Posts by ABibleStudent

57

Please...I need your help

by Strawberryfieldsforever in

jw
friends

my heart is heavy as i write this letter.

i have been trying to live my life as best that i can since leaving jehovah's witnesses.

my dad was not a witness and was my rock when i left the religion.

ABibleStudent

Hi Strawberryfieldsforever, I'm sorry that your Mom is sooo deluded to follow the WTBTS. Her recent e-mail may have been triggered by a meeting that she attended, so it may blow over with time.

How do you feel that your Mom would react to the following:

Why are you asking me about my beliefs? Mom, I love you unconditionally. How much do you love me?

I'm following the teachings and examples of Jesus Christ as is written in the scriptures. Do you remember what Jesus Christ said were God's greatist commandments? They are (Mt 22:27-40: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” If I follow God's greatist commandments, how can I be thinking like an apostate?

(Insert what you are doing today that you want to write to your Mom.)

Love,

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert

19

As a JW, What statements made you "stop thinking?"

by Faithful Witness in

thought-stopping platitudes, like "we are in the last days!

"jehovah's witnesses are the only ones with the truth...".

what statements or claims did you use, or hear, that made you feel comforted by the fact that you were part of jehovah's organization?.

ABibleStudent

I feel that JWs use the following thought-stopping platitudes:

"Where else would we go?"
"They (GB) are just imperfect men."
""True Christians" need an organization to lead them" (or someting similiar)
"We are waiting on Jehovah."
"Only JWs do life-saving work by preaching door-to-door like 1st Century Christians."
"JWs are the happiest (or most loving, most trust-worthy, most caring, most giving, etc.) people in the world."
"All JWs behave the same."
"JWs are the most knowlegable about the Bible." (or something similiar)
"The End is soo sooon."
"The End must be soon, because there are sooo many earthquakes (or another natural disaster, war, grisley murder, etc.)."

How would you overcome the WTBTS's thought-stopping platitudes when JWs say them? Since the WTBTS teaches JWs to use thought-stopping platitudes to imprison JWs' minds, IMHO overcoming platitudes may be a very effective way to help JWs to critically think for themselves. If JWs' cult persona feel that saying a platitude will absolutely protect them, how would JWs respond if someone could help JWs' authentic personas to easily destroy platitudes?

For instance, how would a JW react to the following to overcome the thought-stopping platitude of "Where else will we go?":

Don't you mean, " to whom shall we go ?" Simon-Peter answered that rhetorical question in John 6:60-70 when he said "(Lord) You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”

Why do ask "Where else will we go?" (wait for a JW's answer)

Do you follow teachings and examples of organizations made by men or the teachings and examples of Jesus Christ?

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert

22

Conversation with elder's wife

by Faithful Witness in

yesterday, i had a chance meeting with an acquaintance from the kh we used to attend.. after being away from the meetings for so long, and really starting to feel like i've almost entirely shed their false teachings, i have somehow lost sight of the fact that there are actually still people who really believe it.

i read the magazines now, and find it virtually impossible to comprehend how anyone can actually swallow those ideas.

it seems so warped and twisted to me now.. i guess the best way i can describe this encounter, was being "cornered" in public.

ABibleStudent

P.S. - Faithful Witness, A couple more thought-stopping platitudes that JWs use:

"The End is sooo sooon"
"The End must be soon, because there are sooo many earthquakes (or another natural disaster, war, grisley murder, etc)"

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert

22

Conversation with elder's wife

by Faithful Witness in

yesterday, i had a chance meeting with an acquaintance from the kh we used to attend.. after being away from the meetings for so long, and really starting to feel like i've almost entirely shed their false teachings, i have somehow lost sight of the fact that there are actually still people who really believe it.

i read the magazines now, and find it virtually impossible to comprehend how anyone can actually swallow those ideas.

it seems so warped and twisted to me now.. i guess the best way i can describe this encounter, was being "cornered" in public.

ABibleStudent

Faithful Witness - Robert: What are the 5 most often used WTBS platitudes, and how do I overcome them?

Hi Faithful Witness, I was never a JW, so many ex-JW members would be able to recall thought-stopping platitudes better than I.

I consider the following thought-stopping platitudes that JWs use:

"Where else would we go?"
"They (GB) are just imperfect men."
""True Christians" need an organization to lead them" (or someting similiar)
"We are waiting on Jehovah."
"Only JWs do life-saving work by preaching door-to-door like 1st Century Christians."
"JWs are the happiest (or most loving, most trust-worthy, most caring, most giving, etc.) people in the world."
"All JWs behave the same."
"JWs are the most knowlegable about the Bible." (or something similiar)

Why not start a new thread asking for help to identify, rank, and overcome thought-stopping platitudes? I will comment when you do.

