In 70 words or less - Tell one person the 'truth about the Truth'...

by AK - Jeff 43 Replies latest jw experiences

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  jgnat

  I pondered what to write on a convention T-shirt that might actually be read by a JW, yet be generic enough for a non-witness to understand. I figure, first of all, use trigger-words that a JW can’t help be drawn to. This is what I ended up with.

  The TRUTH is that there is nothing faithful, discreet, or meek about Jehovah’s Witness leadership.
  The TRUTH is that I have never been happier since I left the Jehovah’s Witnesses.
  I never left the TRUTH, I found it.
  I HOPE my family will speak to me one day.
  HOUSEHOLDERS beware. The clean and neat Jehovah’s Witnesses cover up a lot of dirt.
  ASK me about my experience. (69 words)

  Shortened version:

  The TRUTH is that there is nothing faithful, or meek about Jehovah’s Witness leadership.
  I never left the TRUTH, I found it.
  I HOPE my family will speak to me one day.
  HOUSEHOLDERS beware. The clean and neat Jehovah’s Witnesses cover up a lot of dirt. (42 words)

  Blondie is absolutely right. The best way to get through to people is to LISTEN to what their problem is and address that. I find I give every JW who asks me a different answer. Face it, there are dozens of things that are wrong about the WTBTS from the shunning, the blood issue, the hypocricy, the claims they alone speak for God, 607, 1914, 1975, sheltering pedophiles, elder injustices and on and on. One can tackle the problems with the WTS from so many angles. Very often a JW will ask me what my major problem with the society is. I usually have a read on that person already, so I just pick ONE. Are they a bible-study freak? Pick a scholarly failure. Are they a warm, engaging person? Pick shunning.

  Hear that, pick ONE issue. Chew on it, stick with it, and don't let the JW weasel out of it. If you give a long list, they are going to pick the issue that THEY THINK they can refute the easiest.
• 

  stevenyc

  myelaine,

  I understand and agree with what your saying. I think we are talking about two seperate things though. My point is in the question posed in the topic. Truth behind the Truth. I read this question to mean. Truth behind the organization. Or what is the organization really about. I look at the people making the decisions at the top. And I see money, controll and power. Very self evident if you live here in Brooklyn Heights.

  steve
• 

  hawkaw

  Why they should leave?

  The leadership practices open bigotry; knowlingly misrepresents science to encourage members to take their lives and thus, conspires in homicide; knowingly protects child molestors and silences the children; and forces members to attend jail or face death by political groups while the leadership partners with polticial organizations such as the United Nations.
• 

  myelaine

  
  steve,

  If the love of money is the root of all evil, and we understand that satan is behind evil, then perhaps you can see that, to some money is behind the power. But in the spiritual realm satan doesn't care if a soul has two cents to rub together. That person is the precious thing, NOT to him(satan) obviously, hence the treatment of people under the dark "umbrella "that is the WBTS. But that person is precious to the Lord. That is what the warnings in the Bible are for. That book is looking out for a spiritual house. The house of God. Having said that, there are two sides(for lack of a better word) to the WBTS, there is the GB and the publishing, right? That might be the "spiritual hand" and the "earthly hand"? I don't know, God knows! There are so many people in, I'm concerned for them.

  michelle

  But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor.(2tim2:20)
• 

  myelaine

  the one hand is so false prophet LIKE and the other hand is so beast LIKE(antichrist)

  the religious org. is making lots of money in the world of "other valuable commodities", this in itself is not new. money and religion have been holding hands for a while. One thing that is new, world wide even, is the WBTS....

  so the beast with the mouth like a lion in rev 13:1-8 in verse 6 he opens his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven.

  wrong concept of God etc.,to people called after His own name etc., and these same people are denied the spiritual sanctuary of "the church" etc., and how do the know about heaven etc.?

  at any rate...that mouthpeice the WBTS IS riding on the back of big business.

  michelle

  p.s. I know I sound grumpy today, but I'm not as grumpy as I sound .
• 

  Cognitive_Dissident

  It would be almost completely impossible to broach this subject uninivitedly in one way or another. In my own experience, when I was still very much in my "true believer" phase, if someone asked me a question or made a statement that had the slightest smell of "apostasy" to it, anything that person said fell on completely deaf ears. Even if I did listen long enough to physically hear what they were saying, my mind had already shifted gears, and I would be processing everything throught the filter of "I'll pretend to be open-minded so this person will keep talking to me, but he's obviously just trying to get me to question my faith because he doesn't have the conviction to stick with his". I just started posting as I'm sure you can tell. I've got a lot of pent up psychic ranting that's been waiting to come out for years and years and years. Back to topic - I guess first I would wait for someone to let on that they were having, as Blondie said, some sort of cognitive dissonance, and then just tell them what my personal experience with that particular topic has been. One that happened just recently had to do with the elders(shocking, I know), and I said that "in my own experience, the elders are simply not qualified to deal with issues like major depression and suicidal and parasuicidal behavior, and in every case said they said the most damaging things possible. So out of self-preservation, I will never talk to them about anything psychological again, because it has proven itself to be infinitely more damaging than anything I could ever do to harm myself." It feels really good to talk about this stuff with people who have been there themselves and can understand it. Glad to be here. CD
• 

  poppers

  Hey cognitive_dissident,
  Welcome to JWD. I am sure that you will find many friends here who will help you in your recovery from WTBS.
• 

  myelaine

  dear Cog,

  you said: I've got a lot of pent up psychic ranting that's been waiting to come out for years and years and years.

  I say: Go ahead!

  michelle
• 

  myelaine

  For among My people are found wicked men; they lie in wait as one who sets snares; they set a trap; they catch men.
  

  As a cage is full of birds, so their houses are full of deceit.Therefore they have become great and grown rich.

  They have grown fat, they are sleek; yes, they overlook the deeds of the wicked; they do not plead the cause, the cause of the fatherless; yet they prosper, and the right of the needy they do not defend.

  Shall I not punish them for these things? says the LORD. Shall I not avenge Myself on such a nation as this? Jer5:26-29

  Therefore I said, Surely these are poor. They are foolish; for they do not know the way of the LORD, The judgement of their God. I will go to the great men and speak to them, for they have known the way of the LORD, The judgement of their God. But these have altogether broken the yoke and burst the bonds. Therefore a lion from the forest shall slay them, a wolf of the deserts shall destroy them; A LEOPARD WILL WATCH OVER THEIR CITIES.(see rev 13: 1-2) Everyone who goes out from there shall be torn in pieces, because their transgressions are many; their backslidings have increased. (Jer5:4-6)

  dear Cog,

  Do you feel like you've been torn in pieces, and it hasn't ended yet either? Me too. Do you feel like you've been wandering around in a desert and now the wolf is on you? I'm sorry. Do you ever feel like a bird that needs to be set free?Are you caught in a trap? I'm sorry.

  love michelle
• 

  AK - Jeff

  I had no idea that this thread was still hanging around.

  I do agree that anything that remotely resembles an attack 'on God's people' will be instantly discredited as 'apostate'. Blondie was right on the point too, that we need to see what is on the minds of others before we speak - especially if we will have limited words and time in which to do so.

  BTW - welcome COG!

  Jeff