Monday, September 29, 2008

If You Want To Think For Yourself Don't Become A Jehovah's Witness

To many of us who have been witnesses or who have friends or family members who are witnesses, it is of course quite obvious why the Watchtower Society prefer their "faithful" to have as little education as possible, but it is still very rare to see this preference expressed so bluntly and honestly as it was in this Watchtower:
"In the world, there is a tendency to reject leadership. As one lecturer said: "The rising education level has improved the talent pool such that followers have become so critical that they are almost impossible to lead." But a spirit of independent thinking does not prevail in God's organization, and *we have sound reasons for confidence in the men taking the lead among us." (The Watchtower, September 15, 1989, p. 23, §13)
Imagine that! Education promotes critical thinking and makes people so smart that they stop blindly following their hypocritical religious or political leaders. Thinking people are (gasp, choke) "almost impossible to lead"!
* lol!

30 comments:

Anonymous said...

does that mean that only fools can become JWs?

Anonymous said...

their mind control tactics work soooo well that after 6+ yrs of having left the organization, I have just this last few months had the courage to investigate anything online as we were always told not to as to not be misled. Almost 7 yrs after having left, on my own, and I still was letting them control me. My grown children who also left on their own, have been the ones showing me new things online and opening the doors for me. Oh how hard the tentacles of the WTBTS hang onto your mind! It is so hard to untangle the rope! I believe we need to be re-socialized, deprogrammed back into normal society. It's almost a sickness when you leave. Your mind is fighting within itself for control. It's the toughest thing to overcome. I am doing great, however. But it's been a difficult, yet freeing task. I appreciate my own thinking now and don't doubt my own decisions anymore. It's true, it is a cult.

Anonymous said...

There are man intelligent JWs. Intelligence has nothing to do with it. At one point or another, all of us are vulnerable to the tactics of cults.

The JW friends that I lost (as a result of walking away) are some of the brightest, kind people I've ever met. I miss them greatly.

I have much sympathy for them, and I'm a very patient man.

The statistics reveal that eventually, one of them will walk away, just like I did, and we can resume our friendship, post-cult.

Anonymous said...

oh man, it must be a heck of tactic and organization to have 7 million people's mind controlled for such a long run

Anonymous said...

It is quite a big job to keep everyone indoctrinated. Meetings two or three times a week. Field service each week. New magazines each month.

At the assemblies and meetings the same topics are discussed over and over and over.

The world is evil. You are special. You're in a spiritual paradise. The end is closer than ever. Never leave the organization. Satan is out to get you. You cannot think for yourself. You must blindly follow the Slave.

Etc, etc.

Similar tactics used by other high control groups.

trebor said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
trebor said...

Anonymous said...
"oh man, it must be a heck of tactic and organization to have 7 million people's mind controlled for such a long run"


Not really. It only accounts for 0.1% (7,000,000) of the global population.

It's much harder to believe that the other 99.9% (6,993,000,000) of the global population is not being led or directed by God and will be destroyed at Armageddon.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for your comments on how difficult it is to leave. I found that too.

There is a defining moment however, when we realize that we were living in a prison without walls. You do not and cannot see it when you are in and I would have defended the 'truth' as vigorously as the JWs do who post here.

Even a year or so before I left, a friend stopped coming to meetings and I remember saying to friends at the hall about how she had made the decision, she had left us. 18 months later I met her again and found out that she had been struggling, but found it difficult to ask for help (as many of us do) and no one, not even the elders, had tried to help. She just dropped off the radar and everyone thought like I did... the world appealed to her more than the 'truth.' Nothing was further from the truth.

But it shows the mindset that is promoted when people stop coming. It stops contact with any who may be potentially dangerous, and in doing so also marginalizes those who were in genuine need of help.

Anonymous said...

An anointed once told me it is a "slippery slope" to read the Bible without first filtering it through the WT. He is not alone in his thinking.

Scary.

Turned out he was right; the more I read of the unfiltered Bible, the more I realized how wrong the Society was on issue after issue, how dogmatic they were on standards relating to conscience.

The Bible, in my case, has truly proved to be a sword, able to cut myself out of a dangerously controlling cult.

Thanks to Jehovah! Life is wonderful on the other side.

S said...

If you want to think for yourself, don't become an exjw.

