Expert: Brenton Hepburn - 10/6/2006

Question
I have read your profile and feel that perhaps you are best to answer my question.  If you can not, please be kind and direct me to the forum or expert I should pose this question to.  I was raised in a JW home.  Actually my mom was and my dad wasn't.  Now that I am grown and live alone, they both are in another part of the US.  When I was a kid and did not have a choice I followed along.  I got older and decided it was not for me, but I RESPECT your choice.   A few years ago, I went to visit my parents and although they respected my decision to NOT be a JW, I encountered many in the Kingdom Hall that did not.  Prominently I recall a meeting in the hall in which we were reading from Awake/Watchtower and I asked a question that was not addressed in the magazine.  The elder immediately took the microphone away from me and gave it to someone who was willing to give the answer that was provided in the magazine.  I was at the Kingdom Hall not as a critic, but as a guest accompanying my parents as my brother had died.  Then I asked my parents why I had not been allowed to speak.  The only reply I received was that they had been asked not to bring me back if I could "not follow along with the program".  I really thought that what that had been was a question and answer session, and the questions and answers had been provided, and no on your own thinking was allowed.  Perhaps they were thinking along the lines - the Bible provides all the answers, but, we were not reading from the bible.  As a matter of fact, does the bible not indicate that God gave us "free Will?  By self definition "Free Will" is not something that we can quote from.  I also encountered the same (questions being evaded) when I was studying with two other JW's in another state.  Why do they keep doing that?  

Answer
Hello Eromlig

Thank you for asking your question.

I sympathize  with your situation, and feel a little annoyed at the treatment you received, as you have relayed here.

First, you did not mention if you were ever a baptized JW, and have been excommunicated.

I have never known anyone to have the microphone taken away from them during a meeting and their question gone unanswered in some way.  At times when I have experience someone not familiar with procedures during a meeting, or a regular attendee at meetings, that have asked a question, and there have been 2 ways of handling it.

One. The question has been answered.

Two, If the question was one that could not be answered quickly at that time, the person conducting the meeting has politely said that the one asking should ask someone after the meeting.  The meetings are designed to finish with in a certain time frame and effort should be made to keep to that time.  

This is because years ago the meetings would often go over time and individuals that relied on public transport or a none JW person to pick them up often missed their ride. So the one conducting the meeting has to be conscious of finishing on time.

Part of the process of conducting these types of meetings, is for those in attendance to look through the material before-hand.  If they find something they do not understand then they try to research it first themselves, and if they can not find the answer then ask someone else. In the congregation where I go there are a couple of individuals that  will remark on a  question they had about the material and give the answer they found.  Even if that does not happen during a meeting JWs are encouraged and will discuss amongst themselves the differences that they might have on a given subject.

Yes, often to someone sitting in on these meetings it might seem that no one has the ability to have an individual idea to a question.  This appearance is particular strong in some congregations while in others one would not get that idea.  The reason for the difference is the make up of the personalities of the congregation members.  In some congregations it is particularly difficult at times to get the audience to answer and in others an individual may not get a chance to answer because every one wants to and the conductor does not get around to asking every  one.  It is encouraged for anyone attending such meetings to thoroughly prepare and that includes extra material.  However not every one has the time to do  a thorough pre-study, so the quality of comments given can and do vary from meeting to meeting and congregation to congregation.  After all we are all imperfect and have different backgrounds and circumstances.

There is a Bible principle that we are encouraged to follow when at meetings. This is found in 1 Corinthians 14:40 and reads “ But let all things take place decently and by arrangement.” (NWT)  Our meetings are to be conducted in an orderly manner.  Allowing numerous questions takes time and can make the meetings disorderly.

Not being a part of that congregation I can only suggest that the ones overseeing the meeting had not encountered such a situation before, and acted in an unkind manner out of surprise

As far as individuals at the KH not respecting your decision not to be a JW that is sad.  I can not speak for them, as it is their problem.  Perhaps they felt uncomfortable talking to you for some reason, I do not know, but their behavior, if intentional and beyond their control, (as in a person having depression, anxiety and panic attacks or just shy) is not what they have been taught and encouraged to do.  

You said that you have asked the same questions to others and they avoided the answer.  I do not know why they would do that exept that maybe they thought it came from apostate thinking or was a question they felt they could not answer.

If you would like to ask me the same questions, I will do mu best to give you an answer.


I hope I have been able to answer your main about the Meetings.  Please feel free to ask for clarification if needed.