The JWs were out in our area this morning and I bolted downstairs before my wife could waive them away as she normally does.
Two ladies (mum and 24 year old daughter I later found out) initially stopped as I opened with a comment about how I couldn't trust a thing they say because they are taught to practice theocratic warfare.
The mother blinked and asked me what that was ( so it began ) I informed them both that they are allowed to lie or at least be evasive with the truth with worldy people. She countered that they are taught not to lie so I again asked her if she knew what theocratic warfare meant and she again said no (first of my many - 'please go look that up' statements .)
I then moved onto the idea that they couldn't think independently outside the organisation due to fear of being disfellowshipped and shunned. She mumbled something about talking to people who were having doubts so I nailed her back down with a yes/no - 'would you shun someone who was disfellowshipped' and she looked down and said 'yes - but only people who are unrepentant get disfellowshipped so they leave us.' I pointed out that I'd read too many JW and ex-JW stories to accept that only the unrepentant get disfellowshipped. I then looked at the daughter and asked her how she could think for herself knowing that she'd stand to lose her family if she ever believed anything other than what the GB said. She said that she'd actually left the faith before she was 16 but had rejoined. I asked if she'd been baptised before she left and she said no. I pointed out that now she was baptised she could no longer make any independent choices for fear of losing her family due to shunning. She looked a bit lost and said nothing.
Turning back to the mother I said, how can you teach something so immoral , so family splitting as shunning, especially when the doctrine which you must accept keeps changing? She stiffened at that and said that the doctrine doesn't keep changing (cue a little list of the well known 1995, Sodom , blood fractions etc.) and she looked down and said well its actually only our understanding that changes and gets better as the spirit directs us. I asked why the spirit would direct people to believe in lies before that. She said they weren't lies they were misunderstandings. I pointed out that truth is true or not its not a misunderstanding especially when its treated so rigorously as a principle for disfellowshipment. I said clearly there is no spirit guidance unless you wish to ascribe 'misunderstanding' as one of thr fruits of the spirit. Rabbit in headlights look.
She tried to to counter that we are living in harsh times now in hope of a better future (I was happy to divert - I'd made my point) so I asked if things were getting worse. She seemed relieved to be back on home ground and said that they were definately getting worse. I turned to the daughter and asked her when she would rather have lived, during a bubonic plague or maybe the second world war? She didn't answer so I turned back to the mother and said that in general across the world lifespans were increasing, education was expanding, women's rights were improving, racial equality was better. I said this world is dramatically improving plus all end time christians have always thought the end was in their lifetime, I said your only proof seems to be the exact opposite.
I then went back to immorality and I said its disgusting how you are discouraged from getting an education. They both looked a little askance and the mother agreed that they didn't encourage further education. I asked why not since not all knowledge had a theological crossover, I said why shouldn't you get an advanced education in a science like biology or chemistry. I then pointed out that once again they weren't thinking freely but allowing the Gb to decide how they lived their lives and I re-iterated that that is how cults work. She said that they get their education elsewhere and I laughed and said -' you mean from the watchtower and awake?' - I said these magazines are not quality publications in terms of educational content. I said its a tragedy that you are held back in subjection unable to think or access higher education.
At this point her husband and another Elder strode back to the rescue. Much to the two ladies relief. The taller - non- husband (presumably elder) asked why I thought they gave of their time to do this. I said because you'll lose your privileges if you don't, you won't be able to maintain your Watchtower made up rule that you must do at least 10 hours or so witnessing and hand in your slips to be counted. They laughed and said they do it because they believe. I said that belief wasn't special, belief allows people to do stupid things all the time like fly aeroplanes into buildings so it wasn't particularly a good trait to claim. He wasn't too happy with that. He said why didn't I come to the meetings with them to find out what they really believed. I said I know exactly what you believe because ' I read accounts from and talk to witnesses and ex-witness on the net'. He rolled his eyes and said would I go and ask the conservative party about the labour party and I said of course I would, and I'd ask a conservative as well -( which I wasmetaphirically doing by talking to them), in the interest of getting a fair and unbiased viewpoint.
He huffed and said that I'd got it all wrong and that I need to do better research so I opened up again to the two ladies and asked what I had said that was not true. I said you have a secretive members only magazine where you get to call apostate people mentally diseased and to re-inforce shunning while you have a public facing magazine that tells bare faced lies like your young people are free to choose what they believe. they bristled a bit and I said, 'seriously, you'd allow your younger children not to come door knocking with you?' The mother mumbled that it was the parents duty to bring them up in the right way. Then dad stepped in.
I then said that you even make up stuff about blood transfusions when the bible says nothing about it. He said that the bible does tell us not to partake of blood. I said that was nothing to do with a procedure that wasn't known in bible times. He then said that Romans used to do blood transfusions and I should look it up. I told him that 'bollocks' and he knew it and he backtracked and said they drank blood. I said drinking blood isn't a blood transfusion. He then said that if you were an alcoholic you wouldn't start injecting alcohol into your veins. I said that was so unrelated to the actual topic and was both stupid and a bit childish as an analogy. I then said that your GB changes the definition on what you can have anyway as it defines blood fractions differently. I said that's like telling a Jew they can't eat pork but they can eat the fat of a bacon rasher. The dad dub said that since water was in blood was I suggesting that they shouldn't drink water. I said 'why are you being so silly, you know that isn't my point at all', non of this is in the bible so why kill people over it. he handed back to big dub.
He said that he was free to think what he wanted and i said how so. He said he could drop his bag there and then and go home. I looked at him wide eyed and said really? Are you telling me that if you do that sort of thing you won't get disfellowshipped. He said that if he fought against the congrgation he would be removed for not obeying the rules, just like any club. I said you can't liken shunning of family members to membership in a 'club' I said how disgusting and trivialising what a terrible thing they do to their family and friends. I said you ask people to give up their worldy friends, you invite them into a new friendship then cast them out friendless when they exercise any freedom of thought. The other three said they had to leave at this point but the dad stayed for a last point.
He said that the JW teachings drew families closer together. I said only because you're frightened of the consequences of your free will. I said most people actually have close family ties without the need to threaten them with family expulsion and the lose of their friends if they do something like have a life saving blood transfusion. He said that he'd have to go and was sorry I couldn't see their viewpoint and I said I was sorry he was trapped in a cult.
My wife gave me a good b*ll*cking afterwards for arguing in the street. Ho hum I enjoyed it a little too much.