by vienne 18 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
It’s a bit of both. Some do well in reading etc, however there is also a tendency to only stay within the group and revere leaders so any errors that aren’t immediately corrected, which is unlikely if done by the leaders, are propagated through the group.
Think of it like a dialect, if you have a very small, isolated group, dialects form rather quickly, while large integrated societies tend to have the opposite, where common language happens and dialects die out.
vienne
The writing of letters is an expression of one's literacy skills and such can always be improved over time so its exercise can lead to improved grammar for some or many. Postings on the internet on various forums is also an expression of one's literacy and again its exercise can also lead to improvement as evidenced by p[ostings on JW Talk and the World Forum websites for JW's.
The fact that the Witness community is a publishing agency sets a good example in clear writing, easily comprehended and available to many peoples of different languages and education thus as an organization facilitates a high level of literacy including grammar.
Watchtower does not fear the informed, questioning believer as you allege but fears those who seek to undermine genuine intellectual inquiry and freedom using unquestioned, critical scholarship which lacks coherence and unity of thought.
I agree with you that finishing High School is not a guarantee of literacy and this is an indictment of education departments but such attainment can lead to improvement utilizing other pathways which not always the case. The present modern era provides the opportunity at least for advancement and this fact must be recognized and even if such ones are merely competent report or essay writers then that surely is worthy attainment for not all can be or want to be grammarians.
scholar JW
I think the watchtower religion is good for motivating the illiterate to learn to read. I know one brother who couldn’t read that is now a ministerial servant. He isn’t a good enough reader to give public talks but he would do the announcements when they did that. I think there are a lot of undiagnosed disabilities out there that cause illiteracy. I don’t discriminate against the intellectually disabled because no one chooses this. It is the way they are born. Kudos to brothers who make the effort to learn to read. Maybe it will help them exit the cult.
A significant portion of the population, not just Witnesses resist reading. Reading quality writing does not of itself motivate one to improve. Setting a good example? Where were you in the 1970s. Go back and read the Watchtowers from then and tell me about its good example. Yes, it is better now. And no, I wasn't around then, but I have read them. The writing example set now is suitable for fifth graders, not adults.
You wrote: "Watchtower does not fear the informed, questioning believer as you allege but fears those who seek to undermine genuine intellectual inquiry and freedom using unquestioned, critical scholarship which lacks coherence and unity of thought."
That's nonsense. Define "genuine intellectual inquiry." To Witnesses that's reading what's in Watchtower product and believing it uncritically. If we take you at your at your word, nothing outside the Watchtower is a genuine intellectual inquiry. I will grant that this site attracts fallacious, ill-considered expositions. But that's beside the point. Any thoughtful, well founded research that differs from Watchtower dogma exposes one to charges of heresy resulting in expulsion.
You admit that the Watchtower "fears those who seek to undermine" Watchtower doctrine. Why, if you have the Truth, would you fear falsehood?
You write: "The present modern era provides the opportunity at least for advancement and this fact must be recognized and even if such ones are merely competent report or essay writers then that surely is worthy attainment for not all can be or want to be grammarians."
This has no bearing on the issue at hand. It is a non sequitur.
VIENNE:
The trend towards poor grammar is pervasive nowadays and not just among JWs with poor education.
The schools in the US watered down the education in grammar schools decades ago. I even see college grads with atrocious spelling and know one teacher who should be ashamed. Spell check is not loaded with every word and sometimes you need a dictionary. I have seen mistakes on signs, TV news and in internet articles. This lowered standard is here to stay unfortunately and it’s not getting better.
Watchtower does not fear the informed, questioning believer
What a blatant lie! Unless you mean believers ‘informed by the Watchtower alone’ and believers who only ask the questions made and answered by the Watchtower itself. As for believers who truly get information from credible sources, who can think for themselves, and ask difficult, even embarrassing questions, yes definitely the Watchtower fears them. Why else would they be chased down and ultimately expelled if they don’t retract from their sin of “independent thinking”? I’m sure you’re not interested in my personal testimony on that subject, the witch hunting I was subjected to by congregation elders and the branch office because I ... wait for it ... dared to get informed and ask questions.
One episode I’ll never forget: A dear elder telling me, as we sat in his car for a “friendly advice session” after we went out together on field service: “Dear brother Eden, it’s great that you take such interest in deep spiritual matters, but you do too much thinking and studying. That’s wholly unnecessary and puts you in danger. The Organization already did all of that for us, they did all the chewing, and all we have to do is trust them and eat the [baby] paps they put on the table for us.”
I can’t think of anything more ignorant, stupidifying and dumbed down that that “friendly advice”.
So when you imply that the Witnesses value
“genuine intellectual inquire and freedom”
you really make me want to vomit with your hipocrisy. Sure, in the North-Korean way of freedom and intellectual inquire. The key word here is “genuine”, and what Watchtower think it’s genuine, or legitimate. “Genuine” means “within the boundaries set by the Watchtower”.
You betray yourself when you attack the critical scholarship because it undermines unity of thought. Perhaps you believe that “genuine” scholarship should be acritical and tame? That’s the loaded language of tyrants and their authoritarian regimes. That’s the same imagery used by Franz and Covington on the Walsh trial case (read the transcript here) when they openly admitted that, even if the Watchtower published falsities, the Witnesses should take them at face value, unquestionably, because it was imperative that they, as an army, marched in unity of thought. And, as in an army, those who don’t march in unity, are nothing but troublemakers who deserved to be put to death. Plainly stated like that.
At one judicial committee, my best friend, an elder, turned to me and said that I deserved death because my “information” and “questioning” led me to disagree with one particular Watchower teaching. Some friend huh. That’s what “Watchtower education” does to believers: not only makes them ill-equipped with grammar; turns them into moral monsters.
when Watchtower articles used such words as "revivify" (and we all had to consult the Oxford Dictionary to confirm that there was indeed such a word in the English vocabulary!)
.Our friends and I used to joke about having to look up the "Funk And Wagnalls" dictionary that was sometimes quoted to understand some words .
Great post, Edenone!
I do recognize that on average, a JW is not widely interested in or well informed about other topics than those topics printed in the WT magazines. Not sure about the statement made by some (have high literacy skills) is true. Main reason I do not know is that when I was a JW, there were very few opportunities that would show their literacy skills. I think that those JW's that had followed a proper education and similarly found a good job showed literacy skills as expected. But those that lacked that education or job, showed poorer skills. But I guess that would equally be true in other religions.
I do notice however that most JW's have difficulties to actually discuss (in-depth) general topics, form ideas and provide counter arguments.
