I think it's very telling and informative that the angriest, shoutiest, least able to reason persons are those that drop on here as WT apologists. Poor ARS did nothing apart from declare his thoughts to be truth, and the whole rest of the world is wrong. No-one in their sane mind would ordinarily believe such nonsense.
This is, of course, the cult mentality coming out. It's no different to an extremist muslim declaring a fatwa against someone who can logically and provably disagree with them.
It is learned behaviour. Sitting in the meetings, talking with the local JW's, a differing opinion is never tolerated. It is judged harshly and there are severe consequences. Your mind HAS to be made up for you, and you HAVE to acquiesce.
I've seen this exact same thing on JW Friendly boards. Someone will ask an innocent question, and the responses are judgmental, hostile, accusative. The person asking is badgered, their motives questioned. Any elders on the board rally together to intentionally misunderstand the question and read terrible things into it. They are instantly defensive. The person asking is put under public suspicion until they apologise, justify themselves etc. It is truly horrible.
Since first becoming aware of this mind destroying conduct, I see it everywhere with the JW's. You cannot even have a one-on-one discussion without these demons emerging. And when all reason fails there is the fall back position "Are you questioning The Slave?" (large gasp and intake of breath, then recoil at the thought).
To question, to think for oneself, to use logic, to look at facts, to be reasonable, these things will get you in very deep trouble every time, and I mean EVERY time.
ARS is just one more going through the exact same aggressive, nasty, routine of telling non-JW's they are stupid and wrong, and the GB are right. Then the GB completely reverse a long held teaching but they are still right and always have been. It beggars belief to hear an adult reason like a child, and I actually find it very sad that they willingly give up their minds so readily to an organisation who are wrong so completely.
Splash.
PS. The sun is older than the planets in our solar system. It has to form first, then the planets coalesce around it. Even if we saw this happening with our own eyes, people like ARS would instinctively close theirs so as not to see the truth of things.