Keeping up Appearances kills

by joelbear 7 Replies latest jw friends

  • joelbear
    joelbear

    Take this case:

    Given, God's true organization is different from all other organizations that claim to represent him do to several familiar factors (love among themselves, keeping congregation clean, etc.)

    Given, Jehovah's Witnesses claim to be this organization.

    Given, Jehovah's Witnesses in reality are not substantially different in this regard from any other organization.

    Conclusion: Jehovah's Witnesses break their backs and minds and the backs and minds of their followers to try and pretend that they are different, leading to cover ups, internal political manuveuring, harmed children, family and individual stress, etc. etc. etc.

    Conclusion: It is psychologically and physically dangerous to belong to or be influenced by an organization that is trying to APPEAR substantially different without the capacity of BEING substantially different.

    Joel

  • Shimmer
    Shimmer

    Good point Joel. Imperfect organization claiming to be better than other imperfect organizations. Each one has problems, just different problems. They claim their way of serving God is better than anyone else's way of serving God. Who do they think they are that they can say that someone's faith and worship is not acceptable? Isn't that up to God to decide, not man.

    Shimmer

  • Satanus
    Satanus

    Time for these silly people to transcend their groups. Time to work on accepting the idea that we humans are all in this together.

    SS

  • TR
    TR

    Good thoughts, Joel. It pretty much sums up the whole WTS experience/org in a nutshell.

    TR

    UADNA-WA
    Unseen Apostate Directorate of North America- Washington Division

  • Reborn2002
    Reborn2002

    I agree with you wholeheartedly Joel.

    "Keeping up appearances" is a double-edged sword.

    It is one of the gravest tragedies the WTBTS commits because it is something that CONTROLS so much of individual's lives.

    Jehovah's Witnesses break their backs and minds and the backs and minds of their followers to try and pretend that they are different.
    Oh how true that is. Over time, that pretending becomes a false reality for the person practicing it. They are so absorbed in putting on a pretense, they can no longer decipher legitimate reality from self-delusional fantasy.

    On the other hand, those very same pretenses are the catalyst in getting some people OUT of the organization. A few individuals SEE the hypocrisy for what it is, and make an exit.

    Excellent thoughts joelbear.

    It is not religious persecution for an informed person to expose publicly a certain religion as being false, thus allowing persons to see the difference between false religion and true religion.
    WT 11/15/1963 page 688 paragraph 3

  • joelbear
    joelbear

    I have been giving this a lot of thought lately.

    To be mentally healthy, one must live in reality. Only when beginning with reality can one create a better reality.

    Apparent reality is not benign, it bruises the psyche and keeps it bruised.

    Joel

  • larc
    larc

    Joel,

    I don't think that reality is either benign or malignant. Reality just is. It is what we do with it, how we interprete it, and how we handle it that makes a difference.

  • joelbear
    joelbear

    Larc, I agree.

    I didn't say that.

    I said Apparent Reality is not benign. Some that is not real that is presented as reality, is not benign, but instead destructive.

    Joel

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