Are Apostates "Obsessed" with Jehovah's Witnesses?

booker-t

I was talking with my friend the other day and he was telling me that he was going to several KH to debate with JW's elders to look in their libraries and show JW's the "cover ups" from their own books etc; This man has "no life" except debating with JW's. I feel enough is enough! When are Apostates going to just let it go? I have stated many times over that this is not good for the health of a person to have so much hostility towards JW's. My friend pickets the JW's assemblies, spends most of his time making photocopies from old JW's books and magazines etc; I applaud him for his concern for helping JW's but it is getting tired and down right mentally exhausting. We cannot even go to a movie or out to lunch without the subjuct of JW's coming up. He looks at all of the lastest magazines trying to find errors. Sometimes I just want to have fun and not talk religion. My friend is very nice and a good person but I think he is going overboard. Posters what are your opinions? Is my Apostate friend "obsesses" with JW's or what. He keeps wanting to go over to my "devout" JW's mom's house to debate with her. I keep telling him it is a "waste of time" because my mom has debated several "Apostates" and nothing has changed her. She even had several JW's elders at her house one time when I debated with her for 5 hours and she would not budge.

daystar

Yes, your friend is obsessed.

Dune

Everyone has their own methods of dealing with this. Personally i rather let all of this behind me, obviously some people have had it harder than others so i feel for them and really cant blame them. I say as long as you're not getting a tumor over it its ok in my book.

lovelylil

booker-t,

welcome to the board! Your friend does sound obsessed with the Witnesses. Spending all that time focused on the Witnesses can not be healthy for him. Perhaps he is having trouble moving on from the WT. Sometimes if someone asks a question involving the Witnesses wrong teachings, I will show them why it is wrong scripturally but for the most part I do not focus on them at all. For me my time is much better spent getting closer to God and Jesus.

I wonder if he feels that in some way they are still the true organization of God but maybe he feels the organinzation is being mismanaged? Maybe he has not broken all his emotional ties and feels he needs to be vindicated by proving the Witnesses wrong? As you know, it is usless to debate the witnesses, they will just feel they are persecuted even more. And the elders are not going to let him interpret books or the bible to them, they will just throw him out of the hall.

You may ask what your friend's beliefs are now and if he is still a Christian, suggest he find a church that is focused on Grace and not works and read the NT so that he can get closer to Christ and this will help him get over the wrongs and hurts from the WT org. Also being in the body of christ - the church will be emotionally upbuilding for him. And hopefully, eventually he will be too busy with other activities and won't be able to focus on the WT that much. Good luck to you and your friend, Lilly

atypical

Not as much as JW's are obsessed with apostates.

M.J.

Seems like the more abusive the group is, the more pissed off and "energetic" some ex-members become. It all depends on the person I guess. Scientology is the same way. I've heard ex Worldwide Church of God members speak with utter hatred of all things having to do with the WCG, past or present.

atypical

It depends, really. does he have family who shuns him? how much has he lost because of involvement with the jws? even though I agree it is potentially unhealthy to be so consumed, I wonder how much time he puts into it as opposed to the time a regular jw puts into their religious routines? At the very worst, would it be comparable?

LittleToe

Obsessed? Naww!! Though it's difficult to put it entirely behind you when there are people conspicuously shunning you on a regular basis and when you still have family who are actively involved.

I only post here for the craic and in the vain hope that I might be able to help someone take another step in their recovery towards normality - but I never forget that it's a team effort! I always think it a shame when folks get all the assistance under the sun and then aren't really all that bothered about helping the next wave/generation of exJWs, though that's their choice and I don't disparage them for it.

I enjoy meeting people, and so attend as many Fests as I can, but I rarely talk about the WTS there. I'm too busy enjoying myself post-JW

gumby

Not as much as JW's are obsessed with apostates.

atypical, you have a point there....but witnesses carry out their animosity differently than do 'apostates'. Witnesses do not picket, make up flyers, hold demonstrations, write politicians and clergymen, nor warn christendom of the dangers of apostates in there door to door work.

They do it amoung one another WHEN the subject comes up, or it's done by the writing dept and relayed through the literature to other witnesses.....specifically in Watchtower study articles. If the witnesses were to campaign against apostates openly....they would be opening cans of woopass across the world because this would also expose the THINGS apostates teach about them......and the GB and the writing dept. does not want this to ever happen. This is WHY they never defend themselves through the media/internet when they could. They KNOW they are wrong and have been wrong.

These apostates you speak of feel they need to warn others because they have been hurt. I was one who talked about it all the time though I was never an active demonstrator in anyway out in public nor did I send letters to warn everyone. I talked to customers, my two ex-dub sisters, and tried it a few times with believing dub memebers of my family untill I realised I needed to back off......or make a fool of myself and cause more harm. We get along good now ( my dub family), though things aren't the same. I'm grateful I at least have this.

So, witnesses despise apostates as apostates despise witnesses. The apostates were duped and are hurt and angry, and witnessses have been trained that apostates are selfish for leaving Jehovah and his organisation. The reasons are simply different.

Gumby

lowden

Well your friend is definitely obsessed, his affectation is unnatural. But then again it's only the same type of obsessive behaviour that many display as JWs, he's just carried it over to the 'other side' so to speak. As for apostates in general, i do think there's a whiff of obsession with some and i don't see how they will ever 'put it to bed'. It's the 'conspiracy theory' mentality.

Peace

Lowden

Are Apostates "Obsessed" with Jehovah's Witnesses?

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