She knows they're wrong, but she doesn't care . . (page 2)

Mulan

I don't understand the 200 page research paper? It would be an unusual person who would read all that. We have friends that prepare long, long, long, papers and letters, to try and explain to their family and friends, their new beliefs. It has been my experience that they will read the first page, and maybe the second, and then it's just a scan, and throw away. A few paragraphs, worded just right, would do far more, to get their interest. A few questions?

Just my opinion. People don't read those things, especially if they are unsolicited.

Marilyn (a.k.a. Mulan)

Eyebrow

200 pages???

I realize you are concerned for your wife's wellbeing and your marriage, but if I were her, and saw that heap, I would just think one thing,"he's trying to control me!!!"

No one can swallow such an overdose, it will make you gag. Small doses are the best way.

larc

I agree with the last two posts. Two hundred pages is overkill and doesn't work. As was pointed out, people can only handle a small dose at a time. Since you blew it, I wouldn't say anything for 6 months. That is what I meant by keeping a low profile in my earlier post. Maybe, just maybe, she might listen to a quandry you have 6 months from now. (You are in serious shit.)

Think about it. If you were at the door and met a Catholic, would you hand them 200 hundred pagese that ripped their religion to shreds and then be expected to be invited in for a book study?

indireneed

Zev,

You can send information to [email protected].

Stories are always interesting . . .

Why did I write 200 pages? I have spent a year bringing out small things, and got nowhere. She denied that they were wrong in the past. She said that individuals could understand the Bible. She said that the organization wasn't controlling. When I started pulling together some Watchtower articles (the 200 pages was simply full Watchtower articles with maybe three pages of synthesis that we read out loud together), I was horrified by what I read. The depth of the depravity and authority.

Maybe I'm just too used to the Protestant tradition of personal reflection, rather than the Catholic belief of the authority of the church. Do the JWs realize that they are simply the Catholic church 1,800 years ago? They're just based out of Brooklyn instead of Rome and they have different beliefs . . .

I hope I didn't blow it. Last night we talked, and she's not angry. She's actually glad I applied Scripture! She just thinks that the rules about false prophets don't apply any more, especially for the Witnesses.

Thanks for the advice . . .

Abaddon

Well, she may have been a little overwhelmed by the size of your research.

But my bet is on that old cult stand-by, cognitive dissonance.

Read up on that, it might explain how she seems to shrug it off.

dmouse

My wife is exactly the same, except she doesn't want a divorce.
We have agreed to disagree and left it at that. I would say, if you want to keep your marraige together, is just to accept that she can't live without the crutch of religion and leave it at that. I once tried to persuade my wife that it wasn't the 'truth' and she started to cry, saying 'please don't take away my faith'. I believe the things I was saying were getting through the cult conditioning but suddenly I thought to myself 'what right have I got to destroy another's faith?'
My own faith died - and it was the most awful, most depressing experience of my life. Why would I want to do that to another human being?
As for why people cling to beliefs which are obviously not true I found this article very enlightening:

http://www.csicop.org/si/2000-11/beliefs.html

joelbear

The linked article is a must read guys.

Thanks Dmouse for the link. It will help me a lot in the future.

hugs

Joel

Pathofthorns

Thanks for the link Dmouse. It was very informative. Hopefully this makes it clickable: [url] http://www.csicop.org/si/2000-11/beliefs.html[/url]

Path

bboyneko

'what right have I got to destroy another's faith?'
My own faith died - and it was the most awful, most depressing experience of my life. Why would I want to do that to another human being?

That a sweet thought, but you aren't intruding and being rude when you save someone from drowning. You are allowing her to be imprisoned in an extremeley unhealthy cult. This is psychological torture to be in that cult, and your helping her get out of it would be the best thing you can ever do for her. She can join any number of benign faiths that actually do good for humanity via charity unlike the JW's.
Wait till she is in a hospital refusing blood due to her 'faith' and you might see what I' getting at.

-Dan

She knows they're wrong, but she doesn't care . .

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