Are We Any Better Than the Witnesses?

Caljuher

I have just been on this board a short time. I have been visiting it for years, however, via the FreeMinds site since I left the JWs in the late 1990s.

But there is so much anger and pain and hatred--especially for people who still want to believe in some kind of God or religion--on this board that it doesn't seem to be so healthy of a place. Why so much hate? It is hard, I know to move past the anger and pain, but we have to do so if we are ever going to find peace. And it isn't enough just to find peace for us, we need to help provide that for others who have the left or thinking about leaving the Watchtower.

I am hoping things will change here, especially after this post http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/22/default.ashx , but should I expect it? Why are we making each other on this board our enemy (theists versus non-theists)? Isn't that exactly what the Watchtower wants to promote its view of those who leave their ranks, that we can never have any peace outside of their religion? I think we need to prove them wrong and if it doesn't start in places like this board, then where?

whatistruth

No we are not better than the witnesses, the actual people. We are better than the religion and all it stands for and represents.

5go

No we are not better than the witnesses, the actual people. We are better than the religion and all it stands for and represents.

We as a community just as bigoted and prone to prejudice as them. Though we allow decent to be spoken not silenced.

real one

i think you are going somewhere with this cause it seems the few people i have commented with on this board are athiest after leaving the wts and that is sad.

ex-nj-jw

I'm no better than anyone JW or non and I don't feel that anyone is better than me.

Everyone will never agree on any one subject, if that were the case then we'd be no better off than being JW or any other cult that expects people to think, feel, speak, walk, etc the same. We are individuals with different opionins and we are free to voice those opinions.

BTW, it's not just the non-believers that are mean

nj

minimus

Many of the people here act no different than Jehovah's Witnesses.I see many many JW traits and reasoning here. Sometimes it feels like the elders are still keeping their eyes on the congregation.

Gopher

Caljuher,

Welcome to the board.

Regarding this:

Isn't that exactly what the Watchtower wants to promote its view of those who leave their ranks, that we can never have any peace outside of their religion? I think we need to prove them wrong and if it doesn't start in places like this board, then where?

If people can't see that the Watchtower is wrong by reading this and other resources, it's because they don't want to, and not because of disagreements here. The "board wars" you saw on here are nothing compared to what I saw when first joining on here in 2001. And yet people who are looking for answers will find them and ignore the spats that occur here. That's what I did, and it's why I'm still here.

I'm not looking for a utopia here where everyone nods and smiles all the time. I'd rather have a place where folks can speak what they really believe, instead of trying to "put the best foot forward" as happens in JW-land. If things get too out of hand, the moderators or Simon have always reined things in. People who don't like the atheist-theist debates don't need to click on them. And most of those are in the non-public 'debate' section anyways.

That having been said, I do see plenty of support here for people who really need it.

Caljuher

Realone--I don't think it's the right thing to say that it's "sad" that some become atheists after leaving the Witnesses. That can really make a non-theist feel their life choices aren't of the same value as a theist.

5go, I agree with you that no one should be silenced. But that is not the same thing as insulting someone by being careless in regards to how we often minimalize their choices they make after leaving the Watchtower. There are more way to silencing than merely not allowing them to express their views. We often silence not by forbidding them to write or speak, but by striking at the heart of another human being.

And I wasn't saying are better than others in the sense that some people are superior to another, that would be ridiculous. I'm talking about the way we treat others. Why is it for some of us that everything is an attack? Maybe because the Witnesses did that to us...but for those of who aren't there anymore, this isn't happening. We can act better than the Witness dogma of judgmentalism, is what I am talking about.

Yes, people can be bigotted and prejudiced whether they are a JW or here on this board, but we cop out when we say "everyone else is doing it," aren't we?

Caljuher

Thanks Gopher, but I am not talking about not having a forum for speaking one's mind. (Strangely people seem to think I have it in mind that I am talking about all or nothing...I'm talking about stopping people from commenting--good grief, that would be terrible! "Black and white" issues are also something I left behind).

I'm saying that people insult and hurt and continue to create damage to one another in ways that make me feel sorry for my fellow human. Like one news article put it, exchanging ideas onInternet boards can often be like attending a party and having people toss their drinks over you and even spit at you till you leave. Why do we think we can get away with acting like that on the Internet but not in person? Call me naive, call me idealistic, but if people can have their "theist/non-theist" wars here, then people, like me, can also trying to appeal to the minds and hearts of others to not let ourselves get torn apart in the process.

Besides whether we advocate one idea or another, honey attracts more flies than vinegar.

OUTLAW

"Honey attracts more flies than vinegar"....A big pile of Cow Poop,attracts more flies than Honey!.. Cow 5 .............. Laughing Mutley ...OUTLAW

Are We Any Better Than the Witnesses?

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