Cognitive Dissonance

by LexIsFree 35 Replies latest jw friends

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  ListlessWitness

  'In the end, once denial is chosen there is no more dissonance as denial is a solution which brings relief.'

  I strongly disagree that such a bold line can be drawn between CD and its resultant states, and also that the resultant state brings relief from CD. Denial has to be ongoing each time a new fact which challenges our belief system becomes evident and causes the discomfort of CD. Let's face it, when you believe a hot, steaming pile of errant BS this is going to be frequent. So the interplay between CD and denial is continuous, can't be separated into a condition and a cure. It is the eventual overwhelming CD that wakes us up. And many of us realise looking back that denial was no real relief, in fact brought many stress-related health problems.
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  OUTLAW

  The First Reaction Of Any Loyal WBT$ JW..

  ......To Negativity About The WBT$..

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  .............

  ......
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  Mary J Blige

  Did you share that lil' nugget of truth with your mother or did you opt out? Would love to hear the justification she came up with next. Apparently my parents friends think the video links were video edited by apostates.
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  LexIsFree

  @CalabInFloroda Thank you for the clarification

  @Driving Force That is hilarious. You have a point.
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  LexIsFree

  @Mary J Blige Not 100% sure what you mean. Can you explain? Thanks
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  Mary J Blige

  @LexIsFree did you 'reveal' who GJ was or did you stay quiet to spare your mother embarrassment? If you 'revealed' who GJ was, what was your mother's response? As my parents friends used the defense that the video had been doctored and while it looked like GJ it was cleverly edited and voice overed to discredit GJ and the org. So it wasn't in their opinion actually GJ.
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  tiki

  Seriously!¿?? Wow....I do like the field service observation though...and apostates editing the aired proceedings???? My my...the power those heinous ones have...to alter the media.....mystifying....
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  disillusioned 2

  Some years ago when I first started searching the internet and found out the TTATT I couldn't wait to show my mum. I showed her Russell's pyramid grave, she said "his family could have done that after he died". I found The Harp of God by Rutherford in a charity shop, on the front it says 'Millions Now Living Will Never Die'! I was excited at finding this. I read some stuff to her from it such as the prophets being resurrected to the earth in 1925 (in California)! I asked her if she wanted to read the book, thinking she would be really interested in it, but no, she acted like it was written by apostates! I showed her pictures of Beth Sarim and told her it was built for the prophets to live in when they were resurrected, but in the meantime Rutherford lived in it. I showed her pictures of the cars Rutherford was driving round in during the depression. I showed her many other things; nothing. She didn't want to know. She wanted to stay in her bubble.

  I was angry and frustrated for a long time that she wouldn't see the 'real truth' but finally had to give up and resign myself to the fact that she will never wake up. She doesn't want to and literally can't.

  She is 85 now. We don't talk about it anymore. It is very hard for me to keep quiet about the child abuse etc. It would upset her and she wouldn't believe it anyway. With elderly relatives I think it's best to just leave them to believe what they believe.
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  LexIsFree

  @Mary J Blige I see now. I just stayed quiet and laughed to myself in amazement at how she could even say that. I was to blown away by her response to even say anything. Needless to say the conversation ended shortly thereafter.
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  LexIsFree

  @disilussioned 2 I understand how you feel. My parents are in there 60s. At this point I don't even want them to wake up. It's all they know and it would shatter their world. I just want them to acknowledge that this isn't the "truth". It's just another religion. But what does it matter I guess.