“all of us have a choice.
either we serve jehovah or we serve satan and his demons.
how wise it is to serve jehovah!” - spirits of the dead, p23-4.
“All of us have a choice. Either we serve Jehovah or we serve Satan and his demons. We cannot do both. How wise it is to serve Jehovah!” - Spirits of the Dead, p23-4
Apparently doing neither is not an option? So they don’t really believe in the concept of neutrality?
i salute you.
many of you, like me, are probably under enormous emotional pressure, whether from a lingering false sense of guilt from your indoctrination, whether from "invitations," and assumptions that you'll naturally be coming, or whether from outright emotional blackmail, even begging and pleading.
i am thinking of you whoever you are, all of you, even though i don't know you in person.
And to those, who cannot yet take that stand, though they may want to, you have my deepest sympathy. Being forced to go against your will in such a manner is nothing sort of emotional torture.
i salute you.
many of you, like me, are probably under enormous emotional pressure, whether from a lingering false sense of guilt from your indoctrination, whether from "invitations," and assumptions that you'll naturally be coming, or whether from outright emotional blackmail, even begging and pleading.
i am thinking of you whoever you are, all of you, even though i don't know you in person.
I salute you.
Many of you, like me, are probably under enormous emotional pressure, whether from a lingering false sense of guilt from your indoctrination, whether from "invitations," and assumptions that you'll naturally be coming, or whether from outright emotional blackmail, even begging and pleading.
I am thinking of you whoever you are, all of you, even though I don't know you in person. I stand in solidarity with you, and feel your pain on this most cultish night of the year.
Stand strong and be as proud of your convictions, if not more so, than those who are pressuring you to go. After all, your convictions are based on evidence & reality, not faith & fantasy.
the society loves to talk about how adam and eve abused their gift of free will.
doesn't free will mean the freedom to choose?
how can exercising that freedom to choose then be classed as abusing the gift?
The society loves to talk about how Adam and Eve abused their gift of free will. Doesn't free will mean the freedom to choose? How can exercising that freedom to choose then be classed as abusing the gift? You are simply using the gift in the way it was intended to be used!
The Watchtower this week made there claim they really only had two choices: to obey or not to obey. Only one choice is acceptable, so there is really no choice at all. Some gift when you get punished for using it.
we all have loved one that we wish we could "wake up" from the society.. of course it is not wise to force them with information, as that could just cause their defences to go up and make them dig their heals in.. this reminded me of an illustration that the society actually used at a convention many years back:.
if we want someone to move out of their dilapidated, run down and dangerous house that they are sentimentally attached to, we cant just grab them and drag them out.
they will object.. but, if we build a brand-new, safe, secure attractive home right next door and allow them to see it be built, their curiosity will be sparked.
Very good post and use of that illustration. I think the point is proved by what everyone says to you when you try to point out something wrong in the organisation: "but where else can we go?" Of course the question is meaningless of itself in the arguments we are making, but it is meaningful and important to THEM, so we must be prepared to answer it in some way and acknowledge their feelings and the problem is creates for them if we want them to leave....
i've seen discussions here about how jehovah's witnesses seem to be prone to believing conspiracy theories... https://digest.bps.org.uk/2017/04/05/why-more-highly-educated-people-are-less-into-conspiracy-theories/.
this last paragraph seems particularly relevant:.
importantly, van prooijen said his findings help make sense of why education can contribute to “a less paranoid society” even when conspiracy theories are not explicitly challenged.
I can't comment on conspiracy theories, but I know from my own experience that Witnesses are hugely into (if not more prone to falling for) pseudoscience, especially in the area of alternative medicine. I was constant surrounded by brothers pushing pills and potions and weird "magic" remedies on me overtime I had so much as a sniffle or minor pain.
i seriously doubt that any jw understanding of prophecy has ever withstood the test of time.
how can anyone trust them when they are always wrong?
?.
@blondie Intersting, That 1942 one is the one that really got me too! I was always so proud of the organisation for that one, believing it was a real modern day prophecy based on our understanding of the Bible... until of course I found out like you did, that the formation of the UN was common knowledge in political circles before Knorr gave that famous talk. It just was't common knowledge among witnesses, so easily exploited to look like a prophecy.
suposedly babylon the great lost her power and influence over the people and government rulers back in 1919. flash forward to today the russian orthodox church is behind the banning of witnesses in russia.
yet another failed prophecy!
have these guys gotten anything right?!
Great point! Another failed prophecy. Another failed interpretation of prophecy.
See my most recent post - the experience touches on that subject...
https://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/5109869029883904/thank-you-helping-me-through-bad-days
it has to have happened.
people get stressed out, an elder or overseer takes just two steps over the line and gets a fat lip for his trouble.. does that ever happen?
or maybe someone "counsels" a brother at the wrong time and tempers flare at the old kingdom hall?.
Righteous indignation made me feel that way yesterday - I sure wanted to do exactly that. Not physically, that's just not my nature, but mentally. I kept my cool though, and my dignity. It only feeds their assumptions about you as the "enemy" to do otherwise.
