Apostates protesting conventions = Something I laughed at (page 2)

free2beme

I also noted that war protest say "make love, not war" ... yet I am for the war. Just a point.

My experience seeing them was that it validated my sense of feeling "persecuted" by "the enemies." I always felt great when I saw them, "yep...those poor bitter folks. they left Jehovah and now look at 'em...a bunch of sorry hate-obsessed wackjobs."

I honestly think it's counterproductive, as it tends to generate sympathy for JWs in the community where these people will also be seen as crazies.

drew sagan

I agree with fahrvegnugen. People see these guys and their wild actions as PROOF that they are in Gods organization. I remember looking at Freeminds.org FIVE YEARS AGO and sipmly brushed it all off for the same reasons.

In the Witness world there is a mindset that needs to be challenged. At this point in time the internet is probably the best things for people who have the guts to question. More than anything, time is needed. The protesting has its pros and cons, but personally i think the cons are more than the pros

Crumpet

I think it does take tremendous courage to do this but question whether in this day and age that its the best way. Witnesses just expect them to be there and I never heard of a single JW leaving because of the demonstrating apostates. The internet is a much better way. However it did add to the excitement of the assemblies for me as a child. If the apostates looked happier and less angry they might have more success - or if they hung round the cafes and bars that the JW youths go to during the intermisions...

DIM

I think if people actually want to stand there with their signs....let them. Maybe they will reach even just 1 person and it would be worth it. Its not my style, but whatever!

carla

Wasn't it David Reed & wife who left the jw's after reading signs by protesters that read, "Read the Bible not the Watchtower"? I think it was him anyway. The story goes that they did agree they should read the bible more than the wt's and found many inconsistencies and the rest is history.

carla

Wasn't it David Reed & wife who left the jw's after reading signs by protesters that read, "Read the Bible not the Watchtower"? I think it was him anyway. The story goes that they did agree they should read the bible more than the wt's and found many inconsistencies and the rest is history.

blondie

Here's part of that experience, carla. The rest is here, that makes 2 people:

http://www.watchtowerinformationservice.org/reed.htm

What broke the spell and enabled you to leave the organization?

DAVID: "Bible reading! The Scripture is true that says, 'the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword'." (Hebrews 4:12 New King James)

PENNI: "We were at a Witness convention, and. a handful of opposers were picketing outside. One of them carried a sign that said, 'READ THE BIBLE, NOT THE WATCHTOWER'. We had no sympathy for the picketers, but we did feel convicted by this sign, because we knew that we had been reading the Watchtower to the exclusion of reading the Bible."

DAVID: "Later on, we actually counted up all of the material that the organization expected Witnesses to read. The books, magazines, lessons, etc. added up to over three thousand pages each year, compared with less than two hundred pages of Bible reading assigned - and most of that was in the Old Testament. The majority of Witnesses were so bogged down by the three thousand pages of the Society's literature that they never got around to doing the Bible reading."

PENNI: "After seeing the picket sign, I told David that we should be reading the Bible and the Watchtower. He agreed; so we began doing regular personal Bible reading."

Junction-Guy

I picket whenever I take the notion. If more people would stand out in opposition then the media would take notice. I could care less what people think of me when I picket, being overly concerned about what other people think is something I shed along with my JW days.

Enigma One

I'm not sure if the protest is really for the JW's of for the apostate himself/herself. Perhaps it is the protesters final stand of courage to do this. To stand firmly against what the WTBS stand for. I say go for it! Is it effective? I don't know. But at least they are doing something. Just as some come to the internet....many will not. Just because what works for one individual to leave, isn't effective to another. How do we know which way is best for ALL?

The JW's are a one trick pony. Door to door knocking. That's it. We have lamented why the WTBS is so stupid not to use TV and other mediums. Isn't this the same. A broad ranged, multi faceted approach to anti-JW'ism?

Apostates protesting conventions = Something I laughed at

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