An apostate experiment - what would happen?

by slimboyfat 19 Replies latest jw friends

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  John Doe

  Faith is a personal thing. You can't give someone faith, and you can't take it away. Exerting efforts to actively convert jws is a waste of energy. You can't substitute your thinking for theirs, because they need to seek the information themselves, and they need to not be coerced. Some will make it, some won't. It's nobodies' place to be spiritual nannies.

  In fact, any affirmative action to coerce jws to abandon their faith will simply increase their persecution complex and close their minds to questions.
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  Awakened at Gilead

  I agree with Danielp.. I got on the internet and read Franz and others only when I had already made up my mind that I didn't consider myself a JW anymore. The info I read helped me to see that I wasn't crazy for feeling this way after all.

  But as a diehard JW I would never have read apostate literature.

  A@G
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  Tired of the Hypocrisy

  The jw's I know would take it as a direct assault by satan and throw it away. Then they would hold campfire chats and tell the horror stories of how satan came a knockin, but they rebuked him and he ran away.....
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  Bring_the_Light

  What got me to read Crisis of Conscience was Timothy Campbell's Beyond Jehovah's Witnesses website. It presents the information in a non-threatening manner. In-your-face apostates always scared me when I was a Witness. If you could find a way to get more Witnesses to read the BJW website, then more would decide to read CoC on their own.
  
  Dave

  Yeah, I remember seeing apostates at conventions with signs that had the "all seeing eye" pyramid and Russel on them. I figured "Apostate" was another spin of extra-crazy religion from JW's that had some crazy occult ideas. Even when I thought JW's were bunk, I thought these "apostate" people were worse. I seriously think the best way to assault the religion would be for we non-believers to stay in. Its the cleansing action of disfellowshipping and disassociation that causes nobody to notice the white rabbits running down the rabbit hole. If Mr. Rabbit wasn't in such a rush, more people would probably poke their nose in that hole he keeps coming in and out of.
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  sass_my_frass

  Why - and I demand to know - are people so convinced that WBTS is under threat? Are you serious. Here's what would happen:

  - somebody spills the beans, org finds out and publishes a warning prior to the arrival of all the books
  - every witness on the planet goes to every meeting for a month because of this new evidence that gods organisation is under attack. "Hooray, persecution, we must be right!! I'm quitting college tomorrow."
  - apostates waste a lot of money, joke is on them
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  Mickey mouse

  Why - and I demand to know - are people so convinced that WBTS is under threat? Are you serious

  Because they are making changes which suggest they are low on funds.?

  Because people are winning lawsuits against them?

  Because their rate of growth is slowing?

  Take your pick.
• 

  lisavegas420

  I met someone that worked for a cult awareness group. She sent my parents a copy of CofC, a 5 dollar bill, and a lovely letter that said, someone that loves you very much is worried about you. If you decide not to keep the book, please use the 5 dollar bill to return it.

  The book was never returned.

  Years later at one of my few phone calls to my parents, my dad ask, 'did you send us that book?" I said, "what book?" He said, "nevermind." I said,.."what was it about?" he said.."I didn't read it, I threw it away...because it was apostate crap." I said.."how do you know if you didn't read it?"

  lisa
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  sass_my_frass

  It's important for everybodys wellbeing that they accept that the organisation isn't going anywhere, and the best we can hope for is that the people we care about make their way out and onto a decent life.
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  Peppermint

  "When I think about myself and my history, I really do wonder if I might have realised the Witnesses don't have the truth much sooner if only I had access to the information I now have earlier. Of course I might have just brushed it aside because I was "not ready to hear it". But I really doubt that would have been my response to be honest. I think I would have just got to this point faster. My life might have been a whole lot different. It makes you wonder doesn't it. But then you can never tell I suppose."
  
  I don't think I would have ever taken apostate literature apart from towards the end. What I did take notice of as a JW were the people who stopped being witnesses. I personally couldn't understand why people would stop being a JW and I was always eager to understand why. I did question quite a few, not people who were disfellowshipped but the faders. Unfortunately no one ever gave me reason to doubt the "truth" although I now now that some of these people did not believe it. Of course it is understandable why people are cautious about what they say but I think it is important to show some sense of dissatisfaction with the doctrine because to use a retail phrase "people buy of people" cold, critical analysis of witness theology no matter how well it is written could never make you question more then someone who you admire and understand turning their back on the organization.
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  quietlyleaving

  But rather than sending apostate information unsolicited to homes like in the thought experiment above, I like the idea of simply making books available in public libraries and other public sites, and the Internet of course. Not to shove the information down the throat of Witnesses, but let them know it is there if/when they want it.

  I've often thought about sending unsolicited info through the post and have intended to do so particularly to a former study who lives nearby. I never got round to it though.

  I met her recently and asked her if she was still studying - she that she had stopped because her study conductor began pressuring her with armageddon if she did not come to the meetings. She said she got annoyed about that and actually told her study conductor that she was being judgement - the witness apologised and still visits this individual but no longer conducts a study. So it seems that this person got there on her own. But because I was concerned that the witness still visits her and will avail herself of any opportunity to restart the study I shared a bit about myself and my situation to warn her about the dangers and encouraged her to check the internet re JWs.

  edit: I think that JWs are emphasizing armageddon now more than ever and are shooting themselves in the foot