Was I wrong to compose and send this email to an active JW?

by Honesty 50 Replies latest jw friends

AuldSoul

defd was going to stretch back to OT references to land not passing away and would use the NWT where it says earth. Another instance of allowable but stretched translation into English, then taking the English word to mean something the original word could not mean.
But, by all means proceed.
If Jehovah's Witnesses studied the Bible itself one-tenth of the time they spend on other "spiritual activities" they would not believe the Governing Body anymore. Guess why they are busy people? But they are happy people (as long as they take their anti-depressants).
AuldSoul
Honesty

I received a reply from my friend. I only manged to read through about 1/5 of it because I got a headache after the 2nd or third reference that included the word(s) apostate and apostasy. I will get back to reading his comments when the headache subsides enough to thoroughly go through his email. He still does not know that I used to be an unpaid employee of the WT coropration. I don't want to burn that bridge because as long as he's responding there is hope he can break through the mind control the borg has over him. I may try another tact with him, though. The false prophecies of the WT have not even phased him. Neither has any publications that prove the WTBTS changed what was first written and then revised. I may get him to look at the Awake magazines before November 1994 and then look at the ones after 1994 on page 4 of some loose ones and ask him to think about the change that God made to His promise but I am not even sure that will shake him. He's a pretty hardcore dub.
Any ideas would be appreciated.
Ianone

Well, if all else fails, use brute force. Hire a cult deprogrammer or exit counsellor...that is of course if this guy would be worth it to you and lives somewhat close to you.
JT

Honest
this is not meant as a dog, but merely to call a spade a spade, it would have been better if you had asked "BEFORE" you sent the email-
the reason why is many of us have already been where you are and we could have told you the challenges you would have faced trying to send such an email as this-
i hate to tell you but in my opinion you have burned a bridge that will be nearly impossible to rebuild
the person has shutdown faster than a ATM machine on the third wrong try with a bad PIN number
we all wish you had asked before you sent it,
based on the response you got- the person has taken their stand-
at this point you need to back down and leave it alone "at least for now"
your heart was in the right place , but unfortunately the person you are dealing with is part of a High Control Group and this is the way such a person responses
this is why it is so important to educate yourself on the techniques that have proven the most successful in dealing with jw- and finding out where they stand is the very first thing to do
as they say you need to feel the person out first, if the person shows a willingness to discuss wt issues beyond the Hall level, then such a person is more open-
but if you are talking to a dyed in the wool jw, BACK off- too many former jw have shut down family members that they could have gotten out - only now they refuse to even speak with them
see if you can pull up the expers of Maximus, he shared an excellent technique he used to get his family and friends out
in the last 8yrs my wife and i have gotten both of our parents out, my siblings, my wife siblings and anumber of cousins and just friends we have had for years that we have known -
but it took time, a slow methodical step by step to get them to even examine things without shutting down- some did shut down and they are still in, but we are so thankful that our immediate circle of family is out
we will be seeing my folks for thanksgiving in NC and my wifes folks forChristmas in Detriot
i only wish that you had asked the folks here on the net first-
hey we all make that mistake of blowing jw out of the water
i tell folks the same way a person becomes a jw is exactly how they will have to leave
noone gets baptixed after reading on wt, and no one typically leaves wt after reading one email showing some flaws in wt dogma
this is a site i recommend to folks all the time- it provides some excellent points to consider:
why Bad beliefs die so hard
http://www.csicop.org/si/2000-11/beliefs.html
http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/forum/thread.asp?id=7798&site=3#230204
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/forum/thread.asp?id=5574&site=3#66584
leaving intact above
JT

MY bad it was not Maximus but Amazing here is the ling
#############
Jang says
Others need to wait .... wait as long as they can so they can prepare themselves and if they have
family like Amazing did, spend the time 'adjusting their thinking' If you have never read how Amazing handled his situation then you can find it at http://www.freeminds.org/psych/exithelp.htm
JanG
JT

How I helped my Family Leave Jehovah's Witnesses
(anonymous)
Foreword: The following account is provided in the interest of those who face the dilemma of wanting to leave the organization of Jehovah’s Witnesses known as the Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society. I was involved with the organization for nearly 27 years from December 1968 through July 1995. I was active for a total of 25 years. I served in various congregational positions including Elder. In my active evangelizing for the Watch Tower Society I helped a total of 15 people become Jehovah’s Witnesses including my four children.
Introduction: In January 1992, before I actually ceased meeting attendance and started the healing process of unlearning thought patterns typical of Jehovah’s Witnesses, I had reached my decision to do something with my family.
Having read the book, Crisis of Conscience by Raymond Franz in the spring of 1989, I had many of my own concerns about the organization verified. What he wrote was right on the money. I wrote to him and we exchanged some correspondence. I have only a few disagreements about some of the things he said, but they are too minor, and I no longer recall exactly what they were.
I stayed with the Watch Tower organization for three more years for two reasons. After reading Crisis of Conscience I could not see where else to go, and my family were all active Jehovah’s Witnesses. I did not want to rock their world unless and until I could see a better way for myself.
In November 1991, just after attending Kingdom Ministry School for Elders and Ministerial Servants at Woodburn, Oregon Assembly Hall, I read In Search of Christian Freedom by Raymond Franz. This book helped me to see an important application of scripture that led to my final decision to leave Jehovah’s Witnesses.

