What has Worked for You When Trying to Reason with Witness Relatives? (page 3)

moshe

Witnesses have the attitude that until they are shown something better, they are just as well off where they are. If the WT society stopped shunning ex-members, controlling the private and personal lives of JW's and that even includes smoking, stopped with the blood transfusion crap, voting, joining the military, protecting pedophiles, stopped disturbing their neighbors Saturday morning rest with WT soliciation, let kids make their own choices about college and careers- have I left anything out?- If they could do all this, then I would say to a JW, if the KH makes you happy, so be it and go in peace.

Reasoning just does not work with 90% of the JW's and anyone who tries is just an evil opposer in their mind.

Good luck trying.

eclipse

Soft nylon rope, a comfy chair, and CoC on audio.

justhuman

ABSOLUTELY NOTHING

THEY ARE SO BRAINWASHED IDIOTS THAT NOTHING CAN REASON THEM

Gill

For the ones who want to shun you, great, let them! If any one will treat you like that it's not worth knowing them anyway!

For the few who will talk about JW things, (or did) tell them that you want them to stay JWs forever! It avoids furthur arguments and completely throws them, especially if you say it while chuckling to yourself! They deserve their fate, just as we did when we refused to be realistic and open our eyes. Each to his own!!!

flipper

Hello, thanks for your comments. Moshe- I think it's true, the witnesses believe in staying with what they do if they have nothing better. It's the old,"Don't change horses in midstream concept". They have no reasoning ability, can't argue when they close their minds. Eclipse- I agree they should read crisis of Conscience, but don't ya think we should leave out the rope? Gill- Yes. Just let them be in their own beliefs if they want. And we have just as much right to not be. My exwitness son and myself dropped by my witness daughters house,shes 20, and just left a note saying we were thinking of her, just wanted to say hi. We were passing through that town on the way home from work. So I'll just do that to let her know I care. What else can I Do? Peace out, Mr. Flipper

wannabefree

Suggestions?

I know with the Watchtower study edition it seems easier to find statements that are so obviously wrong and/or controlling. As a mind controlled believer you just accept it, but now awakened and noticing these things, I try to make subtle comments on them to my wife and children ... one can only hope.

Hey ... side point ... thought for a new magazine for ex-JW's Awakened! (perhaps it already exists)

cantleave

Sorry - can't help, my staunch JW relatives just turn the lalala music in their heads as soon as they start to hear something that would rather not.

oldlightnewshite

In my experience, yeah, planting little seeds is good. I've approached helping my family by taking the atheist angle. JWs are, and so was I, so thoroughly convinced that other religions are off the mark. Anybody who spoke to me about other religions were blanked by my brain. I've spoken to my family about atheist ideas, and I have been listened to. The list I've used is as follows:-

Lions are perfectly designed to catch prey, crunch bones etc. If you fed a lion grass it would die as it cannot digest cellulose. New system? WTF?

A giraffe has a 15 foot long laryngeal nerve which need only be a couple of inches long. Intelligent design? I think not.

Whales, Dolphins and snakes have vestigial legs and pelvises which aren't connected to anything. Evidence of evolution. Who put them there? Satan?

The bible contradicts itself in John and Mark over when Jesus was killed, day of preparation vs passover day. Jehovah is the author of the bible, yet inspired two spirit-appointed writers to screw up.

When the ark landed on mount arrarat, the animals got off the ark. How come certain animals live exclusively on certain islands. e.g. kangaroos on australia. How the hell did they get there? By boat? Especially as the waters were higher and still receding. How far would Australia have been from the mainland?

I've got a collection of photos of missing- link bones, skulls, etc on my PC which I showed them. Told them the watchtower lies about there being no bones. The Creator Book says there's not enough to fill a coffin. Bullshit.

Limestone deposits on top of cave paintings in france show they are at least 40,000 years old. Scientists know for a fact that limestone has a build-up rate which is constant, nothing to do with carbon dating.

You will be confronting them with new information which is outside their comfort zone of the bible as presented by the WTB$. I believe this is the only way to go. It is of course gonna be like watching an ice age. It will take time. Another thing I've done is to freely admit that I have no hope for the future. That really freaks them out when you admit that, and you seem okay about it. That really makes them think of the possibility.

Ding

I would suggest trying a lot of these ideas. Then go with what works and drop what doesn't. What seems especially good to me are:

1. Planting seeds

2. Asking questions like Columbo, low key things that "puzzle" you and "bother" you, loose ends that don't make sense to you. Let THEM hunt for answers instead of you trying to give them answers.

3. OTWO's suggestions about trying to get them to develop their non-cult personalities

I would just add a couple of thoughts:

A. Sometimes a trusted friend of yours can do some of these things more effectively than you can because they can be more objective about what is and isn't working

B. Don't assume that nothing you are saying is getting through. That may be the case, but JWs are experts at hiding their doubts. They have to be.

Little Imp

Ding, love the Columbo idea

LI

What has Worked for You When Trying to Reason with Witness Relatives?

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