How might one convince a Jehovah's Witness to read "Crisis of Conscience?" (page 3)

just n from bethel

Tell them there is a condensed 32 page brochure edition in question and answer format.

Yes, moshe. It may be her who makes the decision that she can't take my opposition any longer. It will depend on which personality she's into at the time. Most of the time she's a wonderful, loving wife. Sometimes she sets her jaw and stiffens her spine, and then I know she's into her Watchtower mode.

My study conductor's wife illustrated it like a marriage. She said if you are a loyal wife, you are going to remain tied to your husband even if he has made and still makes mistakes. You are also not going to read disparaging material about him, even if it is true. She said the relationship between a baptized JW and the org is kind of like that.

I am sure your study conductor's wife is right. But if you are a loyal wife and your husband is a child molester and philanderer then you are a fool for not wanting to know about it.

In one of your discussions ask her. "Do this for me. Read COC. And after reading it, you don't agree with me, I will never bring this stuff up again. I will put it too rest forever."

That would probably work, dissed, since my wife knows I have never broken my word to her. Heck of a gamble, though. Cognitive dissonance and all that. However, if she read the book without effect I just might consider myself defeated and I wouldn't bring the stuff up again because I might not be around. I could keep my end of the bargain, but trigger the consequences I am seeking to avoid.

LostGeneration

Would she freak out on you if she just happened to come across it laying on your desk? Sometimes curiosity kills the cat. If you take note of how you leave it on the desk you would know if it is in a slightly different spot when she puts it back.

Witness My Fury

I agree with lostgeneration, do the reverse witnessing technique of leaving "your literiture" around the house where she will see it, on the arm of her favorite chair, on the table etc open at relavent pages like witnesses do to get their familly members to read their stuff... She wont like it, but then she'll get to feel what it's like for non witnesses having the WTS stuff discreetly shoved under their noses all the time by their witness.

You need some female input here probably tbh.

InterestedOne

Nickolas wrote:

I am sure your study conductor's wife is right. But if you are a loyal wife and your husband is a child molester and philanderer then you are a fool for not wanting to know about it.

I agree, and this is a key distinction. I think a JW assumes that anything the book might bring up couldn't be as bad as being a child molester, etc. I think this is where you would need to evaluate if the specific accusations in the book are severe enough to warrant leaving, and if there is proof to back up the accusations. It's like a wife having to decide if her husband's negatives are bad enough to leave him over. Is there something bad enough in the book that even a "wife" would leave her husband over?

Of course in the case of Ray Franz, he didn't even leave. They kicked him out. However, a JW will assume that the leaders must have had a good reason to kick him out. He must have effectively "left" the org by violating one of Jehovah's laws, and the leaders were just keeping the org clean. A JW has to assume this because JC's are confidential, so noone would really know what happened. For some reason, they trust that the org got it right. They then assume if the DF'd person wrote a book, it is full of lies cleverly worded to deceive the faithful - so don't even read it b/c you might be fooled by it.

Nickolas

Would she freak out on you if she just happened to come across it laying on your desk?

I agree with lostgeneration, do the reverse witnessing technique of leaving "your literiture" around the house where she will see it,

I am reading it openly. She's the one who picked it up at the post office. She is, in other words, expecting me to ask her to read it once I am done. She's been a little quiet lately, so I know it is bothering her, doubtless formulating her response. We've been together almost 40 years and read each other like a book, but sometimes the text is blurred.

I think this is where you would need to evaluate if the specific accusations in the book are severe enough to warrant leaving, and if there is proof to back up the accusations.

Just the chapter on Malawi is sufficient, in my estimation. The GB allowed the rape and murder of (black) women and children on the principle of a one-party system political card while at the same time condoning the illegal acquisition of fraudulent military cards for (white) Mexican males. There is much in the book that warrants leaving but, frankly, I wouldn't care a whit if she decided to stay and put in appearances, so long as privately she stopped being a brainwashed cult member who would sacrifice herself and others to the glory of the Society.

Black Sheep

Mine sat on my chairside table for ages before my wife put it away when we were having JW visitors.

I doubt she read it.

I don't think any of my relations actually care whether the WT has the Truth or not. None of them ever defend it without indulging some form of blatant dishonesty.

dgp

I wish I had thought about this kind of thread long ago. I bought "Crisis of Conscience", "In Search of Christian Freedom" and "Captives of a Concept" for a witness, and read them myself, as well, but then was unable to find a way to suggest she read those books, out of fear of her cutting contact with me once she knew I was in touch and read apostate literature. I would not be supposed to have contacts of such kind since I am a worldly and supposedly ignorant about the ways of the Watchtower.

So I think you should not wait for a chance to get this person to read Crisis of Conscience. I wonder what the posters will think about your asking a key question instead. "Can you please tell me how do Jehovah's witnesses know that theirs is Jehovah's organization? I mean, for example, the Catholic Church says the pope is the heir of Peter's authority. How do Jehovah's witnesses know they were chosen by Jehovah as his organization?" In my humble opinion, this is a better way to make people think and perhaps be more receptive to reading more material.

But pay attention to what Black Sheep said.

gettingafirmholdonthereallife

I'm at a similar crossroads, but only married 11 years and out 2 years. I've been able to get my wife to agree to read CoC by appealing to her sense of "us", our mental health, and our long term viability as a couple. Basically a very soft and well veiled, but real threat. We have 2 young children that complicate things further, as the last thing I want is to rock their world. Both times that she had agreed to read it, she's backpedaled. So, I think that dissed has a good solution.

"Do this for me. Read COC. And after reading it, you don't agree with me, I will never bring this stuff up again. I will put it too rest forever."

This is a huge commitment from our side, so I would add 2 more books that helped me a lot. Captives of a Concept helps differentiate bible from org., and Combatting Cult Mind Control may open her eyes to mind-control methods and how they are used on her. I see this approach as quite a wager, so I'd throw these three books at her and make a deal. If she's a reader, this may not be a bad deal to get you to shut up forever about all your apostate lies!

You're a patient man to have so many years of this under your belt. Two years out and I'm going mad. Best of luck to you Nickolas.

Nickolas

So I think you should not wait for a chance to get this person to read Crisis of Conscience. I wonder what the posters will think about your asking a key question instead. "Can you please tell me how do Jehovah's witnesses know that theirs is Jehovah's organization? I mean, for example, the Catholic Church says the pope is the heir of Peter's authority. How do Jehovah's witnesses know they were chosen by Jehovah as his organization?" In my humble opinion, this is a better way to make people think and perhaps be more receptive to reading more material.

I have considered this approach dgb, particularly after reading "Captives of a Concept". Cameron blows the contention that the Watchtower is God's organisation clean out of the water. Hands down solid legal and logical argument. But I have already presented an equally (in my mind) devastating argument about blood doctrine, and cognitive dissonance took over. The blinds went up and the conversation was over. It may be time to get out some heavy artillery. (And I always pay attention to what Black Sheep says.)

And gettingafirmholdonthereallife, I think you're getting closer to what my solution might be. Three books. I might even offer to reciprocate by reading three books of hers, although that would be just a tad cynical.

How might one convince a Jehovah's Witness to read "Crisis of Conscience?"

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