It's amazing the cognitive dissonance....

notverylikely

So...I'm a born in, fading, can't break away with a DF or DA for various reasons. As some of you may know from posts I have made, I am pretty much a total non-beleiver is God in general and a full throttle "this is bullshit" believer for the watchtower.

I've been doing some work for a friend of mine who is in a similar situation as me with the exception that he is not sure if he beleives in god, but he does believe the watchtower is BS (he's a born-in too, his wife, his family, all his friends are WT people, etc).

So, since I have been working with him we have had some interesting conversations about the WT and their bullshit. Most of his "friends" are people I know, but he has known them a lot longer. Two of them smoke, one is DF'ed, got a DUI, loves strippers, etc, one smokes weed just about every day, most of them drink pretty heavily, go to strip clubs, etc. (not that I am against or don't do some of those things myself).

So we're all sitting around after work drinking a beer one day last week and my buddy says "this whole generation teaching just doesn't make sense and I am not sure I believe it". Pretty much to a person, the people that had been smoking cigarettes, weed, etc., earlier that day IN FRONT OF US went all apreshit about how he was going to be soooo sorry when the Big A gets here and he's destroyed and you gotta believe, etc. etc.

Later, we looked at each other and just asked, "WTF is wrong with these people?".

Amazing.

changeling

Typical. Like you said: cognitive dissonance. Sad, but true.

cult classic

NVL it is absolutely amazing. It boggles the mind that those who don't follow the "moral" rules of WT are some of the most fear-filled associates of the borg. They can be extremely judgemental also. It's almost as if they give themselves license to break the rules as long as they "give Jehovah something to work with." As long as they have that fear they feel they have some faith.

If one does not pull apart the foundation of their beliefs (the FDS, universal sovereignty issues, etc), they will be forever trapped in the grip of WT.

Mad Sweeney

I have a DFd relative who defends the Borg more than my Dub family does. I can't get through to him. It's insane.

notverylikely

It's freaking amazing. Personally, I drink when I want, have a cigar when I want, have sex when I can, swear like a drunken sailor when it's appropriate, watch what I want, etc. That's ME.

These guys...we went and played golf, they were smoking (I quit for health reasons), drinking, swearing, one guy lit up a joint (no one else was near us on the course), etc etc. We've all had DUI's, one of them just got busted for buying weed from UC....but question whether or not it's the truth? OH MY GOD APOSTATE YOU'RE GONNA DIE AT ARMAGEDDON!

Of course, they still hang out with us because hey, what other dubs are gonna do that stuff with them?

garyneal

I asked my wife last night about 1914 and related an experience of SD7 who was disfellowshipped for apostacy because he no longer believed in that date. The thing I could not understand is how is it that the society elders can disfellowship you over a lousy date.

Judged as dead because of a date?

She kept insisting that if one does not believe in it what else is there?

Um, what about salvation through grace or in their terminology, undeserved kindness. Isn't Jehovah still the sovereign God of the universe regardless of 1914? What about the Bible, isn't it still the inerrent word of God without 1914?

She said that even if 1914 wasn't true we should continue to profess it anyway or at least treat it as true. So I asked her what is more important, truth or doctrine? She did not having anything real to offer in response.

I don't know, maybe this will one day wake her up.

edited to add: Let's keep in mind that the part that makes no sense to me at all over this is the fact that you can be judged and labeled as an apostate all because of one lousy date. Nevermind the fact that you still believe in God and the Bible and that you still believe in the WTS being true to the Bible. Nevermind even the fact that you lead a clean, moral life and try to please God in every way. Disbelieve one date and you're marked as dead. What a religion.

freedomisntfree

Dude get out of this cult.If this is how u feel and behave your living a lie.Be all in or all out .

leavingwt

"The walking dead", I call them. They're not living up to the JW standards, and in their hearts they truly believe that God is going to kill them, very shortly. Very sad, IMHO.

http://www.jwfacts.com/

notverylikely

Dude get out of this cult.If this is how u feel and behave your living a lie.Be all in or all out .

Geez, why didn't *I* think of that. I am soooooo stupid and you are sooooo smart. Thanks for opening my eyes, I'll go do exactly what you said! Before I go, though, let me show you my gratitude for your advice about my life that you don't know anything about. Here's a nice hot mug of "Shut the Fuck Up".

garyneal

"The walking dead", I call them. They're not living up to the JW standards, and in their hearts they truly believe that God is going to kill them, very shortly. Very sad, IMHO.

That's my sister in law now and my wife before she decided to go all gung ho into this cult.

It's amazing the cognitive dissonance....

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