Recent posts have encouraged us all to be more tolerant of others beliefs whether those are religious, atheist or anything in the middle. Fair enough. Still, that doesn't mean I'm going to go easy on all you believers, yes even you JW lurkers who are reading this.
I remember well the uncomfortable sensation of having my long held and deeply ingrained thought habits shaken. I found that by reading stuff that was shocking to me my opinions - whether or not I changed them - were no longer based on habits of thought that had never been questioned. My opinions became something stronger and better, the reasoned convictions of a free mind.
Jehovah's Witnesses who see apostate literature as subversive and something to be suppressed show little faith in the resonableness of the beliefs they are so anxious to protect. Psychiatrists use a very ordinary word to describe the feelings that are aroused in us when something presented to us breaks across cherished mental habits. They say we are shocked.
Most people resent being shocked. They don't like it and avoid going to certain websites, reading books or keeping the company of those whose speech would shock them when really all these things are doing us a service by forcing us to confront old and long held beliefs so that we can freely and intelligently choose what is sound and reject the rest.
Being shocked prepares our minds for seeing new and unfamiliar truths - even uncomfortable truths. Most people do not need protection from being shocked, they need to be shocked a great deal more than they are.
My take: at very rare moments are we in a position to be shocked awake. Most often we are just shocked away.
But even this may be somewhat helpful. A shocking experience, although rejected, leaves a lingering trace in our mind: we know we have an appointment with something we once were not able to face.
I think Didier makes a valid point regarding "shock value".
When I first got on the Internet over ten years ago I looked up "jehovah" in a search engine and found a website that was so full of vitriol, regarding the JWs, that I was completely turned away.
I didn't type in a similar search until years later after I had decided to leave the JWs.
As you highlight, tolerance is definitely the way to go. By all means question the validity of peoples' beliefs, but why set out to crush and destroy them?
Jehovah's Witnesses who see apostate literature as subversive and something to be suppressed show little faith in the resonableness of the beliefs they are so anxious to protect
Something that has been said by many.
Being shocked prepares our minds for seeing new and unfamiliar truths - even uncomfortable truths
Or how to deal with them so as to be capable of answering.
I have a friend who attended Bible College. One of the things that surprised him was that they had books by many atheists, books strongly crictical of the Christian faith. When he asked about them one of the teachers said "If you don't know what your opponent believes or teaches. How can you make a reply to them."
I can't say I have been tremendously shocked by anything I have read by such ones.
What shocked me was learning the real truth about the Watchtower organisation.
Shock is one thing, insulting is another. Saying, do you realize there is evidence to support the opposite of XYZ which is what you claim to believe can be shocking to someone who believes in XYZ, but it can jumpstart their thinking. Saying only a morally and intellectually bankrupt baboon with shyte for brains would believe something as ridiculous as XYZ is insulting and I personally don't think it does much good.
Couldn't agree more. I don't think I've knocked or insulted anyone but let's face it, some thin skinned and 'precious' individuals could find offence in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. It's almost like they want to be offended.
