Yesterday i got to ask my kids what they thought of the convention they just had. Response was 'really good'. I asked what was good? Daughter liked the drama but could not say why or what the lesson was... so i figure she liked it because it was more interesting than the regular talks. Son commented on the girls...nuff said.
I asked about the generation change and they had no idea of course what i was refering to. It really pisses me off how the CORP keeps them all so dumbed down.
Anyway, today i got an hour free with my son and took the chance to talk...
I started by telling him that i felt that i was running out of time with him as he gets older he will probably not visist so much and one day i'll be ringing him and saying how i haven't seen you for two months...i have so much i want to say, so much i want to pass on. That one of my biggest regrets was not being able to spend the time with him that i should have been allowed.
I asked what would happen if you told the elders you wanted to get baptised now? He said they would say good on you...I comented that he would then have to have a little study of some book, be able to answer a lot of questions and be regular in the door to door work...and hey presto, you'll get baptised. I explained how they would baptize him even if he really had no idea of what the religion is all about, past and present.
i asked him what did he think was the most importand decision he would ever make? marriage or baptism? He chose baptism. I asked how old he though you should be before getting married, he said much older than 18. I asked what do they mean in the publications when they say 'not to marry in the bloom of youth'? He said not to when you are young and silly. So i asked, why then will they baptize you, the most important thing you will ever do, while you are young and silly? You cannot just change your mind. We talked about the affects of disfellowshipping or changing his mind on family and future wife and in law families etc.
we talked about how easy it would be to get baptised for the wrong reasons, like to marry a girl who may be baptised and wants a white kingdom hall wedding...
I asked, How do you feel about your religion? Do you think it is the one true path to god? To which after a pause said he thought it was. I asked why he thought it was and he replied because it makes sense. I responded that if he went to the doors preaching and asked a seventh day adventist about their religion, they too would probably say 'it makes sense'. After all, who would admit to being in a religion that made no sense at all? (He did ask what is the seven d..what?)
So i asked if he knew anything about other religions and he knew nothing. I said, then, when you go door to door, what are you really doing? He responded that he would be trying to convert them and tell them armageddon was comming. So i said that means basically, you are saying to them ''you are wrong, we are right, join us or die''?!
How can you KNOW you are right and they are wrong if you know nothing about them? you have to investigate their religion, at least, know the basics of the belief system. How can you be sure you are right? Would you not have to research your own religion too? I said, they tell you to provre all things to yourself. What books will they tell you to research? He said, the ones they wrote. I asked why would you trust only one side of the story? Can you trust the history they wrote? What will the JWs chose if history disagrees with the bible? He said, the bible. I asked why and we discussed how revision in history works and that it could be possible for them to do the same. How do you know the history is right. that they have not left stuff out? He comented the only way is to research sources other than their own words.
we talked about the importance of using the internet and libraries to see the other side. What if you read something horrid, what then? Prove it true or false. If its true, can you live with it, was it an honest mistake? You must do that over and over again or how can you say you KNOW you are in the one true religion?
I said that it is really sad though, that you cant go to an elder or your mum and say you have been reading stuff and have lots of questions. They will shut you down, tell you that its all nasty lies, and to never look again. They should be telling you to do that research, that there is nothing to hide, but they wont. Why not? We reviewed an earlier talk about other religions control of the internet to hide stuff. I suggested that if he wants to look up stuff and ask questions, not to do it on his mums computer as she will make it real tough. Do it on mine...if you asked questions they will tell you that you can look at jw.org, but not 'this one or that one etc' ans again asked why would they do that?
He asked, so, i cant do that after i get baptised? I expalined about how the watchtower has gone as far as telling the JWs that they can not think things that the governing body has not told them. That to keep holding onto a though can lead to D/F.
I referenced an earlier talk where he had said he once asked his mum how they knew they had the truth, and her answer of 'read the proclaimers book'. I said, you are 16, youare old enough to drive, old enough to be working and paying taxes, in 18 months time you will be old enough to drink legally, to get married, you are old enough to know the truth, to ask your father why he thinks it is not 'the truth'. I remarked that he already knew that was my position, so why not ask me why?
I said, i would be happy for him to be a jW, but only if he really does the deep research and still feels its true. I said i can respect that, but not if its just because it ''seems right'' or to get married, or because all your mates are etc
It was a pretty big talk and i hope the foregoing is not too muddled! I'm sure i left a lot of stuff out. but i hope you get the gist of my efforts to make him think. I am scared that he will just go with the flow, as so many do...
I think the door is open for me to show him watchtower quotes and to discuss them. And to look at the real history of the society. I made a point of not telling him anything 'apostate'. All directed at making him think think think.
i plan to print out some watchtowers that i will show him come from the JW site talking about the thought control and asking what he thinks, second will be to take him back to russells day and beyond, using only names and events talked about by the WT and then using wiki and google to look at those people Barbour, storrs etc and events for the real facts. a slow but steady trawl thru history, warts n all, especially the warts!
cheers
oz