Understanding JW Recruiting Concepts Can Help Others To Leave
When I first left Jehovah's Witnesses (JW's), I was somewhat amused at the sheer amount of anti JW websites out there. While websites like freeminds.org and jwfacts.com are great, (non hysterical sites that stress fact and presentation over emotional responses), there are at least 5 times as many other sites that act as if you should treat a JW at your door like you would a spreader of the Ebola virus.
I don't disagree with the fact that JW's are somewhat dangerous and usually go for the low hanging fruit. Anyone with a curious, questioning mind who doesn't immediately accept the dogma is usually given the lowest priority from an individual JW or a congregation. Which brings us to a very important key to helping JW's leave if they feel trapped.
Most JW's today are low hanging fruit as far as the Governing Body (GB) is concerned. These are ones who bought in quick, questioned little, made the commitment, and are now, for lack of a better word, stuck.
So when I see some hysterical, nearly theatrical attempts at discrediting JW's on the internet (subliminal pics in Watchtowers? Satan worship at Bethel? Get real....) in an effort to get current members to quit, it makes me laugh. It sure wouldn't have worked on me while I was an active JW. Why try concepts that ultimately, don't work and aren't the real reason why JW's leave anyway?
Since the information age began in earnest in the late 90's, information via the internet on any subject, including JW's, is readily available. Personal real life stories are usually enough to inform a somewhat reasonable JW of the consequences and dangers of living the JW life.
So if you really want to help JW's leave, then you have to understand something; most are JW's because they didn't question a whole lot. Or, to put it another way, they were persuaded to accept an overly simplistic answer to those questions they had so they wouldn't question anymore. That is the JW way, surface answers only.
They didn't become JW's because the Governing Body claimed to be representing the faithful and discreet slave of Mt 24. No one new understands that, they trust one day they will. Most don't become JW's because JW's claim they got 1914 right. New ones generally don't understand the 1914 teaching anyway and trust one day they will.
Like any new recruit to a religion or cult, they simply grow to feel comfortable with the little group/congregation they get associated with. In the case of JW's, it isn't the convoluted prophecies and dogma that are unique to JW's that are promoted.
Paradise earth is promoted. Living forever is promoted. A loving brotherhood is promoted. The rest of the JW dogma, other then the basics, aren't consequential.
The rest of the dogma is mentioned in passing, then filed away.
So if someone didn't become a JW because of 1914, or the weird hierarchy of the GB, is it reasonable to think that screaming about these lies (they are lies, no doubt) will affect great change?
So how does one loosen up JW's? Just like the GB likes to get the low hanging fruit for their purposes, there is low hanging fruit within the JW organization, although their dynamics are actually polar opposite from the typical JW profile.
The first question is, why do JW's leave anyway? Some learn about the lies, but most have been mistreated by an organization that claims to be loving, and even has their own unique definitions of what love is.
Like any sane human, once mistreated sufficiently, prepare for them to take off and spread the word. Dogma isn't the point. No one in my opinion joins or leaves JW's because of the dogma alone. In fact, most leave because being mistreated makes them take a fresh look at the dogma they really never took the time to study and understand in the first place.
JW's have very weird beliefs. In an initial recruiting study using one of the publications they use, JW's will mention them briefly in the hopes that they are accepted. They want the study to think in these basic terms "Before studying with JW's, I didn't know that Jehovah was the true god, Jesus was gods son, not part of the trinity, and that paradise earth is waiting the faithful after the destruction of the wicked. I don't understand 1914 or what the faithful and discreet slave means, but I trust I will. And they say that Jerusalem was destroyed in 607 BCE? Sure, I never paid attention to that in school anyway."
Remember, if you really want to affect a JW, or expose JW's, then you can do that, but ultimately, this is a "bring a horse to water, but you can't make them drink scenario."
Hysterics don't work. Reasoned facts do. Innuendo's and sensationalism doesn't work. Real life stories chronicling the mistreatment, neglect, incompetence, and sometimes criminal neglect (where pedophiles are concerned) are enough to loosen the mind, so that honest hearted JW's will feel they have permission to defy the GB, and research JW's on their own.
That is the only way you can help a JW to leave. Bring them the water, leave them the water, wait for them to get it.