I understood your post, SBF. Some well-made points there.
slimboyfat rejoins the Jehovah's Witnesses
by slimboyfat 42 Replies latest members adult
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slimboyfat
Oh yeah two more things that struck me.
1. The speaker during the public talk quoted someone as saying, "it's better to be coward and alive than to be a dead hero". This comment seemed to meet much approval in the congregation. But I wondered how it was compatible with JWs who lost their lives under Nazism and other totalitarian states. Plus he made another odd comment about Jehovah being a very formidable enemy and we know when to run from danger. Was he saying Jehovah is our enemy? It sounded like it. JW ideology often seems to paint Jehovah as a fearful opponent but rarely so explicitly.
2. During a Watchtower paragraph about why we are in the truth a brother made the comment that coming into the truth saved his life. He gave up smoking and drinking and he knows that if he left the truth he would go right back to his old ways and be dead in a short while. There's probably some truth in that for addictive personalities who need the social pressure of the JW community to keep them on the straight and narrow. That's a good reason for some people to stay JWs I suppose. But it raises the question, if you're not in that position, and could lead a perfectly healthy and productive life outside JWs, is there any benefit for people like that to remain as JWs?
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steve2
He gave up smoking and drinking and he knows that if he left the truth he would go right back to his old ways and be dead in a short while. There's probably some truth in that for addictive personalities who need the social pressure of the JW community to keep them on the straight and narrow.
There are all kinds of social benefits from belonging to groups - especially those that "protect" the individual from their unhelpful behavioural urges and habits. Anyone who has knowledge of AA or support groups will already know that.
What JWs need to know (but may be wilfully ignorant about) is that it is not "truth" that saves people's lives, but a meaningful sense of belonging.
Isn't it also ironic that the example the brother chose involved "smoking and drinking"? While there are unquestionable health benefits from stopping smoking and drinking in moderation, it is not at all uncommon for JWs to be heavy drinkers.