Don't Expect This Site To Change Anybody's Religious Opinion

by minimus 65 Replies latest jw friends

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  minimus

  just sayin
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  rip van winkle

  That's exactly what the JWs say!!

  "We're not here to change your religion...just talkin' to the neighbors about...

  We'd like your opinion. What do you think?"

  MiniMus, are ya lookin' fer followers?
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  cantleave

  Someone has hacked minimus's account. Everyone knows his threads are posed as questions not statements
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  minimus

  I'm not looking to change your religious or non religious views. If you believe in God or don't, it is what it is.
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  rip van winkle

  At the moment, I do believe in A little red dot!

  ~~

  Truth be told, sometimes I DO FOLLOW your threads!!
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  humbled

  That is an interesting statement, minimus. Because I have changed since I came on this site--largely because of the thoughts that I have had (sometimes secretly) as a result of conversations with others right on this board.

  But the first thing I needed on this board was a refuge from the WT experience. It was a relief to find others had seen what I had seen--False religion.

  and eventually, the question in my own mind became--what religion is not false. Discussions &research. Thinking

  and soon after that, what sources of the bible were true. Discussions & research. Thinking

  and then, could it be that my experiences of god in my own life were delusions?Thinking, Thinking. Discussion. Reading. Thinking.

  and did I care whether or not Jesus may have been a delusional man caught in a false religion that he saw crushing poor people? And I decided I understood that, that whatever was or was not true of the carpenter, I had learned a lot of good from that story--minus the stinking, silly stories that people fight about.

  The way this site helped change my religious opinion was not by force--that is true. It happened when I had to make myself answer questions that I had not let myself honestly look at.

  This site will not do a thing to our religious opinions if we do understand why we answer as we do.

  I was afraid to answer --first to myself and then to others. Oddly, the first comfort I took was from the kind of guy I believed Jesus was-- He was kind and brave. I wanted to rely on his teaching that we should be honest and not be afraid of bullshit fear tactics.

  I also wanted to be free to finally act on whatever power I possessed after the learned helplessness of religion and being a kinda poor-gettin'old-lady.

  One thing for sure, this site is no good when we just throw our religious view AT somebody. and the most effective way for others to think is just to lay the case out there --encourage honest conversation--(which some people are cagey about when they can see that their answers are not going to build a strong logical platform for their views.) But that is where it has to rest.

  We will change on our own if we will change at all--but this site, at its best helps us in our search for answers to our questions--when we are not afraid to ask them.

  Take care, minimus
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  DuvanMuvan

  I'd say this site and jwfacts really helped me tbh
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  Phizzy

  When I first came to this site, I had worked out that the WT had their basic doctrine, 1914, wrong.

  Soon the whole WT house of cards fell down, it took a long time though, ..........about 10 minutes ! LOL

  But, no other site has influenced me, just this one, and from being a disillusioned JW, who still believed the Bible was the word of god, I have moved on....and on.....and on.

  All because the good folk on this site have pointed me in the right direction for research, many posters did that, in a kindly way to this ignorant guy who had spent nearly six decades in the WT Bubble.

  The people on this site changed my opinion on religion, people, life , the Universe and probably many other things.

  All they have never been able to do is shake my unshakeable faith in the efficacy of Beer !!!

  Good thread though Min, gives me the chance to sing the praises of JWN, and to say a HUGE THANK YOU to you all !!

  You guys did not just save my life (really !) but you gave me my new life, which just gets better and better.
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  cofty

  I have PMs that would suggest you are mistaken minimus.
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  minimus

  The key is, I said, don't expect the site to change anybody's religious opinion. Don't EXPECT people to change their views just because you think they will or should.