I have a JW family member who very rarely comes to see me. Rarely calls me. But, now, for whatever reason is the time to see me.
First two minutes - I was deluged with him showing me the Bible on a phone. Throughout the first 2 days, I was deluged with witnessing attempts. When he wasn't witnessing, he was on the phone with JWs back home . . . honing his next move. He'd get off the phone, and, whaaamoooo, more WTS shit. I couldn't slam the door on his face. At first, I tried to engage him. Then, it became so frustrating. I yelled he was in a cult. (I lost it, but you'd understand if you were trapped in a room with him). Then, I just started being real cold when he tried to witness. Then, I got it together and shut him up.....
At first, he agreed that with me on the Candice Conti case and 2 witness rule problem. But, I think this was an attempt to try to get me "open" to witnessing.
He's also mad about being denied disabled pioneer status and the WTS "losing" its record of his years of service. It sounds like he's lost many appeals. He has his own scripture of why they should count his time, but he will not make waves within the KH anymore. He's just going to put it in Jah's hands.
He now wishes that he would have went to college instead of pioneering when he was young. He said, becuase education helps you to think better. (No, I didn't show him the 12/15 WT. SHOULD I?)
His witnessing attempts were constant the first two days. I was batting right back. I got it to stop. For the next few days, it's been just all non-JW talk.
The person who visited me is just too old to try to change. He can't hear well. I don't think he hears half of what is said at KH. I really think he attends for fellowship. It's like a gang. It's where he belongs, no matter how good or bad they treat him.
In all of the conversations we had the first two days, one thing came very apparent. Faith has become reality to him. He can't separate that his thougths of man's/world's existence and afterlife are questions of faith and interpretation. He's very narrowed as the WTS as the only explanation. He had to find a an absolute truth, and only the WTS has the Truth.
So, he finally asked me if I believed in any Truth out there? I said, the world is full of shades of grey, and you are talking about faith. So, he likens faith to gravity!!!! He said, "Well, isn't gravity a Truth." I said, yes, but our scientific understanding of gravity changes with the study of space, black holes, and for instance - the sun. If the sun were to go away, our concept of gravity would change. Science admits to always changing and to testing theories. Under different conditions, the experiment could change. We can test forces of gravity. We have a math equation that works in this world. "
So, he goes on that when I go to the hospital i will need faith. I agreed that every person has intellectual capability and should be building his perception of our origins, the afterlife, etc. But, that is faith of the comlete unknown. It's what makes it f-a-i-t-h. Faiths are not the same. One God is not different then the other.
So, he goes onto how loving 'Jehovah' is. I said, "I think Jehovah's nuts. He commanded a father kill his first-born son." He said, "Well, the angel stopped it." I said sarcastically said "Wow, that makes me feel better." I remind him of all the wars Jehovah made. He reasons that they were for good. I laughed out loud, as a Bible written/compiled in 200 a.d. can write justifications; and each side of a war thinks it's right."
We got into the Bible's origins. No, he's never heard of things like the Book of Eve. He thinks it was written down by the apostles. That is 100% God's word - becuase it says so. I tried to explain circular reasoning.
So, I figured that if I sounded like a complete nut to him, he'd give up. I asked him if he ever heard of the 'Jesus was influenced by Buddhism' theory? He looked down in disgust that I had come so far. I went on & on & on about the PBS documentary based on history . . . .
I think my debunking the Bible (and Jesus as Buddhist) is what finally made him shut up. To him, my version of faith was as wacky as I thought his version of faith was.
Maybe we all thought that way at one time. We melded faith into reality.
I learned that I am free from this cult. I can separate one's faith from reality. They don't have control over me.
Skeeter