by The freewheeling 10 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
What statement to the elders would get you disfelloshipped fastest? Saying...
a) that you don't believe in God anymore.
or saying ..
b) That you don't believe that the governing body is God's canal and mouthpiece anymore.
What opinion is most serious in there eyes? And why?
B
An atheist is not a threat to JW hive minds. The idea that Jehovah does not exist is preposterous, and cannot be proven. The limited logical reasoning skills and lack of knowledge of fallacies and biases make the average JW (and any other theist) immune to the argument 'there is no compelling reason to believe in gods'.
A (God believing) exJW who doesn't believe the GB anymore most likely has arguments and evidence that strongly support his position. JW might be swayed (but unfortunately not nearly often enough). These people are a threat to the GB themselves, and they need to be eradicated.
In addition, the atheist exjw generally doesn't care what others believe (although they might not like cults like JW much) and thus don't feel the need to preach their position to JW (and get themselves DFed in the process).
The still believing GB-denier is likely convinced that JW are sincere but misguided, and need to be saved from their false religion in other to gain divine salvation. These exjw are more likely to preach to JW (and get themselves DFed in the process).
Anecdotal evidence: I'm a known atheist exjw who hasn't been DFed :-)
You get DF for being against the FDS if you do not believe in God you are not seen as someone who will be able to lead the believers astray. You are no threat.
It's one thing not to believe in God anymore but it's quite another thing if you say you don't believe the GB are who they say they are. Someone who doesn't believe in God is simply an unbeliever and is to be pitied, but someone who doesn't believe in the Governing Body, would be considered an object of fear and would be considered "worse than an unbeliever" even though that term was applied in the bible at 1 Timothy 5:8 to a completely different circumstance.
They never once asked me if I believed in Jehovah or Jesus but was asked several times if I believe the GB were the faithful slave?
Saying you don't believe the GB is God's colon canal is the ultimate, cardinal sin. No matter how much you protest that you love Jehovah, believe in the Ransom and cherish the scriptures... the second you speak against these Guyanese leaders, you're an "agent of Satan".
Well, if you say you don't believe in any gods, that also implies you don't believe anyone could be the channel of communication for their god. So saying you are an atheist is admitting you don't believe in either proposition.
A well known and well liked District Overseer stated in a very well written letter to the Branch that he did not accept the bible as God's word, nor did he have reason to believe in God. His wife felt the same.
He stated that he had no desire to disrupt anyone else's faith, but simply could not continue to believe as he had before.
They were not DF. They were left alone.
If theSociety wanted to make an example, his case would have been the way to do so. But they left them alone to live their life.
BUT if they had spoken out against the GB being God's channel, things may have gone very differently....
In my experience, confessing that you don't believe in the GB infuriates the JWs much than telling them that you don't believe in God.
