by Realist 23 Replies latest jw friends
Hi all,
i have a question.
would a JW ever admit that s/he has doubts about the WT teachings? do they have the order to pretend they believe everything or could they discuss what bothers them?
i assume they have to pretend they think everything is dandy and the teachings logical when they speak with elders or other witnesses. but how about when they talk to outsiders?
thanks!
realist
Realist,
The JW's practice: UNITY, UNITY, UNITY!
In addition, fear of being labeled "weak" or worse "apostate" is a forceful deterrent to the repeated questioning of dogma after baptism.
IW
realist
Absolutely true. I would never admit to my doubts (I think they're a little more than doubts actually) to my family and friends in the troof.
I even spout garbage from the platform, and in my WT answers too, that I simply don't agree with at all!
This is the way it is. I have no idea how many people out there are like me, but it's tough being trapped in something you don't want to be in.
Realist,
I didn't want to admit to myself that I had doubts. I usually just thought that I did not have enough knowledge to explain why I misunderstood things.
I would never talk about doubts with a non-JW, I always defended the Society to outsiders.
There were about two JWs, that I would sometimes talk to, about things I thought were wrong with the organization, one of them always made excuses for the organization no matter how rediculous it was. The other would discuss the problems reasonably.
Borgfree
Spot on Roy, that was me to a T not so long ago.
With me it was faith, I didn't have enough faith, I wasn't getting enough spirit, I wasn't going out on the ministry enough to get the spirit to make me understand the things I had doubts about.
PS Ooh! That was post 400!
Edited by - matty on 9 June 2002 18:14:1
thank you guys!
that is very interesting!
why wouldn't you discuss doubts with outsiders? were you mainly afraid the WT would somehow get informed or because you thought you wouldn't be rescued at armageddon if you admit doubts?
I am a known witness at work. There are other witnesses where I work. People don't understand. They talk. I want to go when I'm good and ready, I don't want to get chucked out!
Realist,
I believed the propaganda of the WT. I thought everyone was just looking for ammunition to use against the Society, so I was not going to give them any. I also believed that the WT was really Jehovah's organization and He would make everything right, in time. But, I still had times when I just could not stand, not discussing problems, that I saw in the organization.
Borgfree (Roy)
Realist,
For many JWs, to speak to people on the "outside" about doubts and questions is unthinkable!
Loyalty to God is absolutely attached to loyalty to the Organization! To speak to outsiders is to betray the Org., to betray the Org., is to betray God!
IW
Hmm I think that while I was a JW there was this feeling that we must protect the reputation of Jehovah's organization - at all costs. That was the party line. You should do nothing say nothing or infer nothing to bring reproach.
I think that for many people the idea of being a member of something so all-emcompassing means that you support it - no matter what. The only option is to leave which for many isn't an option until the cognitive dissonamce gets too loud.
If a JW speaks with a non-JW about the doubts then they have to acknowledging that Ithey are not whole-souled - pretty close to the unpardonable sin for a lot of JWs. I agree that there is the fear that another JW may find out but I think the greater problem here is not that JWs don't acknowledge their doubts to others but JWs are taught not to even acknowledge these doubts to themselves. They are taught that doubting is the very equivalent of doubting God and that could result in eternal condemnation and death.
This is a scary prospect for most JWs. Even scarier is the possibility of being hauled in for a judicial committee meeting to explain why you have doubts and the prospect of being cast out and separated from family, friends, community, and Jehovah AKA "mother" WT
Doubting bears heavy consequences and most JWs are taught to censor their thoughts so they do not sin
