by mrbunyrabit 23 Replies latest watchtower bible
The right way to handle elders is simply tell them you've found the truth and leave it at that.
In doing so this might create a plausible inner question " What did he really find ? "
True spirituality can never be found within the commercialized corruption of a publishing house, run by men who have self proclaimed
god had chosen them as his personally chosen ones.
Lies to create Truth will always be an impossibility and most likely will create damage to the ones who have been deceived by them.
I know from experience that trying to show parents anything gets no where. And when you THINK you've made some headway, their cult thinking comes back and they shut right down. You can show them tons of stuff...the UN scandal, the flip-flops in doctrine, the 1975 crap... And you can show it FROM WATCHTOWER PUBLICATIONS... And it still has a very good chance of getting you nothing but avoided and shunned in the long run. And what's worse is that you don't know if they will actually report you to the elders for apostasy. I was lucky in that mine didn't, but it does happen.
As for the elders, if you claim you're overwhelmed, you're busy, you have x, y, or z going on, there's really nothing they can do. They can't FORCE you out in service. They can't FORCE you to give talks. These men only have as much power as YOU give them. So don't give it to them at all. You don't have to talk to them, you don't have to explain yourself to them.
Parents are indeed tough to deal with. I think the best way is to exploit their weaknesses/current doubts (if any)/golden opportunities. Otherwise, get ready for the shunning and reporting (or lectures!).
When I attended pioneer school almost thirty years ago, I learned a very effective technique in dealing with anyone who wanted to resist new ideas and thinking. Put the burden of proof on them. Jesus did that most effectively and it will work for you as well. How do you do this? Simply ask questions that require them to prove their assertions! For example, when it comes to 1914 you can ask, "Where is the number 2,520 found in the Bible? Why is it the basis for the calculation of the length of the Gentile Times if it is not in Holy Writ?" Witnesses may assert that the number is there. Then ask them to prove it. Where is it? If they hesitate, open a copy of their own Comprehensive Concordance to the NWT and challenge them to find it using this tool.
In this regard, if they try to use the book of Revelation's "time, times and half a time" being equal to 1,260 days and then say, "We just double those numbers to get 2,520" you counter with, "Ah, but John was specifically told to equate the two. Where was Daniel told that his seven times equaled 2,520?" Again, put the burden of proof right back on their shoulders where it belongs.
It is likewise with other basic Witness theology. "Show it to me in the Word of God and I'll believe it." Most Witnesses are so poorly educated in what the Bible itself actually says, they'll have a hard time answering your challenges. I did this with a Witness who once was my closest friend in the organization. The looks of fear and helplessness that crossed his face were most instructive.
When they assert that Matthew 24/25; Mark 13 and Luke 21 predict what we'd see in the last days of the worldwide system, get them to show you how that conclusion can be drawn when the passages clearly talk about the coming destruction of Jerusalem and its Temple and nothing else. If they want to talk about "God's organization", again, challenge them to find those words in the Bible. You can easily find the word "congregation", but "organization" is entirely and completely absent. The same is true with their "overlapping generation" nonsense.
If they want to reference the WTS publications, that's fine. But you need to remind them that the publications are not the Bible. Are they saying that the two are equivalent or that perhaps the publications have superceded God's Word? If they can't use the Bible alone to make their points, what other conclusion about the relative worth of the WTS publications versus the Bible would one draw? Using the questioning method should yield more than satisfactory results for you, and may get your Witness visitors to do some serious soul-searching.
Quendi
