Yeah i would attack the partaking subject, 1John 5;1 says that all who believe in christ are gods sons, then go over to gospel John 6:47- here Jesus says anyone that eats will have life the word 'anyone' is repeated several times and towards the end in verse 53 hes says that if you do not eat you do not have life. At the end verse says he was teaching at the synagogue at capernaum showing he was not talking to just the apostles. Then you may ask where does it say that the 144k are anointed? Then you might ask or comment 'sounds like you religion is denying you the messiah for just the elite leaders, it that really scriptural?'
How would YOU explain cognitive disonance to a Jehovahs Witness on your doorstep
by smiddy 35 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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Narcissistic Supply
New Yaughts!! New Yaughts!! We just love this idea!!
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Oubliette
It's the feeling you get when you know that something's not quite right, but you feel compelled to accept it anyways. An example would be that there is such a thing as an "overlapping generation."
Look carefully at the picture below and answer: How many generations do you see?
Say the first thing that comes to mind.
- If you said "One Overlapping Generation" then congratulations!!! You are a faithful Witness for Jehovah.
- If you said "Four" then I'm sorry but I've got bad news, you are a "mentally diseased" apostate!
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exwhyzee
An example of someone engaging in cognitive disonance would be when a smoker, despite all the research that proves smoking is deadly, continues to smoke even though on some level he knows smoking is harming him. He truly wants to keep smoking especially since the idea of giving it up overwhelms him and despite of the possibility that he might get lung cancer, which frightens him. In order to ease the discomfort he feels, he reasons that Dr's don't always know what they are talking about, he reasons that at least he doesn't smoke Cigars and he certainly doesn't smoke as much as his Grandfather who smoked 3 packs a day since he was 13 and lived to be 80. The disonance sets in and his discomfort is releived.
JW's who are troubled by the past history of the orgainzation and are frustrated with some of the new light, or the way things are being handled by the Elders, engage in the same kind of behavior. The idea that their beleifs could be based on something that isn't true is so frightening, they go to great lengths to ease the fear this possibility creates. They might reason that maybe their leaders have made mistakes in the past, but at least they don't go to war...and I don't understand the new Blood Fractions reasoning but look at how abstaining from blood protected us from AIDS. What about the growth in the organization, surely 7 million people can't be wrong? They often go as far as to villify anyone who points out the past errors or presents evidence of wrongdoings or flaws in the current teachings. Although undereducated or never having done any research themselves, they mock scientific studies that cast doubt upon their own understanding of man's origin for example, even though nothing they believe in can be backed up by any physical evidence or reliable data but is based solely on anecdotal information that has been bent to fit around acutal historical events.
Of course they can say that Apostates do the same thing. They say Apostates just want to do what they like and they look for flaws in the organization and use human imperfection as means to justify leaving God's people and to ease their guilty consciences.
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jgnat
It's hard, as hard as convincing someone with a mental illness that their delusions aren't real. So I don't say so directly. I simply reinforce what is real.
You might explain the concept by using a third party example, such as pyramid schemes or hard sales techniques. You might describe a story of a close call and ask if they ever got close to getting sucked in.
I often tell my hubby that the door-to-door work is cold call sales. If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, etc. etc. He still denies it, because of course, it's "spiritual".
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truthhurts13
I would explain it with my garden hose
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3dogs1husband
when you believe something to be true with all your heart - then something comes along and gives you a funny feeling or doesnt "sit right" with you, but you dismiss it because you know if you thought about it youd have to change all your other thoughts and beliefs.
simply our brains love straight lines between here and there - cd is like a break in the line - we either have to rewire or ignore the new thought so the old line works again.
maybe you believe Gay is bad or wrong - you meet a coworker and you like him then you find out he is gay - cd kicks in and your brain gets that funny feeling cause you dont want him to be evil - so your brain makes something up like "well maybe he was abused as a child and Jehovah will save him because of that abuse" problem solved gay people are still evil and you can still like your coworker - cd is a beautiful bit*(
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ThomasCovenant
Oubliette said,
''Look carefully at the picture below and answer: How many generations do you see?
Say the first thing that comes to mind. ''
Just going off the point abit but remember that if that picture was taken in 1914 then Jesus meant a child that isn't even on the picture but will be born some time in the future whose life will overlap with the baby shown.
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smiddy
Frankiespeakin:thanks for that thread
The Searcher:Thanks for that scripture analysis
OUTLAW: Always spot on
Oubliette: A picture speaks a thousand words
Other posters : I appreciate your contributions , interesting points made.
smiddy
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transhuman68
I think it is the missionaries who display the most cognitive dissonance. They are so desperate to save people they have never met, who live on the other side of the world- because the ‘world’ is so bad it can’t last. So they put their trust in governments- to get passports - doctors – to get immunized – and airline companies- to get them there and back again: as well as their bank for funds transfer; as well as a million other details that they trust people in ‘Satan’s old world’ to do for them. And yet they claim this world is so corrupt and evil that Joe Hoover has to destroy it soon. I mean, come on… seriously?
