Questions- doubts? No can do for JWs, they have to pretend they are happy, happy all day long.
Why can't you ask questions?
by ihadnoidea 29 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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dissed
As an Elder....you could NEVER have questions. Your status in the congregation would come into question if you did. So you quietly went along and kept your mouth shut.......It reminds me of the book Fahrenheit 411. Montag was having questions about the morality of his job and his kindly boss tried to help him at first, thinking he would come around. But when he didn't become well, he became like an apostate and was ostrasized.
Of course, Montag ending up killing his boss, which regrettably, we can only do figuratively to our old Elders.
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just n from bethel
the apostates are a relatively tiny group, in comparison to the population at large
If that's the case, the group of active JWs that think it's ok to visit known apostate websites, even as part of their ministry, is extremely tiny (hung-like-an-ant tiny). I can assure you that the WT literature, the COs, the talks, the elders, and especially the GB acting as reps for Jesus, all admonish and ultimately would punish any JW that made it known they were coming here to this site. If the attitutde toward that counsel was brazen, the punishment could even include being disfellowshipped. Every single JW I've spoken with on this matter in the last decade agrees. All the Watchtower literature makes it clear that it is against Jehovah for JWs to come here.
Having said that, glad you're here. Wish you knew how to converse more like the above instead of your usual copying and pasting half the bible and WT Cd in one post.
getting back on topic - I can tell you that I have now officially been told not to ask questions the JWs can't answer. I've officially been warned that if I question the WT or the teachings to any other JW, that I'll face a JC.
When I was told that, I said 'Thank You - Nothing has made me more sure that this is not the truth than being told not to question the religion of my birth, despite us telling every other non-JW to do that very thing. Had you told me it was ok to explore ideas, share dialogue, conduct my own research (vs. the WT doing it for me), I might have questioned a bit longer my decision to move forward from the org. Now, I know for sure, that this religion is just a man-made joke. So Thank you for making it clear.'
So here's another question: If I printed out a random sample of pages from this site and sent it to bethel - would they agree with you that "like the Aeropagus of Paul's time this is a public forum." ? I do agree with you, don't get me wrong. But I doubt you would ever see anyone of Christ's self-proclaimed reps admitting such, especially in comparison as a way to engage in the ministry. Thus - you well know you are disobeying the GB, but that's cool - good for you.
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Honesty
I'll answer any question you have, as best I can, from the bible, secular sources, and my own logic which may help.
2057, if you think you going to spam this board with your crazy Watchtower Society Bullshit like you do on other JW discussion boards you will soon be disappointed.
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james_woods
@james_woods
First off like the Aeropagus of Paul's time this is a public forum.
But another asked that question and more info is here. It's fair game in the ministry, apostates have basically the same 6 bullets, and they are all duds, IMO. Secondly the apostates are a relatively tiny group, in comparison to the population at large, so the Internet is an echo chamber of the globe, and you can't let your public declaration be dictated by a few doubters.
None of that answered my question, which was:
Why are you continuing to come here to this website when the Watchtower Society has plainly told you NOT to?
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wobble
Lotzanumbas, why can't you question the dumbass answers you get ?
Why is that "disloyal to the FDS" ?
How come you are suddenly "Apostate" just for seeing logical fallacies etc , or that the Bible actually does not say what is being claimed ??
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Band on the Run
Framing the question is all important. Anyone with a prior knowledge of Witness doctrine must be bored out of their mind. Everyone is treated with the same knowledge. Real questions will never be allowed. It isn't the actual questions that are so troublesome but someone be so chaotic and evil as to try to frame their own questions.
1984 is a good template. The Prisoner TV series is in the same vein. Truth is distorted by the Truth. It is outrageous but when everyone else is in compliance you many wonder if you are the wrong one.
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Band on the Run
The type of person who aasks a question would not be a Witness in the first place. I am a born-in and was plagued with questions from the start -even at about five- and was very confused. I felt I was evil for questioning yet there was so much to question.
I will never forget my aunt describing this awful scene in the KH. A visitor asked questions during the WT stiudy. He had no idea it was programmed and static. It wasn't understandable to her. For my aunt, it was like the crucifix being dipped in elephant dung or urine would be to others.
When I attended college, questions were the ultimate compliment. To ask "hard" questions was the norm.
They have a culled audience of not very education, deferential people. The wonder is that they don't recruit at a battered wives forum.
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sd-7
You can ask questions. But at a certain point, you will basically be told that something is wrong with your attitude if you seem to be questioning the authority of those taking the lead. Your humility and loyalty gets called into question. You're compared to Korah and the 250 rebels against Moses. And if you ask these questions in a way that seems too public, you will get yourself in a heap of trouble.
It's the same as "deserters will be shot". You CAN leave if you want to. But you'll be shot. So...you do have a choice. It's just undesirable, is all.
It seems clear, however, that it's pointless to engage active JWs who want to debate here. They seem to be here to engage in a bit of shadow-boxing. If you want to do that, I guess it could be helpful, but it happens so much here it makes me wonder if we're all not just a little crazy.
--sd-7
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the-illuminator81
When you knocked on someone's door you felt that you had all the answers and were better than other religions because of it.
When you found an annoying householder that had some real tough questions you went back to research. Then after a few return visits you decided he just wants to ague and doesn't want to accept the truth. When you don't have the answers, you demonize the householder.
When you ask your local elder something you will get an unsatisfying answer. If you keep probing, you will be found spiritually weak and you are probably secretly masturbating, so the holy spirit is not guiding you and maybe even having a negative impact on the whole congregation. The elder is demonizing you so he won't have to think about your annoying questions.