Only when I am around reactionary dyed in the wool brain dead dubs, I wear my A proudly. Those for whom there may be hope I am as guileless as a dove, and season my words with salt.
Do you think of yourself as an apostate
by barbar 81 Replies latest jw experiences
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Narkissos
I have come to love the term "apostate", though not in Barbar's sense. I'm not a militant anymore, not even an anti-JW militant. I give my opinion when I'm asked (not too often).
More importantly to me I am an apostate inasmuch as I have betrayed a cause, drifted away from a truth, forsaken a fellowship. That the cause was wrong, the truth was false and the fellowship disfellowshipped me doesn't matter so much. I was found among the "bad" and now I have something in common with Cain, Korah, Judas and the like. Quite an interesting experience from a subjective standpoint.
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mkr32208
How do you become an apostate from an organization thats beliefs are constantly changing?
If you froze a group of witlesses and then thawed them out in 50 years (or hell 2 years anymore!) Would they automaticly be apostates or would the religion that has changed around them be the apostates? If I started teaching the teachings from the early 1900's am I an apostate or are the current witnesses apostates? Somethiing to think about...
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IP_SEC
Guilty as charged. At least I'm not a murdering, false prophet.
IPSec
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stillajwexelder
No I think of myself as a balanced witness who looks at things from all angles to get a balanced viewpoint. Also view myself as an insider working for change
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AlmostAtheist
I've grappled with your question, "Should we try to de-convert JW's?" When I was a dub myself, I felt people's lives were at stake. So yeah, I preached to them to try to help them. If we collectively spent a billion hours a year, only 100,000 of which helped anybody become a JW, well, I considered that a good use of time.
My perspective is different now, because I don't see it as a life-or-death issue. I can't see spending any amount of time trying to help JW's when I know 99.99% of that time (at best) will be wasted. I would rather spend my time here with someone that is considering studying, or considering leaving, and help them. That feels like time well spent.
I know that being a JW is risky. The blood issue may take their lives. But statistically, how likely is any given dub to die for lack of blood in comparison to that same dub dying in a car crash? I don't know, but I suspect that the likelihood is not high. (With profound apologies and recognition toward those on this board that did lose a loved one to that insane policy.)
Some of the most vocal apostates are those that converted from JW-ism to some hellfire and brimstone outfit. They really do see it as life-and-death, and worse, they fear for the dubs souls going to eternal hell. It's unfortunate that a group like that would be the public face of apostasy. Not unlike bin Laden being the Islam poster boy. How embarrassing.
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Preston
When John Quincy Adams ran for president he was known as 'the apostate' because he took a political path different from that of his father John Adams. I think this is the way I consider myself 'an apostate' but its more in a generalized way rather than a biblical or a spiritual one. If you love god I don't see why he would hold that against you...
- Preston
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Aude_Sapere
My question was more about whether you feel it right to let others live their religion as they please or that you feel it is better to try and let current JWs know they are wrong.
When worded this way, No. I am not a agressive apostate. I do not pro-actively solicit witnesses. Nor do I attempt to change anyone else's religion.
In the other senses, my feelings run more along the sentiment of GetBusyLiving. People boldly professing to be APOSTATES spook me a little...
-Aude (sleeping with the lights 'on' tonight...!!!)
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somebody
I fell like I am an apostate of the WT organization because I have apostated from it.
I don't feel like I am an aposte of God because I haven't aposted from God.
The problem with the WT organization and just about all it's followers cannot differenciate the two. The Organization IS GOD to most all JWs.
If that were not true, then the JWs would not say that those who leave the organization even by disassocating from it have "left Jehovah". But because the organization teaches such a thing about those who leave it, then it's followers repeat it and believe it.
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holly
oh hamsterbait you have the cutest picture...............i love it.
Im not an apostate. i think the jws got more right than the church by way of interpretation of the bible