OK, So I'm thinking about becoming a witness.

by MarkAnthony 87 Replies latest jw friends

  • steve2
    steve2
    *** w83 3/15 p. 31 Honor Godly Marriage! ***

    yes, oral sex certainly is frowned upon in the Watchtower. But that was over 20 years ago. I wonder if this line is presently pushed in the literature. Has anyone a more recent article on this topic?

  • Hecklerboy
    Hecklerboy

    Here's a great site that uses the Watchtower's own articles to show how they contradict themselves and to show their teachings on just about every subject. This is one of my favorite sites.

    http://quotes.watchtower.ca/

  • M.J.
    M.J.

    I think he got scared off. Could be due to obsessive attention to a particular side issue?

    Anyway, I know there are many things that are enticing about what the Witnesses are pitching. But for a moment think about it in terms of an pitch given by any organization. Have you been given an Amway sales pitch? Have you heard from people involved in Scientology, or even people who are into Landmark seminars? Have you ever sat through one of those timeshare sales presentations? All of these share certain things in common. Just ponder this.

    There are recent articles written by the Watchtower Society called, "The Manipulation of Information", and "Don't be a Victim of Propaganda" available at the Watchtower's official website: http://www.watchtower.org/library/g/2000/6/22/article_02.htm. and http://www.watchtower.org/library/g/2000/6/22/article_03.htm
    They are good articles on how to see through the slick reasoning of people or organizations who have a particular agenda. Here are a few quotations:

    • THERE is a difference?a big difference?between education and propaganda. Education shows you how to think. Propaganda tells you what to think. Good educators present all sides of an issue and encourage discussion. Propagandists relentlessly force you to hear their view and discourage discussion. Often their real motives are not apparent. They sift the facts, exploiting the useful ones and concealing the others. They also distort and twist facts, specializing in lies and half-truths. Your emotions, not your logical thinking abilities, are their target. T he propagandist makes sure that his message appears to be the right and moral one and that it gives you a sense of importance and belonging if you follow it. You are one of the smart ones, you are not alone, you are comfortable and secure?so they say.
    • How can you protect yourself from the types of people that the Bible calls "profitless talkers" and "deceivers of the mind"? (Titus 1:10) Once you are familiar with some of their tricks, you are in a better position to evaluate any message or information that comes your way.
    • First, examine whether there is bias. What is the motive for the message? If the message is rife with name-calling and loaded words, why is that? Loaded language aside, what are the merits of the message itself? Also, if possible, try to check the track record of those speaking. Are they known to speak the truth? If "authorities" are used, who or what are they? Why should you regard this person?or organization or publication?as having expert knowledge or trustworthy information on the subject in question? If you sense some appeal to emotions, ask yourself, 'When viewed dispassionately, what are the merits of the message?'
    • Be selective: A completely open mind could be likened to a pipe that lets just anything flow through it?even sewage. No one wants a mind contaminated with poison. Solomon, a king and educator in ancient times, warned: "Anyone inexperienced puts faith in every word, but the shrewd one considers his steps." (Proverbs 14:15) So we need to be selective. We need to scrutinize whatever is presented to us, deciding what to accept and what to reject.
    • Ask questions: As we have seen, there are many today who would like to 'delude us with persuasive arguments.' (Colossians 2:4) Therefore, when we are presented with persuasive arguments, we should ask questions.
    • Test whatever you are reading or watching, to see if it is truthful. No matter what you are reading or watching or listening to, test to see whether it has propagandistic overtones or is truthful.
    • Using discernment, we will be able to recognize those who are merely using "smooth talk and complimentary speech" in order to "seduce the hearts of guileless ones." (Romans 16:18) Discernment enables you to discard irrelevant information or misleading facts and distinguish the substance of a matter. But how can you discern when something is misleading?
      • Playing on the Emotions: Even though feelings might be irrelevant when it comes to factual claims or the logic of an argument, they play a crucial role in persuasion. Emotional appeals are fabricated by practiced publicists, who play on feelings as skillfully as a virtuoso plays the piano.For example, fear is an emotion that can becloud judgment.
      • Another very successful tactic of propaganda is generalization. Generalizations tend to obscure important facts about the real issues in question, and they are frequently used to demean entire groups of people.
      • Some people insult those who disagree with them by questioning character or motives instead of focusing on the facts. Name-calling slaps a negative, easy-to-remember label onto a person, a group, or an idea. The name-caller hopes that the label will stick. If people reject the person or the idea on the basis of the negative label instead of weighing the evidence for themselves, the name-caller's strategy has worked.
      • Hatred is a strong emotion exploited by propagandists. Loaded language is particularly effective in triggering it. There seems to be a nearly endless supply of nasty words that promote and exploit hatred toward particular racial, ethnic, or religious groups.
      • Some propagandists play on pride. Often we can spot appeals to pride by looking for such key phrases as: "Any intelligent person knows that . . ." or, "A person with your education can't help but see that . . ." A reverse appeal to pride plays on our fear of seeming stupid. Professionals in persuasion are well aware of that.

    There you go. If I were you I would take this sound counsel to heart. I would "call their bluff" here and really scrutinize the presentations of the Watchtower according to this criteria. Remember, according to their own words, all sides of an issue (and not all from the same source) are crucial. Can you recognize any of these "tactics" in the Watchtower literature or in the assertions of your co-worker?

  • lonelysheep
    lonelysheep

    Re:Tata's post:

    This is a computer generated translation that I did not edit..so, there are a couple words a bit out of place.

    Finally, you should maintain you clean in moral sense. The Bible exhorts to ?to flee the fornication? (1 Corinthian 6:18). The original Greek word for fornication, by·néi·to, refers to illicit sexual every activity that imply the employment of the organs genitals out of the marriage, which includes the oral sex and to caress the sexual organs. Some Christian youths have acted thus thinking that they did not commit fornication. Nevertheless, the Word of God says clearly: ?This is the will of God: the sanctification of you, that abstain of the fornication; that each one of you know to take possession of its own glass in sanctification and honor?

  • tepic
    tepic
    I may be so bold to offer just one book and one book only to read "Crisis of Coscience "

    I second this one. He also presents some interesting alternatives to 'organized' religion that we tend to feel is necessary

  • Kenneson
    Kenneson

    If you want to read about Jehovah's Witnesses who are now Catholics and the reasons why, go to

    http://www.catholicxjw.com

    You will find some interesting articles, as well as conversion stories.

    By the way, welcome to the forum.

  • holly
    holly
    I think he got scared off. Could be due to obsessive attention to a particular side issue?

    Yeah he thinks we are all raving sex maniacs!!

    It could be he doesnt know how to post a reply. i spent a while trying to figure this out and my first attempts ended up with replys going god knows where!! but im learning slowly with a little help from my friends

  • Kenneson
    Kenneson

    Marc,

    If you're still reading these posts, please take a look at this thread. It's a good place to begin.

    http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/9/58215/1.ashx

  • beebee
    beebee

    Hey guys, isn't masturbation a no-no too?? I think Tyydyy told me that one... I'm not quite sure with that prohibition how any man, and most women could stay. What a choice - either lie (and be guilty before Jehober) or forgo??? Plus creative positioning, ie. doggy style??

    Tsk, tsk.

  • beebee
    beebee

    I also remember at one of last year's apostafests some guy saying he actually got a letter from the elders when he was a senior in high school warning that school counselors recommending college were doing "Satan's work" and then he and the other kids in the congregation that were also seniors were counseled.

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