Change another's views -- or not?

by CPiolo 14 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  DannyBear

  Good Mornin Marylin,

  Woke up to your short but very succinct wine review, loved it!

  *** I wouldn't give you tuppence for French wine.***

  HAHaHa all the viticulturists in Calif and Aussieland are applauding. As a matter of fact several have privately asked if you are available for some commericals!

  About three miles from my house, there are over 600 acres of vineyards owned by guess who? Southcorp an Austrailian wine producer!
  I have had some business dealing with them, they like you, feel very strongly about the Austrailian advances in the industry. Came to Calif simply for the soil character, and to expand their market by being able to display a California label, which litteraly adds several dollars worth to each bottle. Secretly I believe they will be doing some blending. He Ha

  This man is always ready for a little winning and dining. The problem is that, unlike a few years ago, T and I have tended to eliminate the dancing after...we are just to lazy?, old?, tired? Chucks it was the dancing, that usually got the 'blood flowing' ehemm if you know what I mean? Geez think I will take her dancing this weekend!

  If you invent the potion or injection to subvert the Jw gene, please share. Like you, Iam the only black-sheep in the whole clan. Maybe a loose cannon uncle, niece, or nephew in the lot, but I wouldn't even know now. I like the word you used succumbed, a great way of describing...turning your life over to the EMPIRE.

  Always look forward to your posts Marylin.

  Danny
• 

  MacHislopp

  Hello CPiolo,

  A very good question, and in mho,

  Marilyn and Gsark gave you good answers.

  To Francoise:
  Where it is a duty to worship the Sun you can be sure that a study of the laws of heat is a crime."
  (a good quote from John Morley)

  Greetings, J.C.MacHislopp
• 

  Marilyn

  :::::::::As a matter of fact several have privately asked if you are
  available for some commericals!

  My fee is: A good meal x 4, and 2 of your good bottles of Californian wine!!! (that's 2.5 glasses each - hardly enough do you think?)

  Danny, I'm not sure you have my current email address. This is it incase you want to get in touch when I'm not around here for a while. [email protected] I always enjoy your perspective on so many issues and feel we have much in common. Isn't it annoying that so many of us exjws get on so well, and yet we're spread all over the damned planet!!??

  love M.
• 

  CPiolo

  Thank you everyone for the replies, the kind thoughts and the hugs (Tina)!

  gsark:

  What you can do is ascertain the reason your wife is interested in Witnesses/Witnessing in the first place. Nobody just wakes up someday and decides to become a member of this religion, including many people who were 'born' into it. Something is missing in their life, and they think the Witnesses have it.

  I don't think you can discount the influence of being born into or raised in a religion has upon a person. It's the exception and not the norm when someone chooses a religion other than that of their parents. My wife's involvement began at an early age when her mother converted. Her father is more or less apathetic towards religion, but attended some JW functions with my MIL and attends Catholic services with other family member, even though he isn't a believer. The indoctrination began before my wife had fully developed as a person.

  I agree that there is probably something missing from my wife's life. I believe that an authoritarian high control belief system like the JW prevents its members from developing fully as human beings. This leaves a big hole in the lives of those who consciously or unconsciously are aware of it. I don't believe everyone is conscious of this, and they may be perfectly happy as a JW.

  Marilyn

  Perhaps you're not 100% correct in your opinions - but I don't know who is.

  I'm sure I'm not even close to 100% correct. I continue to learn and change. That's the difficulty of trying to impose one's opinion and viewpoint on others -- if you continue to learn and develop, your opinions and viewpoint change and evolve.

  Tina:

  Thanks for the advice. My wife realizes she has a problem, and that's a large part of the battle. She may not realize what all the contributing factors are (including her religious choice), but she has begun therapy and wants to take classes at the local college. She's on the road to getting better if she follows through. I hope she does.

  CPiolo

  The worst vice of the fanatic is his sincerity. -- Oscar Wilde
• 

  gsark

  Nice to hear from everybody on this subject, it is important and has far reaching applications.

  I say that 'Nobody wakes up one day and becomes a JW" because people in the helping professions (psychologists, psychiatrists, sociologists, etc) have been studying Jehovah's Witnesses since at least the sixties,(and still do) and they are practically all in agreement that this is something the average JW have in common, among other things. While I find their insights amazingly impressive, logic and my own personal observations dictates that it be true, else why do people in general not join, and why do so many of the children of JW's not join and why have so many JW's left the org over the years? Because they couldn't find what they wanted there. If you read many of the personal posts on this board, they will tell you so. Again I think it is logical that people JOIN the JW's because there's something there they want that they couldn't find somewhere else.

  In the old days when we didn't have the internet, it might have been possible to be 'duped'. It kind of happened to me. I was studying in 1976, and my study conductor made the point of saying "our leaders never said that,(about the 'end' in 1975) only a few zealous Winesses said that out of turn." It never occurred to me to say..."let me see last years magazines and books so I can make sure that's the truth" I just believed them(at age 16). And of course anyone who could have told me different had LEFT already.

  But now we have the internet, and the JW stance on many issues is well known. Between 7 failed prophecies minimum,the blood transfusion issue, alternative service,shunning, disfellowshipping someone because they are a rape or molestation survivor, the list goes on and on and on. Geez, not even Branch Davidians or the People's Temple had a track record like this (as my Wiccan son keeps telling me) (Of course they went on to bigger things, sadly) As David Reed -I believe it was -said, the loss of life suffered among the Branch Davidians and People's Temple doesn't compare to the numbers of lost lives among Jehovah's Witnesses. (blood, alternative service and that 25 cent tax in Malawi for instance). Well, he gets really emotional about the subject, I have to admit. Very powerful reading his stuff.

  Why would anyone join this group today except to find 'something'... God knows what and God be with them.

  Life is a roller coaster. Get in, sit down, shut up and hang on!