I want to say...

robhic

I have been reading this forum for a couple of years now and I know this point has been made before but I truly think it needs to be repeated.

I am not, nor ever was, a JW and only arrived here to acquaint myself with "JW-ism" because a friend had joined up. I needed to study up on stuff so I'd be prepared to (try to) understand where she was coming from with all her new oddball dogmas. That being said, the point I wanted to make is the high level of scholarship and intelligence exhibited here. It is amazing!

I read this board and am constantly impressed by the intelligent, cogent, frequently humorous and even brilliant exchanges by members. It causes me to wonder how such obviously intelligent (way above the norm) people could have found themselves, except for being born into the cult, joining and buying into this utter nonsense as espoused by the WTS?!

Take for example (and this is by NO means a complete list) some of the posts made by Leolaia, Narkissos, Peaceful Pete, Auld Soul, Abaddon and so many others. They border on brilliant. These people post like college professors and other highly-learned people. I am humbled by the thorough, intelligent nature of their writing. These are not stupid people and are also surrounded by so many others (you know who you are... ) whose posts are simply amazing in content and outright factual knowledge and logic. Plus, Leo looks hot!

How do people with such a large capacity for reason, study and general intellect get hoodwinked into being a JW? Did this trend toward scholarship occur after exiting the WTS? Were you this capable while in? If you were, how did you listen to their nonsense?

It is a testament to your intellect and I, for one, can only say a heartfelt thank you! for enlightening the rest of us with the knowledge and reason that you all possess. I feel smarter just being here!

Robert

sf

I wonder the very same thing.

I asked AlanF. that question before. How he was so taken in. I can't recall his reply. Perhaps he can shine light on his reasons, if he is reading this.

sKally

Honesty

Some of us were caught at a vulnerable time in our lives and the dubs know how to put up a good act on the surface. Too bad it is just a facade of error after error and deception after deception. By the time we woke up the cult had us trapped and it takes a long time to break free from its grip..

This morning while I was out working, I thought a lot about the differences in how God operates and how Satan operates.

A good example of how God does things is found in Jesus' first miracle when He changed water into wine. God always gives us the good things last. When a person accepts Christ as their personal Savior the journey has just started. He keeps giving and giving to us as we continue walking with Him through life's good times and bad times. He's there to pick us up when we are down and He's there to share with our joy when things are going great. Satan knows he can't rob us of our salvation through Christ once we let Him into our hearts so he tries to discourage and depress us by his tactics but we always have Christ to stand beside and lift us up. We cannot outgive God when it comes to love and adoration no matter what the Watchtower cult says to the contrary (Do More, Do More and you might receive a reward).

On the other hand, Satan always brings out the pretty little trinkets and waves them in front of us first. The Paradise is one of his best lures that he has given the Watchtower to entice vulnerable people into his lair. He makes it sound so good. When a person takes the bait he goes on to other unsuspecting victims and the first victim gets a glimpse of what they are in for when the love bombing slows down. He also shields his victims from the eternal torment they are facing by continually dangling another enticing carrot in front of them so that they eagerly anticipate the little crumbs he throws their way over the years. In time, the mindset of his victims is such that they want to believe that what is being offered is beneficial to them and will result in everlasting benefits even though it is the same old decaying carrot that is dangling off the end of that theocratic stick in the guise of New Light and 'food at the proper time.'

IronClaw

I cant agree with you more. The postings here have been instrumental in my "soon to be leaving" of the WT. AuldSoul, Blondie, Skyman, Jgnat, AlmostAthiest, Lego and so so many others as well, may I also say Thanks!!!!

Quentin

My wife asked me the other night why I spend so much time on JWD...I don't, I have other interests...two reasons, content of this forum and a hope that others can be helped with their struggle...ask a question, any question and someone will answer. No question about it. There are some very intelligent folks that hang out here, nice that they like to help others. As a former Witness I can tell you that's not so with the WTBTS as a group. Apostates help people, Witnesses break them and leave them where they lay.

DaveNwisconsin

My Mother joined at a low point in her life. She had been searching for religion and these people came along with all the answers. She started studying and it made sense to her. Then she became sucked in. She spent 40 years of her life in the cult and finally died last month. They need to shut the Watchtower down!

AlmostAtheist

>>Did this trend toward scholarship occur after exiting the WTS? Were you this capable while in? If you were, how did you listen to their nonsense?

The pages of the Live Forever book were stuck together with a drug-laced glue. You lick your fingers to separate the pages, and you're slowly drugged into submission...

Recognize they've been at it for over a hundred years. They're damn good at what they do. For the level of crap they teach and the inhumane things they teach people to do, it's amazing that they manage to get as many converts as they do.

Also, remember that everything they teach hinges on the "Faithful and Discreet Slave" concept. If they can manage to slip that idea into your head -- by repetition, by fallacious logic, by guilt -- then they've got you. Everything else fits right into place. Just that one hurdle to hoist people over, and they're in.

And once in, it is internally pretty logical. The ransom sacrifice, the soul dies, the resurrection. Paradise, no hell, no trinity. Viewed through a Watchtower lens, those things all fit neatly together. So once you're in, it all looks right. It has "the ring of truth", as my old study conductor said.

That's why Gina and I are working hard now to innoculate our kids against their ever accepting anything any man says as being higher than their own internal sense of right and wrong. You KNOW you shouldn't let a child die if you can avoid it, so if some idiot points to some ancient book and says, "blood bad", tell him he's an idiot and get on with life.

Dave

ballistic

My mother joined in the build up to 1975. I was brought up from age 4 in it. Why some children take it up and others don't I do not know, but it was the younger children who took it up in my family all except the very youngest. (have a lot of siblings). I would say age is a definate factor in being brain washed completely. The fact my youngest sister did not take it up could be explained by the fact my mother remarried an abusive partner who made life unbearable for her.

I would sum up my experience by saying that those brought up in it from a very early age stand a good chance of being taken in completely, except where there is constant association in the household with other "outsiders" or people leading double lives.

Spectrum

My mother liked them because the average JW had knowledge from the bible whislt everyone else she knew didn't have a clue. She was an avid reader of the bible and when she found like minded people she got involved but only at the edges. From her own study of the bible she realised that christendom had it mainly wrong so when JWs came along she realised that they were close to her understanding of the bible.

She did end up criticising them for too many meetings, door knocking, too much talk of the devil and what he is going to do to you. As a result she wasn't duped into baptism. She realised long ago that christ saves not their bespoke FDS.

It just shows that studying the bible on it's own is enough to get its message.

I think that's very impressive.

jeeprube

My mother joined right after the events of 1975, and so we were raised in the "new era" of JWism. She was at a vulnerable point in her life, and along came the Dubs with a big fat juicy carrot.

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