Hi DoT,
I was a JW for 25 years. Aux Pioneered, MS, and went to Bethel. And now I've left. Why? I summed it up in one line to a close JW friend who was argung on the basis of "well where else do we go?". That line was this:
"It doesn't matter how 'right' they are, what matters is where they are wrong."
Look at it like this. You go door to door. You meet someone from Christendom. It could be argued they're in a better position than someone who is a Muslim, or Hindu, or a Buddhist. They use the Bible. They worship God. They believe in salvation through Christs death. And so on. Great! But then they have false teachings. Trinity. Hellfire. Immortal soul. So going back to you on the doorstep, you gently point out where they are wrong. After a while they get defensive.
"It doesn't matter that some points might be wrong. What matters is my relationship with Jesus Christ!"
And you reply...
"Yes it does matter. The Bible says we must worship in spirit and...truth. It also says that a little leaven ferments the whole lump. So can we have false teachings and still worship in an acceptable way to God?"
Do you get the point? What matters is where they (JW's) have been wrong before...
Multiple unfulfilled dates: 1874, 1878, 1914, 1918, 1925, 1975.
Multiple false statements, 'young people not fulfilling a career', 'the generation of 1914 will not pass away', 'preaching work to be fulfilled in the 20th century and so on.
And where they're still wrong to this day:
607BCE, the wrong location for the Great Crowd, Jesus not being our mediator and so on.
It is shattering to realise that this isn't the Truth. It really is. And most here haven't found anything to replace it with. But I also think most here would say it's better to live in reality than in a fantasy.
Take your time.
