I have finally figured ot how a lot of JWs gain more members besides having more kids...

by cognac 23 Replies latest jw friends

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  cognac

  I've noticed that when a bible study is conducted, when worldly people have questions a lot of JWs say that there question is covered later in the book. That way, the worldlys get stopped in there tracks all the while feeling like there questions are getting answered while the assimilation takes place.

  They either forget there question or the book tells them what the answer is without either giving them biblical proof or twisting scriptures. I've noticed a lot of paragraphs in books just telling people what the answer is without scriptures or saying something like, "surely it would make sense that..."

  They also use a lot of the same scriptures over and over again that are most likely to make a person believe what they want...

  Your thoughts?
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  MisfitMeL

  I have noticed that too.... I haven't been to meetings in a long time, nor read any publications. However, I was at the convention recently and now with my criticial mind activated, I noticed how so many statements in the talks were thrown out without any scriptural basis or secular statistics to support such claims.

  The brain dead JWs would gladly digest such flimsy reasonings, but so many unsuspecting newcomers would get sucked in too. Most of the people that come to the kingdom halls are depressed and unhappy, and don't have a strong social network. Predictably, many have very little knowledge about various biblical matters and when savvy JWs speak eloquently without any basis, such susceptible ones easily lap up what they think is genuineness on the part of the JW religion.
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  insearchoftruth

  That to me is exactly the formula.....I noted that when I was around when my wife would study, if I kept driving for an answer, they would keep working around what I asked, then try for the divide and conquer.....now I note that my wife's bs is scheduled when I am not around.

  Yes they do stick to 'comfort scriptures'. What amazes me is when one asks a question from their own literature, even fairly recent literature, they are so quick with new light, we are only human, yadda yadda yadda.

  Where I really got an elder to squirm is recent flip flops such as organ transplants, why it was ok, wrong and once again ok, all recent enough that the articles are on the wt cd. Another area is I asked why the number of remnant anointed keeps increasing, all he said is 'we are trying to figure that one out.'

  I guess it all goes back to the witness pretty much believing in the infalliblity of the governing body......
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  cognac

  Totally true, MM. Very sad... I can't believe this didn't dawn on me before... No wonder they don't just use the bible to teach!
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  cognac

  I noted that when I was around when my wife would study, if I kept driving for an answer, they would keep working around what I asked, then try for the divide and conquer....

  So true!
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  keeshondgirl

  I agree with Misfitme. when i was 18, I was confused and not sure what to do with my life and the jw's answers to my questions sounded great and I was to naive and believed everything they said. I didn't have much biblical knowledge so any answer to my questions sounded truthful enough to me. I was a baptized memeber for 5 years, and during that time I noticed how if a bible study or anyone you met at the door and the person asked about lets say the topic is hellfire or heaven or the trinity, then you were supposed to somehow get off that topic and switch it to a topic that you both agree on such as Jesus being Gods son or something or the bible being inspired by God. The whole point was to get that person agreeing with what you say and putting his 'real' questions on a back shelf and and if the person continues to study long enough and gets baptized then that person can't question the watchtowers view on who goes to heaven because then they will have the fear of being disfellowshipped or something.

  I think its easier for someone who wasn't born in the religion to see the real truth of how the mind games work then for someone who was born in the religion. . Just like an animal stuck in a cage all its life, that is all the animal knows. Its boundaries and nothing beyond that. I'm not saying all born ins are like that but it seems harder for a born in to leave and question because of only knowing the watchtower and nothing beyone. Its hard to leave ones comfort zone. It was easy for me to leave after figuring out how things really are and plus I had absolutely no family there and I quicky realized people who I thought were my friends weren't so it was easy to leave it all behind.
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  cognac

  if a bible study or anyone you met at the door and the person asked about lets say the topic is hellfire or heaven or the trinity, then you were supposed to somehow get off that topic and switch it to a topic that you both agree on such as Jesus being Gods son or something or the bible being inspired by God. The whole point was to get that person agreeing with what you say and putting his 'real' questions on a back shelf and and if the person continues to study long enough and gets baptized then that person can't question the watchtowers view on who goes to heaven because then they will have the fear of being disfellowshipped or something.

  Very true! They now have even instructed members to open the bible teach book to the toc and go directly to the chapter in the book that interests them. So, right away they are being told what to believe from the book...
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  greenie

  Just speaking in numbers, it also annoys me to see those guys with the clickers come by and count me for being in attendance at the memorial or convention. I am 100% not a JW and never will be, but I still get added to their supporting numbers.
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  OnTheWayOut

  Here's one for you- the most difficult doctrine to get past a new person is the 1914 doctrine. (Jesus came invisibly in 1914 and that is the start of the end.) So their WHAT DOES THE BIBLE REALLY TEACH book has that in the appendix. When you study with someone according to the method you are supposed to use, covering a chapter at each study, it mentions the appendix in one of the last paragraphs of the chapter. So the student is unsure of this stuff, the JW's say "Did you read the appendix?" Student says YES or NO. JW says "Well, our time is up. Read the appendix and the next chapter to make things clearer." The next week, the student is still hinky on the whole subject, so the JW says "Let's just read the next chapter." The next chapter is about WWI starting in 1914 and how what happened shows that the already-established Bible chronology is backed up by events. So the JW says, "The 1914 proof is difficult to understand, but you see how it must be true."

  Nobody ever really studied it with the student. He just figures it was his responsibility to know it, but doesn't want to ask more questions about it because it is so difficult to understand.
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  garyneal

  You know, I've noticed that my questions concerning 1914 were largely deflected. I've been asked to read it in some book (I forget the title) which I did and call the elder who was doing the "Bible study" with me and my wife. Notice I said CALL for the last time we had our "study" was the time I asked in about 1914. He said he would research it, and later gave me a bunch of WT babble about the events and secular commentaries. NOTHING FROM THE BIBLE.

  I haven't had a study with them since. My wife goes alone now and does it when I am usually at work or doing something else.