So, here’s an update to this story:
My wife and I decided to attend one of these “educational events”.
We arrive even before the scheduled time. No one there. We waited. Someone else arrives (not the host) to attend. Almost 8 minutes late and the host arrives and, without as much as greeting the audience, starts the stream. Obviously, it’s some audio file taken from JWBroadcast, I believe a reading from one of the simplest brochures, complete with question and answer. Dumbed down to the max.
After a few minutes, the other person (who came in seeking some form of fellowship and spiritual help) asked if the host was going to address the audience at some point. The host replied that the invitation was for a broadcast and if the person had questions, should visit the website. The other person commented it sounded like scam talk. Then I started asking questions and attempting to engage the host into a conversation about the Bible.
Fast forward. Another person comes in, pretending to be a curious visitor. In a couple of minutes the mask falls of. It’s another JW (pretending to be a student). In the meantime, the other early attendant poofs. The discussion went on and on. I have repeatedly challenged then to back up what they were saying with a Bible quote. They couldn’t produce one. In nearly two hours they couldn’t open the Bible ONCE and find a text that supported their claims. All they could say was “go to jw.com to get your answers”. And they kept streaming more audio files. i turned down the sound and just wrote. And, they glossed over at everything I was saying, hardly ever engaged in discussion, and kept saying “Jehovah loves you”, “Jehovah knows you”, “Jehovah wants you to be saved”, “Jehovah will bring change”, and other silly platitudes, and repeating “go to Jw.com” to find your answers. Arghhh!
At some point I went for the blood doctrine, and mentioned Acts 15, and they didn’t seem to connect the dots between that and “abstain from blood”. They said the Bible orders us to “abstain from blood” and when I mentioned Acts 15 they asked me what does it say? FFS! One of them vaguely criticized those who are “lukewarm” towards the truth, and I asked where does that expression originates from. Again, she was ignorant that it is found in the message to the Laodicean church in Revelation. These new people just parrot what they hear and can’t even use the Bible anymore. And they always keep this smug, condescending tone as they talk to you. They are so devastatingly ignorant, and yet they think they alone have the truth. They have absolutely no self-awareness at all.
It was so cringeworthy and frankly embarrassing for “old school” ex-Witnesses like us to see the quality of the “new Witnesses” from the digital era. So dumbed down, lame and robotic. It’s all “peace and love” christianity, easy listening platitudes, where Jesus is replaced by Jehovah. Where’s the fire and brim? Plus, when I asked about it, they claimed that their congregation Elders were aware of their initiative on Second Life and approved of it. After all, Jesus also preached to the sinners, they reasoned, so why not in here? I told them I found it hard to believe that for a fact, but who knows?
I then identified ourselves as ex-Witnesses, and ended it in a cordial tone, yet making them aware just how much dumbed down the religion has become from just a decade ago, and how they were so ill-equipped to defend their faith in public. They seemed blissfully unaware that there was a “pre-digital” era when the Witnesses actually used the Bible to preach to others. FFS ....
My wife commented with me afterwords, if she wouldn’t have left the Witnesses because she had found out about the child abuse scandals, she would eventually leave out of pure shame for the dumbing down of the religion. That says it all, I guess.