Why are JWs so afraid of apostates?

by Magnum 112 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

• 

  Finkelstein

  It’s as if the words of apostates are supernatural or spiritualistic.

  In many ways yes they do think that apostates have been taken control over by Satan's

  spiritual forces opposing god's earthly organization.

  Listening to them is tantamount to listening to the devil himself.

  If it hasn't been realized yet, the WTS. purposely induces and indoctrinates an enormous amount of fear

  concerning any opposition to their organization by governments, other Churches

  or singular people who may have looked deeply into the WTS. doctrines and realized their falsity.

  .

  I think a major part of that developed gradually from the fact that there are many people in many

  parts of the world who actually make a living existence from this organization as their personal livelihood.

  As well the original orchestrative leaders wanted to create an organization that they themselves had complete

  ominous control over, liken to a recognized king ruling over their very own Kingdom.

  .

  Narcissistic leadership is a leadership style in which the leader is only interested in him/herself.

  Their priority is themselves - at the expense of their people/group members. This leader exhibits

  the characteristics of a narcissist: arrogance, dominance and hostility. It is a sufficiently common

  leadership style that it has acquired its own name. The narcissism may range from anywhere

  between healthy and destructive. Narcissistic leadership (preferably destructive) is driven by

  unyielding arrogance, self-absorption, and a personal egotistic need for power and admiration."
• 

  confusedandalone

  Finkelstein "In many ways yes they do think that apostates have been taken control over by Satan's"

  This is true, my mother has tried to get my sister to move out of a home i own that she is renting because she said, "IT IS OBVIOUS THAT DEMONS ARE IN THAT HOME WHY ELSE WOULD HE ACT THIS WAY?"
• 

  Phaedra

  as if apostates are some kind of Jedi Knights who can slightly wave their hands or twitch their eyes and bring one under a spell. There really is some kind of spooky, demonic, supernatural connotation to the word among JWs. I guess the org has created that connotation purposefully.

  As a virtually born-in, and highly sensitive and suggestible person, much of the internalized fear I had about "apostates" due to JW programming was irrational, exaggerated and overblown. Apostates are categorically viewed as much worse than "worldlings" and even DF'd ones that may come back to the fold and often tools of Satan, who most likely has possessed such ones.

  When I first faded in my 20s, I made email contact with a well-known xjw on the other side of the world known for going on TV to talk about JWs as a "cult", shaking in my boots as I hit the send button. The deep ingrained fear I felt made me feel vulnerable and unprotected should the ex decide to *do something* (I don't know what, but the fear was palpable, and it was only after a few email exchanges that I realized this "horrible" person was as normal as my next door neighbor).

  I felt the same fear on meeting with an ex-JW, former bethelite woman in-person for the first who ran a xjw support group - who was swept out of bethel around the Ray Franz fiasco. We had a good chat for a couple of hours and I felt a whole new shift in perspective.

  Nothing bad happened to me in either case (why should it?), except that I learned my first real-life lessons about people, life, and the myopic view the JW ORG has programmed into the unfortunate children in its culture who have no other choice but to accept what is told to them by the adults in charge.

  I don't know why I suddenly grew the courage to question things, but I'm glad I did. So many others cannot even go there in their own minds. I broke out of the JW box and can never go back in.

  Phae
• 

  trujw

  We are that powerful. I was told I had the truth for 20 years and spent thousands of hours as a jw. It took me one hour of reading COC to find out I was lied to.
• 

  DATA-DOG

  Emeth, you are an idiot. I no longer feel sorry for you. You despise other people??? You are a freaking watchtarded bigot. Whatever the furthest thing from a biblical Christian is, you are it.

  DD
• 

  done4good

  Magnum-What’s so powerful about the words of those who oppose certain or all parts of JWdom?

  Magnum-They know that the words of many (most?) apostates are clear, simple, factual, logical, & revealing.

  I believe you just answered your own question.

  d4g
• 

  emeth

  @DD sure apostates are despised by Jehovah's Witnesses you should know that by now
• 

  Magnum

  DATA-DOG - I was thinking the exact same thing; you just had the balls to actually say it.

  trujw - We are powerful, but it's only because we have fact, logic, and reason as our allies - not that we have some kind of magical superpowers. JWs are almost scared to even look at an apostate. They seem to think they have to almost cover their ears up so they won't be put under the spell of apostates. The odd thing is that as Laika said earlier, JWs are extremely confident they have the truth. They think they have logic and reason on their side. So, it's hard to understand the fear from their perspective.

  Phaedra - Your story exemplifies that fear I'm referring to:

  shaking in my boots as I hit the send button. The deep ingrained fear I felt made me feel vulnerable and unprotected

  This probably has something to do with it:

  the myopic view the JW ORG has programmed into the unfortunate children in its culture who have no other choice but to accept what is told to them by the adults in charge

  Yeah, a lot can't go there in their minds, but once one does, it seems that he just can't go back; it could never be the same. He's seen the little old man behind the curtain, except that the little old man he's seen is not as benevolent as the one in the story.

  I don't know why I suddenly grew the courage to question things, but I'm glad I did. So many others cannot even go there in their own minds. I broke out of the JW box and can never go back in.
• 

  Laika

  sure apostates are despised by Jehovah's Witnesses you should know that by now

  Matthew 5:43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor[i] and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
• 

  Magnum

  emeth - As I understand it, to JWs, an apostate is one who was a JW, but disagrees with JW policy and/or doctrine. JWs "despise" people who fit that description? So do Catholics have the right to "despise" all the apostate Catholics among JWs? I think the whole issue hinges upon whether anybody actually has the absolute truth. If we can prove that, then perhaps we can define an apostate as one who opposes that. Can you prove to us that JWs have the absolute truth. Can you prove that this latest generation teaching is the truth? If you can't, then how can you "despise" those who don't believe it? If you can, then you will just define JWs as being apostates for all the years they taught a different generation doctrine.