What the Watchtower needs to do to survive. (page 7)

d

It is true I am seeing that the only witnesses I am seeing left are older ones.

binadub

jw facts:

human fear of death.

Excellent point and something that I totally overlooked. What is the url of the topic.

I host an old-fashioned threaded discussion forum on the Channel C domain (www.channelc.org). I posted the topic in two parts because it was so long. I was mainly addressing it to people who even after leaving the WT religion still believe in salvation on this planet (i.e. Bible Students and some exJWs).

The links to the discussion I referred to (I'm 'Ros' on Channel C) are here:

http://www.channelc.org/ChCForum/forum/index.php?action=display&forumid=1&msgid=9527

and

http://www.channelc.org/ChCForum/forum/index.php?action=display&forumid=1&msgid=9528

~Binadub (aka Ros)

jwfacts

binadub - This innate fear of death is what feeds the Watchtower religions their power to keep a loyal flock by perpetually holding Armageddon out as being "very soon," but with the hope for their members, in their partaicular lifetime throughout all the ages, to survive it and never have to face death.

I agree with that comment. What is ironic is that the Leaders, the GB, are all of the Anointed class, so expect to die and go to heaven. They use the carrot of never dying to control the emotions of the followers, yet are above such fears themselves.

That fear is manifest in the doctrine of other religions as well. Some Evangelicals teach about a rapture, where they won't die as such, but be raptured straight to a spirit body.

EmptyInside

Actually,my mother admitted to me if they drop the teaching of paradise earth,she's gone. It's a basic teaching of the Witnesses,and the reason many stick around. It's the only hope they have.

Phizzy

Very sad, "The only hope they have" is not really supported by the bible without the usual weird convoluted WT "reasoning".

So many will look back, like me,and think I wasted X years, or in my case, X decades.

I think when they are very old, it is better to let them hang on to that vain hope, few have the strength to face reality after a lifetime of living in fantasy land.

cedars

Phizzy

I think when they are very old, it is better to let them hang on to that vain hope, few have the strength to face reality after a lifetime of living in fantasy land.

That's probably worthy of a thread of its own - what age is the "cut off" point? Obviously there are a variety of factors, and it depends to a large extent on whether the person has doubts in the first place. However, should we have a recommended age limit for NOT telling our relatives TTATT if they get past a certain age? I often think about this with regards my Dad. He isn't what I would class an "old man" yet, but he has invested the vast majority of his life in a futile pursuit. If he were able to truly grasp the reality of the situation, I think it would destroy him. I was lucky to get out while still relatively young. I don't think someone of his age could say the same.

Cedars

Phizzy

Dear Cedars, I think most of the very old, 80ish say,if still believing, would fall in to the category of "best left".

With lower ages it depends on the life and circumstances of the individual, and particularly their mental strength, I have JW relatives who simply would go off their rockers if they realised TTATT.

An old wise saying is "When the student is ready, the Teacher will arrive", we need to use great discernment and compassion when trying to wake up those we love, in many cases it may well be the loving thing to leave them as they are, even though we can see their life would be better in many ways if they left, we have to look at the whole picture.

cedars

Phizzy - I guess it's impossible to put an age limit on it because it depends on individual circumstances and the level of indoctrination. However, in most cases I would say that even late 50s or 60s might be too late to intervene. Yes, Ray Franz managed it when he was not much older than that, but he could make a clean mental break having seen the corruption firsthand from the top down. He could also find something valuable to devote his time to in his remaining years. However, with more indoctrinated family members who are beyond middle age, I think it's just plain cruel to sweep the rug from under their feet. I would like my Dad to know the real truth, but I'm not sure it would have a positive effect on his quality of life given his unique circumstances and background.

Cedars

Aussie Oz

this all makes me think of my mother, so much must have been riding on 1975 for her to sacrifice her marriage for the Watchtower.

It may have seemed worth the loss for she only had to wait 2 or 3 years till paradise. But post 75 she needed a husband for us kids and after he passed away she needed yet another for her new 2 kids as well...armageddon was now long overdue.

Now in her 70s, with 5 out of the truth children, she is very unhappy with life. Just waits to die.

I do wonder what goes thru her mind as she contemplates dying with no armageddon in sight.

Such a waste of her life, for the dead 'worldly' people have just as much hope of 'resurection' as she.

Watchtower, Jehovah's Witnesses... You thieving bastards. I hope your demise is as catastrophic as it can be.

Oz

outsmartthesystem

Cedars - I think it is a combination of age and mental makeup that determines when the cutoff is. Some people, no matter how old, simply have nothing else........ outside of their fantastical hope of living forever with a pet lion. Some people simply cannot handle the mental trauma of learning TTATT. Some of those people have been told TTATT but respond with "WHERE else will I go?" These same ones lack the mental desire to find out and would rather just "swallow the blue pill" and trick themselves into thinking that somehow....someway the Watchtower society is still right. Then you have others that are old......yet their mental makeup is such that knowing the TRUTH is THE most important thing....regardless of what knowing TTATT does to their physical and mental health. A good example of this would be Ray Franz.

What the Watchtower needs to do to survive.

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