jp1692

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Posts by jp1692

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  53

  Were You A Gullible JW?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i think every congregation has their group that sees everything as a sign that they are god’s chosen people.

  if a witness didn’t go to a meeting and a storm came and destroyed their house and killed them, and only the kingdom hall was saved, that was a sign that we should be in jehovah’s house.

  if russia persecuted jws , it’s proof we are living in the last days.

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  jp1692

  Minimus, please see my response to I Quit.

  They brought up a good point which persuaded me to reconsider my initial post.

  In retrospect I would now revise my initial post to read: “The vast majority of cult members are gullible. Those that aren’t are probably cowards or fools, maybe both.”

  Still, it’s not like there wasn’t any context for my initial statement which you quoted. Did you even read the balance of my posts? I am just trying to have a discussion on an interesting subject for us ex-cult members, particularly in light of the fact that many of us still have family or friends captive to this religion.
  

  As I said before, your threads "often feels like you are baiting forum members for an argument rather than inviting us to a genuine discussion.”

  Your last few comments only confirm my opinion in this regard. For this reason, I rarely post in your threads. But this one intrigued me, so I made an exception.

  Was that a mistake?

  
  
• 
  53

  Were You A Gullible JW?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i think every congregation has their group that sees everything as a sign that they are god’s chosen people.

  if a witness didn’t go to a meeting and a storm came and destroyed their house and killed them, and only the kingdom hall was saved, that was a sign that we should be in jehovah’s house.

  if russia persecuted jws , it’s proof we are living in the last days.

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  jp1692

  I Quit: I'm not sure if the ones that stay in but don't believe it are gullible; maybe they just don't want to deal with the consequences of leaving or lack the courage take a stand.

  Of course. It’s complicated, as I said in my earlier posts.

  Nevertheless, I believe all of the things you wrote are true. They certainly are not mutually exclusive.

  A person can be unwilling “to deal with the consequences of leaving [and] lack the courage take a stand” and be gullible insofar as they believe (and/or rationalize to themselves) that they don’t have a choice in the matter.

  Not all chains are physical.

  That being said, if someone accepts in full knowledge and commits to an inauthentic life—pretending to believe things they actually don’t—then they aren’t being gullible; they are being cowardly.
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  53

  Were You A Gullible JW?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i think every congregation has their group that sees everything as a sign that they are god’s chosen people.

  if a witness didn’t go to a meeting and a storm came and destroyed their house and killed them, and only the kingdom hall was saved, that was a sign that we should be in jehovah’s house.

  if russia persecuted jws , it’s proof we are living in the last days.

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  2. 
  3. 
• 

  jp1692

  Minimus: You might consider not being so black and white in some of your opinions.

  That’s ironic. I am anything but “so black and white” in my opinions.

  Perhaps you should take a minute and peruse the diverse threads I’ve started or commented on. Then you’d see how inaccurate your appraisal of my opinions is.
• 
  53

  Were You A Gullible JW?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i think every congregation has their group that sees everything as a sign that they are god’s chosen people.

  if a witness didn’t go to a meeting and a storm came and destroyed their house and killed them, and only the kingdom hall was saved, that was a sign that we should be in jehovah’s house.

  if russia persecuted jws , it’s proof we are living in the last days.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  jp1692

  Minimus: I know baptized Witnesses that were raised in the religion and never believed in anything. They were forced to get baptized by their parents. They were in the cult but were never gullible.

  Granted.

  Are those people still in the religion? If so, then I would classify those individuals as gullible for the reasons I explained in my previous posts.

  If not, then I would agree: those people were not gullible. They are former cult members and survivors.
• 
  53

  Were You A Gullible JW?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i think every congregation has their group that sees everything as a sign that they are god’s chosen people.

  if a witness didn’t go to a meeting and a storm came and destroyed their house and killed them, and only the kingdom hall was saved, that was a sign that we should be in jehovah’s house.

  if russia persecuted jws , it’s proof we are living in the last days.

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  2. 
  3. 
• 

  jp1692

  Gullibility manifests itself in a variety of ways. Succumbing to pressure to do something in which you do not believe and then continuing to stay that course is it’s own kind of gullibility: the false belief that we must do something we don’t believe in and/or conform to a way of life we don’t want.

  Each of us has the power of choice, even when we believed we didn’t.

  Again, I am very well aware of the complex and often sophisticated psychological methods of manipulation that cults use to control their members, but that wasn’t the explicit question asked in the OP.

  Minimus, I’ve noticed that you often create threads on a wide variety of topics that ask for simplistic answers to complex questions. Then, you and others, will take exception to many of the simple, direct answers. This thread is definitely one of those as I noted in my initial response.

  It often feels like you are baiting forum members for an argument rather than inviting us to a genuine discussion.
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  6

  THE SHEEP MUST CALL OUT FIRST FOR SHEPHERD TO SEARCH FOR IT?

  by blondie in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  when i was still going to meetings, a wt study article said this:.

  https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/2002163?q=bleat&p=sen.

  13 in scotland some young lambs were grazing in a pasture when one of them strayed to the side of a hillock and tumbled onto a ledge below.

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  jp1692

  More victim blaming by the WTBTS.

  Let’s review: It’s a cult!
• 
  53

  Were You A Gullible JW?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i think every congregation has their group that sees everything as a sign that they are god’s chosen people.

  if a witness didn’t go to a meeting and a storm came and destroyed their house and killed them, and only the kingdom hall was saved, that was a sign that we should be in jehovah’s house.

  if russia persecuted jws , it’s proof we are living in the last days.

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  2. 
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  jp1692

  The short answer is: Yes

  By definition, all cult members are gullible. They are gullible for believing the myths and lies which persuade them to join in the first place. That should be obvious.

  Even Born-ins probe themselves to be gullible if they continue to believe after more than a few years of adult life and experience.

  Of course the psychology behind joining and/or remaining in a cult is much more complex than my simplistic response might seem to suggest.

  But the question in the OP was not that subtle: it was direct and straightforward and so is my answer.
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  13

  Televangelist Kenneth Copeland

  by mann377 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  had to laugh at this.

  this may be what the wbts end up doing in the future as they become televangelist.

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  jp1692

  What it the “this” to which you refer?
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  6

  The New York Times Article on Jehovah's Witnesses

  by Tenacious in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  the following story appeared in the new york times today:.

  surviving the death of my son after the death of my faith.

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  jp1692

  Amber Scorah’s essay on loss and grief is powerful and moving. Here are two quotes that I particularly appreciated:

  “I am not saying there is no God, but I am saying no God would do this to someone.”

  
  

  “If belief were a choice, I might choose it. But it’s not.”
  
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  17

  XJW Activsm

  by oppostate in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  have you ever done xjw activism?.

  do you find it rewarding?.

  do you feel it has an effect?.

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  jp1692

  I’ve done a great deal of work to help myself and others heal and rebuild their lives after leaving the cult. This has been through personal relationships as well as by participating in workshops for ex-cult members, which I have done as both a participant and a presenter. All of this has been immensely rewarding and productive.

  But if by “activism” you mean trying to change or reform the religion, forget that. It’s a complete waste of time and effort.

  Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses on the door of Wittenberg Castle 502 years ago on 31 October 1517. Sure, it started the Protestant Reformation, but it didn’t end the Catholic Church. To my way of thinking that just made things worse.

  Trying to reform the WTBTS is a complete waste of effort.