"All generalizations are false, including this one."

by Mr. Falcon 26 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Mr. Falcon

  The above Mark Twain quote made me think about some of the comments I heard this weekend during the Watchtower Study. Several commentors alluded to the seeming ignorance of "wordly" people as regards Bible Knowledge. Comments such as "people who go to churches don't know the Bible like WE do, so they may go to church and afterwards say that was a very good sermon. If you asked them what the sermon was about they would say 'I don't know'." This comment incites chuckles from the audience. There were further allusions to the manner in which people in "Christendom" worship God by "flailing their arms around." I'm not sure what this meant exactly or what sect they were referring to, but the audience thought it was a hoot and yukked it up. Another person proceeds to comment that "worldly" people don't even know God's name, even claiming that "they think his name is Joseph." As in "Jesus, Mary & Joseph". Wocka wocka, and some more chuckles.

  Oh silly Wordly People, will you ever learn??

  So this got me thinking of all the ideologies that have been spoon-fed to me my whole life regarding "worldly people". I used to subscribe to the feeling that I knew everything; I was so much more educated in things that really mattered than any worldly person could ever dream of. I could do more for people with real problems using my Watchtowers than any psychologist or therapist could do. Why? Because I have all the answers printed right here. But then I began reading all kinds of books on psychology, literature, science, etc. and I realized that I don't know ANYTHING. Nor am I in anyway qualified to help people who may have serious problems. I began to see stupid, ignorant Worldly People as human beings with their own strong faiths, opinions and educations (many of which are way more educated than I'll ever be).

  JWs seem to love to apply generalizations as much as they love to create wonderful illustrations, like that stupid jar with rocks and sand in it. The question for discussion is this - is Jehovah's Witnesses obsessive use of generalization used in arrogance, as if they really believe that they have ALL the answers, or is it some sort of cognative dissonance defense-mechanism that they try to convince themselves that while thier lives suck, it is for a worthy cause?

  Talk to me, people.
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  MeanMrMustard
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  jay88

  Dude!!! Wow, it's like everybody will get that talk at least once a year, were the speaker takes a jar on stage with ping-balls.

  -this ball is for personal study

  -this one is for meeting attendance

  -this one is for field service activity

  and on and on
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  Heaven

  The question for discussion is this - is Jehovah's Witnesses obsessive use of generalization used in arrogance, as if they really believe that they have ALL the answers, or is it some sort of cognative dissonance defense-mechanism that they try to convince themselves that while thier lives suck, it is for a worthy cause?

  It is both. And also includes a very high level of uneducated ignorance. Once the mind becomes closed, it becomes insular, and a self-delusional cycle is built. Churn away, Botchtower, churn away.
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  mrsjones5

  It's really not honest to claim to know how "worldly" people worship if one has never been to a "worldly" church service. I know it was kind of a shock for me the first time I went to a church service. It was nothing like the wt told me it would be.
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  miseryloveselders

  I'm glad you posted this, at our meeting yesterday I was having similar thoughts. Such an arrogant, smug, self righteous lot of people in that hall. Especially the paragraphs on how churches are all to eager to cater to the desires of their parishioners. I thought to myself, well at least the churches got one thing right even if they have some doctrines misconstrued. They at least recognize that they're supposed to serve the people. The WT views their publishers parishioners the opposite way, in that their flock is supposed to serve the Watchtower.

  Something else telling about that WT Study yesterday, was how they patted themselves on the back regarding the history of CT Russel. I hate articles that are self congratulatory as they lack humility. But during the article I was thinking about a recent thread where the question was asked why doesn't the WT today take advantage of the current media available to them? The WT article yesterday went as far as to say CT Russell and the WT Society were using technology more advanced than Hollywood and the result today is more than 7 million JWs. The whole time that recent thread on this forum was on my mind, in which the general consensus is that the WT today doesn't want to spread the so called important message. Really I should say they don't want too many people to know what they teach as it would bring unwanted scrutiny and criticism towards their teachings. So back in Russell's day, the WT was all about, "Advertise! Advertise! Advertise!" Today's WT is all about, "Retain, Enslave, Hamster Wheel!!!"

