Thanks for the responses, everyone. You guys and gals are sure quick on the draw.
KLS, as to your question, I still shake my head every night when I go to bed from what I read on this forum. The WTS has to be one of the most despicable organizations I have ever read about. You may find it strange, especially for someone who has never been a JW, but I probably spend a minimum of 3 to 4 hours a day reading this site and related JW sites. Yes, I have a reason.
The best way I can think to explain my understanding of the WTS thus far is to relate to you that my wife comes from several very abusive past relationships. The last she was in was so bad that she is missing part of a finger due to her partner?s temper. She and I have had many discussion regarding why she stayed in the relationship as long as she did, and why she kept choosing men who wanted to beat her up. Her answers are very similar to what I have read on this board. As a side note, an odd part of our relationship now is that sometimes she does not know what to do with her freedom since she married me. It has taken her nearly 5 years to understand that I am not going to yell at her or beat her up if she wants to join a book club, or attend a party with friends she works with. Being controlled is what she always knew from men, and I didn?t fit the pattern. It caused us some problems early on, but now she is like a kid in a candy store when she bursts in the door to tell me how much fun she had at whatever event she just attended, without me present.
So, what do I think now that I know what the JW cult really is? Well, to be honest, I am torn. One part of me wants to be angry with the man who has screwed me so bad, yet another part of me says he is not in his right mind, and is controlled by a cult, so I should be angry with the cult. I flip back and forth on this and it consumes me. It is very much like the circular argument of the chicken or the egg. I remember back when I watched Star Trek, and the Borg were first introduced into the series. I wondered to myself if the way to destroy them would be to have them ponder the question of the chicken and the egg, and watch their collective heads explode. Maybe that?s my answer.
It is difficult for me to be critical of people who have been drawn in by the WTS. I am sure that when they were first introduced to it, they were well-meaning and felt that this is what they needed in their lives. Who am I to tell someone they cannot practice the religion of their choice? However, somewhere along the line I have to wonder at what point, if there is one, do you hold them accountable for their actions? At what point is the mother responsible for the damage she does to her children by shunning them? Or the elder for taking advantage of his position and destroying people?s lives?
The past few weeks of reading this board has been a real education for me. Sun Tzu teaches that to be a victorious General, one must know his enemy better than the enemy knows himself. This was part of the reason I have spent so much time educating myself with regard to the Witness friend I mentioned upon my arrival here. The moral dilemma I am currently dealing with is that Sun Tzu also teaches that a victorious General exploits his enemy?s weaknesses in an effort to throw him off balance, and thus win the war. If I were dealing with a man who was in control of his own mind, I have no problem with that philosophy. But now that I know I am dealing with a man who?s mind is under the control of the WTS, is it right for me to take advantage of his weakness?
Sorry to ramble....
Most respectfully,
Swamp Thing
