intolerance

by teejay 78 Replies latest jw friends

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  Abaddon

  I can't stand intolerance.
• 

  hillary_step

  Teejay,

  I certainly feel that the attitude of overconfidence in their opinions that the WTS engenders in its adherents does not leave a person automatically when they leave the WTS. As JW's we were taught and most of us strongly believed that we were the only persons on this planet that truly understood what was truth and what was fiction were opinions were concerned.

  It developed within us the kind of confidence that would allow us as untrained and ignorant observers to feel that we could tackle experts in their particular field and prevail in argument against them. If they humiliated us because of their obviously superior knowledge we would view them as proud and haughty, if they felt sorry for us and kept their mouths shut, we would interpret that as our having argued them into a submissive silence.

  Have I seen this attitude alive and well on XJW Boards? Yes I have and it is not likely something that can be shrugged off very easily. The more insecure we are, the more we demand to be right in our views.

  The reason I ask, for one, is that I post on another board whose membership is, shall I say, not particularly fond of JWD or, more to the point, it's ownership. After a period of exile, I stated my intention of returning here. The membership, even some who mostly lurked, came out of the woodwork to let their ire for me become fully known. Why should it matter to anyone where I post?

  In all fairness to your critics, perhaps some of them at least might feel that your virulent and long-term attacks of the owners and some of the posters on JWD, and then your subsequent reversal of attitude might be viewed some sort of act of disloyalty to the gang in the Hood.

  Also here on JWD... there have been times when loyal JWs arrived and have not been treated kindly. Christians who show up don't appear to be held in high regard, either. Seems to me that, more than anyone, ex-JWs should understand and empathize with JWs. And if someone wants to believe, what difference does that make to the non-believer? Who is the Christian harming?

  Yes, this is unfortunate. I think much of this ire is just transferred agression. In the absence of being able to attack the real targets, the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses, the immediate target gets shredded in a sort of mob frenzy.

  I would also note that a very large percentage of JW's who do stray onto this Board are later exposed as 'trolls' at the worst and dementedly arrogant at the least. This makes them fair game on the one hand, or targets on the other.

  It is sad as you note that many Christians are scared to testify to their faith on this Board as their often unsophisticated but generally harmless viewpoints are mercilessly dismantled by scientifically practiced minds. At its purest, as expressed in the Sermons on the Mount, imho Christianity is a beautiful and constructive belief-system, badly used and too often let down by its own adherents, and I say this as a non-Christian.

  Best regards - HS
• 

  Xena

  The more insecure we are, the more we demand to be right in our views.

  I think that is pretty much a universal truth...for both exdubs, dubs & never been dubs
• 

  minimus
• 

  frankiespeakin

  I don't know I think one type of intolerance replaces another type.

  You become intolerant of lies so you attack them then you become intolerant of cold and you seek warmth,,I think ideally to be completely tolerant means which ever way the wind blows it don't matter. I've never experienced it but think that would be a blisful state.
• 

  hillary_step

  Minimus,

  Keep your mental tatoos off this thread. HS
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  frankiespeakin

  I think it only proper that critical thinking be encouraged on boards like these and that any prostalatizing done for any religion be opened for critical scrutiny since this is what got us here in a cult in the first place,, was because we were to kind to ask deep exposing questions. Here you can speak about these things and some come and expose their make beleive world to our group scrutiny and it may get uncovered,,but it life and communicating that's all.

  I think where a group has as much freedom as we do here at JWD we are bound to disagree get frustrated,,hurt feeling things just natural in life but some where in it all there is this movement in a group like this that I think is very enlightening,,a certain mood that you get from the board have you noticed it??I'm not saying it is bad just interesting.
• 

  xenawarrior

  The reason I ask, for one, is that I post on another board whose membership is, shall I say, not particularly fond of JWD or, more to the point, it's ownership. After a period of exile, I stated my intention of returning here. The membership, even some who mostly lurked, came out of the woodwork to let their ire for me become fully known. Why should it matter to anyone where I post?

  You represent all of that in such an innocuous manner for your own part in it. The reader is lead to believe that it was those "other people" who were "not particularly fond of JWD or, more to the point, it's ownership". Not a very honest depiction of your own behavior during your "period of exile". You neglect to mention that you were one of the most vocal of that membership in that regard and for a very long time you were publically and scathingly trashing JWD's ownership, several of it's mods and some of it's membership. You held a great deal of contempt for this place in general. And after a while you wanted to return here and were allowed to and then suddenly this place wasn't so bad after all.

  I don't believe it is unusual for people to be intolerant of that kind of behavior whether they've ever been a JW or not. And I'd venture to say that folks might also be a bit intolerant of someone trying to gain some sympathy for it all.

  XW
• 

  bisous

  Everyone is intolerant of something. Not everyone likes to admit it.

  Human nature, no avoiding it.
• 

  bikerchic

  I don't believe it is unusual for people to be intolerant of that kind of behavior whether they've ever been a JW or not. And I'd venture to say that folks might also be a bit intolerant of someone trying to gain some sympathy for it all.

  Yeah what xenawarrior said! Then there are those who have selective memory......what me? What did I do? LMAO

  Teejay you wanna play by your own set of rules, then call foul, give me a break!