Is trying to awaken a JW tantamount to "robbing him of his bliss"??

by never a jw 27 Replies latest jw friends

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  never a jw

  Lost Generation,

  The de facto "apostate" is my own term. I put it in quotation marks for the same reason the NWT writes the name "Samuel" in quotation marks (1 Samuel 28:14-20). The WT needs to twist the meaning of Samuel to keep consistency of a doctrine. I need to inform the reader that I don't associate with the meaning of the word in quotation marks. However, my actions may be deemed by JW's as apostasy.

  What I implied is that my niece has gotten similar messages and emails from me before, and told me that she will not respond to them. The other three nephews never received these type of messages before and were willing to engage in a brief exchange of text messages.
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  Jeffro

  So, if someone is all excited that a Nigerian prince is going to send him a million zillion bajillion dollars, I suppose it would be unfair to 'rob him of his bliss' either??
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  Apognophos

  Honestly, I appreciate what you're doing and that you are doing it for their good, but I don't think that kind of message can ever reach a committed Witness. The message I'm referring to is "This writing from the Society has a sinister subliminal message." It sounds very conspiratorial in a "You're being mind-controlled by the FBI!" kind of way. Of course it's much more plausible than a tin-foil hat theory, but it doesn't sound plausible to them. No Witness can possibly accept that the Society is sending cult control messages through their literature unless they're already on their way out mentally.

  It would be more effective to focus on doctrinal flip-flops, embarrassing WT history, or maybe being more subtle altogether and helping them see that the world is not so black-and-white as "Witnesses good, worldlies bad". Especially now that they have their guard up, I wouldn't expect any direct tactics to work for a while.
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  Rattigan350

  Wouldn't it be like taking a drug addict to rehab and bringing them into withdrawal for a while.

  They feel bad for a while then get over it.

  Better in the long run.
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  ThisFellowCheap

  Is trying to awaken a JW tantamount to "robbing him of his bliss"?

  Now I know how a cocaine addict feels about rehab!
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  THE GLADIATOR

  Re: Is trying to awaken a JW tantamount to "robbing him of his bliss"?

  This is often a dilemma that applies to tolerance of other people beliefs, no matter what they are. Jehovah's Witnesses are only one group of magical thinkers. Is it best to let people find comfort in their beliefs, however bizarre, and allow them to remain unchallenged?

  Is it a kindness to not attempt to point out the contradictions? Should people’s cognitive dissidence be allowed to grow as we stand by and do nothing? If we see someone we care for being unduly influenced by someone, should we express our concern at the risk of attracting scorn, or do we walk by on the other side?

  I have tried it both ways and been punished for my efforts. I tend to keep quiet nowadays, but my restrained may not be a kindness in the long run. Perhaps ridiculous beliefs should be vigorously challenged.
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  designs

  Hundreds of millions of church goers will sing and pray today, enraptured and delighted in their 'bliss'.
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  moshe

  People have a right to be JWs, it's a dumb religion that can kill you, but nevertheless, a person can freely choose to be a member and willingly follow the WT dogma. That said, if they know where you stand, as the "answer man" on JW stupidity, then you can let them carry on in lala land with a clear conscience. I would give them a jab every so often, just so they can't come back on you later and cry, "you should have warned me- I wasted my whole life in the KH!"

  Further, the WT has proscribed the sort of people, discussions and information which JWs know is anathema to their ideas of true worship. You may have been added to the list. IMO, the large numbers of faders I see here indicates that many people find it difficult to just walk away from the KH. Gumby comes to mind as one who went back to the KH, rather than accept that his family didn't want to leave the KH, so he faced a choice - go it alone or go back to being under WT domination. You have to have a certain mental disposition to pull that off--