One venerable old JW lady that I admit I gave a real hard time to, what I might now term a "Viviane" time, having seen you in action, she admitted to me in the end that her devotion did not depend upon facts, reason or indeed Truth, it was purely based upon emotion.
Is "Viviane time" a good or bad thing? So, on this forum I often have religious discussions, in real life, only if someone brings it up to me. Given that I live in the bible belt, that happens somewhat frequently.
If someone wants to believe and admits there are no facts behind it, that's fine.
It's unfortunate but it is also a reality that there are many people who do not have the ability to reason logically, nor correlate a series of ideas. However, they do have the capacity to feel, imagine and believe. For these types of people we must show both empathy and sympathy. Leave them be.
But... they do! They can count money, drive a car, make plans, etc.. Some of them are even engineers! As I said, I never bring it up first, so it's really up to them to keep it to themselves.
I think that a lot of JWs feel that the claims can be backed up, but that they personally are unable to back them up.They probably think that a GB member or a Bethelite or a CO or a super elder could back them up. JWs of this particular type think that JW higher-ups are so much smarter than they are that they just accept what these higher-ups say and assume the higher-ups can back up what they say.
That is true. When I was in the process of expressing my concerns, they kept trying to get someone smarter to talk to me, ending with a CO. They eventually told me I was too smart to be a JW.
As to why they won't admit they don't know... well, I don't know. I think it's a combination of stupidity, stubbornness, and pride. Also, I think it's fear. They might have some nagging doubts that they suppress. They are terrified of the implications of these doubts, so they keep them locked away. To admit they don't know might, to them, be sort of like letting their doubts out.
I don't know either, but what you are saying makes sense.
Classic JW use of argumentum ad hominem. They attack their opponent rather than address his argument or question.
Yeah, it's a last resort, an attempt to explain why they don't or shouldn't have to answer. It's basically running away with their tail between their legs.
