I remember when I first stumbled upon an apostate site. It was nerve wrecking, scary, and exciting. The more I read, the deeper I feel into the author's smooth talk-at least that's what I thought it was. He had me, but at the instant he answered that famous question most doubters ask "If not here, then where?", he lost me. BORN AGAIN CHRISTAIN? I begin to roll my eyes at this point and symbolically kicked myself in the rear end for going there in the first place. This prompted me to Watchtower Research in order to build my faith and dismiss the apostate trickery from my thoughts. Once again I was in my safe bubble and would remain there for another 2 years.
Why are some ex-JW's still trying to convert?
by Ariell 9 Replies latest jw friends
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Ariell
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Ariell
........continued.
If the author had conveyed his convictions as an alternative rather than a must, I would have continued reading, but he didn't. Doubting JW's still see the hypocrisy in other religions. In their minds they're still part of Babylon the Great. There's no unity or structure. This is very important to the Dubs. Remember when it was important to you? Their doctrines are all over the place. Trying to convert them isn't going to get you any brownie points. It turns them off. So why do so many still feel the need to convert? Did this dub characteristic not go away after leaving? Do they honestly believe they have the truth? (Hmmm, why does this sound familiar.) Or is it just an ego-booster?
I still can't post long messages. What the heck is going on?
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PurpleV
No one should try to cram their belief (or non-belief) down anyone else's throat.
We ExJWs have had enough of that all our lives, thank you very much!
That goes for believers as well as people who are now convinced that God does not exist and the Bible is a crock of lies, and deride people who do still believe in those things and tell them that they are crazy/ignorant/whatever to allow themselves to continue to be deluded.
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Satanus
The compulsion to convert others is a strange syndrome. I gradually left the conversion syndrome behind, for the most part. I think often of some people i met while i was a zealous converter. They would expound from their store of knowledge about the various religions and their characteristics. They weren't attempting conversion, just giving knowledge.
SS
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Hamas
Hi Ariell.
I thought the same thing, to be honest !
In fact, when I designed my website, I included lots of Born Again stuff. When you leave the WT, you are a wreck, and just want answers fast. Jesus IS the answer ! At least that is what I thought. That is what most ex Witness sites were telling me !
Rubbish. I'm not knocking anybody that choses to be a Born Again C, but in my opinion, there are only one group of people in the world more or equally irritating that JW's - and they are Born Again Christians.
The fact of the matter is, nobody knows what the truth is. Of course, many will say 'this is it!' or 'I've got it!' ; but at the end of the day, nobody really knows. How can you throw away one set of interpretations to believe the next ? However, to these Christians, this is a faith; the Watchtower is just a mind control cult.
If it gets you through your day, and makes you sleep at night, then believe it. Most people go around the religious block many times trying desperatly to find a new spiritual home... maybe out of fear of the unknown. It is fear that creates the tendancy inside us to believe in a religion; and life after death. At the end of the day, none of us want to hear that we are just like any other living organism on earth; we are born, we live, then we die. Humans are afraid of this; which is why we cling to religion.
Chose the path that suits you, and screw the would be preachers. They have what helps them; what right do they have to claim that their faith, be it Christianity, Islam, JW etc is the TRUE faith ?
The pursuit of truth can only begin once you question every belief that you have ever held dear. You will find that if you do this, no religion can outshine the next.
I wish you well, my friend.
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Ariell
No one should try to cram their belief (or non-belief) down anyone else's throat.
That's exactly my point. As I said, if the guy had offered his religion as an alternative and not a must, I would have been more receptive. I don't try to convince everyone that there is no God and their religion is full of crap. The fact of the matter is I really don't know. Maybe there is, maybe there isn't. But I'm sure as hell not gonna tell you my confusion is absolute truth. All I'm saying is that these people seem to be trying to help JW's out of the borg. Trying to convert will turn more in than out. It defeats the whole purpose.
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Ravyn
Born Againers, Evangelicals, and Fundamentalists are exactly the reason I am not Christian today.
Wiccans are another group I find to be elitists. (Wiccans not Witches or Pagans.)
Now I am speaking of groups not individuals. So don't get all flamey about generalizations--I am stating right off that I am generalizing(I am allowed to do that!)
Any group, I don't care who they claim to worship--who claims exclusivity to "Truth" is full of bull-pucky.
I admired and respect honesty, and if any of these groups^ were intellectually honest and got off their ego-tripping pedigrees I could co-exist with them amicably. But as long as they claim a 'One and Only True' status or claim to have existed for millions of years they invalidate anything good or true they might have to teach.
Technically JWs are not any worse than any other cult. And not all cults are necessarily bad. However, I have personal time with JWs and I saw real crimes committed in the name of 'God'. People died and were hurt and they left thousands more 'living dead', including myself. But I do not think it could have only happened in the Borg. It just only happened to me in the Borg. So when someone leaves JWs and then turns around and tells me that they found the real truth this time...I just suppress my gag reflex and go on. Unless they get in my face.
Ravyn
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jgnat
Let's not forget animal rights activists. As long as people walk the earth there will be those who not only find the "ultimate truth" for themselves, but will also insist that everybody else believe as they do.
If you manage to live successfully outside of their belief system, you shake them to their core. If you insist in shaking them from their firmly-held belief, they would have to start searching again. ..and we can't have that, can we?
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logansrun
Oh, Ariell....just accept Jeeeesus!!
hehe...just kidding...
When I first found "the net" a couple years ago I was turned off by the "Evangelical ex-dubs" as well as the "radical ex-dubs" (you know...the ones with scary graphics and who nit-pick every little thing CT Russell ever did). It took some critical thinking on my part to sift through the good from the bad when it comes to ex-dub stuff.
I do have a few sites that I recommend to others. These are the most balanced and were the most helpful to me:
http://members.aol.com/beyondjw
"Shaun's research on Jehovah's Witnesses"
anything by Alan Feurbacher (has a lot of articles on the net...do a search...he also posts here)
There are others as well. But you are absolutely correct in stating that a LOT of ex-JW sites are preachy, malicious, narrow-minded and, at times, duplicitous.
Bradley
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Carmel
The desire to "convert" is not unique to JWism. Democrats and Republicans, Libertarians and others of diverse ilk, try to persuade and dissuade. It seems to me that when one becomes truely content with themselves, they no longer need to be re-assured by seeking converts to their particular reference group. Tis ever thus that the "best way to teach the gospel is to live it"
carmel