Watch out for ......RELATIVES!

by Gill 8 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Gill

  RELATIVES can be a problem. At least in the eyes of the WT Society, relatives are a threat to the mind control tactics they employ on their slaves.

  The thing is, Relatives may well LOVE their relations who have unfortunately become trapped in the Watchtower lies and so may try to reason, help, rescue and perhaps even get cross when trying to release their loved ones who continue to be ensnared in the Watchtower trap!

  I noticed in the last two Watchtowers that Relatives are mentioned specifically and wondered how far the road of isolationism of their members the Watchtower is now willing to go in warning their members against those who may try to help them.

  December 15th Watchtower, page 22 para 8:

  'May we never allow ridicule at school, at work, or from unbelieveing relatives to stop us from making known the truth of God's Word.'

  January 15th Watchtower, page 6, para 11,:

  'Courage is needed for us to keep on preaching the Kingdom message. Some people, even relatives, may ridicule you or in some other way attempt to discourage you.'
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  AlphaOmega

  Yes, without being dramatic, similar tactics were employed in Germany under the Nazis...

  ...children being encouraged to "turn in" their parents... although in modern-day JW times, it would more likely be zealous parents turning in their children !
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  mrsjones5

  Jws are always on the lookout of relatives to say something negative about jw doctrine and I think a good tactic is to not respond. During my last visit to my parents I saw this twice. The first time my dad and his cousin were preaching to my two great aunts (born and raised christians and actively attend church), who politely listened and said nothing in agreement. I watched as this conversation quickly died. The second time was at my family reunion, a group of jws were sitting at a table (my dad, elder uncle, and the same cousin), I was sitting closely by at the next table, and they were louding proclaiming amongst themselves how things are getting worst, this system of things will soon end, and man can't do anything about it. I said nothing and the rest of the family ignored them, the conversation quickly died.

  Josie
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  95stormfront

  It makes me sick when they do that. Get in a large group amongst a familial gathering and start talking Jw garbage, as if anyone came there to hear all that vomit. All they're trying to do is draw out a question from anybody so they can give a "good witness".
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  mrsjones5

  Yeah it's rude but since the family has been exposed for so long to the jws they've learned to ignore the drivel...which is why most of them aren't jws.
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  primitivegenius

  its ok for me............ i have 4 or 5 jws in my family. the rest called bulls*** and if they studied........... they quit soon as they could.

  thing is my folks think as all jws that they can sling their s*** and i have to be covered in it............... but they are SOOOO wrong. ive talked to my dad like 2 times in the last year and he always brings up......... i wish you would go back to the congregation............... which i laughed at but ignored. he hasent seen his only grandschild and the boy is 10 months old now. they think my silence is because im doing wrong.......... fact is.... ive never been happier or more right living.

  what they dont understand is the gloves are off.............. my real picture is up here.......... and im getting ready to go see my "WORLDLY" family for thanksgiving............... and im not gonna pull punches....... when they ask about my folks my reply........... dont know............ they refuse to talk to me since i quit going to their church and started going to a better one....................... when questions ensue.............. im gonna tell it as it is.......... not sweep it under the rug.

  cant wait for family to not want to talk about anything else when they see them.............. are you really shunning your only son?......... ok then whats he doing thats bad enough for you to do that? drugs? is he cheating on his wife.......... beating his son?....................... ONLY GOING TO A DIFFERENT CHURCH FROM YOU............. WTH

  my relatives gonna be starting some s*** in my defense............

  i can just imagine that my folks wont be going to many family functions as long as they are shunning me......... im not doing this to be mean...... im doing it because they need a small taste of the uncomfortableness they are putting on me. i figure whats good for the goose is good for the gander.
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  tribalgirl

  Good for you, primitivegenius!

  I agree with you.
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  IsaacJS2

  One thing - just to throw it out there - but I've observed that people who truly believe in something (a cause, a religion, or whatever) will tend to dig in deeper whenever someone presses them to change their views. Relatives who try to "rescue" WT slaves from the organization can unwittingly push them even deeper into it. These situations are very delicate, but many people make the mistake of bulldozing into them, unfortunately. The WT is the kind of thing you have to cut out with a scalpel, not an axe.

  If there's ever any hope of getting an earnest Bible study to part ways with the Society it has to be very early on. Once the foundation is laid, any serious pressure to get them to leave can actually backfire. I think that's one of the reasons why Witnesses put this idea into our heads early on. I was frequently told things like, "Remember, Satan will try to discourage you from studying. He may even use your family against you." I think the Society uses situations like these to help it keep new people and that's why it frames the issue in this way. It's a bit of a gamble for them, but it can actually serve their purposes and encourage a student to accelerate their progression toward baptism. Especially if the family member gets too crazy about the student's affiliation with the Society. And many do, which is exactly what the Society wants.

  This is one of the reasons why I don't think that protests against the Society and things like that are a good idea.

  Just my 2 cents...

  IsaacJ
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  JWdaughter

  Mrs. Jones, Your approach is wise and mature. Every time I see my mom there are a couple of JW digs. It is the these wicked times, the end of this horrible system of things that makes me want to scream. . .because she believes it just as much as she did when I was an infant and her mom died. 40 years ago. GGGGGRRRR. Being here is the only way I can not lose it around her frequently. Every now and again I say what I think about something (recently the pedophile in the UK) and she is so in denial that it really makes me ill. I realized that what you and others say though, to just not play the game, is probably best, especially at her advanced stage of the disease. I am pretty much beyond cure and simply trying palliative care. . .because life is too short to be at odds with my mom. I almost lost her a few years ago. I am NOT going to let the borg steal what is left of her life with her family.

  Primitivegenius. Fair enough! The man refuses to see his own grandchild. Besides if the truth that he refuses to speak to you embarrasses him, then you may actually make him think. Because he isn't embarrassed by you, but by his own actions when family members call him out on his hard heartedness.