I messed up again... Opened my mouth... oh well, we'll see where the cards end

by ILoveTTATT 17 Replies latest jw friends

  • ILoveTTATT
    ILoveTTATT

    So I hadn't talked to my friends on Facebook for a while because I had been too busy on my page (now two pages) and my job, and my girlfriend. So I go on my FB account yesterday and I start talking to a "Bible Study" I had had while in Mexico... after learning TTATT, I have dreamed of ways to tell him and his family to stay away from JW's, but I hadn't had the courage to do so because of a) wanting to get my family awakened first, and b) noticing the horribly bad reaction of the very few people I have actually talked to (three persons)...

    But anyways, I felt the need to tell him, the "Bible Study"... he is around 15. His mom was inactive for many years until we found her in "service" and then we started her on a study and she came back... at the time, I thought I was doing a correct thing, if I had known TTATT, no way in hell I would have done that. Now it hurts my conscience, although to my credit, I had no idea of TTATT.

    So his mom, him, his brother and sister are all in some way or another associating with JW's.

    I wasn't intending to talk to him about TTATT, it just happened...

    Yesterday we started a conversation (A is him, B is me):

    B: How are you?

    A: Good!

    B: What's up?

    A: Not much. Just some Mormons came to my house the other day and talked to me and asked me if they could come in and pray with me and sing some songs, I had no guts to tell them "No", did I do wrong?

    B: hahah.... whatever... that's funny! What did they say?

    A: They just sung some stuff, made a prayer and then said they would come back. I don't know why I could not tell them no hahahah

    B: Hey, can I give you an advice? Listen to me carefully because this is important k?

    A: ok

    B: Remember when I gave you a study, I always told you to read at least three chapters of the Bible, and when I came back, that you could ask me any question you had?

    A: Yes, I remember.

    B: Well, 1. Don't stop reading the Bible, and 2. IF YOU NOTICE THAT A RELIGION REFUSES TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS OR RESISTS QUESTIONING, WALK AWAY... Truth resists scrutiny. If someone tries to prove to you that 2+2 = 5, they won't be able to, because you can prove to them that 2+2 = 4.

    A: Yeah... I get your point. I will try to tell them when they come back that I don't want to study with them, and I am happy with the Witnesses and I want them to respect my decision... That's a good thing to say, right?

    B: Yes... but the advice that I am giving you applies to ALL religion... ALL of them! God has given you a sacred gift, to have free will, so you MUST analyze every religion and determine if it is TRUTH... if they change the Bible, or they say something that is not what the Bible says, or if they lie, they cannot be the TRUE religion. You have a God-given RIGHT to QUESTION things!

    A: Yeah! I don't want to learn from any other religion...

    B: Hey, XXXX, look... I don't know how to tell you this... but I need to tell you something. But before I tell you this, please PROMISE or SWEAR you will keep this to yourself.

    A: I SWEAR

    B: ok look... The Witnesses have changed the Bible, and despite them saying they are the "Truth", they are not. I can prove these things to you.

    (3 minutes later)...

    A: WOW, I am in shock...

    B: I mean, I admit, that a lot of Witnesses are really nice people, and they do try to have high moral standards, but that does not condone what the leaders have done, there is no excuse to change the Bible.

    A: Why do you say that they have changed the Bible?

    B: Look, I am in shock constantly. I am still a Witness, technically. You know the huge problems that occur when someone is DF'd, right? If you really are my friend, you will not tell about this to anyone until you are ready and know how to say it. Give me the opportunity to prove to you all that I say. I want to save you from a HUGE MISTAKE. In a nutshell, they have changed the Bible because they have added the name "Jehovah" to the New Testament 237 times when there is absolutely no manuscript of the NT that has it.

    A: I... really don't know what to say... I am in shock!!

    B: Well... just thinkg of what I am risking here to tell you this: I AM RISKING MY OWN FAMILY TO TELL YOU THIS!! Imagine my FRUSTRATION, xxxx, I know something and I cannot say it!! It's an amazing system to keep people quiet... "either you shut up, or we take your family away"...

    A: Since when do you know all this stuff?

    B: Since February this year. I would have NEVER given you a study if I had known this. I am sorry... I have REFUSED to preach for months! I cannot in good conscience preach a lie... I hope you see this as proof of integrity in my part. Just look up Matthew 1:20. It says "Angel of Jehovah", but in the original (Greek), it says "Angel of the Lord"... Now in that text, there is no real change in meaning.

