Antiwitnessing: cowards

by john.prestor 17 Replies latest watchtower child-abuse

• 

  sparrowdown

  I look at it like this, even if these individual witnesses were familiar with the case you speak of "their" opinion would only be in line with the official "company" line for eg

  "These are isolated cases. JWs abhor child abuse. There is worse abuse in other religions. Now go away opposer."

  Individual witnesse have no power within the group to change the group and that's especially so with sisters. They are discouraged under threat of De eFFing to avoid all negative media reports and not to believe them if they do come across one. They are not the ones who make policy or change policy. They have zero power to affect change except to leave if they don't like it and possibly including all their social connections.

  So they close their eyes and ears to any cognitive dissonance creating flaws and contradictions.

  Talking to them is like complaining to a shop assistant about store policy the assistant will not want to complain about their employer in public even if they agree with you. There is nothing they can do about store policy even if the policy is unfair. They have no power. There is some saying about "...not taking a no from someone who doesn't have the power to say yes..." or something like that the meaning being you need to go over that person's head to get anywhere but applicable to dealing JWs.

  I'm not saying it's a waste of time approaching cart people but I just wonder considering the brick walls they throw up what the goal should be when approaching cart people?
• 

  steve2

  John.prestor, no one likes being cornered and made to feel like an ignoramus. It is normal to get on the defensive. Look at your reaction to Morpheus. He cornered you the way you cornered the two JWs - and you immediately went on the defensive. I have some understanding of how upsetting that must feel to you

  If you are seeking an effective and respectful exchange with anyone, dial back the confrontation and sarcasm. There was no need for you to contradict the JW who said she’d look up the internet on JW child abuse later.

  On the other hand, if your intention is simply to expose JWs as ignoramuses go to it. Just don’t be surprised if others on this forum call you out for your verbal attacks.

  Also, if you dish out confrontation, you really need to be able to take it, right?
• 

  scratchme1010

  So I'm downtown and I see two JWs hanging out on a bench by a cart. I approached them and said, I saw you guys on the news, there was a child abuse cover-up in Philadelphia. They don't respond and just look at me. I go, You don't want to talk about that? I find that disturbing. The woman says snidely, Well how could I talk about it if I haven't seen it? I said you could look it up on your phone, she was looking at her phone right there. I'll look it up later she says. I said No you won't and I walked off.

  What incredible gall.

  I know in this forum people hyper react to anything that remotely mentions the JWs, but I'm going to say what I'm going to say, anyway.

  to me her reaction is no different than the reaction of many non-JW people. Having worked in human services, in programs for people in situations of domestic violence, that attitude and refusal of acknowledgment is wide spread across the board. That woman being a JW has nothing to do with it. I've seen mothers react in the exact same way about their own daughters being sexually abused by their husbands, boyfriends or others.

  The issue of covering up sexual abuse (or any other kind of abuse of exploitation) of children goes way deeper than the WT and their people.

  I've seen quite a few "incredible galls" in this life, both JWs and non-JWs.
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  john.prestor

  steve2, I understand your perspective and I appreciate the constructive criticism. It wasn't my intention to corner them, and I'll consider that if I engage in any "anti-witnessing" in the future. That being said, I don't agree that Morpheus "cornered" me: he threw a variety of belligerent ad hominem attacks at me that included very little of substance except attacks on my person.

  sparrowdown, I just wanted to make them aware of the movement's problem with child abuse, since the movement itself isn't making them aware of it. I don't expect them to do anything, I just don't like the movement's leadership concealing it from them.

  scratchme1010, that's fair, and I've never worked in that field so I wasn't aware of that. I just find it irritating that Jehovah's Witnesses want to go "preach the word" and then won't talk about anything of substance. Although, maybe I should expect that by now, ha.
• 

  blownaway

  The JWs marched outside of others churches, they called them names and still do. If this is what helps someone heal go for it. I don't judge. I leave that to the cult.
  
• 

  Wasanelder Once

  I would think that a little preparation would go a long way. I wonder about this in regards to all those who confront cart witnesses. Why not have a link on the phone ready which you can show them detailing the subject, an objective news source that would be easy for them to find. If you mentioned that "coincidentally you had recently been reading this and wonder what thoughts they had about it as JWs" they may have engaged in the conversation. When leaving you have a suggested site they can go to. It seems a little more sincere and helpful if they wish to follow up. To each their own.
  
• 

  john.prestor

  You guys have given me food for thought, thank you. Wasanelder once, that's good advice.
• 

  kairos

  I say do whatever you want.

  If i feel like yelling at a dub, I will...