Jesus tipped over the moneychangers tables in the temple and threw the money changers out. I could tip over one of those three wheelers. And i'm no jesus....
Do You Think The Witnesses Actually Know What They Believe In?
by minimus 55 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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Wasanelder Once
They know God's name and there is a kingdom that will bring paradise, done. Anything else is unnecessary knowledge.
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Joe Grundy
I never was a JW, and I hope that no-one minds if I broaden this.
IME, very few 'believers' in any religion really know what they believe in. They may be able to quote a few core issues, but press them on anything even a little deeper and 'something' kicks in to deny any further discussion.
I think this applies to many believers in many religions. Many 'Christians' have no idea why or how their views differ from those of Catholics/Orthodox/original Protestants, let alone the various Christain sects along the way. Many Muslims don't have much idea of the differences between Sunni, Shi'ite or Suffi creeds, let alone the off-shoots. Many Thai Buddhists don't know how their 'brand' differs from mainstream (even if they know it does).
And that's why, IMHO, debating the basic fallacies in religion is so often a waste of time, or to put it another way 'It's a useless exercise to debate religion with the religious'.
People believe what they want to believe, what makes them feel comfortable - largely because of where they were born and the religion in which they were raised. I would guess that the vast majority who profess beliefs really have no knowledge of what they believe other than the basics. And that's why it's difficult to engage these people.
Just my view.
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brainmelt
Nope, I think most of them are just in it for the social life. I know I didn't know everything I was supposed to believe in, once I started out what was a genuine attempt to reeducate myself in my JW beliefs, I realised that they were all nonsense and that I could no longer identify myself as one of JW's and admit to holding these beliefs.
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zound
Just had a mental image of an apostate walking into a kingdom hall, tipping over the contribution box then chasing the book counter attendants out with a whip.
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Ucantnome
When my parents accepted, became witnesses my parents were not religious people. My father was very political he had a picture of a politician on the mantelpiece and he had been involved with political parties. They accepted the good news as preached by Jehovah's Witnesses. I think it was slightly different what he accepted than it is today. The view of the first world war was different for one thing which made it all the more urgent I think he knew what he believed in and he understood it. He was one of the strong elders in the congregation. I understand the reason he left was over baptism. I understood that i believed in God, but i never felt I had any real interest in the deeper things. I knew the basics but have to admit it bored me to death. It wasn't until I'd been out for over ten years and having a discussion with an elder that i came to realise really how they view John 1:1 or maybe how I'd viewed it.
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Vidiot
Minimus - "Do you think the Witnesses actually know what they believe in?"
They believe in the WTS.
Everything else is gravy.
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Vidiot
brainmelt - "Nope, I think most of them are just in it for the social life."
I dunno...
...I think you'd have to be pretty hard up for a social life if the WTS was your best option.
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minimus
It's a social club, in a way.
Some people NEED to feel special.
The Witnesses make you feel like you're in a special society.
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Emery
minimus you are 100% correct. It's more about what you reject rather than what you fully subscribe to. I had no clue how we arrived at 1914, Jesus not being mediator for all, or even the 1919 appointment. It was all news to me when I discovered Ray Franz books.