I heard from some reliable sources that he went out on a limb and the the WTS didn't sanction those comments. Anyone else hear that?
Surfrusty
JoinedPosts by Surfrusty
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The Fulfillment of Matthew 24:14 - What Does It Mean For You?
by Nosferatu inlol!
i can't wait for that wt magazine to come out.
yeah, i know, another thread on matt 24:14.. but it's not about the prophecy, it's about how it's going to affect us if this is going to be a worldwide blast of new light.
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In the WT's Defence
by shadowofbathory inhi electronic cyber pixels.
occasionally these days i will log onto this forum to scan for interesting topics.
even though this is my first posting under this moniker, i am a reincarnate of a previous beast.
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Surfrusty
Yeah I agree with that. We all have dissonance to deal with. And it isn't necessarily always negative. But knowing it's effects can help us to view things from a different perspective. Unfortunately sometimes it's difficult to know what kind of hoops our mind is jumping through to reduce dissonance.
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In the WT's Defence
by shadowofbathory inhi electronic cyber pixels.
occasionally these days i will log onto this forum to scan for interesting topics.
even though this is my first posting under this moniker, i am a reincarnate of a previous beast.
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Surfrusty
I noticed you didn't really address what I said. But that's ok. I'm not suggesting anything. The whole reason the CD thing was brought up was to show why a dissenting view on this board is not appreciated and will never be heard much here. Believe me I wish I had a Ferrari though, dissonance or not...
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In the WT's Defence
by shadowofbathory inhi electronic cyber pixels.
occasionally these days i will log onto this forum to scan for interesting topics.
even though this is my first posting under this moniker, i am a reincarnate of a previous beast.
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Surfrusty
I see it on both sides of the issue. I think it keeps some people in and it makes some people leave. Obviously in this forum I'm referring to the CD that causes people to leave because that is what most people on these boards have done. Regarding your question... A classic example of cognitive dissonance that is used in teaching the theory is this: A man on an impulse buys a sports car that he can't afford and doesn't need. He gets home and he starts feeling guilty (dissonance) so he gets on the internet and starts searching for favorable reviews of his car and anything that would reinforce the "wisdom" of his purchase. He latches on to all positive feedback and turns a blind eye to anything negative. The end result is the conflict or dissonance is reduced. I think there is much of the same process happening here. Many people have made a terribly difficult decision which has produced a tremendous amount of dissonance. People are here, in part, to hear how great of a car they have bought. Hence, opposing views would not be very well accepted and promptly rejected.
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How many on this board started out here as JWs defending their "faith"?
by new boy ini left 6 months before i found this place........but if i had found it 15 years ago, i would have been one of those fighting tooth and nail for the watchtower bible & tract society.. i know this board has helped 100's if not thousands of people with the real truth about the organization............ in the face of logic and reason, how could it not!.
nb.
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Surfrusty
Wow, that is funny
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In the WT's Defence
by shadowofbathory inhi electronic cyber pixels.
occasionally these days i will log onto this forum to scan for interesting topics.
even though this is my first posting under this moniker, i am a reincarnate of a previous beast.
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Surfrusty
"JW's are under a lot of pressure within themselves to keep up the appearance of belief in things which clash with common sense, reality and factual history. It takes a lot of energy and support to remain neurotically primed at all moments of the day!" True... But, only JW's suffer from CD? I believe there is alot of it flowing around here.
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In the WT's Defence
by shadowofbathory inhi electronic cyber pixels.
occasionally these days i will log onto this forum to scan for interesting topics.
even though this is my first posting under this moniker, i am a reincarnate of a previous beast.
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Surfrusty
Cognitive dissonance is the perception of incompatibility between two cognitions, which can be defined as any element of knowledge, including attitude, emotion, belief, or behavior; in other words, it is the uncomfortable tension that comes from holding two conflicting thoughts at the same time. The theory of cognitive dissonance states that contradicting cognitions serve as a driving force that compels the mind to acquire or invent new thoughts or beliefs, or to modify existing beliefs, so as to reduce the amount of dissonance (conflict) between cognitions. Experiments have attempted to quantify this hypothetical drive.
This is the feeling of uncomfortable tension which comes from holding two conflicting thoughts in the mind at the same time.
Dissonance increases with:
* The importance of the subject to us.
* How strongly the dissonant thoughts conflict.
* Our inability to rationalize and explain away the conflict.
Dissonance is often strong when we believe something about ourselves and then do something against that belief. If I believe I am good but do something bad, then the discomfort I feel as a result is cognitive dissonance.
Cognitive dissonance is a very powerful motivator which will often lead us to change one or other of the conflicting belief or action. The discomfort often feels like a tension between the two opposing thoughts. To release the tension we can take one of three actions:
* Change our behavior.
* Justify our behavior by changing the conflicting cognition.
* Justify our behavior by adding new cognitions.
Dissonance is most powerful when it is about our self-image. Feelings of foolishness, immorality and so on (including internal projections during decision-making) are dissonance in action.
If an action has been completed and cannot be undone, then the after-the-fact dissonance compels us to change our beliefs. If beliefs are moved, then the dissonance appears during decision-making, forcing us to take actions we would not have taken before.
Just some things I found online. Put more simply, if a guys thinks it's wrong to have sex outside of marriage then proceeds to do so, the next day he'll probably start questioning the validity of his belief that fornication is wrong. Once he has convinced himself that his previously held belief was wrong or baseless then the mental conflict is reduced or eliminated. No more cognitive dissonance. The same can happen with JW's. If I have a wrong desire or have acted on one that creates conglict or dissonance. The mind can't accept that. So what is it that tells me that the desire or action is wrong? God? The Bible? The WTS? Then the subconscience starts looking for holes in your belief in God, The Bible or the WTS latching onto whatever will support this idea. Eventually after the value of those things is reduced no more dissonance. -
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In the WT's Defence
by shadowofbathory inhi electronic cyber pixels.
occasionally these days i will log onto this forum to scan for interesting topics.
even though this is my first posting under this moniker, i am a reincarnate of a previous beast.
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Surfrusty
I don't know if I would want to defend the WT on most subjects brought up here. I think on some things some of the posters here have a point. And I agree, some things I don't think I could defend or would even be inclined to try. But on another level your post hits the nail on the head when you brought up the issue of cognitive dissonance. I believe many on this forum are suffering from it big time and are looking for nothing but validation here. And of course it would be almost impossible to convince someone of this, it would be way too painful. Hence any WT apologists would not be welcome. If you aren't suffering from severe CD then I think many people, myself included, would find this forum generally very bitter, negative, unproductive and anarchist even if you agree with alot of the overall things being said.
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My journey is reaching another level
by InquiryMan insome four years ago, i handed in my last report in the kh.
both wanted our children to have a more mainstream life than the witnesses frame could offer.
in time, my wife and i got separated.
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Surfrusty
That's fine but why be here then?
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My journey is reaching another level
by InquiryMan insome four years ago, i handed in my last report in the kh.
both wanted our children to have a more mainstream life than the witnesses frame could offer.
in time, my wife and i got separated.
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Surfrusty
Amazing, I didn't realize that to be on these forums you had to drop all belief in the Bible, God's laws or God himself. Having gripes with the WTS is one thing but this is a bit much. My, how far we fall.