Bobcat,
How does the body of elders in your congo treat you? Your spirit is unmistakable—not model party line. In this hair-trigger ‘beware of apostates’ climate, some zealots must be trying take your temperature?
Just curious.
This weeks book study and Bible Hi-lites
by bobld 13 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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Bobcat
QC:
I'm pretty much marginalized. I'm never asked to do anything - and to be fair, I'm glad. I partake. And I wonder if they think I'm a little off. But they never say. No elder has ever asked me about partaking at the memorial. Not once, going on nearly a decade now. When someone else does ask (which isn't very often) I say 'I'm just doing what I was told to do' (which is the truth - although JWs seem to find that strange if the person who told you is Jesus. If the GB or an elder tells you to do something, then, yes, do that. But if Jesus says to do something, well, first we have to see if that applies to you. . .).
I'm not on the TM school. At least I don't think I am. I'm never offered any school parts (for years now). But they never said I'm off, nor have I asked to be off. But I am glad to not be doing school parts. And I would not accept any if asked. I have much better things to devote my study to than the picayune school parts. It is a strange twilight zone. (I think many of the friends wouldn't mind if the school overseer forgot to schedule them also. For years he has been in the habit of handing out assignments with only a week notice. The friends grumble to themselves but still do them. Me, I hear them grumbling and smile. I'm free of that.)
I've learned to be very careful what I say around JWs. (This was fun, but I still sensed raised eyebrows, even though it is straight out of the Bible and done in a non-contradictory fashion.) The WT has them all tuned in to be alert for 'apostate' tendencies now. It's sad. I used to love this religion and the people in it. I still love the people but I see a widening gulf between us now due to the differences in our beliefs (mine and theirs) and even in our different thinking patterns and seeing more plainly how the WT manipulates them. In the BH comment I mentioned above, I was very careful to stick with the idea that 'Paul said this and applied that' in connection with what was said in Genesis. If someone tried to find fault with my comment they would have had to basically disagree with Paul's application of the Genesis promise. Yet fundamental Christian teaching on that point is so absent in the KH, I don't doubt most just shrugged it off as a comment, nothing more, nothing less - what you are supposed to do. There is no real thinking or analyzing going on there. Just listening, obeying, etc.
But generally I avoid commenting at the meetings. Occasionally, just enough that they can't say I don't, but not very often. I despise the parroting of ideas that most commenting is. The WT tries to guilt people into commenting regularly, saying it is part of our worship, when in fact, it is part of their indoctrination process. I save most of my 'commenting' for before and after the meetings, and especially for the olders ones who are just trying to get by from day-to-day. I try to always give older ones an encouraging word, or just single them out to speak with them. They thrive on that.
For the moment, I content myself with trying to help JWs on the internet to get a better understanding of the things the WT hides from them. Many of my comments here (on JWN) are more intended for lurkers. And I try to annotate my comments here with enough references and/or scriptural backing to do real damage to WT falsehoods.
Take Care, QC
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QC
Wow! I'm trying to imagine myself in your shoes.
You've found a better way to stay spiritual.
I assume you stay there because you're attached by family?
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Bobcat
QC:
Yes, I'm attatched by family. Especially my beloved wife. She's in, and I mean "in." Yet she also has loyalty for me and our marriage. I think she senses the damage that would be caused if she divulged some of our private talk to the elders.
It's interesting to see her reaction when I bring up something that she senses is in conflict with WT dogma (Such as this) There is an immediate reaction in her demeanor as if she senses an attack on her beliefs. I assure her that it was just an interesting point I found. And she goes back to normal, like nothing happened. And she never asks about the new point. It's like, 'if the WT didn't see it as noteworthy, then it's not.'
So I've learned to be careful. She's a wonderful woman, a wonderful human. I wouldn't trade her for anything. But some of her thought processes have been manipulated by the WT (just as mine were - but I'm slowly reversing that).
But that is how I see with most witnesses that I know. Their first reaction to anything said is an insecure defensive reaction. The very sight of a non-WT tract or book produces a reaction like they were trying to avoid touching poison ivy. Their faith is so fragile that any out-of-the-way comment threatens them. They've been trained to think there is only the WT way and Satan's way, with nothing in between. And yet they don't always have the means to put up a good argument for what they believe in. Nor do they have the security in their own beliefs to allow someone different to have his. And the WT wants it way. That way 8 glorified religious dictators can feel secure in their beliefs, even if it is at the cost of 8 million pawns.
Here is something from the book study the other night that illustrates how my thinking and the WT's have diverged: The conductor pointed to the box "Questions For Meditation," and asked 'Which comes first, research or meditation?' His answer was "research, always." The unspoken reason was that you looked up what you were looking for - always in WT publications, always accepting what they say - this is "research." And then you "meditate" so as to accept and understand what you found.
So it goes.
Take Care