Is it wrong to mock and ridicule the Watchtower Society? (page 5)

DJS

red,

I agree. I haven't spoken with current dubs in two decades and would never, ever in a million light years attempt to do so. But you are correct. Excellent point.

I tend to agree with OneEyedJoe on this point. For me personally, I don't think that simply because the WTS has mocked and riduculed others, we should do the same when addressing the organization and its wrongdoing. Yes, mockery, ridicule, satire and sarcasm have their places in discussion, debate and interchange. I get that. And for some of us, this kind of expression is a natural expression of our own personalities. I understand and appreciate that as well. At the same time, I am reminded of one of Abraham Lincoln's aphorisms. No one would dispute the belief that Lincoln himself was an accomplished writer, speaker and teacher whose words are still respected some one hundred fifty years after his death. The aphorism I have in mind is, "You'll draw more flies with one drop of honey than you will with a gallon of gall (vinegar)." Lincoln certainly used mockery, sarcasm, ridicule and satire on numerous occasions to make his points. But he also realized there were times when the exact opposite was necessary and required.

Two of those occasions were his Inaugural Addresses. In the first, he spoke directly to the secession-minded South and pleaded with the region not to initiate civil war. In the second, he spoke to the victorious North and implored it not to exact vindictive revenge against the defeated Confederacy. In those speeches, as well as in those in which he had to take a much firmer and harder stance, the goal was to reach not just the minds but the hearts of his listeners and readers. History shows that he failed either to prevent civil war or to stop the North from punishing the erstwhile rebels. Nevertheless, he made the effort to do what he felt was the right thing regardless of the popular sentiments he faced.

I believe it is similarly in our writings about the WTS. That corrupt organization is beyond redemption. Nothing we say or write will change the course the Governing Body has set. Some of us post here to vent and I fully support that. Many have been seriously wounded by this execrable group and we have every right to expose it as the ravenous wolf in sheep's covering it is. Hard speech with acid words can be entirely appropriate when we are posting. Lurkers and others who are not committed to leaving the Witnesses can certainly benefit from reading our experiences and thoughts arising from our years as Jehovah's Witnesses when they are presented in this manner. At the same time, however, I think that we also want to be aware that in our efforts to expose WTS evil, we don't too closely resemble the enemy we want to decry. We can run the risk of having observers cry out, "A plague on both your houses!" If they see no difference between us and the WTS, what will we have accomplished? Very little. I just think that if we want others to see us as different and better than the WTS, we might want to weigh our words carefully. Otherwise, we might find ourselves being looked at in the same way the animals of Animal Farm saw the pigs and men seated at a table playing cards. Looking from man to pig and pig to man, they could no longer tell which was which.

Quendi

I want to thank scotoma and redvip for their posts to this thread. I completely agree with them.

Quendi

DJS

So it's about 3 to 1 in favor of mocking and ridicule. With a few ties. Keep it clean. And funny. And creative. Mock on fellow ex-Dubs. Mock on.

NewYork44M

There is nothing wrong - within reason.

Some of the stuff coming out of the society is funny and worthy of a few major pokes. I say bring it on. Just don't do anything that would upset your mother.

prologos

mock and ridicule is a kind of homour, refreshing, and wt writing lacks it.

let us be refreshing.

homour is also a great teaching tool,

the brain likes to be rewarded.

NewYork44M

humor is a good thing. I agree

Finkelstein

Is it wrong to mock and ridicule the Watchtower Society?

No if the intent is to show the ignorance or corruption that the WTS/JWS espouses, particular from its leaders the GB members.

In doing so one actually gets enlighten with wisdom and education.

prologos

I am thinking of the Chaplin film 'The great Dictator' or something like that.

It was funny, but did not help [I think] anyone who had to come up against the hard reality of that regime.

At least one of the 8 would react harshly ,if allowed, if confronted with ridicule.

I prefer to read ridicule of ideas, their doctrines, their techniques, rather than persons, their quirky personalities.

talking about techniques of the great propaganda dictator: Nobody ever made fun of Eva Braun. so:

why spoil the fun for the 73% [female] adorers of the top 8?

tomorrows text: "--conduct yourself as lesser ones.--" dont laugh, take it seriously.

Vanderhoven7

Elijah mocked the prophets of Baal. Jesus mocked the Pharisees. So sarcasm/ridicule/satire/parody have their place, biblically speaking.

Is it wrong to mock and ridicule the Watchtower Society?

Share this