In the book, In Search of Christian Freedom, Ray made an interesting application of Hebrews 13:13 about going outside the visible security of a camp or city to be with Christ. He likened this to modern day visible organizations and the visible security they offer. It was at that moment my earlier Christian training and view of life came into focus as to what was wrong with "organized" Christian religion. Upon that realization, I completely made a paradigm shift in all my concepts about Christianity and moved from any organizational focus to focus only on Jesus Christ. From that point forward, the Bible seemed like a new book, Christianity seemed like a whole new faith, and my association with any organized religion was totally and forever changed.
How I got my family out: The question then facing many of Jehovah’s Witnesses who considering leaving association with the Watch Tower Society is: What do I do with my family? If I march into the house and tell them that the Watch Tower Society is a bunch of bunk, they could all react with standard JW training and shun me. I too faced this exact issue, and pondered what I needed to do deal with it.

back to psychological issues
back to Main Page
JT

How I got my family out: The question then facing many of Jehovah’s Witnesses who considering leaving association with the Watch Tower Society is: What do I do with my family? If I march into the house and tell them that the Watch Tower Society is a bunch of bunk, they could all react with standard JW training and shun me. I too faced this exact issue, and pondered what I needed to do deal with it.
JT

could not post the whole article but link is on freeminds
Honesty

Thanks, JT. He read CoC a couple of years ago. He has been on apostate sites. He has talked with DF'd and DA'd JW's who left over doctrinal issues. IOW, this guy has run through the whole gamut of antiJW literature, evidence, and proofs they are a HCG. It was a last-ditch effort to try reasoning with him but it appears this guy will go to his grave believing he may get a seat on the WT Paradise Express one day if he keeps working his way to salvation.
Honesty

Here's some updates from my JW friend that I found interesting:
The Truth
Date: Mon, 21 Nov 2005 08:55:46 -0500
Look forward to it, Bob- however, unless you start acknowledging what Jesus said about His God & Father, I will not continue the tennis game about my organization!
After all, Bob, which is more important; worshipping the Only True God / serving the King, or pointing fingers like a child at others?
Let's get down to the important things:
1- Who REALLY is God? ( You should see by now- if you asked for direction in prayer, as I asked, that the Trinity has nothing to do with the Bible )
2- What is the Kingdom? ( It is not a membership to Heaven )
3- What is His purpose, and
4- What does God require- yes, REQUIRE of us!
Kindest Regards,
---- Original Message -----
Sent: Monday, November 21, 2005 3:21 PM
Subject: Re: The Truth
Hi xxx,
Still studying for my review but am curious about something you mentioned:
4- What does God require- yes, REQUIRE of us!
I hope you will tell me what you believe He requires of us.
According to the Bible here is what He requires of us:
"You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. Matt 5:43-45 (HCSB)
He said to him, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important commandment. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commandments." Matt 22:37-40 (HCSB)
He answered: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself. Luke 10:25-27 (HCSB)
And the world with its lust is passing away, but the one who does God’s will remains forever. 1 John 2:17 (HCSB)
I have found that by loving God I also love my neighbor; all other humans no matter who they are or how they have treated me personally. Jesus loves the drunkards, the prostitutes, the drug users, etc. and accepts them just as they are because once they accept Him as their Lord and Saviour He sends the Holy Spirit into their lives and cleans them up from the inside out. He starts inside and works His way out because anyone can clean up on the outside, that is by appearing to be a realtively moral person but it takes the Holy Spirit operating within a person to really clean them up. The Holy Spirit cleanses their hearts and continues working with them. We all are sinners and without the Holy Spirit within us we can only appear to be a good person. That is why as sinners we can do no good on our own merits. We need the Holy Spirit within us to teach and lead us to do God's will.
Jesus has taught me the following through the Holy Spirit:
He always honored the person as a valuable treasure of God.
He stayed focused on His message.
He used every situation as a teachable moment to lead people to salvation through faith and not works.
He started with those things He and the person He encountered held in common.
He graciously led the person toward personal examination.
He realised that, through God's power and message, people's lives would be changed.
He entrusted individuals with the message of God's salvation and with the responsibility to share their experience with others.
Something to think about: how awesome is our God.
Bob
I received this one last night:
Wow! For once, we are in COMPLETE agreement! A very inspiring way of putting it, Bob!
The only possible difference is what is viewed as the gospel / good news; it isn't the fact that he was resurrected-
that is now common knowledge, and not the good news we were commanded to preach!
But that is for later discussion- first is for us to 'compare notes' and see who God REALLY is, from Christ's
own words ( as well as some coresponding scriptures )!
Remember as you study to rely on Spirit- NOT the preconceptions that have been drummed into your mind; focus
on what God's Word says, rather than what your teacher may say. Compare the two, with Scripture as the final
say so, then you will not be trying to 'pound a square peg into a round hole'! Then, as promised in James, he will
give you the understanding & knowledge you desire!
Kindest Regards,

This guy is really sincere. I am treading on thin ice because I want to keep the lines of communication open and at the same time am hoping he sees the WT does not really teach what he is agreeing with. I have some ideas about sharing the WT 'Good News' compared with the real Good News preached by the early Christians but I believe I should ask him what the following statements in his last email means:
The only possible difference is what is viewed as the gospel / good news; it isn't the fact that he was resurrected- that is now common knowledge, and not the good news we were commanded to preach!
I also want to respond to this statement from him:
But that is for later discussion- first is for us to 'compare notes' and see who God REALLY is, from Christ's own words ( as well as some coresponding scriptures )!
Remember as you study to rely on Spirit- NOT the preconceptions that have been drummed into your mind; focus on what God's Word says, rather than what your teacher may say. Compare the two, with Scripture as the final say so, then you will not be trying to 'pound a square peg into a round hole'! Then, as promised in James, he will give you the understanding & knowledge you desire!
I am trying to stay away from the concept that God is really one but the JW's have 2 gods: Jesus and Jehovah because It may scare him off
Any suggestions?

Was I wrong to compose and send this email to an active JW?

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