Logical Fallacies in WT Publications

by Oubliette 57 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Sulla

  Actually, to the OP, I don't think that's a logical fallacy. It's a pretty straightforward argument:

  -- You should stay away from people who are mentally diseased

  -- apostates are mentally diseased

  -- you should stay away from apostates

  Nothing fallacious about it. Wrong, maybe, but each point follows. Now, an ad hominem would be something like:

  -- apostates say JWs are wrong

  -- apostates are mentally diseases

  -- therefore, apostates are wrong

  I think this would count, since even a mentally diseased person might make a good argument. But the claim that you should stay away from mentally diseased persons of which apostates are examples is not a fallacious argument.
• 

  EdenOne

  marked
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  Witness My Fury

  ‘'Suppose that a doctor told you to avoid contact with someone who is infected with a contagious, deadly disease. You would know what the doctor means, and you would strictly heed his warning. Well, apostates are "mentally diseased," and they seek to infect others with their disloyal teachings. (1 Tim. 6:3, 4)'' - Watchtower, July 15th, 2011, p. 16, para. 6

  Actually they went from "contagious deadly disease" to a mental condition ("disease") .... they are NOT comparable at all.

  One is contagious and can cause death and would rightly be isolated and contact avoided, the other needs understanding and correct intervention and has nothing to do with isolation and contagion. So the comparison is deliberately forced with the obvious intention of getting them to shun those who dont agree.
• 

  FingersCrossed

  Marking
• 

  88JM

  Just a reminder, for those who haven't seen the poster...

  

  From: https://yourlogicalfallacyis.com/poster
• 

  Witness My Fury

  Here's a good one: http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/visualizations/rhetological-fallacies/
• 

  Terry

  Actually, to the OP, I don't think that's a logical fallacy. It's a pretty straightforward argument:

  -- You should stay away from people who are mentally diseased

  -- apostates are mentally diseased

  -- you should stay away from apostates

  Nothing fallacious about it. Wrong, maybe, but each point follows. Now, an ad hominem would be something like:

  -- apostates say JWs are wrong

  -- apostates are mentally diseases

  -- therefore, apostates are wrong

  I think this would count, since even a mentally diseased person might make a good argument. But the claim that you should stay away from mentally diseased persons of which apostates are examples is not a fallacious argument.

  1.The analogy is a false analogy. You can't "catch" mental problems, but, you can treat them. As shepherds who imitate The Fine Shepherd Jesus they are supposed to go after the "stray" and cradle them in their bosom to return the stray to the flock.

  2.An Apostate disagrees and leaves. In the Christian context--why would a person who has dedicated their life to Jehovah see reasons to do so? The Watchtower article IGNORES reasons so that the issue of "just cause" won't be debated. Instead, they seek to dismiss without a hearing.

  3.A physician doesn't stay away from afflicted people and neither did the Great Physician, Jesus Christ. He was criticized by Pharisees for eating and drinking with the WRONG SORT OF PEOPLE. If anything, the Watchtower article is an article those Pharisees would have written about Jesus.

  4. The Watchtower's counsel goes against scripture.

  Proverbs 18:13

  New International Version (NIV)

  13 To answer before listening—
  that is folly and shame.

  Jesus was considered to be an Apostate because his arguments with Pharisees and leaders of Judaism were condemnations they DID NOT WANT TO HEAR.

  It simply never ocurred to Jewish Leaders that THEY COULD BE the mentally diseased ones. Neither does the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses.
• 

  Emery

  Terry
• 

  Phizzy

  What a great idea Oubliette ! I know when I first walked away I had no idea of how to think Critically and for myself, I had been in the WT since birth and for many decades.

  I soon learned, courtesy of posters on here, the art of Critical thinking, and got my Certificate in Fallacy spotting. It is a wonderful set of skills to have, not just for exposing and expunging the WT rubbish, but in life generally, it gives you a 100% accurate Bulls**t Meter and is so so helpful in making decisions, large and small.

  I even find it useful when playing Devil's Advocate aginst my S.I. Law, I love to wind her up as she tends to be argumentative, but I now have the ability to stop her dead ! I've got that good I can do it with stuff I don't even believe !

  That aside, I think your idea will be a great tool for freeing JW's, after one has learned the skills of how to spot the fallacies and how to think logically and properly, it is short step to finding all the WT output to be totally unacceptable.

  One they love to use, and Russell used to do this, was propose something as being fact/true, then build an argument on the false premise, return to the premise again, and talk of it as totally proven.

  Your example in the O.P is a bit that way, "You should stay away from people who are mentally diseased"

  Should you ? Why ? The whole argument falls if the first premise is wrong in any way, or is false.

  The only hurdle is, we are asking JW's to ask questions.

  Normal people do that all the time, why ? who says so ? on what authority ? where is the proof ? etc etc just normal questions and normal thinking, JW's have had the ability to ask those kind of questions surgically removed, because the FDS commands they do not do it.

  A BIG Hurdle.
• 

  moshe

  Living forever on a paradise earth is the big dream of Jws- without a shred of proof it is going to really happen.