Chester, I'm so happy for you! Best regards to you and your wife,
Yadira
IF YOU HAVE EVER MADE AN IMPACT ON A JW
by In_between_days 23 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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BeautifulGarbage
I really only have contact with one on a regular basis. A JW cousin that I hadn't had contact in 20 years due to the shunning of my Mother. She stays mainly because her very large family is JW and her husband is newly baptised (that went over like a lead balloon).
She loves to come visit my family. She can take off the JW mask and know that she can say anything without having to watch her back. Of course, I always have to slip in a few wisecracks about the society which crack her up.
So, impact? Yes.
To leave the society? Probably not.
The other members of my family are just too brainwashed. And because I have been away so long, any information from me would be extremely suspect and disregarded as "Apostate".
Andee
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bluesapphire
Interesting topic this is.
I can only speak from experience. Mom is right in that her comment to me telling me to start my own religion did get me to think on it and eventually led me to the study of early Christianity and eventually back to the Catholic Church.
But I have to correct her here in that I was ALREADY OUT of the Tower when we had this conversation. In fact I was going to Calvary Chapel.
I have to say that the single thing that stands out to me was that I was always an "Independent Thinker." I never really learned to tow the line. I think there are a lot of us in JWism. You know, the sisters who are labeled "Jezebels." The ones who just can't bring themselves to cow-tow to the idiot elders. The ones who write their talks for their husbands, etc.
It was a really hard life for me. And I was not accepted. After the initial love-bombing, it really felt pretty CHILLY.
So, being curious as I was, and having been told I couldn't look at the elders manual or the pioneer book, well what do you think that made me do?
And then once I was told by an arrogant elder that since I found it obscene that the society allows SOME blood fractions and not others, that my ONLY CHOICE was to refuse ALL blood. I thought to myself, "The hell I will!"
All of these things piled up so high. I felt like I was about to explode. So many times I came within an inch of telling off the circuit overseer.
Finally, I went on line to find out info about the tax issues in France ... because of course I didn't buy the Society's explanation. And I wanted to see for myself what the REAL DEAL was. I even knew there was something hidden.
The site I went to had a link to Randy's site and it's all history from there.
I guess the thing is that it's something different for everyone. But if even half the dubs are even one tenth as curious as I was, we got a good chance. We just gotta be there at the right place at the right time.
BTW, Chester, tell your wife I said hi. Keep in touch!
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jerome
In between days
Yes i have been through something very similar in fact i go through it all the time. You see i'm kinda involved with an active JW so I pretty much know how they operate. I dont know all the reasons why they do what they do but I do know that all of them think EXACTLY the same way when it comes to the Watchtower and therefore I know what to expect from them. Its scary coming across os many people that act exactly the same way but I have gotten use to it.
You asked why they wont call UN and verify, I have absolutely no idea.
They wont read anything you give them at first if its blatantly apostate but even if its just a new paper article they still have trouble accepting it.
My best guest is pride.
"We have the truth and we would be wasting our time verifying anything that you show us because it will come to nothing."
I may be wrong though but my other best guesses would be 1) Simply not intrested, 2) Dont have the time, 3) Dont think that its important, 4) FEAR.
Ask some of the posters on this board who have actually been there to aask that question because I dont actually know what goes on inside a JWs mind so I cant be shure.
But you will realize that when it comes to getting information to a Witness through a peacefull discussion that all the roads are blocked so I found it best just to ASK them to listen to you. I dont really see anyother way to get info to them but to ask them to have the discussion and as soon as they decide to end it, let them because its their decion in the end.
Wish you luck. But rember to be careful.
jerome.
The Bible is a two edged sword wield it for evil and there may be hell to pay.