Well, today I began to think there really was no point in trying to argue a point in a reasonable reasoning way with a JW, after all, there's non so blind as those who will not see.
I saw my, mother, again and we had a humungous scrap on the WTBTS.
She wanted to know if I expected her to return to the RCatholic church as that's the religion she originated in. She told me how she had been badly beaten by the Nuns and that on one occasion when she had missed class and gone to the cinema instead she had received such a severe clobbering that she could barely sit down for a week. I agreed that that was wicked and unforgiveable. She certainly thought it unforgiveable.
However, I asked if, why it was forgiveable for the WTBTS to cover over the offences of pedophiles in their organization. I was told that the brothers are only human and make mistakes so we must forgive them.
So, I asked, surely if something as bad as covering over for pedophiles could be forgiven because of human imperfection, why couldn't she forgive the nuns and the catholic church who allowed this behaviour.
NO!!! That was completely different.
Well! Would someone like to explain to me how that is different and why sins of catholics can't be forgiven.
We moved on to the paying of literature and how it isn't really free. She insisted it is. I explained that a congregation has to pay for its literature or else all deliveries will be stopped.
She said that was a blatant lie and her explanation of why totally left me speechless. Early dementia, by any chance?
She mentioned that two congregations in the area had been so poor that they could not afford their literature bill from the bOrg. Their congregation and another had been asked to contribute to the poor congregations and pay their bills for them. The WTBTS therefore received its money...did it not? She could not see that. She just said, ' yes well what's £2 a week more contributions from each of us to pay for their bill. They got their mags and books free.
Was I flogging a brain dead donkey here?
She got more and more angry that I was rebelling against Jehovah and so I tried to explain to her that i was trying to get a broader picture of bible history and I had printed out a list of all the other books that had not been included in the bible canon at the council of Jamina in AD 90.
Any one would have thought that i had a rabid rattlesnake in my hand at her reaction to the list.
Do not leave that apostate filth in my house she screamed. If you leave it here I will rip it up into tiny pieces straight away.
Well, I started laughing. It was too funny. I started wriggling my fingers menacingly at her. 'Why, are you afraid that the Debil and his deemunz are going to get you!'
'It's all apostate lies and filth!' She shouted. 'Satan uses the Internet to draw weak people like yourself away from the truth. The society have warned us about the apostates and the internet.'
'But, if it was all lie,' I asked, 'Surely we'd find out in a little while with furthur searching and after checking whether the society really said what the internet says it did.'
'No! These lies are planted so that weak people like you can feel that they don't have to serve Jehovah, and go to the meetings and spread the news of the Kingdom!'
I have to admit she nearly received a knuckle sandwich at this point, but I was cool...well, coolish!
She suddenly, leapt up folded her arms ran into the living room sitting down and ignoring me.
'Can you get your back side back into the kitchen, because I haven't finished with you yet,' I said. 'This is one of the first times I've really challenged you on the WTBTS and now I realise why I never said anything to you as a child because look how you react.'
She got up and walked back into the kitchen.
Then she began. 'Because of you , you're all going to die very soon at Armageddon. The bible says only those who call on the name of Jehovah are going to survive and you are condemning yourself and your children to death. You will never see the New System. You're all going to die!'
There we had it. We had finally after all these years come full circle.. She finally said the words she claimed she never had said. The reason I explained to her, that I had remained a JW for so long was FEAR. The fear had been instilled in me as a child that if I didn't go to meetings and do what the Society said I would DIE. If I left the truth I would be DEAD to my family way before Armageddon came. It was all FEAR, and I think she finally realised it herself.
I told her she had no right to judge me or my children and sure enough if Armageddon ever did come I would rather die that very moment than live in the world full of Jehovah's Witnesses who judge everyone and every thing ..except themselves and i wouldn't wish such a terrible existence on my children. We would die free people.
We changed the subject.
We parted friends.
She, I believe now KNOWs I will NEVER ever be a JW again.
I hope I've planted a tiny seed of doubt in her mind.
I hope I haven't inherited her dumb ass genes!