Why can some question and others not

joelbear

We are not Jehovah's Witnesses because of a variety of circumstances, but one thing we all share is that we question.

What factors come together to make us questioners?

Intelligence? Maybe. But I know a lot of very smart non-questioning Jehovah's Witnesses.

Bravery? Maybe. But I know Jehovahs Witnesses that have survived some pretty amazing trials and are still JW's.

I have been thinking maybe there is a psychological factor something along the line of needing more stimulation, both mental and sensual. I think there is a term for it, but I can't remember it.

What do yall think?

Joel

One factor has got to be social. We (wife and I) were able to extract ourselves from the WT entanglements when we altered our social environment to not be so dependant on JWs. The questions/problems/doubts/etc were there LONG before we 'got out'.

Something's got to trigger existing questions/problems/doubts provoking them to boil to the surface - face it, coming out of the JW religion is a life altering change, and people are very resistant to making life alter changes.

YoYoMama

It's called stubborness. Looking into every minute thing in the organization and criticizing it. Expecting perfection from imperfect humans and then trying to tell Jehovah how to deal with it. As if Jehovah needs our input.

joelbear

Yoyo,

I am not stubborn. I am easily led, very sheeplike in my dealings with friends, workmates, social groups etc.

So your analysis, at least in my case, is incorrect. I am not someone who looks with fault on others constantly. I am also very quick to forgive someone.

I do not expect perfection. I do expect honesty. I do expect things to make sense and be accurate and consistent if I am expected to make life changing decisions on them.

I also expect rules to be followed consistently throughout the tiers of an organization and I do expect people who take on the mantle of "elder" to lead by example.

Joel

NameWithheld

Hey YoYoHead. A LOT of us overlooked a LOT of 'imperfection' in the name of Jehovah. Don't have to look too deep to find things to criticize. Besides, if these truely are imperfect men, seems to reason they could stand a little "criticizing". Might make them better people. Yet they continue to act as though JWs must treat them as if they were 'perfect' yet overlook 'imperfections'. Sorry that doesn't fly.

If it's the 'truth' then no argument can overturn it. Hmmm. Seems the 'truth' doesn't stand up too much under scrutiny - better to just plow stupidly ahead and ignore the man behind the curtain.

joelbear

I agree with Name,

I overlooked and overlooked and overlooked things I saw at Bethel, while pioneering, im my home congregations. I overlooked things I knew were presented as biased in the magazines. I overlooked differences in key words in bible translations when I was doing research for Bible studies.

I overlooked and overlooked until I was blue in the face. When the burden of overlooking got to the point where I felt like a hypocrite and a fool, I couldn't take it anymore.

No, yoyo's analysis is simply incorrect.

Joel

YoYoMama

I do not expect perfection. I do expect honesty. I do expect things to make sense and be accurate and consistent if I am expected to make life changing decisions on them.

I agree with you joel on this one. Of course I must admit that there are some dishonest individuals inside the organization, but hey Jesus had one inside his apostles, so its bound to happen.

I also expect rules to be followed consistently throughout the tiers of an organization and I do expect people who take on the mantle of "elder" to lead by example.

Again I agree.

So what is your biggest problem with the organization? Or what made you leave at first?

GinnyTosken

I think it's mental courage.

It requires a great deal of mental courage to face our own feelings and doubts. Mental courage is required to examine evidence and face the logical conclusions, even if it would be more comforting and comfortable to believe something else. When I began reading about the Society's history, I often wanted to turn my head away and close my eyes. To face the truth meant watching my worldview crumble before me. It was liberating but terrifying.

Mental courage is also required to weather the mental and emotional adolescence of growing into independence from a parental organization and mindset. Freedom brings great responsibility.

Even more mental courage is demanded to grow into the maturity of interdependence.

Ginny

joelbear

Yoyo,

These are my biggest problems. The ones I states above. To restate:

Inaccuracy of information discovered through personal reading and research. I never tried to get others to leave with me, nor do I ever suggest that now, even on this forum.

Hypocrisy in the bureaucracy I saw in how the organization is actually ran. Hypocrisy in the lives of Jehovah's Witnesses I knew which way far beyond imperfection. It dealth with life decisions they made. One simple example, seeing elders give talks at assemblies about the evil of college when I knew their sons and daughters were in college. One example of many.

Unanswered questions similar to the one's I have recently outlined here regarding Jehovah's justice system as taught by the Watchtower or any other religion for that matter. I left these questions open to be answered and no one except Yadirf attempted to answer them and even he quickly moved on and left them unanswered. I did receive a very nice email from someone who said they were an elder and he did indeed give me somewhat good answers that opened a basis for discussion, but when I questioned back I didn't hear from him again.

Make me believe and I will follow.

I will not follow simply because someone says I am stubborn if I do not follow them.

Joel

moman

YoYo, you are in need of SERIOUS & DEEP deprograming! (Minute things) in the organization?
You call brainwashing,deceitfullness,MURDER(bogus blood policy), "minute things"? This organization iz the definitation for FASLE PROPHETS & they have screwed up untold lives with their self-serving PACK OF LIES! The BORG must die!
-fastone-

Why can some question and others not

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