JWfacts said
" I do not see the point debating with people with that mindset. When a person wants to know the truth about the Watchtower religion, my site has everything they need to realise it is wrong. Until they want to be honest with themselves, debating achieves little, except for onlookers."
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I agree, everything a JW needs to see that this is not a religion that would be chosen by a God that wants truth seeking members that have the ability to look beyond the curtain, is located in that "one site".(www.JWFACTS.com
I think other points that would prevent a person from being able to "click" is possibly the embarrasment of actually being wrong about something so important. The "longer in","higher up" in the Organization or the level of "pride" that an individual has would also be determining factors in deciding whether or not a person can take that "hard swallow" and say to themselves "OH MY GOD, I HAVE BEEN WRONG!!! I HAVE BEEN DUPED!!! I ADMIT IT!!!"
Do you know what it feels like to be wrong? Your probably thinking "yes, of course I know what it feels like to be wrong" but,... you probaly are thinking that I'm asking "What does it feel like to REALIZE that your wrong?" You know, that sinking feeling that makes us swallow real hard, the swallow we try to hide when around others when we REALIZE that we've been wrong is not what I'm talking about. What I'm asking is "Do you know what it feels like to be wrong?" It's an entirely different question. Being wrong feels the same as being right. Even when we're wrong, prior to realizing it, it FEELS RIGHT, it FEELS good doesn't it? It FEELS exactly the same as being right. That is where we think you are at the moment, you have not made it to the point where you REALIZE that you are wrong (hey, we were all RIGHT there where you are now, this is not a slam lol) and we hope that you are able to make that swallow , no matter who is looking and come to REALIZE that you are, well wrong about this at least.
Another thing that would, In my opinion, prevent someone from recognizing "the truth about the truth"(TTATT) is the inability to "unchain" yourself from "the carrot", "The prize" IE: everlasting life, never getting sick, no pains, dead loved ones living again, all things good ALL the time, big bowls of fruit, playing with dangerous animals, no hurricanes, tornados, tsunamis, earthquakes, flooding, solar flares, meteors hitting us, vocanic eruptions that would affect us in a negative way, falling off cliffs, cheating mates, wrinkles, bad breath, corns and bunions, arthritis, psoriasis, coughs due to the common cold, sore throats, piles, as it were. (you get the point, I'm sure lol) Evidently there are those that cannot do this and continue to "keep their eyes on the carrot" to the point where they are not TRULY unbiased when examining the evidence about this religion. The WTBTS has not not only encouraged you to "keep your eyes on the prize" but it has also demanded it. They also demand that you wear blinders to help you "keep your eyes on the prize" But what if the "prize" is just a lie? What if the ones that are telling us to keep our eyes on the prize, the ones that are holding the keys to the lock that allows us to actually recieve the "prize" have been known to be wrong in other things that they told us and our parents and their parents and so on? Would it not be wise to examine the history or scoreboard of "being correct VS being wrong" of a corporation that is promising us something so important? I would think that doing anything OTHER than making a unbiased examination of the WTBTS would be considered insane.
Really, what good is examining evidence if we are to remain biased toward a certain point of view. If we are to dismiss the other sides evidence as soon as we notice that it "threatens OUR carrot" then are we truly benefitting ourselves? Are we REALLY examining the evidence if we can't be balanced in acknowledging both sides? If not then that's confirmation bias at it's best. Some are known to look for and acccept only things that "shore up their beliefs" as it makes us feel that we DID make the right decision, yes we ARE on the right path, everything is going to be okay. Usually a JW will "shelve" the conflcting information to prevent dissonance. They will "Wait on Jehovah" to correct it in his own time. We are admonished to "not run ahead of Jehovah" as these thought stopping comments have seemed to work for many and they put their head down and keep peddling and soon forget about the evidence to the contrary that almost woke them up. Almost waking up is not good enough for this crowd just as it is not good enough for the ex Mormons and other members of similar groups that have decided not to shelve these alarms and decided also not to hit the "Snooze" button anymore in their BS alarm clock.
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I think that we should try to mimic the jury selection process where the attorneys try to find jurors that are unbiased toward the case, especially if they feel that they have evidence to prove their case because they have the confidence that an unbiased person would be able to see the evidence for what it is for.
We, the ones that already have heard the evidence for both sides, WANT the other side to give their testimony as it's THEIR evidence that we are actually going to use to prove that they are guilty, as it were. Not something that we fabricated, their OWN EVIDENCE, their beliefs and publications, their track record of being continually in error or getting it wrong a VERY HIGH percentage of the time.
There is no doubt that you have a "carrot" blocking your view of the TTATT, we all did. We are not smarter, better we have just gained the ability to put that "carrot" aside for a bit while examing the information.
We were able to recognize the fact that to make a truly informed decision, WE MUST put that "Carrot" aside while examining the evidence. We MUST VIEW that "carrot" as inconsequential when deciding what is truth and what is false.
We need to view the evidence as someone off the street that has never heard of the Jehovahs Witnesses and therefore does not have a "carrot" that would sway them one way ar another.
I contend that if you take ANYONE on planet Earth that is sound in mind and has no preconcieved ideas regarding the WTBTS and arrange for a bible study with the best JW pioneer that exist and allow someone like JWFACTS to have equal time with that person using ONLY things written by the WTBTS that this person would not become a JW. (I think that you know that inside already) The only way a person can become a JW is if they are prevented, early on, from learning anything about the, how can I say this delicately, underbelly, failed prophecies and lies emanating from the WBTS over the last century. They have to "hang that carrrot and get them focused on that carrot PRIOR to anyone showing them the history of the WTBTS" This thought is brought out in the book "Captives of a Concept" by Don Cameron. This book ALONE would , if you are truly inbiased, make you see the light about the WTBTS claim to have authority from Jehovah. It's available to download also.
I really do hope that you are able to wake up and see TTATT, and I feel if you are able to get that "carrot" out of the way while you read JWFACTS.com with a balanced view, there is nothing else you can do but wake up. If you do not wake up, then you did not REALLY remove the "carrot" as required.
We don't "writhe our hands" hoping to draw away JWs from the "truth" thinking that we have prevented another human from serving Jehovah. We are doing the responsible thing that a loving person would do when they realize that people are being duped, we are spending our time trying to make others have a chance at the real life vs being entrapped into a "High Control Group" aka cult. Mormons, Moonies, etc all have EX members doing the exact same thing for current members that are trapped. We are doing exactly what ex members of a cult do for current members, we try to get them to think for themselves and wake up.
Anyway, my computer is telling me that I have used my alloted quotations and captions for the day and that I need to take a break for a bit. I do truly hope that you continue to come back and whatever you do, please don't let the dissonance get to you as this is common for a person waking up to the fact that they have been duped. Let us know the point where you "let em drop" and realize that what we are telling you is true.
Notjustyet