Leaving the Organization but not the teachings

donny

When I left the Witnesses in 1992 after ten years in the orgainzation, I got as far away from the teachings and mindest as I could. However some, like my former brother-in-law, also left, but are intent on finding ways to reform the Society from within since he believes in the Society as being of God, but that it has become misguided and is slowly drifting to "Christendom" status. One of the things he cites as evidence is the WTBTS become aligned with the United Nations. Why would someone see many of the same lies, false prophecies and other missteps as most of us here, yet still believe this organization has some kind of special place in Gods heart and just needs a spiritual spanking?

purplesofa

I think some people don't ant to give up the time they have invested in the organization.

Forgives them for the mistakes made.

and is hopeful they will change.

purps

Gayle

Yes, that perplexes me too, how some get stuck in a 'limbo.'

drew sagan

Hate to refer to the new pew research poll like I have in many other posts, but the results show an interesting trend amongst JWs that is worth noting when discussing the points you brought up.

JWs by far are the most dogmatic mainline christian faith in the United States. All other major faiths have integrated with society up to some point.

Many people who leave a high control group like the JWs will typically leave everything they were taught. Because members are taught to accept "all or nothing" such as the new research poll shows, most when leaving choose 'nothing' and go about there merry way. So most people are like you, they give it up rather quickly upon seeing it is not true. They reason that if a part of it is not true, then most everything else probably isn't true either (and for the most part they are right).

The fact that some people, like your brother-in-law, cannot give up the black and white mindset of the WTS is not surprising. Many people who leave are still very much emotionally attached to some of the concepts taught by the WTS, including the idea that all major churches are false and that only people with special knowledge about a handful of Bible passages know the real truth.

So I argue that much of it has to do with emotion. Some people who leave the JWs sometimes have a great deal of anger towards the faith they were previously apart of because that church didn't make them 'strong enough' to know not to get involved with the JWs. I also know one person in particular that still likes to act as though he is all knowing like the JWs do. So he will rail on the other churches about their various teachings like the JWs do. Of course all he knows is what the WTS told him about such teachings, he has never taken any personal action to weed out all the crap they taught him. But again, I can tell he is very emotionally attached to the idea that the story-line as sold to him by the WTS is true. I would also say that some of it has to do with acceptance. The fellow I just mentioned had a brother who committed suicide over stuff that went on in the organization. I think some of his desire to hold on to the WTS teachings and ideas comes from the fact that if he did accept they were bad ideas, then all his suffering in the org would have been for nothing. He repeatedly has said "i didn't leave the truth, the truth left me", meaning that it was true when he joined, but slowly went bad over time.

So maybe some of it comes from not wanting to admit you made a big mistake joining the JWs. If it is all bad, then you made a 100% mistake. If you can reason that the WTS went bad while you were a member, you can put some of the blame on them, lessening personal responsibility. This is pretty much what I see going on in the guy I know.

yknot

Because he blames the actions of human leadership but agrees with many of the doctrines.

As a former reformist I can assure you it takes a lot to make you let go of the bone.

I still agree with some of the doctrines but feel that the ~~organization~~ corporation has gone beyond spiritual recovery.

Ultimately the WTS is no more 'clean' then any church in Chrisntendom.

minimus

Some people are just dumb and gullible. And very hoping. And unable to see the obvious.

Like they are going to fix things? Ha!

Jeremy C

There is an old saying amoung ex-Jehovah's Witnesses. It is: You can take a Witness out of the Watchtower, but you cannot take the Watchtower out of the Witness. I believe there is some degree of truth to that, but I believe that it often has more to do with a person's age and length of time spent in the organization.

Of all of the ex-JWs that I know personally (which amounts to roughly 30 people); I have noticed that those who were raised in the organization from an early age and who left the organization after the age of about 50; tend to cling to most of the Watchtower's theology. I know of three (all over 50) who left the Watchtower, and are now affiliated with the Dawn Bible Students. These are the kind of people who believe that the Watchtower is basically theologically correct, but has allowed itself to become corrupted by various persons in power through its policies and the Governing Body's domineering attitude.

I have noticed that those who were also raised as JWs, but who left an a much earlier age, have rejected basically all of the JW teachings (including the concept of God alltogether). Many of them have taken on a more secularist attitude toward life, or are agnostic.

Dogmatic black and white thinking has lost its appeal amoung much of the younger generations; even the members in many mainline churches. Tolerance for other beliefs and viewpoints is something of a cultural development that has influenced many religious organizations that were at one time Watchtower-like. This has not been a welcome development amoung many older Christians, and so it is not suprising that many long-time JWs who have left the Watchtower organization still retain their JW-style of rigid arbitrariness in spiritual matters.

It seems to me that younger ex-JWs are more open to investigating the foundational arguments for Biblical inerrancy, scholarly works that are not flattering to the Fundamentalist perspective, and other unorthodox philisophical studies. Older ex-JWs typically find such endeavors to be foolish, misleading, and detrimental to their Biblical faith.

jwfacts

At the core of it all is that people want to believe in an afterlife. A JW is trained to want that to be an earthly paradise and to think they won't die. If they totally reject the WTS teaching, there is little around that offers the hope of never dying or living in an earthly paradise. Ex JWs don't always have the emotional maturity to accept death as a reality, or to believe a heavenly afterlife is as good as an earthly one.

changeling

I think there are many out there like your brother. Some think the Society needs reform and are waiting for it to right itself and others just can't live up to it's moral standards but think it's the truth and there is something wrong with them. I feel very sorry for these people.

changeling :)

VoidEater

Why would someone see many of the same lies, false prophecies and other missteps as most of us here, yet still believe this organization has some kind of special place in Gods heart and just needs a spiritual spanking?

Addiction or denial?

Leaving the Organization but not the teachings

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