Another Deceitful Tactic by the WTBTS.

by gumby 56 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Anitar

  Ok everyone. I'm nobody special, and I have not nearly as much knowledge as everyone else. But I'm going out on a limb here, so don't hate me.
  
  I think it's time for a reality check. So they're using an age old BS story for the public, a feeble attempt to save their rapidly crumbling "religion" by reaching out to the Google-happy youngsters looking for the latest fad on the internet. They shouldn't be debated, they should be PITIED!
  
  I realize that articles like this are meant to inform the lost, lonely, and disfellowshipped from the WTS. But this can only take them so far. There has been some pretty heated discussions, particularly with former elders. But the truth is, elders are nobody special. Honestly. The dubs might worship them and call them educated, but that just means they're more brainwashed than the dubs. And I know you all know this already.
  
  The WTS teaches that ex-members are "bitter, empty, soul-sucking aposates knashing their teeth because we abandoned the truth." I think the best way to prove them wrong is to not give them the pleasure of debating them. If you give the watchtower an inch, they will become a ruler. The point is, the watchtower is a cult, but do we really want to become the anti-watchtower cult?
  
  Call me crazy, but what if we could be our own support group? Maybe we could use this forum as a means to change people for the better, to be living examples of Jesus Christ without the burdons of man's rules and twisted organizations.
  
  Well, that's enough of my ranting. Sorry for ruffling the feathers, I just don't want us to be bitter anymore.
  
  Anitar
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  gumby

  Call me crazy, but what if we could be our own support group? Maybe we could use this forum as a means to change people for the better, to be living examples of Jesus Christ without the burdons of man's rules and twisted organizations.

  Anitar, I appreciate your input, but it's threads such as this one and others like it that does indeed change people for the better. It's not only a support group here, it also inform the unwary of the dangers of the WTBTS that has ruined thousands of lives and will continue to ruin lives if they are not exposed by people such as ourselves. With an attitude like yours....who would stop this war machine?

  Gumby
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  Gill

  Hello Gumby, darling!!! This is one of those nauseating, twisted tricks of the WTBTS that really make me annoyed. There is always judgement of eachother taking place. 'Why are they no longer going to the meetings?' 'Why are they not putting in time?' Then, the avoidance of the fader or even the person with any kind of problem begins...whether they're fading or just not 'able' to go to the meetings. A person is immeadiately 'marked'. Pity they didn't do an online article on 'marking' and all that that entails. That would be a REAL eye opener to non JWs!
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  HoChiMin

  I use shunning tactics on deceitful nutsacks.

  HCM
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  gumby

  Gill,

  Hello darling back to you

  I suppose it's natural for any group or their leaders to wonder what has happened to someone who exits them when they don't know why they exited.....but your correct in the WTBTS ALWAYS ASSUMING these ones have erred in some way rather than simply not assuming anything until they at least ask them first. because this group teaches they are the only truth on the planet, they are puzzled why one would exit any truth.

  HoChiMin

  I'm gonna hafta look up what 'shunning a nutsack' actually means....lol

  Gumby
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  mcsemike

  Some very good points, Gumby. When I moved from up North to FLA, I was inactive and intended to visit an elder who was very close with our family for years until he moved down here. He even did our wedding talk. He knew my child had been molested, yet he never cared. His first question was about whether I believed the WT was God's people. I said I was checking on that because of things I had heard. He told me not to bother dropping by on my boat trip up the coast. And this elder was the most loving, caring person I ever met, JW or not. Yet once those red flags of doubt went up in my mind, I suddenly became Adolph Hitler, jawohl? It never fails. It's very sad that an elder's first gut reaction, when hearing that a "lost sheep" is in pain, is to bring out the lie detector test and ask if the WT is the truth. Decent people, and most other religions, would ask "how are you?" or "can I help you?" It's a shame that the WT can't see that the Good Samaritan parable shows the world that THEY are the people Jesus was condemning. Yet their self-righteousness and hubris are so disgustingly hypocritical. They couldn't look any worse than if they stood in the street and yelled, "We are the kindest, meekest people on earth and if you don't agree, we'll shoot you here and now." And then actually pull out guns and shoot all who questioned them, then saying that their statement was still true. Their blindness is so astronomically overwhelming, it doesn't need any more proof. Yet six million of these mindless souls insist they are correct. A true tragedy. ALWAYS that question "do you believe the WT....blah, blah.....". Answer: "NO, I don't, and neither does anyone else who has an IQ higher than a plant.

  Anitar, you have a good point. Back in the 1960's, young people used to wear and do the very opposite of the establishment. I told them that all they were doing was "conforming to non-conformity". They didn't like it or even realize it, but it was true nonetheless. If we remain bitter and fight with the fringe JW's who come here (and are breaking the WT rules doing it), we won't heal and often won't help the JW, because they have no intention of leaving the cult. They just want to waste our time and see us upset. On Silent Lambs, we ignore the idiots that post and they go away when they see they won't change our minds because we KNOW what happened with child abuse. I guess it comes down to "you have to choose your battles". Some comments are worth replying to, others are not. But in the end, we have to keep posting and telling the truth. Hopefully, the good JW's (is that an oxymoron?) will see the truth and leave that child-raping cult. That's my hope.
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  silversurfer1

  Gumby, I appreciate the points you've made here.

  Anitar, I admire your strength of character that shines through in your comments.

  I've served in a number of congregations and the bodies of elders all take on differant personalities.

