by NiceDream 6 Replies latest jw friends
My husband told me that he realizes the WT uses human reasoning, has made lots of mistakes, covers things up, and has published some pretty crazy and wrong ideas...yet he still believes it because "it is the most right" to him.
Is this common for JWs? I'm not understanding.
Yes, I believe that is the driver for most long term JWs- they have sunk so much into their religion that just like an old pair of shoes, they resole it with, "new light" and keep on truckin' as a JW. It doesn't matter that they are going in circles- to them it feels like they are moving forward, closer and closer to the promised New System of things
Darn! I was hoping that he'd leave the borg soon. Obviously this religion was something totally different than I thought it was, and once I realized that, I didn't see why I couldn't believe something else instead.
Is this common for JWs? - Yes, especially those mentally hooked by Watchtower.
This admission is a symptom of bleeding the false god - Watchtower.
My suggestions / advice (you are not pressured to follow, freely choose any or none):
You may suggest to him to look around, and investigate if the "voice of the stranger" (outside Watchtower) has truth. Part of Watchtower's mind-control tactics is to control vital information.
Let him "test out his faith" outside Watchtower in the real world. Let him examine some websites such as http://www.freeminds.org
Let him secretly question Watchtower control. Of course, unless he is absolute ready to change and leave, he may openly question others, then probably face either expulsion through disfellowshipping or voluntary dissassociation.
Others remain inside as secret dissidents for a cause. If he likes to really test-out his faith and reasoning from scriptures then he may check-out http://www.carm.org/jehovahs-witnesses and secretly/anonymously join the discussion forum for Jehovah's Witnesses. There are vigilante JWs there trying to witness to the mainstream Christians. As long as he is anonymous there he can openly express his thoughs and reasoning without fear from Watchtower. I look-out for such in this forum. The topics I would mostly post is anti-Watchtower. Most are currently anti-JW in this forum.
Caveat: the risks are the same when discovered by policing forces : "repent or face expulsion through disfellowshipping". When one leaves Watchtower control, they have to be mentally ready (because of the mental hook) to be designated as Apostate by Watchtower.
All leaving Watchtower control need support group help.
Ask him to read the illustration provided on page 323, 3rd paragraph, of his 'Reasoning From the Scriptures" book.
Maybe this may help him decide better by reading from his kind - www.jwreform.org
A word of caution tho this website seems to be "frozen".
The WTS literature actively poisons the well when it comes to other faiths. A doubting JW still has "where else would I go?" implanted deep in his/her mind. It is a very effective thought-stopping technique.
