First my comments to the athiest ex-JW's among us. (and even taoists, buddhists, Muslims, Heathens, etc). I am really glad you are an ex-JW even if you are now an athiest! I am happy for you. That may seem like a strange statement, but I will illustrate it this way:
If a soldier came back from a war and was missing a leg, I would not berate him for it - I am just glad he made it back alive. I would of course prefer he had both legs, for his sake, but I am just glad he is alive. I feel the same way about ex-JW's - I am glad ex-JW's made it out alive (with their sanity and not commiting suicide - many haven't), no matter what your philisophical position is now. This may seem like a strange statement to some, but almost anything is better than having every thought and action controlled by the WT-borg. Ex-JW's are better off for themselves, their families, and society in general - even if they are Taoists, and I'm not kidding.
That said, Justin, yes it is a spiritual war against the WT's malign influences in the earth. The WT will ultimately fail because it is opposed to God and His purposes. The WT seeks to replace God with itself, and replace salvation by grace with salvation by blind obedience to the WT. They are misled. Let's be glad they at least aren't violent opposers of God and Christianity.
The way to fight back is to get your brain together, and everything else in life together - emotionally, financially, etc.
And Prayer. Prayer is a powerful. The WT blasphemes God - there will be consequences in time and eternity.
The WT is already fading upon its own weight. Here is some reasons why it will fail:
1. The WT will ultimately fail because it is opposed to God and His purposes.
2. Eventually, maybe it will take 100 years? but JDubs will begin to realize that the "end" isn't coming tomorrow, and the only responsible thing to do is provide for one's family, and actually have a career! Poverty isn't a very appealing thing.
3. Teaching poverty leads to the members having less to contribute.
4. The "144,000" are supposedly the mediator between God and man. When they all die (and eventually they will) there will be a problem.
If all Jdubs are of "the other class" then there is no inherent right to "rule over" everyone else as the GB does.
5. The Millenium is a bablylonian pipe dream. It, along with most other teachings, are Humanist to the core. They look more and more foolish every day.
6. Their own social isolation will make them increasingly irrelevant. Starving people need some food, not a WT or Awake magazine.
7. The internet brings a convergence of ideas cheaply to everyone. This forum is an example. We don't have to have a billion dollar printing enterprise to publish an idea. We can do it posting in a forum. Websites get ideas published for pennies on the dollar.
8. Networking means more informed consumers that won't get easily sucked in by WT schizophrenic logic. This will be especially critical in developing areas of the world.
9. Study philosophy, logic, and theology. Any WT doctrine can be disproved easily. However, don't waste time debating things such as essential Christian doctrines with hard-core JW's. It isn't the point. JW's are a danger to themselves, their families, and society because of their arrogance and lack of thought outside of what the Borg dictates.
10. Get Steven Hassan's books - use his techniques when dealing with JW's. Logical thinking trips them up like a virus introduced into the Borg. Plant a seed, and eventually it will germinate and they will realize the situation they are in like a computer virus in a system.