  But a few things seemed to be a constant in the 4 cong.'s that I served as an elder:

  Little if any attention was ever given to JW's who were "inactive" irregardless of any direction from the GB.

  Even when a list of these "inactive" and df's were provide, very few of these men followed up in a spirit of love to retieve these people back into the fold.

  Embarrasing questions would be asked of individuals who had made there way back to a meeting and asked for help, like:

  have you been immoral, how often, when was your last intimate encounter. (In their minds this help them gauge your heart as to the degree of remorse) / have you joined as a member of any church / have you used drugs, alcohol or smoking /

  These questions formalated the basis for any help you may or may not get. I remember one guy who desparately wanted to be back in the fold (he was df') and he had had sex with somebody 4 or 5 months previous to coming back to the KH. The collective decision was for him to wait. Where we came up with "how long" is long enough logic, is hard to reconcile with love or logic. Needless to say after another month or so he stopped coming to the meetings. (good for him as I look in retrospect).

  Even elders who care are bound by guidlines they can't move to far away from for fear of drawing attention from other elders.

  Their perception of being a "clean org." takes prescendent over any individual, personal concern of the one who has left the group.

  Iniatially, I simply stopped going to the meetings, after 6 weeks of this, my ex-wife decided to leave with our children, because she felt I was a spiritual danger after coming across a book I was reading and an internet site I was visiting. For 3 months no one bothered me until I got a call from one of the elders to meet with me for a judicial committee, I refused, a month later they called to inform me I was df'. I appealed, met with them, just to hear them tell me that since I did not want to meet with them earlier that I was not contrite and I told them in short that they were wrong and I did not need them. Very liberating to have lifted the shackles from off me in this manner. I wanted to drift away, but I finally had to confront them and it was for the best. I am comforted in Jesus words that, "wisdom is proved righteuous by it's work", and know that I will (actually I already have) have a opportunity to save my son's from this group. But back to the point, the only reason this appointed judicial committee got in contact with me was to clean their cong. Though I'll never understand on what grounds. Perhaps, my wife at the time told them what I'd been reading. But it's behind me now. I know this, self-sacrificing love, an un-conditional love, the love that Jesus said would identify his disciples (not an org.) simply cannot exist in a meaningful way with in this group. It does not have Jehovah's blessing nor does the Holy Spirit exist there to help it thrive. We who are out are blessed, don't worry if they don't come looking for you. You know they can't help you. But you can help others from your personal expierence with this group.
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  heathen

  Anitar -- You can post about anything you want but really this site is dedicated to the idea that the WTBTS is a dangerous cult and we like to discuss the methods they use for control and deception . I think that is way more beneficial than just claiming to support those that exit. This site has helped me tremendously by giving a closer look at the beliefs and practices and looking at people that were actually in the cult as I was not actually in it .
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  gumby

  
  
  Silversurfer and Mike....thanks for your input and sharing your stories.....very interesting and touching

  One thing to keep in mind about the way both of you were treated is that these elders you dealt with might be good men and loving men( though not always) They act on the way they are programmed to act, they ask questions the way they are taught to ask questions, they use the same literature to deal with the scenarios you both gave.

  I too acted in the same manner when I too served as an elder. If an elder strays from the guidelines the society has layed down, they too can be reprimanded. These men feel and believe that the way they behave are Jehovahs ways.

  They feel if if they follow the guidelines as set out by the organisation(GB), Jehovah will bless their direction and it will serve the wrongdoer in his/her best intrests. However, the directions and guidelines these Elders follow, are in REALITY not for the purpose these men believe these purposes serve....but are rather for the purpose of saving face of the organisation itself, and not intended to benifit the sheep in any way.

  For example....apostates are in reality to be shunned so as not pass on the truths they have learned about the organisation itself (which the organisation realises are in fact true), yet the flock is told the reason is for the purpose of safeguarding the other publishers from outright lies.

  This is the epitome of false christians to the highest degree.

  Gumby
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  Anitar

  I was afraid that would cause a stir. Unfortuately it was not the one I intended. I'll try to respond to everyone one at a time:
  
  Gumby: If there was anyone I want to be friends with, it's you. I'm afraid I inadvertanly gave you the wrong impression about me. Yes, I want the watchtower war-machine to be defeated, I agree with you. I was just trying to say that here on JWD, just because we all dislike the WTS, doesn't mean that we all think the same way. We happen to disagree on one thing, that's okay with me. I still respect you and think you're very insightful. As for my attitude, I hope it reflects that of Jesus.
  
  Mcsemike: Thank you for understanding me. It's not that there's anything un-truthful or insincere on this thread, I just want us to re-examine what we take for granted about the elders. After all, isn't that why people leave the watchtower in the first place? Of course they're going to lie about the shunning, what would we expect them to do? The truth is not exactly an attractive sales pitch for the WTS, you of all people know that.
  
  Silversurfer1: You're right. Some of the elders decide completely on a whim how much a person has repented, or how much love is in their heart.
  
  Heathen: I'm aware of what this site is dedicated too, that's why I joined. Of course I wouldn't pretend to support those who exit, I didn't mean for you to think that. I would never belittle your pain at the hands of the WTS, in fact I admire you for disagreeing with me. I only meant that it wouldn't kill us to be a little more open minded sometimes.
  
  In conclusion, I'm very sorry for annoying some people. Please don't get offended on my account, I realize my optimism can be infuruating sometimes. So, yes the watchtower is a twisted cult that needs to be disbanded, but I'm sure another one will come to take its place just as fast. It is not worth our lives.
  
  Peace everyone,
  Anitar