For those that became JWs but weren't born in the cult, do you feel that before baptism the dubs withheld from you information that should have been revealed, things that if you were aware of you wouldn't become a JW in the first place, such as the heartless DFing policy. Perhaps focusing on the promise of paradise earth and eternal life makes us forget to search out possible negative issues and that's part of their trickery.
Did the JWs conceal crucial info before your baptism
by greendawn 24 Replies latest jw experiences
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elliej
Maybe it's just my own fault for not researching enough, but I had no idea about what they teach about Christ's mediatorship. I also didn't know about their disbelief in the bodily resurrection of Jesus. I think those are two major points that should be discussed pretty early in the game.
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asleif_dufansdottir
You mean like the fact that all their claims about being a 'clean' organization where wrongdoing was brought into the open and not tolerated were lies? How their claims to be different and better in rooting out misbehavior and outright evil than other religions were total crap? Their claims that those who knew of such wrongdoing were not abused and threatened into silence and browbeaten for "gossiping" were vile lies?
Yeah, I'd say they concealed that crucial bit of information, and continued to claim that "black was white" after I saw evidence to the contrary for years (still do, far as I know).
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yucca
A co lied when I asked about if they believe only JW's would be saved. I was told no they didn't believe that. I also knew nothing about disfellowshipping. I was pushed to get baptized this was in early 70's. I am glad I never gave up my so called worldly friends. My worldly friends had better morals than a lot of JWS. Also how some would lie so easy to cause trouble for others they didn't like or were jealous of. If this was how it would be in their new system I would rather die when the big A came.
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timetochange
Entering the JWs is like most other ventures, we get what we put in. There are those who ask all sorts of questions, read the material, attend the meetings and study the Watchtower. When they get baptized they pretty much know the score including disfellowshipping etc. Then there are those who just trust their teachers, do little study and ask very few questions, these are likely to get baptized while remaining blind as bats.
Ed.
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greendawn
Interesting points, at the end of the day the dubs get a lot of member by not revealing a lot of critical information or even outright lying eg they told me that the 1975 hysteria was not triggered and promoted by the organisation but by irresponsible individuals (we don't know when Eve was made so we don't know where exactly the 6 000 years end) and that the entire body of the FDS contributes to the WTS doctrine and theology by sending in letters with their ideas. On the other hand I don't know why I accepted known cult like policies like the ban on blood transfusions.
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nvrgnbk
My baptism was preceeded by a studying of the Live Forever book. This book very clearly told me, yes I read very carefully as a youngster, that the generation that saw 1914 would by no means pass away before the great tribulation. I vividly remember this depicted graphically by means of an artist's rendering of Karl Klein's "cradle to old age" journey together with a calendar. Yes, I feel I was deceived.
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Deputy Dog
greendawn
That's easy, until your baptism you didn't deserve to know the truth!
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greendawn
The 1914 generation was a well known deception I remember they were saying in the early 1980's "the end is very near it will be seven or eight years at most" implying what's the point of going to university, yet most local dubs were big time materialists including many elders. Deputy dog of course you are not supposed to know the things that will immediately turn you off the WTS, they will lose a convert that will spend time to sell their publications without cost to them ie an economic asset.
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Elsewhere
They failed to tell me that joining the religion was like joining the mob... there's no honorable way to leave and if you do leave they will actively pursue you in order to cause you harm.