Another great post from Jeremy C

Phizzy

Post 224 of 229
since 25-Feb-08

I was born and raised as a Jehovah's Witness and spent some 30 years in the organization. I studied their publications for some 20 years. I researched the key doctrines frontwards and backwards. I spent countless hours pouring over Watchtower publications in addition to many Bible translations, commentaries, and other books by Biblical scholars (real scholars, not JW pseudo-scholars).

So, I find it amusing that Watchtower apologists would admonish people like me to be "open minded" about the very Watchtower teachings that I have discovered to be false.

I have heard of accounts of the gold rush of the late 1800's where excited prospectors took loads of gold flakes into the exchanges only to be informed that it was fool's gold. Upon hearing this, the prospectors became angry; insisting that the exchange merchants were wrong and that their equipment must be flawed. They insisted that what they had really was gold, and that the merchants just couldn't see it. They clearly had an emotional investment in believing that what they had found was the real thing. It was all they had left. This is very similar to those who have spent a lifetime invested in a religious organization.

This reminds me of the Watchtower with all of its surrogates, apologists, and clingers-on. They just cannot let go of the idea that Russell hit "gold" with his Watchtower enterprise; insisting that it is everyone else who is wrong, and who cannot see the "spiritual gold mine" of the Watchtower. It is very inconvenient for them that some people choose to exercise incredulity in spotting the genuine from the bogus.

00DAD

Nice, reminds me of the quip, "My mind's made up. Don't confuse me with the facts!"

cantleave

Excellent analogy!

irondork

Flakes of fools truth.

Theocratic Sedition

slimboyfat

Good, but why are we looking at two year old posts from Jeremy C? Has something happened to him?

compound complex

Slim:

Perhaps the post below is what prompted this thread. If I had mentioned Jeremy by name in the subject box, the linked thread would have received more hits.

http://jehovahs-witness.net/members/politics/246690/1/Obedience-Within-the-Congregation-Not-Absolute

Phizzy

Sorry SBF, should have explained, Compound Complex (CoCo) posted a Jeremy C post apropos something , and it reminded me of what a great poster he was, I don't know what his present circumstances are, I guess he just moved on.

But I remember what a huge effect this particular post had on me, it explained why the intelligent, thinking JW's that I knew, and I knew a good number, why they stuck with the religion.

It enabled me to stop trying to free them, a thankless task, they had too much invested in it.

Fools Gold indeed !

Edited to add : Dear CoCO ! you beat me to it !

compound complex

Hey, Phizzy!

Have a great weekend. I'm glad you added this gem!

CoCo

slimboyfat

I see, maybe he got busy living.

I agree some people are in too deep to contemplate that the Witnesses might be wrong. Intelligent ones too are often caught like this.

MickeyMouse recommended this book that explains the psychology behind not being able to discard mistaken beliefs long after their faulty basis should be apparent:

Mistakes Were Made (but Not by Me): Why We Justify Foolish Beliefs, Bad Decisions and Hurtful Acts by Carol Tavris

Another great post from Jeremy C

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