Small details...

Garrett

So,

A witness friend wanted to meet up recently and talk. Since this person was a close friend and who I thought had a level head, I'd go ahead and speak with him. Our conversation actually helped me figure a few things out not only for myself but also about the witnesses.

So we're talking and I'm telling him my experience and the doctrines that I disagreed with as well as the scandals that made me disgusted with the organization. after about half an hour of discussing this, we start talking about the doctrine changes that we've had over the years. I tell him that with al the changes that we've had and that our teachings are never set in stone, how do we know that what we currently believe is actually truth and not another doctrine that will be replaced by new light? I also add that what we believe today vastly differs from what Russell believed.

his response to this was "those are small details, the core of our beliefs hasn't changed." That's when I had a eureka moment. I asked him to imagine a car engine. An engine is made up of many parts, the longer you have the car, the more parts you have to replace. As you're replacing small parts you're slowly taking away the old engine and replacing it with a new one. Soon, there would likely be barely anything left of the old which hadn't been replaced by the new. It's the same with our teachings... When do the small changes overtake the old beliefs and create a new "core." The organization introduces small changes, but those changes eventually pile up and before you know it, you're believing something completely different from what you once were. Unfortunately, my friend didn't have the level head I thought he had and didn't seem to understand my example.

One last thing I finally realized is that the majority of witnesses DO NOT want to wake up. I no longer feel like the brainwashing is all that's keeping them in. I think that deep down, they understand what were telling them and they know that what we're saying is truth, but they don't want to face that reality. For them, living in their world, they are doing something that they believe has purpose. Taking that away from them is devastating and the majority is not mentally capable of allowing their mind to accept the facts that we provide them with.

Those are my thoughts for the day. I would love to hear your ideas and opinions regarding what I wrote!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Father's Day!

Peace,

Garrett

jwleaks

Good analogy. Here's mine:

I love mountain bike riding. Many years ago, 14 to be exact, I purchased a very expensive custom handmade (in the USA) carbon fiber bike from the US Olympic mtb team. Over the next decade plus I replaced every single major component on the bike at least three times and all the wear-and-tear parts at least once every two years. Tires I replaced once year, both summer and winter sets. Chains and cables I would have lost track of the replacements. Eggbeaters (pedals) rebuilt after two years and fully replaced every 5 years. The frame was resprayed once and then retired for a newer identical replacement frame. All the components were simply swapped over from the retiring frame to the replacement frame. Even my family never noticed the change.

Is it the same carbon fiber mountain bike?

Consider: My carbon fiber frame was the foundation for my bike. Just like the "faithful and discreet slave class" was the foundation for the JW religion. Both are gone. Replaced with something newer and similar, and leaner and cheaper.

Crazyguy

I agree with not wanting to wake up, this religion makes ordinary plane people think their special, its also their entire social world and they know if they wake up they'll lose it.

Bonsai

You hit the nail right on the head. If you try and wake them up then they will throw the hammer right back at you. No amount of logic, reason, scripture will wake them up if they are satisfied with their situation. No matter how many things I have shared with my still in friend, no matter how much he himself complains, he still in the end says all these things are "cause for concern but not cause for alarm."

GB gestapo fanatical foot soldiers is what they are! Hail the glorious GB of God!

Phizzy

"those are small details, the core of our beliefs hasn't changed."

I challenged that nonsensical view with two Elders that said the Governing Body had asked them to call on me, more nonsense, they had simply been told by the C.O to call on inactive ones.

I told these two that ALL the unique doctrines had changed, and they did not try to disagree with that.

The word "unique" is important for two reasons, first and foremost it is only doctrines unique to JW's that can make them the "truth", if other religions teach them then they may have the truth, kind of secondly, it is true that a lot of their core teaching, has not changed, but these are shared doctrines.

If you want an analogy, use the car or bike, but make it that none of the new parts are identical to the old, they are discernibly different, and so in the end the car or bike is totally a new product.

The Searcher

Theseus' paradox - as shown in U.K.'s "Only Fools & Horses" - very fitting!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1VNNbSYdt0

joe134cd

Direct apostasy never works. There has to be some external event that they themselves experience that will wake them up. In my case, although it was the apostasy that finally finished me off. I had to get to a point first that brought me to it. I tried to wake up a few that sex abuse was a problem in the Org. I couldn't find one jw that i mentioned this to that said "I feel sorry for those victims and I hope the find closure". The most bizzar reply I got to this was to "stop reading overseas news papers because this was going to confuse you". Yup that about sums it up, and if child sex abuse isn't going to wake them up to the harmful practices of Wt, then nothing will. I've come to realise now it won't be until Wt prints an apology on the front page of the Wt magazine, that the jws will believe it.

punkofnice

i WILL MARK YOU GOOD ON USE OF ILLUSTRATIONS. SO, WE'LL MOVE YOU ON TO THE NEXT SPEECH QUALITY AND LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR NEXT ITEM.

Ooops cap locks

freemindfade

THe witness claim is they are the only ones with the TRUTH.

Just give the truth some thought for a whIle. The goal post on things that are true us generally not moving. Also it sometimes may be hard to get to, but once you do its always so simple. Are those things true with this one religion?

You want to compare it to an engine, here is a good one. The fuel thay religion runs on is emotion, not rationality. Now when you are debating or making a stand emotion and fallacies are ok if you are discussing sports teams. But quite another when discussion being killed by god at the big A, guilted, shamed, or even shunned. Something of life and death and serious concequencss should not be running on emotion.

Dismissing servant

This is the cognitive dissonance working......why should he listen to you..you cannot promise him eternal life petting lions and pandas. You are only trying to destroy his hope for the future......fact could be devastating for his well-being and psychological health. So he will deny everytheng that provokes anxciety.

Small details...

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