A NY bethelite is in town. He arrived yesterday. His dad is not doing well.
He has no idea I was a JW, let alone apostate. Can any of you seasoned apostates, smart people, think of anything I can say to him to make him think????
Question for all you 'smart (witty)' people.
by misguided 21 Replies latest jw friends
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Leolaia
Keep it simple stupid, be choosy about what point you want him to go away with, and preferrably let him initiate the topic, e.g. ask him how his life is like and if he mentions things relevant to points you could raise, take the conversation into that direction in an unforced way.
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DanaBug
I've always wondered: if Jesus chose the FD&S in 1919 because of the spiritual food they were providing, why have I never read or studied publications from then? If what was taught back then is now untrue/old light, why were they chosen? Would Jesus choose a group that was teaching non-truths? And if what they are teaching now is different than what they were teaching when they were chosen, how does Jesus feel about it now?
I don't know if you can use that, but I've always wanted to ask an active JW that.
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Farkel
: think of anything I can say to him to make him think????
Ask him if the "credits" from the "equivalent of a College education" for 4 years one spends in Bethel working in the laundry can be transferred to a University so one can then start working on his Masters Degree right after he leaves Bethel.
Ask him how those WT leaders who never even went to College but said that 4 years in Bethel was the equivalent of a College education have any credentials to determine what they don't even know or have themselves.
Finally, ask if he thinks the people who said that actually speak for God or if they speak for themselves and their own best interests.
Farkel
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brotherdan
Questions ONLY!!!! Find either "Captives of a concept" or "Reasoning from the scriptures with Jehovah's Witnesses". Both give very NEUTRAL questions to ask JWs to get them to think. 90% of the time it doesn't work. But maybe this guy will be open to the gospel.
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3Mozzies
VAT 4956
Which resides in the Berlin Museum, gives detail on about 30 positions of the moon and the five then known planets for the 37th year of Nebuchadnezzar (568/67 B.C.E.)
Goodbye 1914 & the choosing of the FDS in 1919
Hello False Religion...
3Mozzies
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Awen
Question to ask..
Do you follow the God of the Bible or the Watchtower?
If the Bible says one thing and the Watchtower blatantly contradicts it (False Prophets), whom do you listen to and why?
Is salvation dependent upon listening to the words of Jesus Christ and obeying him or to the Watchtower (Jeremiah 10:23)?
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agonus
Mention briefly you heard they had a new understanding of what the "end times" mean and wondered what it meant and what it had to do with 1914. Without being too obvious, casually mention you heard something about them moving their HQ or a new building project or something, and how long they think something like that might take.
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cyberjesus
i just came to check who are the 'smart (witty)' people, or who has a high self steem :-)
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Paralipomenon
If religion comes up, you could say something like "I heard witnesses were a cult" That would open the door to a very frank discussion of him trying to defend witnesses.
You could follow up with any array of questions that might get get him thinking, but I wouldn't push it too far. Just plant a few seeds and change the topic.
"If you find out at some point you don't agree with some teachings, can you just leave, or do they try to brand you to be shunned?"
"Do the leaders consider their word to be followed as if it came from God?" Follow up:"If they claim to not to be perfect, how would a regular member challenge a doctrine issue?"
"Do they mandate that you dress or act in particular fashion that requires uniformity?"
I wouldn't push any of the issue regardless of what he retorts with. After a few points I'd say to close the topic with something like "It seems you're happy with them, but it just sounds too cultish for my taste, let's talk about something else."
Since he won't feel that he "won" the argument or able to dismiss your opinion as apostate propoganda, the questions might linger and gnaw away at his subconcious as he continues to go through the Witness mandated routine.
