On respect for the belief of others. Sorry for the long post

by StarTrekAngel 372 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  Xanthippe

  I don't personally agree with it but I think it's because a person's identity, their belief about the purpose of life and their view on life after death are usually tied up with their religion. -me

  If they choose to bring it up for discussion, how tied up and invested in that ideas falls under the category of "You should have about that before you decided to bring the topic up, theist." - Viviane

  Yeah I agree but that presupposes the average person has a clue that what they believe affects them on such a deep level. When they join a thread on here sometimes they've just left or are trying to leave a cult that has twisted their mind in knots since babyhood. I speak from experience. Have a good flight Viv.
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  Oubliette

  Xanthippe: When they join a thread on here sometimes they've just left or are trying to leave a cult that has twisted their mind in knots since babyhood.

  This is a very important observation and a good reminder to keep in mind.

  And while it might explain such behavior, it certainly does not justify it.

  So with this in mind, what strategies can we use to "talk them down off the ledge" of their cult-indoctrination and the consequences of waking up and realizing they've been duped, (a process most, if not all, of us here had to go through).

  For me, I appreciated when other senior posters were calm and discussed only the issues, never making the discussion personal. Some of them, for example Cofty, were quite brutal with their directness in forcing me to confront the inconsistencies in my beliefs. And yet because it was always only about the beliefs and never directed at me as a person I was able to work through it.

  Some people just can't seem to make that intellectual and emotional separation, even though they are waking up or have woken up to the fact that they are in a cult.

  On the other hand, there are some long-time posters here for which the above explanation doesn't hold. They've been out long enough to have worked through those issues and haven't or won't. They seem to come here just to pick a fight. But we can't do anything about that, can we?

  You can't win 'em all!
• 

  OrphanCrow

  Oubilette: Some people just can't seem to make that intellectual and emotional separation, even though they are waking up or have woken up to the fact that they are in a cult.

  The WTS tells their followers that "belief" and "knowledge" are the same thing and they are not.

  Belief is an emotion and responses that challenge those emotional connections to an ideology are usually seen as a personal attack. That is because those challenges are a personal confrontation.

  That is what beliefs are: emotional attachments to the irrational.

  Once a person has knowledge (provable facts), belief is no longer necessary.

  Knowledge is unemotional. Belief is emotional. They are not the same thing but the WTS has told their followers that they are the same. That is the lie.

  
  
• 

  LoveUniHateExams

  The WTS tells their followers that "belief" and "knowledge" are the same thing and they are not ...

  Well done, OC!

  You've hit the nail on the head
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  The Rebel

  Maybe this is not an important observation, but I think if the attitude of a posters words comes across as very condescending,it can give the impression of superiority. However at the same time this could could be completely in the mind of the reader. Therefore we should pause to consider if how we perceive a posters words, are necessarily written the way it was intended. This is of course easier to achive when we communicate in a humble way, and don't put ourselfs or others on a pedestal.

  The Rebel.
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  truthseeker100

  Rebel you're very name is anathema to me. Live long and prosper. LOL
• 

  Xanthippe

  This is a very important observation and a good reminder to keep in mind.
  And while it might explain such behavior, it certainly does not justify it.
  So with this in mind, what strategies can we use to "talk them down off the ledge" of their cult-indoctrination and the consequences of waking up and realizing they've been duped, (a process most, if not all, of us here had to go through).

  Oubliette they are not suicidal. I vividly remember the day my husband and I were reading a newspaper and I looked up and said, it was just another religion wasn't it? He said, yes I think it was. This was two years after leaving.

  We read and studied, I did an IT course at a local college to help me get a job. I mixed with normal people and got my mind working, later I did a degree. So did my husband. What I'm saying is it's a long journey, people find their own way. We don't have to save them.
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  LoveUniHateExams

  I agree with your post, Rebel.

  Also, posts are just words, and may not accurately convey the emotion the poster has.

  Emoticons can help, but they have their limits. Also, if they're not used ...
• 

  cofty

  I think if the attitude of a posters words comes across as very condescending,it can give the impression of superiority....communicate in a humble way...

  There are always lots of reasons to ignore the content of somebodies words.

  If we want to protect our superstitions by whinging that contrary evidence wasn't presented humbly enough then we are not yet ready to give up our delusions.
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  Oubliette

  Xanthippe: Oubliette they are not suicidal. ... What I'm saying is it's a long journey, people find their own way. We don't have to save them.

  Right. I did not intend that expression to be taken literally. Perhaps my metaphor was overly dramatic.

  I totally agree with you about it being a journey and it having to take its own course and its own time. Not only do we not have to save them, ultimately we cannot. Everyone must make this journey for themselves, although we are not alone.

  My comments of course were in the context of discussions here on the forum or perhaps similar ones in our personal life.

  When we are dialoguing with someone and they are only reacting/responding emotionally, what are some useful strategies to redirect their thinking, feeling and emotions.

  I am focusing on the short-term, immediate interaction although with a long-term view in mind.