In recent weeks, we've had a few JW apologists or sympathizers that have created a bit of a stir around these parts. Some of their posts have been inconsiderate of the feelings of others, causing no small amount of understandable outrage on several threads. On other threads, some of them have frequently failed to even read the posts to which they are responding, causing them to make comments that are unrelated to the discussion at hand. For this, the word "troll" has been thrown around a lot.
It is regretful that some have been hurt by a cold-hearted apologist, and I don't mean to minimize that. However, on the whole, I feel that the presence of JW apologists here is a good thing, even if their manners leave something to be desired. There are several reasons for this.
A minor benefit is that the apologist him- or herself may benefit over time from exposure to the array of ideas offered here. As someone pointed out recently, you cannot "un-learn" something. It may take time, but cognitive dissonance will eventually begin working.
However, the major benefit to the presence of the apologist is that he or she unwittingly provides the perfect contrast of JW-think to normal, rational thought. This is especially true when the apologist offers lines that are clearly taken directly from WT literature, because they echo what countless lurkers are thinking automatically as their programmed responses kick in. When an apologist is rude, or intentionally misses the point of someone's thoughtful post, or changes the subject instead of answering a difficult question, countless lurkers observe this. The apologist becomes the best anti-Witness we could ask for.
Additionally, the presence of the apologist itself is a powerful statement for JW lurkers, since it is in defiance of direct orders from Brooklyn. Clearly, in spite of the apologist's claims to the contrary, he or she does not fully believe what he or she preaches.
Therefore, I am happy to see the apologists on the board. In their own strange way, they help show lurkers what the WTS is all about.
Funny sort of world, isn't it? What do you think?
SNG