Posted by AF [AF] on November 11, 1999 at 20:06:05 {mJnjjpluA61EwaxRomAMdaOt1gg/Zk}:
In Reply to: I knew it... posted by AP on November 11, 1999 at 18:31:23:
I'm afraid, `Apok', that you're missing an important lesson here. The lesson is that people very often find themselves damned if they do and damned if they don't in connection with some aspect of Jehovah's Witnesses. The comments of many people here, whether sincere or merely tongue in cheek, should teach you this.
Clearly you're unhappy with the fact that your religious leaders have threatened you and your brothers in connection with your sincere desire to defend your religion. Join the group! Have you really thought about the implications of this? Just why does the Society create an environment where you can't speak your mind without wondering if doing so will `stumble' someone and that it will come back to haunt you?
You should understand that most of the people on this board are happy that you post stuff. Some may give you a hard time but that's only to rub your nose in the problem created by the Society.
This "damned if you do and damned if you don't" problem exists in many other ways as well. When a person finds that he no longer believes in enough Watchtower teachings that he finds he wants to leave, he also knows by then that there is no easy way of leaving. How does a sincere person deal with the fact that if he leaves the JWs, whether formally or just by becoming "inactive", most of his friends and even often many JW family members will shun him? Don't you think it's normal for such people to get upset at finding that they can no longer in good conscience remain a JW, but also cannot leave without paying dearly? Isn't it understandable that such people would lash out at whoever created the problem? Isn't it clear why such people might enjoy rubbing your nose in the problems you're facing in your own little crisis?
You're running smack into the problems created by the Fundamental Doctrine of Jehovah's Witnesses. "God's spokesmen" have spoken and all loyal JWs must obey. Yours is not to reason why, your is but to do and die, and all that. You know they're wrong in this thing, so what do you do? Do you obey and relinquish your mind? Or do you follow your conscience, disobey and incur the wrath of the very ones demanding your complete obedience?
"God's spokesmen" have painted you into a corner! You have no easy way out.
As I've said, join the group.
AF