by nonamegiven 23 Replies latest jw experiences
Nonamegiven -
Don Cameron wrote a book entitled 'Captives of a Concept' that simply illustrates the matter - I have not read it for a while now - but it resonated with me at the time I did a year or two back.
The thoughts expressed before are mine - but the book was part of the tools I used to get 'unhooked' from the organization.
Jeff
Certainly, one of life's mysteries how otherwise intelligent people can let themselves be deluded like this!
My first encounter with doubts and "Apostates" came (not surprisingly!) in 1976
(i.e. the year after 1975!)
The response to this by one of the congregation's elders - a man, incidentally, with an exceptionally high IQ - was that:
"The Society will correct itself, but who will correct these people?"
As far as he was concerned, that was the start and finish of the matter - no matter how many may have got hurt / badly hurt while the WTS was making up its mind.
Jack.
DOUBTS:
John the Baptist had doubts and he was reassured.
If you have doubts in "the truth" you are marked as an Apostate.
Go figure.
Warlock
I guess for them ignorance is bliss. My daughters think it's the greatest thing since the invention of (insert whatever you think is great)! Ugh! They have always liked teaching people. Even in high school, they were certified AIDS awareness instructors and went from school to school teaching other kids. I'm sure that the dubs put a stop to that because they had to get their certification through the American Red Cross.
I guess some people just love being Jehovah's Witnesses.
If they don't have these doubts, are they just stupid?
I don't mean to be derogatory but I believe yes, and I believe it begins with a basic grasp of lanuage. There are of course varying degrees - perhaps the more stupid the more haughty, as many here have been witness to.
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Are there any jw Nobel prize winners ?
I don't think I need to look that up.
Funny, I've often thought about this. There are many educated, well-spoken men in the congregation that I've looked up to and admired dearly. It was because of this admiration that I was able to squelch my doubts for many years. If THEY believed this was the truth, surely it must BE the truth. As I began to give myself permission to doubt, I often wondered why they didn't see what I saw. Some of them, I'm sure, do . . . but make the conscious decision NOT to act on it. What a shame.
Yeah, it's kind of funny. Even the wt and asleep magazines suggest that their readers pay attention to their intuition when it comes to their friends, spouse, job, and recreation but NOT in regards their spirituality if they are jw. That should be a huge red flag right there, but for many it isn't. My opinion is that the whole thing comes down to fear. They are too afraid to question because of what they believe happens to those who question. If they knew what really happens to us, they would join us, but they still see god and jesus as blood-thirsty murderers who would forget about a life-time of service in a second if someone were to examine their doubts. Quite effective brainwashing.
Are they idiots??
yes.
For years I dismissed the doubts and unanswered questions that I had about the Watchtower Society and their claim of being God's ONLY channel of communication. My hunger to find God is the only reason I finally listened to the doubts that I had.
I'm so thankful that the Watchtower Society couldn't satisfy my soul.
I started this thread as a companion to this one. http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/12/124510/1.ashx
Yes, JW's are idiots. They don't want to look foolish by being the only one to disagree with the Elders and WT teachings. The same group dynamics that keep suicide bombers focused on their mission, also keep JW's on a mindless mission to place literature and recruit new members for the WT.
