by Gill 4 Replies latest jw friends
Could anyone tell me if the Witnesses still hand in and complete study reports giving the name and address of the person they study with, what they are studying and a remarks commenting on the 'study'? I would also like to know who gets hold of this information, where it is stored and does it get as far as that country's Bethel or all the way to Brooklyn?
Thanks All
Gill
As of Feb. 2004, when I was df'ed, this arrangement was still in place. I was a regular pioneer and conducted an average of around 10 studies a month, and each month I was supposed to fill in those slips for each study. I usually didn't fill in the comments, couldn't really think of what to put. As far as I knew those slips were never passed on to Bethel or anywhere else. They were just kept by the service overseer or secretary. There were a few months were I forgot to fill the slips out, but it wasn't considered a big deal. The bible study slips were not nearly as important as the sheet used to report one's time, magazine placements, etc. I'm not sure the purpose of the bible study slips, but it seemed to me to be a way for the elders to keep an eye on what was going on in the territory...
toronto_guy
When the data information law came in I cant remember which year, you werent allowed to fill in any forms, with ppl details, so along with the S-8 forms these forms where also discontinued.
The bible study forms provide the elders with a way to check on the individual bible studies in the hall. What if a family head was reporting a bible study with each of his children? He'd turn in a study slip for each and the elders could explain to him how he's going against Jesus command to turn in only one study per month for his kids. The forms ensure that the same person isn't studying with two different witnesses at the same time (you know this must be a really common problem :) ).
The elders can also monitor if someone has been studying for a very long long time and not making any progress; at times they cancel studies on people like that.
The elders can check their records to see if an individual has studied before, or was associated with the hall in some other way.
It's all about control. Information is control. If they have the information they have the control.
All of this supposes that the friends don't lie on the bible study slips and make names up.
the elders could explain to him how he's going against Jesus command to turn in only one study per month for his kids.
