Return to Jehovah… No Return Address

by Marvin Shilmer 45 Replies latest jw friends

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  cappytan

  Elder: So which one of these three -- anxiety, hurt feelings or guilt -- is the reason you left?

  All three. Anxiety because I don't believe anymore and worry that my family will shun me if I stop pretending, hurt feelings because of the organization protecting pedophiles instead of children, and lastly, guilt because I belong to a cult and actually recruited others into this cult and got them baptized a.k.a. trapped. Is any of that covered in the brochure?

  Elder: We'll read your name at the next meeting.

  Any way you answer that question, they're probably reading your name at the next meeting.
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  Simon

  Isn't it sad that they want to guilt and pressure people into returning. They are happy to have coerced captives there because of family pressure vs not wanting anyone there that isn't 100% by their own choice and free option.

  They spin it as love but it's really heartless cruelty to cut off your own family simply based on the say-so and desire for complete control by people they will never even meet.

  I can't see them changing but if they do they will spin it as another manifestation of their own wisdom, love and divine inspiration without any regard to the lives and relationships they destroy. Makes me want to vomit.
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  sir82

  Hmmm. the cynic in me says this brochure will be used as a bullying instrument by elders on "shepherding visits".

  Visit inactive JWs, coerce them to accept a "study" in the brochure, and as indicated above, enforce negative consequences for those who refuse to do so.
  
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  maninthemiddle

  BoC, that is funny, but exactly how i see it playing out.
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  Londo111

  I can’t think of any other brochure in the history of the organization that has been dedicated to try to win people back. If this is true, it might be that the Society realizes there is a vast population of former and inactive JWs. In many lands, like the US, growth from recruitment is a bust. Most of the new members are children of JWs and only 1 out of 3 of those remain.
  Many who leave, in particular the inactive, but also those who are DFed, even a few who DAed, still do not know TTATT. They have lingering feelings that it might be the truth. Therefore such a brochure could be targeting to those people. Targetting attritors might be the only way in some lands to mine any growth.
  
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  FayeDunaway

  They spend so much effort trying to make you feel CONSTANTLY guilty in the first place, for never doing quite enough to merit your salvation....then when you finally have had enough, they try to use guilt to get you back in...no doubt saying ' you will be forgiven!!' Um, maybe for two minutes, till the cycle starts again.
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  Watchtower-Free

  
  
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  wifibandit

  Does anyone have a copy of this file?
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  redvip2000

  But wouldn't it be cool if in the future we were allowed to send this brochure to such ones?

  The level of dissonance is astounding. This person is really saying that he/she completely disagrees with the level of shunning that exists.
  
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  OUTLAW

  “I know it's for our safety that we don't associate with disfellowshipped/disassociated ones,

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