If you believe in nothing, then how do you know JW's are wrong? (page 6)

Jenlet

It seems that you are still somewhat associated with JWs. I'm guessing that others / outsiders, i.e. co-workers, "worldly" relatives, think of you as a JW.

Just a thought - if you get the response "I believe in nothing" from a relative, for example, you may simply have met someone that doesn't want to engage a JW in yet another religious debate. You haven't necessarily met someone that believes in "nothing".

Peppermint

Slim,

As you sort of mentioned I don't think anyone "believes nothing" I think the people who say that have just had a gutfull of religion and choose to cut themselves off from anything spiritual or philosophical. They know it has the potential to harm them and so avoid it in the same way a recovering alcoholic would try to avoid alcohol even if its just a sherry trifle.

BurnTheShips

If you believe in nothing, then how do you know JW's are wrong?

Everyone, and I mean everyone, believes in something. At the very least, we all believe in a truth of some form.

That's all the basis needed to refute JW claims. We don't need to refute all JW claims, as not all is falsehood in JWism. We just need to refute enough of them to be convinced that the special status they claim for themselves cannot be true. We can even agree with a large part of their doctrine (I don't) and refute their claim on a few points that we don't agree with.

They cannot be Jehovah's only most special organization.

Burn

diamondblue1974

I have enjoyed this thread so far and I think it poses some interesting self exploratory questions.

If I say they are wrong about what the Bible means, then don't I have to demonstrate what it does mean? Otherwise how do I know they are wrong.

Not necessarily, it is possible to be critical about a organisations doctrine without formulating an alternative viewpoint. It is entirely possible to criticise their rationale for arriving at the conclusions they have reached but that doesnt obligate you to come up with the alternative. Who is to say there are any definitive answers? It is possible for a doctrine not to 'sit right' with someone without them having an alternative viewpoint.

Gary

OnTheWayOut

I haven't read the three pages of responses, only your initial post.

But I will throw in a comment before I am influenced by these intelligent people,
then see what they had to say.

If you do not believe in God, the Bible, the value of preserving human life and preventing sorrow, then what basis is there left for asserting that refusing life-saving blood would be wrong?

On this one issue, I don't insist that others agree with me. I just know that the JW's
twist the scriptures to make the claim that the Bible says they should not have
life-saving blood. I just say that a mind-control cult enforces it's doctrine on the
unsuspecting members who have been duped.

Now, if you don't want a blood transfusion for your own reasons, that is fine. If you want
to argue that the Bible should be the standard, the Bible is clear that you should not have
a blood transfusion- well expect an argument. But if you don't insist that your way is the
only right way, do what you want.

Also, on the point of believing in nothing, therefore not knowing that JW's are wrong, it's
faulty logic. I can know that many things are false or not true without ever discovering the
ultimate truth. I can dismiss the religion of JW's if I have found fault with their claims, but
still not know if there is a Flying Spaghetti Monster that has created us all, or perhaps a
bunch of higher-evolved creatures that act as Gods.

You can determine that a law or a leader or a practice among people is bad for them, but
not have the absolute answer as to what law should be in place, what leader should rule,
or what practice should replace the bad one.

OnTheWayOut

But how does someone who genuinely believes nothing reject Jehovah's Witnesses and all the while make sense, that is my question. On the other hand, maybe it does not make sense to make the claim "I believe in nothing" at all.

It is impossible to believe nothing. "I exist, therefore I am." That is a belief.
If you believe nothing, it is because you are dead.

There are several who admit, "I don't know." That still involves believing that
it is either possible to know, or impossible to know, but there is some answer.