Not too long ago, I heard a District Overseer say, at a circuit assembly, something astonishing; that he would continue to be a Jehovah’s Witness even if it was proven to him that God does not exist. His point was the organization and its moral standards protect people from a lot of trouble and that this by itself is very positive aspect. I could not forget such a statement and, just as an exercise, started to pose the following scenario to some of my friends, including several Ministerial Servants an one elder: If you some how determine that this is not the truth, would you continue to be a Witness? To my despair, many of them responded that they would probably remain in the organization because they do not know anything better. This to me was really surprising. But then I started to reason that it takes a lot of courage to be honest and antagonize with an organization that has the power of making your own parents or children reject you for ever or systematically ignore you. Human beings tend to avoid pain and for most people, no doubt, dishonesty is the less painful option. Hence, my question to you: Don’t you think that there may be a large number of witnesses who do not really believe in the WT teachings and remain there only because of the repressive methods of the organization? I mean, the answer may seem quit obvious, but what I mean is that if you believe this may be an issue of great proportions.
Beliefs, Honesty
by Hiddenwindow 12 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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shell69
I'm not sure whether this is a massive problem but it must certainly affect quite a number of dubs. You find generation after generation who all follow suit because its all theyve ever known. But whether they really belive is anyones guess.
I think it takes a lot of courage to leave, when the soceity do a wonderful job of cutting members off from any outside assaociation, making people completely dependant on fellow witnesses for family/friends/socialization. To take a descisive step OUT whether that be by leaving quietly, DF or DAing a person must be feeling very strongly about the hypocrisy and conflicting teachings. This person knows that they will have to pay a heavy price for their 'rebelliousness', and that inevitabley is the loss of friends and family memebers. It can be quite scary to have to start over after many years in this cult, however the hardest part is making the discison itself to leave.
From reading this site, I can see that many agonise for years, as did I, before the final straw in the preverbial camels back causes the fading dub to make the decision! I can only speak from personal experience, that although it is undoubtably a life altering desicion, and it can be painful for a time, I now have peace because I stood up for my own convictions and took the consequences (losing family).
But I feel I have my dignity.
Shell
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Honesty
How do they handle the guilt if they know it is all BS?
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yknot
I know there are great numbers of JWs who do not totally believe the WTBS as it dictates to them. Some stay because of the implications that you brought up(family/social). Others are simply baffled as to where to go besides the KH since they don't believe in Trinity and mostlikely never will. It puts many in the between a rock and a hard place and most fall back on the "wait and be patient" mode.
Of course then there are the born-ins of 1960-1973, brainwash from birth, set free by failure(1975-1976), refined by critical thinking(1977-1981), waiting with disgust(1981-present) until it is their time, whether that is GB status or Joel 2........but that is a subject entirely of it own
Until then .....Paul's counsel: (1Cor 7:23) to stop becoming slaves of men.
Y
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Cindi_67
Hence, my question to you: Don’t you think that there may be a large number of witnesses who do not really believe in the WT teachings and remain there only because of the repressive methods of the organization?
Although I am not active, because of my own experience and talks with some friends, a large number of JW's stay or will stay, because even with all the contradicitions and misuse of power, some (including me) think that it is the religion closer to the truth of the Bible. The only thing better to it is to become an independent Bible student and not joining another religion. But if it is to leave and look for another religion to go to, then they are right, there is nothing better out there.
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nvrgnbk
Hence, my question to you: Don’t you think that there may be a large number of witnesses who do not really believe in the WT teachings and remain there only because of the repressive methods of the organization?
Yes.
All Witnesses have doubts.
Their brains want to free them.
The programming is too intense though.
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watson
Hidden,
This is why I consider myself "organizationally weak," not spiritually weak.
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OnTheWayOut
The D.O. was using hyperbole- exxaggeration for effect, not meant to be taken literally.
It creates the effect that "If the impossible were to happen, I would deny it." Every faithful
dub would deny that it could be proven that God doesn't exist, therefore they know this
would never be an issue to them.Similarly with dubs saying that if "the truth" was not the truth, they would stay. They
just don't feel that it is possible to happen, therefore they can make such bold statements.
Any former believers such as the majority of us already prove that is not the case.
Once the door opens, all previously held notions are out the window.Those that remain active and not searching outside the religion, but are not really convinced-
they are under the mind-control fear that they should not look elsewhere, and that JW's
might still have the truth. That was me, and many others here, for years. Just keep adding
straws to the camel's back and that can change. -
the dreamer dreaming
When I first met my now ex wife in 1986, she was a pioneer and seemed to be one of the most versed in WT speak. She answered intelligently and often at all meetings and was held up to the cong as one of THE examples...
1 year after our marriage in 1989, when I wake from the borg trance, we start discussing all our doubts and it comes out that for over TWO YEARS prior to our wedding, she was only going through the motions... she had lost faith in the BORGanziation and Jehovah but found the pain of FREEDOM too hard to bare. the psychological damage of being BORG from the age of five was too powerful for her to overcome on her own... it was only after my departure that she found the ability to break free... infact even after I stopped going she still continued for a while.
I had noticed things while we were dating, but I had attributed them to her medical condition --a condition that was not life threatening but made her feel run down and listless a lot... to the point where she was not putting in her pioneer hours. not one person in the congregation told her to stop pioneering... they all told her to just hang in there and put as many hours as she could and then try to catch up later... the BORG wants its shiney examples for public record, they do not care if they kill you in the processes. after all what is better than to sacrifice your life in the service of Jehovah.
After she stopped going to the meetings the elders came around from time to time, sure that I had corrupted her... little did they know, nor did they care to find out the truth of the matter.
to this day I am sure they blame me for her leaving... she was gone long before I entered the picture, I just gave her the strength to stop the madness.
In case you are wondering why she mentally left-- her mother and father, a local elder, used to come home from fooling the congregation and start beating the hell out of each other.
she, being the good BORG DRONE that she was reported this to the elders when she feared they were on the verge of homocide....
the judgment-- pray together at meals and study the watchtower more.
she nearly committed suicide.
she felt betrayed and left for dead by God....it was a nightmare to live with these violent people who now blamed her for her father having to step down from being an elder
and airing the family dirt.
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erandir
yknot, I appreciate your viewpoint. You summed up the feelings of my wife and our friends who are still active witnesses. They don't buy into everything but want to stay and do a combination of waiting on Jehovah and keeping together with family and friends and also think that what they believe currently is as good as it is gonna get...that there isn't any better religion out there, so might as well stay with this one.