Why are many on both sides so fanatical? Presumably there must be humanly intelligent, morally decent, rational beings in both JW and ex-JW camps.
Correct.
And surely, objectively speaking, the Watchtower organization is neither 100% evil nor 100% perfect.
Objectively speaking, no Apostate would force their child to die from lack of a blood transfusion, either. An Organization that kills people for doctrinal reasons is, in my estimation, 100% evil, even though the people in the Organization itself may themselves be good people. They are ALL potential murderers until they either ignore the doctrine of the Organization (unlikely) or leave it completely!
Why is it apparently just as difficult for ex-witnesses to see anything positive in the organization as it is for current Witnesses to admit that there might be weaknesses?
There are good things in the BORG! They are just extremely outweighed by the bad things! When children are dying, we're not gonna pay attention to the little good things that Dubs do, are we? There are more important issues than whether Dubbies do good things or not! In fact, if they didn't propogate murderous policies, I wouldn't give a flying **** what they did! Then they would be just another cult!
Is the participation of ex-JW's on this and similar web-sites typical of all who leave the JW religion?
Nope. Only a tiny fraction of XJWs use boards like this. Many lurk. Many don't even know boards like this exist.
What percentage do you think become vocal opponents of the Watchtower, and what percentage just move on and get on with their lives? Why are so many now atheists or agnostics? Do many ex-JW's now belong to traditional Christian groups? (They appear to be a silent minority here.)
Most don't become vocal opponents...
The opposing camp emphasize what they perceive to be the weaknesses of Witnesses (arrogance in claiming only they are right, fanaticism, deceitfulness [at the very least "spin"] with regard to their beliefs, self-righteousness, excessive concern with appearances, manipulation, etc.). Obviously these qualities are not unique to JW's.
JWs are the only group who force their kids to die from lack of blood transfusions. That is where the similarities END. JWs are the only group who have "Biblical" policies that protect child molestors. Those are my two major gripes.
Could it not be said that they are common, even typical of organized religion in general?
You don't see Catholics or Muslims banning blood transfusions!
Or to take it a step further, might it be said that they are basic to human nature? Is it reasonable for some JW's to paint all ex-witnesses as "evil apostates"?
Of course it's reasonable. They are, after all, just products of their doctrine.
A lot of what is written on this board is reminiscent of what you might hear from a disgruntled divorcee describing their former spouse's behavior. There would appear to be a lot of bitterness, sarcasm/irony, "demonizing" in general.
So what exactly is wrong with highlighting murder or child abuse, HMMM? Do you have a problem with this stuff? Personally, I don't really care what the Dubs do, although some of their more interesting behavioural anomolies make for great humor on the boards!
Some comments I have read are frankly vulgar, others more sophisticated, but in all cases, the question arises: How objective is the picture they portray?
People are dying. Children are being abused. Is that "objective" enough?
After all, even ex-witnesses (who may have spent years in the organization) must surely have enjoyed SOME positive benefits from their adherence to the organization that justified their staying as long as they did.
Let's see. They kept me away from drugs, smoking, and drinking. And sex. (Well, not towards the end). That's the only good thing that came out of my Assimilation.
Aside from raising questions of the objectivity of those who write about their experiences with the organization, one wonders whether such an approach is conducive to good mental and emotional health. Clearly such an all-embracing shift in worldview would cause great emotional upheaval, but are there more mature ways of dealing with it?
Mature ways of dealing with WHAT? Murder? Child abuse? LOL!
Without questioning the sincerity of many current or former JW's, what is gained by constant efforts to criticize or condemn the other side?
Well, it's fun
If ex-JW's have found something they like better, what is to be gained by attempting to induce them to stay, even if you think they are making a colossal mistake by leaving? On the other hand, if current witnesses are satisfied with their religion, then why try to disillusion them, even if you believe they are hopelessly mistaken?
Purely because their Organization is a total sham! A cover! And to top it off, it has murderous, abusive policies based on that incredibly great Human Rights-promoting volume, the Bible!
(Ex-JW's who are now atheists would presumably agree that in 100 years from now, everyone, JW or not, will be in the same situation [i.e. dead], so what difference could it possibly make?)
There will be MORE dead people in 100 years if the Tower isn't stopped. THAT is what makes the difference to ME!
To what extent are both sides willing to accept responsibility for their own decisions? It is easy to cry mental manipulation, brainwashing, etc, but in reality such a paradigm could hardly account for millions of people subscribing to this or that belief system.
Oh yes it can! Look up the Witnesses on some of the cult sites, and you will begin to understand!
It would seem that people who believe the Watchtower (or any other religious or non-religious tenets) do so because they have CHOSEN to believe it; people who don't believe it have CHOSEN not to believe it.
Has a 12 year old kid who got baptized and was Born In The Truth chosen their religion? Nope. Their parents chose it for them. At the end of the day, a very large percentage of Witnesses had absolutely NO say in their choice of religion. Besides, religious choice is not something the Dubs promote anyway. You're either Dub, or Dead. Pick one. That's the mindset of a Witness, sad to say.
That is not to say that such choices are always made consciously; many are made by default. But would you agree that there is a strong tendency in both camps to say that the problem is all "out there," with the other side? How realistic is such a position?
For starters, the Witnesses do this, I agree. However, if you examine the logical underpinnings of the arguments made by both sides, as well as their basis in fact, you will see that the Apostates do indeed have the upper hand. For instance, check out the Bible's view of women, go ahead, I dare you! The Bible says that women are property, and sub-standard to men! What a balanced, loving viewpoint, eh?
And, guess what, these ultra-chauvinistic views are propogated aggressively by...you guessed it...the TOWER!
One day soon, you will realize why we are so aggressive about taking down the Tower. It's highly likely that you haven't been on the inside and seen the depth of the mind control practised (oftentimes unknowingly) by those still Assimilated. It's very subtle, and that is why it's so dangerous.
Nobody can teach anyone else about Mind Control. You have to experience it to fully understand it's incredible power and control.
