Would any of you DESTROY ones faith and life as a JW if they were your dying grandparents?

by EndofMysteries 49 Replies latest jw friends

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  EndofMysteries

  This is a serious question, trying to decide the right thing to do.........I DO believe in God, I am sorting out what I believe and true from lie and such. Have question on how atheist and just ones belief in God would respond to this.

  If you have a grandparent, (or even some relative) who spent their entire life as a JW. They are told they don't have much time, sick, etc. I'm first trying to figure if in God's eyes, if they have full faith in him, (that his will be done through the GB and they can trust in it), and they have a fairly clean conscience, should just let it be? I KNOW if I showed all, it would destroy their faith. Especially since don't have all the answers now, if God would want to just let them go in peace and rest. On the other end of that spectrum, years of judging perhaps built up, opening their eyes, even though very painful, may be better if they have a chance to least remove any judging from their hearts and even though will feel they wasted their whole life, to realize works don't do it?

  For atheists - (Gonna guess since don't believe, don't say anything, let them go in peace?)
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  JWoods

  I don't think I would - if they were actually dying.

  Different story for young people facing the whole of life's decisions and ultimate path.
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  littlebird

  I personally would pray for them. I would ask God for him to reveal opportunities for you to share your faith with them, tactfully. God knows their hearts, he knows if they have accepted his savior or not on their own personal level.

  You can only share what you know to be true to you. None of us have all the answers. If the moment is right, it will come to you, not by you , but by the holy spirit guiding you.
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  undercover

  This comes up from time to time on the board.

  Those of us with aged parents or grandparents we have to realize that there could be a downside to destroying their faith in the organization that they've spent a life serving.

  I've said it before, I have no desire to free my parents...they're well liked in the congregation, they have a good support network and people in their hall tend to actually look after one another.

  Even if it's a false religion, they're happy in it. Why should I try to destroy that? If they weren't happy in it, maybe I'd do something different, but as long as they're content and happy, I'm content to let them finish their lives under the delusion.

  My only real worry is that they deed everything to the WTS....that will piss me off.
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  Scarred for life

  I agree with undercover. I'd be worried about that, too, undercover.
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  Cthulhu

  I'm an atheist but I feel that ones reality is based largely on ones perception. So, for you, one who actually believes in some invisible spooky keeper of the eternal clock, that reality is somewhat different from mine, though I can relate having at one time believed in god. What is your perception of god? If it is based largely on the old testament you feel that god is a vengeful god who's primary concern is that everyone worship him on his terms with little variation. If this is the case, in your eyes, you may be saving your grandparents eternal life, which, according to this version of the myth, could result in a not so pleasant afterlife for them if they are worshipping him in a manner which he doesn't deem acceptable.

  If, though, you are more moderate and reasonable, you feel that a large part of worshipping god involves personal happiness and the way they have treated others. If this is the case and your grandparents feel content that they have made god happy to a reasonable degree, then why would you give them added stress?

  Personally, I say let it be.For it would seem much more likely that IF god actually existed he would NOT be such a narrow-minded one. If it's all about treating others well and not causing harm, I suppose he'd not look so favorably on shattering someones faith.
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  OnTheWayOut

  It is their responsibility to remove any judging from their hearts. Often, a person who always felt they were right can still be sorry and say so to the ones they shunned or treated a certain way.

  Since you cannot know how any truth about "the truth" would be received by them, it really serves little purpose to tell them anything at the point of dying.

  I believe everyone, even the elderly, deserves to know the truth. But you cannot make them "know" it in such a situation. Let them die in peace and if they do not make amends to anyone, it will be on their heads. If you stir things up, there may be plenty more on their heads before they go.

  Edited to add: I won't lie to my mother on her deathbed, but I cannot make her "know" the truth now, so why would I have a different atttitude when she's on her deathbed.
  I assumed your situation is hypothetical. Why did this person wait until the grandparents were on their deathbed to say something? If the reason was to maintain family contact or because they knew they could not get through to them, then it really hasn't changed.
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  EndofMysteries

  Nice replies -

  Yea, I am leaning for them on that. Just knowing what they believe, to shatter that, and no time for them to read and make their own truth.

  I know for me it was like God revealing to me the lies, didn't need to go through anyone. My younger friends and relatives, a diff story....
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  wobble

  I have two sisters and a mother (90 years old) who have all been in for over sixty years.

  I honestly think they could not handle life without their miss-placed faith .

  I think it is a kindness, and a necessity with my lot, to let sleeping dogs lie.

  Having said that, if they come out with cult-speak, or any arrant nonsense I will tell them so, but just to make them respect people who have a different view,not to destroy their belief.
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  VoidEater

  Treat it like a child and the issue of sex: do nothing more than answer their questions, honestly, shortly, directly.

  Other than that - you're not going to have the time to support them to a new worldview.

  Do you really think a loving God is going to hold their brainwashing against them?

  ...make them respect people who have a different view

  That should always be a gift, I would support that. Removing prejudice and bias is always freeing (which is perhaps what the truth making you free is about).