    A: Ok

    B: Actually let me back up a little. Before I go into all of this, let me tell you about CULTS or HIGH CONTROL GROUPS. Jehovah's Witnesses, the Mormons, the Scientologists, and other groups, fall into this category. If you don't agree with the doctrine of any of these groups, they do some form or another of "Disfellowshipping"... do you think it is fair, to lose your family and friends, just because you don't agree with certain doctrines?

    (Gave the example of Mormons and if they're black, their skin becoming white)...

    A: I don't think that is fair... to be disfellowshipped for that, and to not let you talk to other brothers because of that.

    B: Look at all the HORRORS that JW's have done: They prohibited vaccinations, then allowed them. They did the same for organ transplants, first prohibited, then allowed. If they were "guided by God" as they say they are, did God guide them to this error? Who pays for the deaths of these people who listened to the Watchtower? When they want to be obeyed, they say "We are God's mouthpiece! Disobeying us is equal to disobeying God Himself"!! And when they change the doctrines, "We are imperfect men! The light gets brighter and brighter"!! And if you contradict "the Truth", you are kicked out. Let me ask you something, will "2+2" be 5 tomorrow?

    A: No, it will never be 5, it is always 4.

    B: That's true. So there can never be a PRESENT truth, like they say. If what they say NOW is "Present truth", then is what they said before the "past lie"? They just changed a doctrine that has been theirs for like 90 years. Does that mean that they preached LIES for 90 years?

    If you preach NOW what they said BEFORE = apostate.

    If you preached THEN what is said NOW = apostate

    Doesn't make any sense, does it?

    A: Um... And the other brothers don't figure this out? Or, are many people experiencing the same thing you are? =S

    B: No, I am one of very few. The reason for it is that they do not allow you to read information that is contrary to what they preach. Here's how it goes: They call themselves THE TRUTH. Whoever opposes them: LIARS, SATANISTS, etc... When the honest truth is that THEY ARE LIARS!! And when other people try to save you, you have already been pre-programmed or indoctrinated to NOT LISTEN TO "APOSTATES"... and that's why they keep so many people trapped... it's heartbreaking, really. And because the indoctrination has been so constant, and for so many years, it becomes almost a knee-jerk reaction: INSTANT HATE AND FEAR when someone opposes them. If you have not seen it, you don't know how ugly this reaction is. You have a golden opportunity if the Mormons come back. Ask them something only "apostate" Mormons would know, and watch them flee your house almost instantly.

    A: Hey, xxxxx, this is a lot to take in. It is almost midnight here, so let's talk sometime later. I don't know if I will be able to sleep, though, thinking about all you say. Don't worry, I will not tell anyone what we have talked about. Take care!

    B: My friend, thank you. I really appreciate and love you and your family quite a bit, I want you guys to have a long and happy life. I know this will be a hard "secret" to keep... it is very hard for me personally. But feel free to QUESTION me, If something I say does not make sense, or you want more proof, please tell me. Whatever ends up convincing you, I will be cool with that. Take care!

    A: Byeee... thanks!

    B: YW. Byeee

    So, we'll see where the cards end up. I am in a much better position now, with a job and with my dad awakened. My mother is not awakened yet, so there's that danger =S...

    But I just couldn't keep quiet...

    ILTTATT

  • Kojack57
    Kojack57

    ilovettatt: You did the right thing in telling him,even if it doesnt turn out the way it should. i'am currently reading a book by Ron Rhodes who is not a

    witness and never has been,but he says that it is our obligation to try to help as many as possible to see TTATT.

    I hope it turns out for you and him. keep up the good work bro.

  • Kojack57
    Kojack57

    The book is "Reasoning from the scriptures with the jehovah"s witnesses."

  • ABibleStudent
    ABibleStudent

    Hi ILoveTTATT, Does your friend know how to contact your parents? If not, don't worry be happy, because he is 15 years old. Teenagers are more likely to rebel against the WTBTS than other age groups. Also, he probaly hasn't had enough time to be fully indoctrinated.

    Does he understand English? Have you sent him links to either Spanish or English websites such as www.jwfacts.com, www.jwstruggles.com, and/or www.freedomofmind.com?

    Good job on reverse witnessing, but please be more careful or go more slowly. You could have given him more information about the Mormons to show that they are a dangerous cult by refering him to links on www.freedomofmind.com, if he understands english, or translate the information for him. Once he understands about BITE control, he should be able to critically think for himself about the WTBTS.

    Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

    Robert

  • ABibleStudent
    ABibleStudent

    Deleted - double post.

  • adamah
    adamah

    Good job!

    ALTHOUGH, you admit it in the title that you messed up, since you KNOW you've gotta save yourself AND your family before you start to reach out to others. You don't have the luxury right now of alleviating your guilty conscience for past harm you've inflicted on others by "sharing the Truth" with them, as you've gotta prioritize and STICK to the exit plan. That should go on the back-burner, as a drowning person cannot save others.

    As you admit, such risky endeavors could come back to bite you, but worse, YOUR FATHER (although I'm sure you wouldn't mind cooking TV dinners for you AND your then-divorced father, with him sleeping on the couch in the apartment you share).

    BTW, how's your dad coming along with awakening your mom? Any news on the family study front, or her awakening?

    Adam

  • ILoveTTATT
    ILoveTTATT

    @Kojack: Thanks! I know that telling TTATT is the right thing to do! I know it is very risky right now, for me, but I just felt like I HAD to tell him. His family is slowly getting indoctrinated back into the Witnesses, and I wanted to stop that process before it goes too far.

    @ABibleStudent: THANKS!! Great info to give him! The problem with telling him is this: I was in that congregation in Mexico for 1.5 years. He studied with me, but his mom studied with a very nice sister (sweetest heart ever) who got her going again. If he tells someone in that congregation, I am in deep trouble since 80% or 90% of my JW friends in my life are there... either in that congregation or in that city. However, from what I have seen, people generally keep their mouth shut. But each of these people who I mention it to is a ticking time bomb... esp. one who I had a conversation with in Canada, in an English congregation...

    @Adamah: You are totally right, this might come back and bite me. But what I did is done, and I just felt like I had to take the opportunity to talk to him. I talked to another ex-Bible Study that fizzled and he THANKED me for telling him TTATT.

    About my mom: I have no freaking clue how to even start the conversation. The movie "The 5th Estate" has given me an edge, my mom thinks that what Julian Assange did with Wikileaks (Telling truths to the world) was a GOOD thing to do. The last real conversation I had with her ended up pretty badly, I just dropped the bomb at a Family Bible Study, "Hey Mom, did you know that the name "Jehovah" never appears in the NT manuscripts"? She started trembling and said, "Well, If Jehovah allowed that translation to be made that way, it was for a reason!"... and then, "WHERE is that admitted?"... Since I didn't know at the time (this was months ago, barely knowing TTATT), I said, well, in the Bible appendix! Then we looked at the explanation, but since it was not explicit, she did not get it. I wish I had known that it is explicitly stated in the Insight book.

    I have agreed with my Dad to have a FBS on Mondays or a convenient date, but we will only study the Bible and use as little WT publications as possible. I fear that I will drop some other bomb inadvertedly, so I really have to train my dad to "conduct" a Bible Study in a proper manner and not allow my mom to hijack it (which she does)...

    The last time I explicitly acted out against JW's was in July... At the Convention I was constantly shaking my head in disgust... My mom, noticing that I was pissed off, and noticing that I had been talking in a very secretive manner to my dad back then, started crying. She could not see how I could not be happy that a GB member was giving a talk... So to humor her, I started smiling and clapping half-heartedly.

    It's been long since then, and now I can act as a double-agent. I talk to my dad of TTATT only on his work phone or when I am sure that mom is not around, I pretend like I go to the meetings (Dress up and go to a Starbucks for 2 hours, then come back)... I am doing all sorts of craaazy stuff to fade and not "rock the boat"...

    But yesterday I snapped...

    Like I said, oh well... We'll see where the cards end up...

    ILTTATT

  • tornapart
    tornapart

    Sometimes I think it HAS to be done, even if you worry that you might be dropping a bomb. I did it recently with one of my sons. After two years of keeping it secret from him. My hubby and other sons already know but this one didn't. We had some enjoyable mother/son time and the subject just came up. I told him lots of things, how I felt, my doubts, my questions, my concerns. I was worried he wouldn't understand. But he did! The conversation went better than I could have hoped.

    Though I do believe that it has to be done at the right time and in the right way. I really hope you have some success with this young lad. Just be gentle with him! Remember how it feels when your world comes crashing down....

  • Comatose
    Comatose

    Your a good guy. You have a good heart. I know you did the right thing. Now... It could backfire... I hope not. Good job. Have a good rest of the weekend.

  • whathappened
    whathappened

    I hope this doesn't come back to bite you in the butt, however you did the noble thing.

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