What Does the Bible Really Teach??

insearchoftruth

My wife's family is jw, she has never been a partipative jw, but now due to her mom, has been expressing some interest and is starting a 'bible study' using 'what does the bible really teach?' Am looking for any guidance on this book as well as any path I can take to make sure my wife stays away. Any assistance at all would be appreciated. Thanks!!

AuldSoul

Hoo-boy! That's a tough spot. You will learn more from reading here than you ever wanted to know about the religion, but arming yourself with that knowledge is the best chance you have of keeping your wife out of it.

I encourage you to read everything in the Best Of sections dealing with doctrine. Many times you will smack your head in dismay at what they believe. Keep going. It gets worse.

If your wife ever gets baptized and does something the congregation disfellowships her for, her mother will be told to keep all communication to a minimum. If you have kids your wife will be pressured into indoctrinating them with threats of the children dying at Armageddon if they do not do what Jehovah says.

"Jehovah" is a euphemism for the men in New York who make up the "Governing Body." What the Governing Body says takes precedence over personal perspective on the Bible. Anyone who disagrees with the Governing Body is encouraged to "wait on Jehovah" to change things, and things only change when the Governing Body changes. Therefore, for all practical purposes "Jehovah" = "Governing Body."

That is the short version of the basic problem, but there is MUCH more to fear from your wife's involvement with this cult. Ask TONS of questions, we'll be happy to answer or direct you to the answers. Most importantly, vent here, DON'T vent at your wife. If you do that you will drive her into their greedy clutches.

Respectfully,
AuldSoul

TheListener

Welcome insearchoftruth. We are here to help.

Get a copy of the book for yourself and see what she'll be learning. Read as much as you can here and learn from those who have went before you.

Good luck.

joelbear

keep her busy, suggest taking lessons of some kind together.

anything

TheListener

A thought just struck me. Depending on where your wife is mentally you may be able to strike early. Try telling her that you read some information about the witnesses that concerned you. That before she took an interest you never thought about checking the witnesses out.

But, now that you have checked them out you've found some dificult to reconcile information. Perhaps you can beat the dubs to the punchline. They will tell her quite quickly during her bible study that her friends and family will try to intervene and stop her studying. They will ensure that she knows that your intervening or anyone else's for that matter is from the Devil. The devil will stop at nothing to interrupt her path to true knowledge.

Sound bogus? Trust me, it is regular fare for a bible study. I'm sure many here were taught that same thing; I taught many that same thing myself. In fact if you start disparaging the dubs after she's been told to expect it you simply fall into the dubs trap. They appear to be accurate in their prediction of your negative attitude. It can cement a new bible study further into the group.

Again, good luck.

insearchoftruth

Thanks for the insight already, I think she got the desire, or parental influence, to study when she became unemployed. Recently she has started full time college and at least is learning to process things and think for herself, which from what I have read is basically prohibited in the wt. I also notice that the book is written at an elementary or middle school grade level at best.

Please keep the help coming, she is a very intelligent gal who has resisted the wt for over 20 years with her parents being in it, just want to keep her on the right side!!

sir82

her friends and family will try to intervene and stop her studying. They will ensure that she knows that your intervening or anyone else's for that matter is from the Devil. The devil will stop at nothing to interrupt her path to true knowledge.

This point is in chapter 1 or chapter 2 of every "primary" study book the JWs have used since at least the 1960's.

insearchoftruth

Some of the reading I have done said to ask questions such as who is your mediator, or show me where the bible seals the annointed class in 1935 (or for that matter where it shows 1914 as the accurate Jesus presence date - her history book does show the correct date for the fall of Jerusalem <grin>). Another approach one said is to ask the question about how the jws became the fds in the 1914-1919 time period and then from the proclaimers book show the incredibly bad food that was being fed at that time. Do any of you think any approaches like this would have any merit, or would the bs leader already be programmed to block these approaches??

Thanks again so much for your help!

AuldSoul

What Does the Bible Really Teach? chapter 1, paragraph 22, page 17:
As you learn more from the Bible, you may find that some well-meaning people will urge you to stop such studies. They may worry that you will change your beliefs. But do not let anyone stop you from forming the best friendship you can ever have.

Wow! What manipulative language. The question for that paragraph asks "What may some well-meaning people urge you to do, but what should you do?"

I have an answer for them, "Run from anyone who tells me what I should do to please God."

Respectfully,
AuldSoul

jeanniebeanz

It may be something besides the unemployment that has stimulated her interest in studying...

Welcome to the board. These guys are pretty good with the advice. Ask Jgnat, she's good at this stuff... Scully too...

Jean

What Does the Bible Really Teach??

Share this