  Did anybody else at the WT STudy have to suffer through comments dissing the Catholic Church's ok'ing the Confessional Application on people's IPhones? Everybody was smug and chuckling when someone commented on it. After the first comment, a few others felt the need to get into the action and make little quips themselves. I sat there shaking my head in my heart, thinking to myself wait until the WT developes a Disassociation Application where you rat out another brother or sister for having a blood transfusion, and in 48 hours the entire congregation will recieve the announcement via their Iphones that brother such-n-so is no longer one of Jehovah's Witnesses. One day they might even have a Marking Application available for your Iphone. It will inform the entire congregation via their Cell Phones, that the daughter of Brother Such-N-So was seen taking classes at a major university, and Brother Such-N-So is no longer an elder at the Bendover Congregation.
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  Mr. Falcon

  jay88 - words cannot express how much I HATE that stupid illustration. And do you like how every moron who drags a giant jar up on stage thinks that he's being original, like nobody else ever thought of this illustration? Poor fellow, he seems oblivious to the fact that he is a mindless tool without a single original thought in his head.

  Heaven - You're absolutely right. Once a person starts down the path of delusional, self-serving thinking, rarely does he wander back to reality.

  mrsjones5 - I've always imagined that church services involved killing and roasting a virgin or goat while chanting to Cthulhu. Surely, they aren't speaking of Christ, right? ... . right?

  misery - You must have been channelling my thoughts because I was thinking the same freaking thing. All praising how the Society is on the cutting edge of technology with our DVDs and CD-ROMs. Interestingly, the people who made those comments were people who can barely operate a toaster oven, let alone install a CD-ROM or figure out how to turn on a DVD. I was even thinking of that forum topic you mentioned, about why does the Society not bother to use more technological means that are proven to be more effective than wandering neighborhoods handing out pamphlets. We might as well be handing out Chinese take-out menus. Look, Catholics believe in confession. I don't agree with it, but that's what they do. If they want to have some application on their phones (much like JWs brag about their smartphone version of the CD-ROM library) then good for them. What's next? Jokes about how Muslims kneel and pray on silly doormats? How disrespectful.
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  NewChapter

  I began to see stupid, ignorant Worldly People as human beings with their own strong faiths, opinions and educations (many of which are way more educated than I'll ever be).

  Isn't it exciting? Once I quit viewing worldlings as wicked and unenlightened, I met some very cool people. Interesting too, cuz they aren't all chanting the same monotonous opinions. I'm so glad to be part of this world now--good and bad. There is so much variety.
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  Morbidzbaby

  I despise the blanket statements made by the vast majority of JWs that I know...my parents included. All "worldly people" are blinded and in darkness. Amazingly, they see points in the Bible that a lot of JWs don't. Like the fact that Jesus said a person should be baptised in the NAME of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. If the Holy Spirit is just God's "active force", why would it need a name? In that case (to my way of thinking) Holy Spirit is just a descriptive term and not a NAME. So what was Jesus talking about? The Holy Spirit would have to be a personage...and even at that, the Watchtower does not baptize in the name or even the descriptive term of it. Nowhere in the 2 pre-baptism questions does it say the words "Holy Spirit". "Spirit-directed organization" is not "Holy Spirit".

  I brought this to my mom's attention, even showing her Matthew 28:19. She looked at me incredulously and said "So what do you think? They should say "You understand you're being baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit???".... um. Yeah. Cause uh...that's what Jesus said...right? The problem...and it's a major one...is that JW's think that "Holy Spirit", "Faithful & Discreet Slave", and "Organization" are all interchangeable. Maybe even synonymous.

  I actually went to a church service...Catholic funeral mass. It was for a family member, my best friend went with me. This church was the one she went to with her grandmother as a child so she remembered certain things about the service that I didn't know. As I was sitting there, repeating the incantations or whatever, and kneeling and crossing myself (I'm Atheist, but I did it out of respect for others' beliefs), I looked off and saw a small dish nailed to the frame in one of the doorways. I was puzzled...truly puzzled! I leaned over to my friend and said "Hey...they allow smoking in here???" She looked at me aghast and said "WHAT???" So I pointed and said "What's with the ashtray??". She almost fell off her pew & was doing her damnedest to not burst out laughing...when she caught her breath, she leaned over and whispered "That's for Holy Water, you dumbass!!"....

  Yeah...JWs are SO much smarter than worldly people, huh?
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  SweetBabyCheezits

  Great post. Well-chosen Gallagher image.

  I would get so nauseous sitting in meetings hearing boastful, arrogant comments.... especially during the Rev Book study. If I only had a dime for every time I heard this comment:

  "People in Christendom are so terrified of the book of Revelation! [laughs] But we're thankful Jehovah has revealed the true understanding to the Faithful & Discreet Slave so we can learn the final fulfillment of Revelation and know what to expect!" [audience nods in agreement]

  That kind of unwarranted back-patting ended it for me. The last time they were studying the Revelation book, I got fed up and I told my wife - who was still a believer at that time - that I was done with the cong bookstudy. That probably saved my sanity, to be lost another time.