They are the only ones who can not think for themselves.

JWs think for themselves, but we choose the proper course. The one on the narrow road.

Anonymous said...

"we choose the proper course"

Same claim as every other religion.

Anonymous said...

"'we choose the proper course'
Same claim as every other religion. "

Where?

When?

I don't see that they are on the right course.

They voted against that bailout bill. Bunch of idiots who all they can do is blame one another.

Anonymous said...

Anon/Ronde/VoR wrote: "I don't see that they are on the right course."

Muslims and Mormons don't see you on the right course. It's not our own opinions, it's the Word of God that counts.

Anonymous said...

Always keep in mind that Jehovah's Witnesses follow a false prophet. Their own printed publications tell the whole story. We don't need any so-called apostate writings to determine if they are true prophets, the sole channel of God.

*** g93 3/22 p. 4 Why So Many False Alarms? ***

"Jehovah’s Witnesses, in their eagerness for Jesus’ second coming, have suggested dates that turned out to be incorrect. Because of this, some have called them false prophets. Never in these instances, however, did they presume to originate" predictions ‘in the name of Jehovah.’


*** w79 9/1 p. 29 par. 28 The Royal “Shepherd” of Bible Prophecy ***

"Unlike the clergy class, those of the Jeremiah class have been sent by Jehovah to speak in his name."


(Deuteronomy 18:20-22) 20 “‘However, the prophet who presumes to speak in my name a word that I have not commanded him to speak or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet must die. 21 And in case you should say in your heart: “How shall we know the word that Jehovah has not spoken?” 22 when the prophet speaks in the name of Jehovah and the word does not occur or come true, that is the word that Jehovah did not speak. With presumptuousness the prophet spoke it. You must not get frightened at him.’

Anonymous said...

Ronde:

Your an idiot.

Anonymous said...

More than 7,000,000...and counting 'Great Crowd"

Isa 60:22


Remember what your doing is in vain.Whoever you are.......

Anonymous said...

7,000,000?

Truly, a fart in the wind.

There are currently more ex-JWs than active JWs.

More than 1 million persons have left during the past 10 years.

S said...

"There are currently more ex-JWs than active JWs.
More than 1 million persons have left during the past 10 years."

And those 1 million persons will die by God. And we say good riddance to them as they do not want to honor God.

Anonymous said...

Ronde: "And those 1 million persons will die by God"

Eagerly awaiting, since 1874!

Keep dreaming, keep dreaming.

Anonymous said...

oh man, another copy-n-paste from a forum and GBL posted it as if he wrote them himself

that's why he intentionally exclude the line from that forum : "Found this from another board....thought it nails it down good....."

Anonymous said...

What's wrong with copy and paste from apostate forums?

GBL posts the 'Best Of' if you will.

I don't think this is a secret or anything.

It's too bad the Watchtower magazine doesn't Copy & Paste when they quote outside sources. Then they wouldn't be able to distort what others are saying.

Anonymous said...

"What's wrong with copy and paste from apostate forums?"

Are you serious?

Ba ha haha ha ha ha

Anonymous said...

Voice of Reason wrote: "Are you serious?

Ba ha haha ha ha ha"

That means nothing.

Anonymous said...

nothing is wrong with copy-n-pasting, but at least be a man and tell your visitor about it, don't act like you wrote them by yourself, respect other people's writings (and even a simple comment on a forum)

Anonymous said...

To all here: This blog features Copy & Paste from other Apostate sites.

OK, we've settled that.

Carry on.

Were you thinking it was actually a blog from the Governing Body?

Anonymous said...

lol, it takes a visitor but not the owner to admit it

GBL won't write the source of his posting, even it is a news website, which is not an apostate site

Anonymous said...

I think the JW apologists here are putting words into GBL's mouth, or they are assuming too much.

Anonymous said...

"I think the JW apologists here are putting words into GBL's mouth, or they are assuming too much. "

I think that exjws put words in JWs mouths and assume too much.

Anonymous said...

JWs thrive on people putting words into their mouths. Reember the little blurbs in the KM with detailed presentations for the doors?

S said...

"JWs thrive on people putting words into their mouths. Reember the little blurbs in the KM with detailed presentations for the doors? "

At least we go to the doors...