by Damn The Watchtower 82 Replies latest jw friends
Mad Sweeney:
I just love your comments on this thread:
http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/jw/friends/213403/2/Watching-the-Leadership-Crumble#4055554
Food for thought: If a person develops critical thinking skills BEFORE coming into contact with WT, what will his or her impression be of WT, when fully exposed to it?
@ leavingwt
I have seen educated people joining JW. Their problem is not lack of critical thinking, it is lack of social skills.
The WT-teaching is "logical" within its own world, and in many ways it is anti christianity, which appeals to some that are tired of the christian holy claim of having God within them.
Contador is attacking. Have much to say but will comment later.
People who join aren't fully exposed to the WT, though. I think Leaving used that adjective "fully" intentionally. You don't become fully exposed to the Watchtower for years, sometimes decades after joining; sometimes never. When you learn the truth about the Borg, there are different ways to react, and the leadership has primed the believers with several of them, including "wait on Jehovah" "we're imperfect but it's God's organization" "where else shall we go to?"
But a critical thinker is eventually going to think his/her way through that stuff because it doesn't pass logical muster when held up against the flaws, sins, and crimes of the organization.
One important key, then, is to break the Information Control and make the truth about the Borg available as much as possible.
(btw, thanks for the props, LWT)
I'd like to comment on this, as well:
Facebook and other social networking sites do play a role in the breakdown of some marriages. That's not something that is justed touted by WT. Lots of single and married witnesses' (and non-witnesses of course) lives are playing out over these sites. It's not a cause per se, but it definitely is a factor many cases.
How do you know this is true? Unless you are very active on the FB pages of many JW individuals and groups you are just trusting hearsay.
Lots of things contribute to marriage breakups. Claiming that a particular type of Internet interaction is a cause of many marriage breakups is an extraordinary claim that demands extraordinary evidence. To date I have seen none. I don't doubt that there have been JWs who met others online and left their spouse for them, or had an affair with them. But "many"? And is Facebook really a causal factor?
Desirous of Change - Dark Knight, I hate to be the one to tell you, but the elders are NOT spending their time shepherding.
Trust me, as former elder who actually did systematic shepherding I use the term "shepherding" loosely in the context of my comments. You are right, most elders do not do any organized shepherding on a consistent basis. But many will leave the women to preach while they handle investigations of wrongdoing and call that "shepherding."
I hate the use of broad sweeping statements made without data to support the statement:
1. Facebook the break up of MANY marriages - How large was the sample group that was studied? What parts of the country? What age groups?
2. Most witness youths who go to college leave the "truth". - Really? Again, where is the data to support this assertion? Has anyone ever seen it?
Facebook breaks up marriages is a current, running theme in the Borg. It's BS.
This kind of thing makes me giggle.
I have heard of this process of communication called letter writing. How many relationships have ended do to letters and their content? I mean DAMN we gotta stop writing so many letters people are breaking up all over the place!
-Sab
DTW you have a PM!
When I was a kid it was television soap operas. The poorly-acted doctors and lawyers made women feel all romantic and tingly inside so that they were dissatisfied with their window-washing JW husbands.
There's always a new scare tactic for the Borg to throw around.
MadS - I'm not picking an argument here. Let me rephrase, I know that social networking sites have played a role in the breakdown of many marriages.
Again, not picking an argument with you. But WT is not the only source that sites these sites as factors in marital breakdown. That was my point.
Hope I made myself more clear.
To all who posted, thank you! My older brother was admitted to the hospital two days ago and my mind and efforts have been spent in doing what I could. There is surely a divide between me and many who post here. But that divide is not insurmountable. I do love you all.
