You won't find the truth by reading Crisis of Conscience, you will only end up in a spiritual vacuum.
Exactly what is a spiritual vacuum... Your interesting (shall I say, educated) use of metaphors and similes leaves so much room for interpretation that any interpretation I put on this clearly leaves you an opening for dismissal... Thus, how can anyone on this board possibly converse with you at your level of understanding and precise judgement. I am honored and humbled.
Please be assured that I am very much open minded and have been even since becoming a Witnes in 1964. Further to this I obtained academic qualifications in Phillosophy and Religious Studies whilst a active Witness and wil be applying for doctoral studies in Religious Studies next year, If that does not prove that I am open minded and able to think critically about all matters religious then I do not know what would.
Rest assured that Sigmund Freud was also open minded. In fact he obtained degree after degree and developed methods of understanding our psychotic nature that the laymen (and even highly educated men) of the day could not begin to comprehend. I may have to conclude that your open-mindedness in this same category, for I fail to understand virtually exverything you say. Again, I am honored and humbled.
The Crisis of Conscience iis a most interesting book but I have some difficulty with anyone who has been converted in at least an intellestual sense for most of his life and then suuddenly goes from one form Christianity to some other form of Chriustianity. I believe that what is at issue is integrity and I do not believe that the author of this book has integrity.
Interesting choice of words... let's get real analytical... OK, "has been converted" precedes the statement "suddenly"... You thus state two conversions in his lifetime... What made the 1st one right and the 2nd one wrong? Then, you even classify the 1st conversion as an intellectual one... interesting point, for many of us believe that, in fact, JW's are an emotionally controlling cult, thus the conversion (ie implied consent and agreement) of emotion is not even in the question. We finally agree (assuming my lack of status allows me to interpret your material into a legible format)... This leads me to... Maybe he never did convert his emotions and once his intellect (ie ego defenses) allowed his emotions to be heard he simply became the man he always was.... a good man, with a clear conscience.
The material in the Coc is interesting because it gives one an insight into the corridors of power and the internal politcs at the Society;s headquarters. It also well illuminates the effect that the Jonsson hypothesis presented as a treatise had on men who were competent scholars. Such men went weak at the knees when they read this material and yet such men had devoted their lives to preaching and teaching teachings and tradition based and believed by them on God's Word. Is that integrity? I think not. It should have been apparent and remains the case today that any person who becomes converted to such is intellectually and spiritually crippled.
I just don't get this paragraph... sorry.
The rules for posting on this board prevent from me from saying what I really think of your character and your spineless venom of hatred against a people, a organization and teachings that you once embraced. Your integrity is diminished by your cowardly avoidance of not submitting yourself to judicial authority or not making your disassociation legitimate. You must therefore be a closet Witness unable to decide what side you are on but remain content in deceiving weak-minded people in following your twisted and shallow reasoning.
I would be even more honored if you would PM me with what you really think of my character (its not against the rules of the board to defame me privately). I never embraced the organization and/or it's teachings. I was raised in it and it was shoved down my throat like oatmeal... Yeah, it's a quite nutritious meal, till you eat it every day your entire life and are told that if you eat cream of wheat or fail to bless it before you eat it you will DIE !!! Yes, my friend, children take these words very seriously, and they beleive they will DIE and not ever see mommy or daddy again because of it.... scares the devil right out of you.
Is this really an apostate board? I thought it was a forum that invites one and all to discuss JW's. Have you not heard of academic and Christian freedom? Life is full of risks and it takes courage to think 'outside the square' and if I am error then I am subject to greater authority as is all of mankind.
Sir, I have yet to defame your character (yet added some insuations out of anger)... but how can you hide behind the cloak of an educational institution as your right to be on this sight, when you know full well, prior to this question that you are on an apostate sight... You are correct, life is full of risks... However, I don't see you as being one to take any of those risks... risks that require emotional honesty, risks that require non-anonimity, risks that may cause your family to shun you, risks that truly weak-minded individuals cannot fathom taking.
I've truly enjoyed running into your post, and reviewing your history here. Your writing style has been a great analytical tool for my healing process.... read also garybuss' threads when he "attempts" to argue emotionally charged topics and pretend to be on the other side of the fence... similar style of avoiding the original question, re-directing the topic, transferring the blame (which didn't exist originally), and refusing to clarify when asked... all the standard emotional blackmail tools that exJW's just love to toy with... your making my day !
Oh, one difference... challenge garybuss and he will come clean... and yes, he is a very good debater and a very knowledgable scholar...
But I don't believe he will either admit or profess this... he doesn't need to, his peers and students will vouch for him.
Have a great day ! Thank you.
gambit
If we want to worship God acceptably, we must know the truth. This is an important issue. Our eternal happiness depends on it. Therefore, everyone should ask himself: 'Is my way of worship acceptable to God? Am I genuinely interested in learning the truth of God's Word? Or am I afraid of what a careful investigation might reveal?'um.......yea....so.........tell me again why I would get in trouble for reading Crisis of Conscience?
Dawn -- It's easy to tell when you hit a soft spot with a JW, huh? It's just like telling the alcholic they have a drinking problem... I guess they are right when you think about, it's not their problem, it's ours.. it's our problem we care...
