How Does The Watchtower "Dumb Down" Jehovah's Witnesses?

minimus

Do you see how they take away individuality and the allowance of personal comments from the group? What other ways do you see that they keep the Witnesses "dumb"?

JH

I find that the witnesses look so dumb when they pass a resolution and "Everybody" raises their hand and approves"

damselfly

There was voting in the hall? where was I? sleeping ?

Dams ( hoping it will be explained )

Well, often when the CO was in town, the elders needed money to pay for his stay, and asked us if it was ok to give so much $$ for his car or gas or food or whatever, and everybody raised their hands...

Everytime they pass a resolution of some sort, it's always 100% hands up.

Don't raise your hand, and you get a visit from an elder after the meeting asking why you didn't approve...

minimus

Fake voting. Just put your hand up and agree or else the meeting will go overtime again.

damselfly

gotcha, still don't remember it, but I understand.

Finally-Free

Everytime they pass a resolution of some sort, it's always 100% hands up.

It wasn't 100% in my hall. I didn't approve of many of the expenditures so chose to vote with my wallet. I stopped raising my hand for resolutions at the hall. Once I was asked about it, so I said I didn't feel right about raising my hand since I wasn't going to put any money in the box anyway.

About dumbing down the witnesses, much has been said about the watchtower's stand on education. I also remember many talks where the brother™ would suggest people should stop reading "worldly" newspapers, books, and magazines because these take them away from reading the watchtower and awake cover to cover.

W

JH

It wasn't 100% in my hall

And what happens when you don't approve

Once I was asked about it

tetrapod.sapien

how did they keep us dumb?

fear, i would say, firstly. guilt, secondly.

this is why fear and guilt are such strong feelings during deconversion. the fear and guilt are defense mechanisms put in place by the high control group (religion) to control cognitive dissonance. when a person starts working with their dissonance, instead of fighting it, the initial defense mechanisms flare up in an effort to maintain the intellectual status quo.

some people get through it. but so many stay dumb.

TS

Lady Lee

The whole study format dumbs people down. Read a paragraph of three sentences and then read the question (or vice versa) and find the one sentences that answers the question. How dumb do they think people are? Really!!

That kind of study and repetition might be OK for 3 and 4 yr olds but anyone else needs to have their thinking abilities developed. Heck they provide both the questions and the answers!!!

Then add to that the preparation study for the study - this ain't rocket science folks.

And to make it worse they simply reprint the same old messages year after year after year after .... well you all know. They say it is to help new ones but really it is to make sure all the 3 yr old minds they have created have one more shot at regurgitating WT garbage

How Does The Watchtower "Dumb Down" Jehovah's Witnesses?

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