Needing to Questions Elders to Help Husband Understand

by Unlikely-pack-6349 14 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Justaguynamedmorph

  Possible things to avoid and are meaningless: 1914, 587 vs 607 BCE, "old light" Is there anything to add to this list or know of points that are safer but still make the point I need.

  Well thats sort of everything, isnt it? One of the big problems with being a witness is that every word printed in WT mag has to be believed and treated as if it came from god. they claim to be gods channel of communication. So if you cannot or will not discuss the fallibility of their doctrines, the outright contradictions on things, whats left to discuss?

  The only recourse i see is to approach this from a personal POV, to express what made or makes you question your beliefs as a witness and let the chips fall where they may.

  My last thought is that you have a much bigger problem than a few elders. In the end the worst they could do is DF you. The real issue is that your husband thinks this is a good idea. You suggest he is a witness in name only... if thats true why is he doing this? The cult mind can be turned on by anything, big or small. Today he has worldly friends, is smoking crack and banging whores but if tomorrow some newspaper article uses the phrase ‘we have peace in our time!’ He could turn into a pioneer overnight. He is not as far removed as you think and its only a small step away from screwing up your marriage.
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  Anony Mous

  You don't talk about dogma, that will get you straight into a battle which is un-winnable, anything counter the official line is considered apostasy.

  Make it about THEM personally. Tell them you were stumbled by an elder saying something or doing something and that you can't be in a congregation that claims to have Jehovah's spirit but keeps someone like him in the congregation.

  Not sure if you know about any 'mishaps', perhaps a child abuse story in the news, or someone who is universally known to be abusive towards his wife and kids, could even be in the circuit. Every congregation has a set of people that are generally disliked but don't do anything "disfellowship-worthy", that goes for elders and everyone too. Even better if it's a CO that's a little too friendly and touches 'sisters' on the shoulder.

  You could combine this with saying you don't feel the spirit in the congregation anymore, that the elders are allowing some vague mishap (reference to an action from someone above) with someone in the congregation or the circuit and that Jehovah no longer gives the spirit in your congregation or circuit and thus you have stopped going. Keep it vague but believable, ask them to review whether they are still considered good shepherds, tell them that's why Jehovah is punishing them and why the congregation attendance has dropped and your state is doing so bad with COVID.
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  truth_b_known

  One thing you could do is expose how Jehovah's Witnesses, just like almost every other Christian denomination, fail to obey Jesus. According to the Watchtower, after the Apostles all died, the Christian Congregation became apostate (i.e. the Roman Catholic Church was born) and it wasn't until Rutherford in 1919 that there was true, pure worship on Earth. Take a look at the Christian Congregation back in the first and second centuries.

  Acts shows us that Christians sold their land and belongings. The donated all their wealth to the congregation. All of it. They used these funds to take care of one another in a commune way of life. The whole "Ministerial Servant" arrangement was made because gentile Christians complained that their people were being provided for like the Jewish Christians.

  They met in private homes and preached the Gospel. New converts were baptized on the same day they accepted the Gospel. Not one Apostle ever wrote a book on policy and procedure for Christian congregation nor was any book required to be studied by a convert prior to baptism.

  So why don't Jehovah's Witnesses practice the true Christian life? Did Rutherford or any of his successors at the Watchtower have some sort of divine revelation that the Apostles didn't? You can't say that it is impossible to live this way in the modern world when these folks are doing it in our own backyard -

  http://www.wearechurch.com/structure-1
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  Tameria2001

  You are correct meeting with the elders will eventually open his eyes to how the elders really are, and that is that they are not there to help, but he won't get it at that time. I won't tell you how you should go about this, but at one point in time, I was just like your husband. At the time of the meeting, I did not realize it either, but it was ONLY after several things hit even closer to home. After that meeting my husband and I had with the elders, it still took me another four years before it took me to finally put it all together. Even after deciding for myself to leave, it took me another 18 years after leaving the Watchtower to finally be truly free, but that is a whole another topic altogether.

  What I am trying to say, this will not be an immediate result, but a very bumpy and long road once you start down it. Whatever you do, don't push. It will be up to him to come to this decision on his own.
  
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  cyberjesus

  your husband is brainwashed... but he doesn't understand it... the elders are brainwashed but they don't understand it. you talking to the elders.... then you don't understand it either.