A load of crap from a JW Forum. I thought everyone would gag enjoy.
I have recently written a short essay on the mode and operation
of apostasy upon the individual attentive to its call. It was
designed primarily as a response to a brother inquiring about
this social phenomena, yet Heinz has most graciously permitted
me to post it here in light of recent developments amongst some
of our Christian family...
*** I would like to briefly discuss just why some individuals, in
spite of receiving a higher education and having a keen mind,
can momentarily or forth-rightly fall into the snare of apostate
reasoning. I use this term liberally, not to label persons as such,
but to describe their manner of thinking as it is subject to the
constraints of an oppositional viewpoint. It has come to my
attention, and indeed many others, that some Witnesses have
chosen to stand against the society on various issues; resulting
in confusion and perturbation on the part of those less
comprehensive of selective issues. Yet, one should not be too
surprised at such seemingly distressing events. Professor
Bryan Wilson, reader Emeritus in Sociology at Oxford University
correctly observes in a 1994 paper on apostasy:
"Every religion which makes claim to a definitive body of doctrine
and practice which it regards as exclusively its own, is likely to be
faced with the fact that from time to time some erstwhile
members will relinquish their allegiance and cease to subscribe
to the formalities of the faith, in at least some, perhaps all, of its
teachings, practices, organization, and discipline."
To be sure, this is a sad consequence of those who decide that
their own doctrinal understanding, or that of another presents
itself as a more expedient solution to questions that may arise
from the mouth of those who seek to dissuade others from
considering the Witnesses as a viable theological choice. Of
course, freedom to choose ones belief is a credit to the Creators
wisdom in that it allows personal motive to be exposed.
However, this freedom is often coerced by some who have no
other design than to repudiate their former associates through
the exposition of alleged doctrinal error.
Herein lies an important axiom that all who may be unaware of
the negative effects of apostate ideology do well to consider;
namely `APOSTASY DOES NOT DISCRIMINATE.' It cares not for
qualification or erudition. The reason for this is that apostasy
originates from the heart. It therefore searches for a loophole
within the framework of ones moral sensibilities simply because
it 'can', and it 'can' because it originates from the heart. Hence,
an ideology or philosophy generated through entropy, in this
case apostasy, will do more to systematically corrode one's
moral resilience than almost any other form of defection. By its
very nature apostate thinking seeks religious disaffiliation as its
ultimate goal. Notice how Wilson briefly construes the impetus
behind the apostate mindset:
"The disaffected and the apostate are in particular informants
whose evidence has to be used with circumspection. The
apostate is generally in need of self-justification. He seeks to
reconstruct his own past, to excuse his former affiliations, and to
blame those who were formerly his closest associates".
In harmony with this, a similar article by Lonnie D. Kliever,
Professor of Religious Studies at Southern Methodist University
concludes:
"... apostates always act out of a scenario that vindicates
themselves by shifting responsibility for their actions to the
religious group. Indeed, the various brainwashing scenarios so
often invoked against the new religious movements have been
overwhelmingly repudiated by social scientists and religion
scholars as nothing more than calculated efforts to discredit the
beliefs and practices of unconventional religions in the eyes of
governmental agencies and public opinion. Such apostates can
hardly be regarded as reliable informants by responsible
journalists, scholars, or jurists."
A further point to consider when investigating the engine driving
disaffection and apostasy is pride, which is capable of
reconstructing a persons self image AND the image presented
by others. For instance, when under the influence of extreme
pride `assurance' can often become `self-assurance'and
conviction of belief can turn to `convicted belief.' This unfortunate
reversal occurs primarily due to the emphasis of conviction
being transferred from the object (in this case an individual's
religious fraternity),to the subject (or in otherwords the prideful
person). Hence, no longer is one's religious institution the
provider of instruction, but instead becomes a harness that has
lost its usefulness, since now the primary source of spiritual
edification is qualified by personal preference.
This dynamic shift of everything that one may have considered
certain has become misappropriated by pride and then hidden
from the individual by pride itself!! Yet, very often this ball can be
put in motion through the cordial reception granted to apostate
reasoning. It is for good reason then that Jehovah admonished
his people not to take themselves too seriously when he
warned,
"Pride is before a crash and a haughty spirit before stumbling"
(Proverbs 16:18)
Yet, this self-destructive progression often goes unnoticed even
though the scriptures explain how such ruination is transferred.
For the inspired writer states that it is by his `mouth' that an
apostate brings his fellowman to ruin (Proverbs 11:9a)
Subsequently, when one uses apostate information to inform,
teach or excuse they are unwittingly succumbing to apostasy
themselves. Via these avenues apostasy then empowers
apostasy. (By this I mean to define the influence that apostate
ideology has over its victim, in that apostasy engenders pride
within an individual and then feeds off this same pride in order to
fortify the defection... And so the cycle continues...)
It is not difficult to see therefore how this viscous circle
deceptively stifles the intellect's ability to commit to `certainty' in
faith when doubt inevitably becomes the by-product of inquiry into
apostate reasoning. Consequently, regardless of the intellectual
or social aptitude of the one searching through apostate
material, there is often a betrayal, not necessarily of conviction of
truth at first but of comprehending the insidious power inherent
in apostate views. That is the REAL DANGER! By not
understanding this, or even worse, considering themselves
impervious to it's subtle allure, some have pulled the wool over
their own eyes and subjected themselves to the masquerades
of falsity, half truth and manipulated truth as being veritable truth
itself! In an unfinished paper concerning the social dynamics of
apostasy, this writer has listed three important reminders for
consideration when confronted by the taunts of apostate
ideology:
"By attempting to elicit a favourable emotive response to their
information, they [apostates] are therefore able to set the snare
that leads to doubt. The exponent of this data understands this
and is therefore better able to use such information to
emphasize apparent discrepancies, hypocrisy's, inconsistencies
and the like in order to play on the potential insecurities of the
reader. Consequently, the recipient of apostate information is at
a distinct disadvantage in three very profound ways.
1. The recipient does not usually know if the author's words are
true or false
2. The recipient does not usually know if the author is mixing
truth with falsehood
3. The recipient is usually unable to verify allegations and/or
assertions
The apostate knows this and is therefore capable of
manipulating the person who cannot or does not recognize the
inherent dangers in considering apostate convictions."
Although there is much more to be said concerning the
administration of apostate dogma, perhaps the most important
question if one is tempted to consider the viewpoint and/or
doctrinal treaty of a defector is:
"If it is important to comprehend an apostates argument `of
scripture'... Why did God see it important to condemn it
`through scripture?'" (compare Romans 16:17, Titus 3:10)
The truth is, it is impossible to answer this question by affirming
the initial premise without contravening Jehovah's injunction
against defectors and their viewpoint. ***
In pursuit of truth,xxxxxxx
pseudo