WHY do they stay?!?!

by Pwned 26 Replies latest jw friends

  • sandy
    sandy

    then he said how boring it must be to be a catholic-they've had the same teachings for 500 years...hearty guffaws all round..tijkmo


    In the words of Napolean Dynamite: What a "flippin" Idiot this D.O. is!!!


    I never realized until after leaving being away from the org so long how much they disrespect other religions.

  • JamesThomas
    JamesThomas

    Look at the mind and the answer is there.

    If we look at our own minds interpretation of who we are, we can see that the main cornerstones of identity are often our religious beliefs (then comes family, job, politics, race, etc). People come to identify with the religion as who they are; it is often the core around which they define themselves. I am a Jehovah's Witness! I am a Christian! Whatever.

    So, removing ourselves from a belief system, letting go of our religious identity -- no matter how stifling -- is like dying. Better to remain blind and stupid than dead. Better to remain in our familiar little box than step out into unknown territory or have our entire rug of "reality" pulled out from under us.

    Natural instincts of self-preservation probably has a lot to do with it.

    On a side note, it is often said by the wise that "we must die before we live". We must die of who we believe ourselves to be, that what is actual and true be realized.


    j

  • ballistic
    ballistic

    tijkmo welcome to JWD as it happens.

  • Blueblades
    Blueblades

    To find the answer to that question you must read "Captives of a Concept" by Don Cameron.

    Blueblades

  • GetBusyLiving
    GetBusyLiving

    :then he said how boring it must be to be a catholic-they've had the same teachings for 500 years

    Oh my God I can't believe he said that and people laughed about it. What a group of morons!! This religion is the craziest junk I've ever heard of. How can they take this garbage door to door with a straight face?

    GBL

  • caligirl
    caligirl

    I once asked my elder father how he could explain the changes in doctrine and readily accept them when they were night and day from what had always been taught. This was his explanation: If a person truly believes what they have been taught to be true, and lived by that, and they find out that they were mistaken in that course of action because they did not know all of the facts ( read: new light) , then they are innocent of doing anything wrong during the time that they held that belief, since they believed based on the facts available at the time. The only way that they can be held accountable for believing what was "incorrect" is if they refuse to adapt to the new way of thinking.

    So you are held hostage to doing their bidding. If you don't change with the wind, then you are not "humble enough to accept god's direction" and you will be tossed out on your ear for simply holding on to what they told you was true, and you are not allowed to verify accuracy with anyone. There way or the highway.

    It really is so sad.

  • stillajwexelder
    stillajwexelder

    Lets assume you are an elder and you have had little education but you know the truth is not quite right - where else could you go where you can have power over people and get to give talks etc on aregular basis abnd people look up to you?

    That is how one can rationalize staying in a religion you may have great doubts about -- now add to tha theady mix family in da troof and you will start to undersatnd the mentality

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