Do you think DOCTRINE matters to most JW's? Did it matter to you?

by nicolaou 12 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  nicolaou

  There's so much 'new light' coming out recently but I wonder if any of it really hits home to the average dub. I think a good deal of those who leave do so because of a lack of real, honest love. They get sick of the judgemental attitude and the continual grind.

  But here's my question. Did anyone quit the JW's because of doctrine?

  Though I saw the lack of genuine love for myself none of that ever knocked my belief that this was 'Jehovah's Organisation'. Back then I could rationalise everything. What did it for me was when I actually started to make a close examination of Bible teachings compared to Watchtower teachings. I could make both sets of teaching harmonise if I followed WT reasoning, but therein lay the problem - it was all so forced and tortuous.

  And of course I found I couldn't have a free and open discussion about these things with my Mum or 'brothers and sisters'. I began to feel isolated and was soon on my way out.

  For me doctrine mattered - a lot!
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  Gopher

  Yes I think the JW's think doctrine matters. Ask them what sets them apart from others, and very often they'll mention the "teachings".

  As to your other question, no I didn't leave because of doctrine. Unless you count the disfellowshipping teaching as a "doctrine". That teaching alone made me not want to go back. But more accurately it was the hypocrisy and fake "love" (but hate when it really mattered) that repelled me and continues to do so.
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  sweetstuff

  Interesting post. Doctrine mattered alot to me, what I found in the bible, was disturbing enough, what the society then preached, was even more disturbing! But in a recent conversation with my father, who is a diehard, lifer in dubland...he said that even if armageddon never comes, even if the society was wrong, it is still the "best way to live", he has "no regrets". I think that is what has changed in the mindset of most JWs now, they all seem to have that mentality, whether by direct influence of the WTS or by justifying in their own minds, the doubts they want to ignore. They seem to go the "its the best way to live" route more often than not these days. Baffling but true.
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  Gopher

  even if the society was wrong, it is still the "best way to live"

  I heard this a lot when I was growing up JW. It's part of the cultish indoctrination == 'Even if we're wrong, we're still right!"

  They even had a kingdom song called Make the Truth your Own, which starts out by saying 'The way of the truth, is the best way of living.' Of course, that is true, but their definition of "truth" is totally corrupted.
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  Zico

  Since they can't depend on love to prove it's the truth, they have to use doctrines to convince people I guess.
  
  I've heard lots of Jehovah's Witnesses say they know it's the truth, when asked why, it's always something doctrinal, I've never known one of them, not one of them, to say 'Because of the love we have' which I find interesting, since Jesus said that's how his followers would be recognised.
  
  It was the false doctrines that did it for me as well.
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  trevor

  I began to question certain anomalies in the movement and was advised that I was developing a “spirit of independence.” I expected everything to add up and make sense, after all this was “the Truth” – wasn’t it?

  One senior brother of fifty years standing explained that the most important thing in the congregation was unity. It did not matter so much whether what we believed was accurate so long as we all believed the same. This did nothing to ease the nagging feeling I had, that the Emperor wore no clothes.

  Taken from the book, ‘Opening the Door to Jehovah’s Witnesses.’ By Trevor Willis. For your Free Download of this honest and informative insight into the world of The Watchtower Society - go to Lulu.com and enter the book title or authors name.
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  troubled mind

  I think doctrine did matter to me for a long time . I saw imperfections in the org. and in individuals , but was convinced it would all wash out because this was the truth . For many years I denied my own conscience .Something would come up and I would push troubling issues back ...this was the truth .

  Then I made the decision to really examine my 44 yrs of life experience against what I was told was truth .

  These are a few things I discovered :

  #1) I was told that a disfellowshipped or Da'd family member should be shunned because that was actually love and they would eventually see the error of their way and come back . Life taught me this was false ....family is family and deserves our love and attention no matter what . Jesus taught forgiveness , tolerance , and mercy . He also taught those were the MORE important things .

  #2) I was told the congregation was now my family " brothers and sisters " " mothers and fathers " . Yet experience proved to me in trying times My fleshly non witness family were the ones that cared .

  #3) I was told schoolmates would be bad associates for my children . If I did allow friendships to develop the kids would suffer at the hall because superfine witnesses would judge them as questionable . Our experience of raising three sons to adulthood was that time and again it was their witness friends that were the bad associates . Their so called friends smoked ,drank and fornicated then lied ,lied, lied with no shred of self respect .

  # 4) The Christian congregation was true because of the love the group had for each other ,Yet what really occured was cliques , gossip and competition to be better than others . The love christ taught was unrecognizable .

  This is a small sample of what I personally saw ,

  Then doctrine slapped me in the face when I started delving into research about the blood issue . When I discovered their stand on this topic was also based on falsehood I just could not go on supporting any of their beliefs .

  I still don't know what things I believe when it comes to basic doctrines I just don't really care much anymore . In time that may change .
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  Vernon Williams

  Doctrine, to me, was "The All." I was convicted the JWs had the correct teaching on that which mattered most: Good News, Nuetrality, The Kingdom, the Trinity, and several more. Then, due to the 144,000, literally, not "adding up" I started to get a bit quezzy....the rest is the same history as anyone that starts to question the authority of the GB. When I was told I had to falsify truth to prove my loyalty...the WT and I went two different directions....mine was up....they continued the opposite way....

  Now, I can eviserate the WT position in two hours using the NWT.....funny how things go....huh?

  In this Journey,

  V
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  WTWizard

  It wasn't just the doctrine, though the disjointed nature of it didn't help. Having to be hounded to pioneer was part of the problem. I felt that, if the organization had any merit, people would pioneer without being asked (and people would do all they reasonably could). And most of the doctrines made at least some sense, at least until I saw the real source of them.

  What did matter was their constant insistence on keeping me from meeting the opposite sex. They evidently wanted me in some capacity where being single was a must (which I was not willing to serve). That insistence was enough. The Puketower article in the April 1, 1995 issue where Satan was supposed to be behind this rejection was basically the beginning of the end for me. Who knows whether I would still be in, or disfellowshipped for mere fornication, had they (and Jehovah Himself) not been so forcible in keeping me from being fulfilled.
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  nicolaou

  I wonder if those who thought doctrine was important are the ones who are attracted to discussion forums like JWD. I really needed to get into the detail of issues like the 144,000, 607/587, and the F&DS. I couldn't debate these things with my family or the 'brothers' so I wound up online.

  These days I just stick around for the company!