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert

18

A startling example of a JW ignoring evidence

by Pyramid God in

i happen to work with my father, and today we got into another debate about the origin of life.

during the debate, while rebutting a lot of creationist canards, he said that mutations are always harmful to an organism.. .

after he left i sent him a quick email with a link to talk origins on the subject of mutations.

ABibleStudent

Pyramid God - During the debate, while rebutting a lot of creationist canards, he said that mutations are always harmful to an organism.

Hi Pyramid God, Has your father read about Darwin and his theory that was based on the process of natural selection? For the process of natural selection to occur, mutations must occur and are beneficial for the existance of a species. How are mutations bad then for the continued existance of a species?

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert

22

Conversation with elder's wife

by Faithful Witness in

yesterday, i had a chance meeting with an acquaintance from the kh we used to attend.. after being away from the meetings for so long, and really starting to feel like i've almost entirely shed their false teachings, i have somehow lost sight of the fact that there are actually still people who really believe it.

i read the magazines now, and find it virtually impossible to comprehend how anyone can actually swallow those ideas.

it seems so warped and twisted to me now.. i guess the best way i can describe this encounter, was being "cornered" in public.

ABibleStudent

Hi Faithful Witness, If you do decide to invite the elder's wife in for tea and cookies, how prepared are you to turn off a JW's cult persona?

Are you prepared to do the following:

Overcome at least the 5 most often used WTBTS's thought-stopping platitudes,
Ask simply personal questions that will encourage her authentic persona to overcome her authentic persona, and
Ask questions like Billy the Ex-Bethelite wrote in exJW Psychology 102--How to Ask a Question When Questions Aren't Allowed to hopefully by-pass the elder's wife's cult persona.

Best of wishes to learn how to more effectively reverse-witness to JWs.

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert

22

Conversation with elder's wife

by Faithful Witness in

yesterday, i had a chance meeting with an acquaintance from the kh we used to attend.. after being away from the meetings for so long, and really starting to feel like i've almost entirely shed their false teachings, i have somehow lost sight of the fact that there are actually still people who really believe it.

i read the magazines now, and find it virtually impossible to comprehend how anyone can actually swallow those ideas.

it seems so warped and twisted to me now.. i guess the best way i can describe this encounter, was being "cornered" in public.

ABibleStudent

Faithful Witness - She was very good at her street witnessing. It will be interesting to see if she shows up on my doorstep. I'm not sure I want to invite this into my house again.

Hi Faithful Witness, When deciding whether to invite the elder's wife into your house, you can either view this as an opportunity to hone your reverse witnessing skills to help your JW family, or as a pain in the a$$ experience. It is your choice.

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert

18

Not willing to cooperate

by happy@last in

just thought i would let you know there appears to still be no change when it comes to assisting the police here in the uk.

i am in the process of pressing charges against my abuser who was and is again a jw.

during my interviews with the police i did not mention jws as it was not relevant to the case, however during one if his interviews he stated that he had been 'punished' by the jws by being disfellowshipped, and now he was a jw again he had 'paid his dues'!.

ABibleStudent

I'm sorry that you were abused happy@last. I hope that the legal system is successful with prosecuting your abuser, so that other people are not abused by him. Abusers usually are incapable of controlling themselves and will abuser more than one person.

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert

55

Israel National News reports a most amazing story about JWs

by AndersonsInfo in

jw
friends

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/flash.aspx/288677#.ux9165ao7l9.

court rejects missionary lawsuit against netanya schools for voiding leasethe tel aviv magistrates court has rejected a claim by a missionary group, saying that the school they had been renting space in unlawfully voided their contract , and asking the court to instruct the school to pay nis 108,000 in compensation and mental anguish, as well as legal expenses.. it began when a missionary group, via a non-profit organization called "mitzpe l'yisrael", rented space at the raziel school in netanya to conduct daily afternoon activities.

shortly after signing the rental agreement , the school authorities discovered that the group was, in reality, the notorious missionary sect of "jehovah's witnesses".

ABibleStudent

Thanks Barbara!

Is this another example of "Theocratic Warfare Strategy"?

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert

7

Tine

by Jon Preston in

jw
friends

ABibleStudent

Hi Jon Preston, DITTO what jgnat wrote. Didn't your wife already admonish you for not being honest with her sooner.

Tell her you love her very much and respect her beliefs. Ask her if she really wants to leave the WTBTS and to do more independent research about what she believes, such as using internet resources. If she asks for your advice show, her one of the following videos by Steve Hassen:

Strategic Interactive Approach explained 2003 (1:23:23)
The BITE Model (Behavior Information Thought Emotion) (5:03)
NY Ethical Culture Society February 2013 (41:09)
NY Ethical Culture Society 2010 (40:56)

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert