How IGNORANT can you be and still be a Jehovah's Witness in GOOD standing?

by Terry 32 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  Terry

  As I have said many times, I did not really study JW teachings in depth until I went to prison.

  I had a period from 1959 to 1967 when I---sort of----could explain things to a shallow depth. And that was about all.

  Once I entered that profound place in my head (while in Federal Prison) when everything got SERIOUS.....I entered a secret room, so to speak, where

  all the mysteries were hidden!

  Upon leaving prison (I was on parole 4 years!) I discovered something that startled me back at my old Kingdom Hall.

  Hardly any other JW really put any time into the "deep" things!

  More or less--the doctrines were memorized as separate pieces of information to be used at the door to door work.

  For those who did not memorize you had these little onion skin booklets (like Make Sure of All Things) you attached to the back of your bible.

  It was a "cheat sheet". You could instantly cross-reference scriptures and spout rebuttals in a debate.

  My EPIPHANY was a shock. I had always assumed everybody EXCEPT me knew more!

  But, no. Deep research was the exception and not the rule among the brothers and sisters.

  Every congregation had one or two very sharp and knowledgeable souls who really knew their shit. (Yes, it was shit.)

  But, otherwise, unless somebody was a long time veteran the depth of awareness sloped off.

  I think it was UNSAFE to know too many "old teachings" because it interfered with cognitive dissonance!

  The deeper you studied the old publication the more radical the changes seemed and the more crackpot the former beliefs!

  HOW IGNORANT can you be these days?

  The few conversations I've had with JW's at the door or out in public (they had no idea I am apostate) makes me think the awareness

  of basic older teachings or history of the Watchtower Society is minimal or none at all.

  Is this a new standard?

  Or is it the same old thing?

  After leaving prison I determined I would become (don't laugh) an EXPERT JW! I had read and studied and researched all the way back to pre-Russell times and came forward through the decades slowly. I had a wonderful memory. I could quote those publications and show the pages in the older books to surprised doubters. I wasn't subversive at all--I was just--well, informed.

  Wouldn't the average JW today be very very surprised and frightened if they were to have a deeper awareness of the history of JW teachings??
• 

  Dismissing servant

  Of course you are right. Ignorance is a bliss.

  I would guess that less than 1% of active JW's today know about 1874, 1878 and 1925. Maybe less than 0.1%
• 

  Yan Bibiyan

  Paleasse, with the automatic "apostate" label attached to any contrary to current teachings information, how can one expect old publications to even be considered "reading material"...
• 

  sspo

  What i noticed about the JWs, the ones born in the religion were very ignorant of the doctrines and were not able to turn to the scriptures and prove what they believed.

  Very embarassing when i would go on a bible study with someone, even an elder, that was born as a JW, and a question was asked about hell, trinity,other sheep and so on they would be lost and had to rely primarily on the publication being studied.

  And that's the reason why many stay in the religion because they are too lazy to question what they believe...BRAINWASHED as i was for 32 years.
• 

  scotoma

  Terry,

  I have been thinking the same way lately. Especially with all the information trying to identify the "slave class" and the emphasis on "Our Herritage".

  Even though I haven't believed JW teachings for 40 years I tended to dismiss their teachings because their basic premise is false. I like to look at the foundation beliefs of a system to save the time of wading through every fallacious statement. Once I figured out that the Bible wasn't the book they thought it was I was content to just pay attention to my most recent indoctrination.

  It reminds me of the Hindu answer to what the earth sits on. The earth sits on the back of an elephant - and when asked what the elephant sits on the answer is it's elephants all the way down. Not only is current JW dogma toxic - it's toxic all the way back. And why not? The Bible isn't so special either. The Bible is just like the oldest "bound volumes".

  The problem is that it is so easy to just forget the past. But the past is the source of all the current nonsense.

  I still attend some meetings with my wife. She married me as a witness. We've been married a long time. She isn't going to leave me. She raised our four children (none are witnesses anymore). So I give her the dignity of not having to always sit alone at the hall. I actually enjoy it because in my head I'm playing "Name the Fallacy".
• 

  Indian Larry

  How IGNORANT can you be and still be a Jehovah's Witness in GOOD standing?

  Have you seen some of the vids on youtube of Governing Body members speaking at conventions? That should answer your question.
• 

  Terry

  So,being a JW is really like joining a club.

  Interesting!
• 

  Phizzy

  Good analogy Terry! if you join a club with no real written history, you absorb things by osmosis, and myths become truths etc about the Club , its origins and history, and the exploits and achievements of past members.

  Most JW's do this, accept the myths and inventions they are told, so really are in total ignorance as to the history, especially of doctrine, no new member would be aware of the century and more of flip-flops etc

  No new member really has to have a good grasp of present doctrine either, I remeMber one lad they went through the Baptism questions with who maintained at first that we all go to heaven ! after the explanation by the Elders that he said he accepted, he was duly baptised, he is now married and bringing up children in the religion, I bet they know even less than him if that is possible.

  As long as you turn up most of the time, do a bit of knock-knocks, and never say a word aginsrt the GB you will be in "good standing"

  Your totoal ignorance of "worldly" learning will be looked upon as a further qualification.

  How IGNORANT can you be ......?

  ABYSMALLY.
• 

  return of parakeet

  "How IGNORANT can you be and still be a Jehovah's Witness in GOOD standing?"

  As ignorant as you need to be, which in the case of dubs, is profoundly ignorant.

  I remember, when I was a profoundly ignorant, reluctant teenage dub, not wanting to know the scriptures behind the dub doctrines. All I cared about was trying to get out of going to meetings and field service. I almost never read the WT, even when I offered it to the public (when I failed to weasel out of FD).
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  Vidiot

  If you attend all the meetings, go door-to-door every Saturday, and comment at the Watchtower study, you could be as dumb as a box of rocks and still be "in good standing".

  I've seen it.