I'm studying psycology at a local university. Today in class we went over cognitive dissonance and a case study of a doomsday cult. It's sad to see the cognitive dissonance among people I care about. When I point out things that are clearly wrong, they cannot refute my points. Their only reponse is to say that Jehovah is testing us. Its actually encouraging to see more friends questioning the GB. It appears that their recent attempts to crackdown are falling on deaf ears. Of course I had one nutjob in another congregation shun me even though I'm still an MS. Othere than that I've had multiple friends admit they don't believe in 1914 and that the GB probably is surprised we're still here. Sadly, as I mentioned before, they view this as a period of test to refine us. They can't admit that we aren't God's chosen people. I can see people becoming more apathetic and depressed as they battle the dissonance. It's like something I've never seen in my young life.
I'm loving school. Reading about doctors helping blind children recover sight by removing cataracts in impoverished countries makes me so eager to get out and help people live better lives instead of just telling them to wait. We can't solve the worlds problems, but there is so much we can do to make things better for everyone. I hate the deafeatist attitude I grew up with. I can't wait to finish my studies and move on!