Confronting the elders with doubts (page 2)

sowhatnow

the less you say the better,lol

they came by random to see me after 3 years, to welcome me back. i said 'Im not ready for that, i have issues i deal with, we all do,[they can deny it now] and for now i have to work them out, but thanks for stopping by.' i was on my way out, plus they never turned the engine off in the car, so i knew it be a short visit,lol

thats how they are here, short on time.

now if in the future they send women by, and they by chance catch me home,if they dare open a bible, and Ill open the niv bible. if they try to show me something, this will lead me to force them to read the whole chapter. lol, cant be picking and choosing scriptures now can we. must have context.

anyway,

I only need ask them why it took them years to notice i was gone, where are all my good friends, where was my support system for my kids and broken marriage when i needed it, why are you going backwards in teachings, and whats up with the televangelism.

they cant deny it, Im sure they will leave.

goingthruthemotions

good on you!

as for me, i wouldn't give these jokes a minute of my time. i would rather talk with a wall.

ToesUp

"I only need ask them why it took them years to notice i was gone, where are all my good friends, where was my support system for my kids and broken marriage when i needed"

My question exactly. Why do they come around AFTER you leave. They don't give a rat's a** about you while you were in. They spend so much "time" on complete strangers but none on family and friends. The cracks are starting to show, with the amount of young ones leaving. We are also seeing long time active witnesses heading for the exit or just putting on a show to keep their social network. We have faded for approx. 3 years. Not one of my "girlfriends" (this includes family/female members) has tried to "encourage" me. Not one of my kids "friends" has tried inviting them anywhere. Once you leave, you are no longer worth the dirt on their shoes. Good riddance to them all! Life is too short to sit around and wait for any sort of love or encouragement. Go out and enjoy life! Looking forward to a stress free weekend with my family.

OneEyedJoe

It might be worthwhile to spend some time considering what you hope to gain from talking to the elders.

If this is about trying to wake them up, I would suggest a one-on-one conversation, because when they have the support of other elders (or even just their watchful eye upon them) they'll never concede anything to you. They won't allow themselves. You'll be far more likely (though still a slim chance) to achieve results by splitting them up and keeping things casual and non-adversarial. I would also pick different topics that have a greater emotional appeal. Instead of science (which will easily be dismissed by the indoctrinated mind) go with things that 1. they know first-hand and 2. have undeniable implications. I think the best example of this is the ever changing blood policy. Asking if the organization should be considered blood-guilty for banning fractions at one time but now allowing them as a conscience matter is tough to argue with. It is impossible for any reasonable person to rule out the possibility that at least one person who's conscience would have allowed them to accept life-saving fractions died before this change simply because they were threatened with disfellowshipping for something that is no longer considered a DFing offense.

If you're just after some validation, consequences be damned, then go for it. The JW cult spends so much time tearing down our self-confidence so I can see the appeal of bringing your doubts to the elders to watch them fail miserably at addressing them. It could definitely help silence that quiet but persistent voice inside that keeps asking "what if I'm wrong about this?" I would just suggest that you make sure that quieting this voice is worth the risk of getting yourself DFed for apostasy. It seems that's a pretty likely outcome if you don't compromise yourself and recant.

Best of luck to you!

stuckinarut2

Yes to all that, BUT the real question is "do you believe that the Faithful and Discreet Slave otherwise known as the Governing Body are Jehovah's representatives?"

that at is all they want to know....no more, no less.....

HowTheBibleWasCreated

I realize its hitting a brick wall. But I'm hoping I can at least leave them with something even if they at first will not acknowledge it.

Thanks for all the responses.

Crazyguy yes that's the point. The Hebrew in the bible is too late to have been written by Moses. in 1500 BCE we can just as well say the Hebrew of the bible did not exist.

Philo and Jesus I'm currently working on. However from what I have seen in the past he pinpointed that a cosmic savior would be named Jesus.

(To add to the fact that he was in Jerusalem at the time of Jesus and never mentions him.... mentions everyone else but... never heard of the miracle worker or his death and resurrection.)

Scenic: Yes They likely will give up.That is what is sad. I only mentioned 5 points. There are MANY more things I could throw in. One of the elders claims he had a lack of faith and using outside sources built his faith back up. I'm waiting for the full story.

MarkofCane

Let us know the results, if there is success or not it will be a learning experience for many. I would also caution not to meet with more than one at a time. If you can get through with one of them he will not break rank with the other elders. Mob mentality will prevail, he will hold the line and will not show his doubts out in the open.

OneEyedjoe

Kind of the same thought.

Confronting the elders with doubts