around 1980/81 when the Great Apostasy occurred at Bethel. B
Did not bethel have an mandatory in house preparatory study every Monday night? Study date still starts on Monday?
Give us the dirt, or link on the "great bethel apostasy" not the ongoing affair). thank you.
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zeb
In my time I saw answers go from the strict paragraph (the party line) to as one of a wave of new people answering with their own words and experiences to becoming more like that and then it all went back to the party-line again.
The last cong had an elder who felt the need to correct EVERYONES answer thus making people feel small. embarrased so the answering when it happened with no young one very few young adults only the old brigade was just from the paragraph. The same elder when he arrived would skim a paragraph"as that doesnt apply to us" and this to my delight. But no doubts the uber class must have got to him as they wanted every full stop covered and soon thats what he was doing..
Some elders seem to think they are stand-up comics and will make light of peoples answers; so feeling humiliated they no longer answer.
There is another aspect to answering. There are the pioneer couples who had the rainbow of markings all the colours, on their wt mags but never spoke up once. We had a visiting overseer who commented in another cong that so few sisters were answering up so he said the"Next question is just for the sisters"....silence.. then one brother a bit of country bumpkin said "dont rush him sisters" and the over seer acknowledged this with a big smile.
I didnt see but the looks on some sisters faces would have been worth seeing.
my 10cents worth.
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blondie
https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1981609?q=small+groups&p=sen
Reviling the pattern of the “pure language” that Jehovah has so graciously taught his people over the past century, these haughty ones try to draw the “sheep” away from the one international “flock” that Jesus has gathered in the earth. (John 10:7-10, 16) They try to sow doubts and to separate unsuspecting ones from the bounteous “table” of spiritual food spread at the Kingdom Halls of Jehovah’s Witnesses, where truly there is ‘nothing lacking.’ (Ps. 23:1-6) They say that it is sufficient to read the Bible exclusively, either alone or in small groups at home.
https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1982644?q=private+study&p=sen
Even today some try to draw the unsteady away into private groups, supposedly for “Bible study.” This could never promote love for God, Christ and the Christian congregation.—Luke 11:23.
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Ding
When I first attended WT studies, I thought the questions were boring for anyone older than 10.
All you had to do was look at the paragraph and put it in a little different word order.
If you embellish it, a picky study conductor will say you're wrong.
They may even accuse you of running ahead of Jehovah and his organization.
Dangerous stuff, that...
The real trick is to parrot what the WT paragraph says without making it obvious that you are parroting what the WT paragraph says.
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Brokeback Watchtower
I went to a watchtower study at my old congregation about a year ago(been away for 28 years) bunch of old faces making scripted comments that made little common sense. That's what you get from the audience when you have shitty watchtower study article full of utter nonsensical stuff pouring off of every page. So quite naturally people aren't gonna be in a hurry to give any zinger enthusiastic comment when having this shit read out loud even if they underlined the whole dam thing the night before. The Truth is in the shithouse and nobody's giving real supportive comments. I would even bet the lack of good comments is that many in attendance know TTATT and can't even give comments any more they just sit their like dummies all pissed off at these assholes.
So they take a study article to try and improve morale and encourage a sense of duty to give more thoughtful comments. These assholes on the Governing Body are stuck on stupid the way they attack problems. They are in denial of anything that reflects negatively of them, you can be disfellowshipped for saying anything against them that's how they silence critics in effect saying lalalalalalalalalalalalalalla with their fingers in their ears I can't hear you go away and leave me alone.
I see a mass exodus very soon perhaps they better hurry up the fire sale before ain't anybody left to keep these place from becoming vandalized by angry public due to a very bad internet reputation as being evil.
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Brighton
How many years ago did they start telling people to simply read their answer from the paragraph, don't elaborate or share research. Just regurgitate and move on.
And now, they complain because people aren't commenting??
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OnTheWayOut
A bunch of commenting on an article about commenting. How precious.
Blondie: I do remember one WT conductor told the audience that starting the next Sunday, if no one raised their hand to answer, he would call on someone without notice to do so and he did.
They only have the power over people that people give them. It would serve him right for someone to say "How would I know?" If I were there today in such a situation, I would use being called as an opportunity to say something goofy. "According the paragraph BLAH BLAH BLAH, but then that's all subject to an overlap."