If my fade ever comes to a head, and my parents demand I explain myself, I now know exactly what I'm going to say.
You believe that the Watchtower Society is the only channel to God. I know you realize they're imperfect men, but I also know that if they ordered you all to go on a killing rampage of your non-witness family, there would be people that would be willing to go, and maybe even you would kill me. I know you're probably going to say "the Society would NEVER say that!" but think about all the talks on how absolute obedience to God's organization is the only way to get into the new system. Doesn't it seem like they're preparing everyone to do something that may be really hard to do? Now, a kill order is an extreme example, and is definitely against the word of God, but because of the "new light" teaching, anything can change, can't it? Since you admit the organization is imperfect, what if a sociopath gets in control? What way is there to tell if a teaching of the society isn't in line with the Bible? If you were to disagree you'd be considered an apostate! (someone please give me a citation for that article, early 80's i believe after the ray franz crackdown). Since the September 2007 KM, they're even discouraging people from studying Hebrew and Greek to check the New World Translation's accuracy. Doesn't that go against the account of the faithful Boreans who thoroughly researched everything they were told? If the NWT is an accurate Bible, shouldn't it stand up to scrutiny?
I don't want to be a witness because the society does not allow for any questioning of their scriptural interpretations, and there are lines that my morals do not allow me to cross. I will not harm myself or others for God, period. If the society mandates something that I feel is against scripture, then I cannot in good conscience do it. I cannot teach something that I think is a lie while I "wait on Jehovah."
I also don't want to be a witness because I don't believe they accurately represent first century Christianity. Did any of the first century Christians have to go through a series of questions in order to be baptized? If so, then why was the Ethiopian eunich baptized immediately? Why do we have to wear dress clothes to teach in the Kingdom Hall? Did Jesus have to wear special synagogue clothes when he read the scriptures? The bible doesn't say. Where in the Bible does it say we have to pray before we eat? Why do we need to report time when neither Jesus, nor any of the early Christians ever mention such a practice? Hours and statistics weren't important to them, preaching the message was, that's it. This feels to me more like a 1950's business than a life Jesus would want us to live. He wasn't worried about wearing a fancy sash to impress the people he was preaching to. No one in the bible ever mandated three meetings a week, either, nor a certain amount of hours in the ministry every month. In fact, no one but the apostles and those who were invited by them ever preached door-to-door in the Bible, and they were traveling ministers. They did it full-time. The first century congregation didn't have pioneers or publishers. They also didn't place literature, they preached directly from the Bible. In fact, if I can think of one religion that is the most UNLIKE first-century Christianity, it's Jehovah's Witnesses.
What I'm going to tell my parents
by B_Deserter 6 Replies latest jw friends
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B_Deserter
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Abandoned
Dude, I admire your moxie, but I would reword the part where you all but accuse your parents of killing you. Figuratively, you're right, but they are going to stop listening from that part forward (if they hadn't already). Word it in a way that shows you have faith in them NOT following the crowd in that fashion. That will ease tensions and also give them something to think about....
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flipper
B- DESERTER- Hey huy, very admirable you want to talk to your parents about it . I too have witness parents and in order to understand more how " mind controlling cults ' work so that I can better address them or my daughters still in, I am reading the book, " Combatting Cult Mind Control", by Steve Hassan .I really recommend reading it, if you get a chance . It has some really great things that help you to understand why witnesses are so mind controlled . I think more than anything else witnesses are " information controlled ", in that they are not allowed as you said to get any other view of the world, except what is given them from the witnesses . So, somehow, someway you might address that to them , like where we heard about the child abuse scandals from. Certainly didn't hear about it at their local announcements at the service meeting, did they ? Tell em' to wrap their minds around that thought
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OnTheWayOut
I am working on a soft-sell for my mother. It's still in development stages:
Mom, I am no longer going to the meetings because I have realized that I was no longer
thinking for myself, but going along with whatever the WT organization was telling me to go along with.
When things I heard grated my conscience, I was supposed to train my conscience to get in line.Now, after reaching the point where I cannot ignore things that don't add up, I am thinking for
myself. I am examining things on my own.BLAH BLAH BLAH (Back and forth)
I don't have all the answers, but I am happy just to be able to have questions I cannot answer
rather than be forbidden to dare to even ask the questions.It needs work. I may just wing it. I don't know how the subject will start, but it will one day.
I am supposed to have lunch with Mom, along with Mrs. OTWO, mom's husband, my sister and
my sister's husband. Mom or my wife might trigger the conversation. I might just let it be
spontaneous.I am kind of leery of your "killing rampage" scenario. But good luck with that. Do what ya gotta.
I liked your second para.:I don't want to be a witness because the society does not allow for any questioning of their scriptural
interpretations, and there are lines that my morals do not allow me to cross. I will not harm myself or
others for God, period. If the society mandates something that I feel is against scripture, then I cannot
in good conscience do it. I cannot teach something that I think is a lie while I "wait on Jehovah." -
shopaholic
I know the time is coming soon when I will have to confront my family as well. I never talk about service or anything related to org and then just the other day when I was talking with my sister, out of nowhere she asked "How's your time?" but she had a judgemental tone to her voice. I simply replied "It's fine." and went back to the topic we were discussing. She knew some time ago I was no longer pioneering, its like they're in denial plus they still like to give people the impression that I'm serving where the need is greater even though I explained I simply relocated. Anyway, I have a feeling they know I'm not attending the meetings and I'm sure I only have a little bit longer before I have to confront their suspicions.
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looseend
I just started asking my dad questions right after I was reinstated. I asked and I guess was still looking for an adequate answers. I had already been studing science on my own and had many resonable questions that I guess I had been aswering myself. Finally thought when the question arrived why I wasn't going to the hall anymore I simply said I have to many questions and am not getting enough answers. Then stated asking. I knew they couldn't give me good answers which led to discussions. These talks usually ended with the family, elder friend who is a biochemist simply asking me whether or not I believed in Jesus. I said he may have lived but I COULDN'T believe anymore.
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worldtraveller
If you believe that Jesus died for our sins, then you understand. If you believe that it's the Watchtower that is the link, then you still do not understand. I found more than a dozen verses that support this claim. If you think it's all just a story- I think that's ok too. That, I think is part of the plan.
And I got along without my parents for decades. I gave up on them a long time ago. (for being creepy and worse).