I posted on the MSNBC blog regarding the JW disaster relief. While I commended JWs in general for their quick response, I tried to get in a little warning about getting too involved with JWs as a religion.
Since then I've gotten a few emails from people who needed to vent about my statements. Granted, most of them were respectful and nice, but this one I just have to share.
I've tried to format it just as it was in the email. He quoted me and then responded to each message. I've highlighted his responses with a different color to try to seperate them:
What the average JW doesn't know is that they are trapped in a borderline cult.
How are we trapped in anything? less be a cult?They believe the end of the world is immenient and only they and they alone will survive Armageddon. Is that bad? They are not allowed to think for themselves, they have to accept the full range of teachings as
prescribed by their leaders, the Governing Body.Oh really? Is thinking for oneself good?We don't have to accept everything prescribed by the GB, but we want to because that is good.The average JW does not even know that, under their own doctrine, that Jesus is NOT their mediator,We don't need Jesus to be our mediator. We have as our high priest which saves us. It is too bad that you believe all of
he is mediator only for those going to heaven, 144,000 strong.
that propanada of ignorance against us. No, no collection plate is passed at their meetings, but in their publications, the JWs have been told that when they donate to the
Watchtower Society for disaster relief, to NOT label it for disaster relief, that way the
WTS can use it however they want to. And they can use other money for disaster relief too. I applaud individual JWs for their disaster relief work and am glad that they have a support system to rely on to help each other in times of trouble. I would, however, hope that anyone who is helped by them who is not a JW and then is love-bombed in trying to get them to associate with them will look deep into their doctrines and practices before becoming involved with them. You have a bad attitude combined with false information, you are a dangerous terrorist.
Here is my reply to him:
Dear XXXXX, Thank you. I got a good laugh from the last line of your email. I'm a dangerous terrorist. That's good. How is it, exactly that I'm a dangerous terrorist? Because our opinions differ? Because I don't believe the same as you? Because I scare you, maybe? If you wish to carry on a dialogue and discuss our differences of opinion regarding the Watchtower Society, I am all for it. Your reply about what's so bad about only Jehovah's Witnesses surviving Armageddon is scary. Do you truly believe that every single person on this planet, that is not an approved associate of the JWs is worthy of dying? The JWs like to use the example that a loving God would not torment people in an everlasting hell fire. Would that same loving God kill indiscriminately? The JW viewpoint that all the world is wicked and needs destroying is very narrow and I don't see how anyone who looks forward to the day when a vengeful God destroys 6 billion people can call anyone else a dangerous terrorist.