married to a jehovas witness

[lordygb]

Hi im new in here looking for advice really....ive been married 22yrs..reaonably happy...the last 2 my wife has been following jehovas witnesses getting further and further involved through meetings baptizim and door knocking...it drives me crazy and none of our 4 kids(22, 19, 17,15) are amused either...ive gone for the "show me a single shred of proof " route which justs gets her realing of crap out of her fairytale book..ive tried all sorts but she seems totally brainwashed with this cult...im a non beleiver...im a realist..there is no good in religion...im not aggressive anti...but im totally for no religion...i need some facts some flaws in her beliefs to get her to ignite that spark which allows her to question herself

[Michael Schubert]

.but im totally for no religion...i need some facts some flaws in her beliefs to get her to ignite that spark which allows her to question herself

I think you're pretty much screwed. She has caught, as psychologist Darrell Ray puts it, The God Virus. It disables the critical thinking skills.

[FreeTony]

I'm not sure it's as easy as that. Facts can be ignored, along with the concept of using evidence rather than faith.

Perhaps this group are giving her something she feels she needs, or just gives her enjoyment. This could be one/all of these:
1. Sense of community
2. Purpose in life
3. Attention and Friends
etc etc

If the belief makes her happier than not holding it, she is likely to stick with it.

Good luck.

[Minimalist]

I have to agree with Mike. She's fallen in with a cult of lunatics...like mormons... and you have to ask yourself why she is willing to give up her family for the shit this bunch is peddling?

Judging by the ages of your kids, I'm wondering if this could be some sort of mid-life crisis or a manifestation of "empty nest" syndrome?

[Tonus]

Google "Crisis of Conscience" by Raymond Franz, and see if you can locate a copy. If she has not been with them for long, she may not be aware of the scandal from the early 80s when Franz and several others were disfellowshipped for apostasy and Franz wrote a pretty devastating tell-all about the organization. The JWs are fanatical about not allowing any non-JW information from getting to the membership, or even their own older material which might make for some very embarrassing reading. Once they find out that you have that info, they'll put enormous pressure on her to avoid it at all cost.

The JW Facts site (http://www.jwfacts.com) also has a lot of information covering their basic beliefs and some of their dirty laundry. If you can get her to listen, you've got a good chance of convincing her that she's wasting her time. Whatever you do, do not even feign interest in whatever they're selling-- they are very good at drawing people in and then using family relationships as a hostage.

[JesusHChrist]

It probably won't help since facts are the work of the devil, but you could review with her the list of failed predictions the JWs have made over the decades. Quite a litany of failure:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_o...redictions

A small sample:

1877: Christ's kingdom would hold full sway over the earth in 1914; the Jews, as a people, would be restored to God's favor; the "saints" would be carried to heaven.[26]
1891: 1914 would be "the farthest limit of the rule of imperfect men."[27]
1904: "World-wide anarchy" would follow the end of the Gentile Times in 1914.[28]
1916: World War I would terminate in Armageddon and the rapture of the "saints".[29]
1917: In 1918, Christendom would go down as a system to oblivion and be succeeded by revolutionary governments. God would "destroy the churches wholesale and the church members by the millions." Church members would "perish by the sword of war, revolution and anarchy." The dead would lie unburied. In 1920 all earthly governments would disappear, with worldwide anarchy prevailing.[30]

[KichigaiNeko]

[lordygb]

Thanks for all advice guys....some good info...its tough and i sometimes feel i dont have the correct facts to counter her arguments although i know there all false..usually ending in a screaming match....her time is now taken up wed..door knocking thurs eve...kingdom hall...fri ...bible study...sat..door knocking..sun..kingdom hall........house left a shithole...no job so no income....just me working while she follows cult club..each time getting further convinced

[shep]

Welcome!

[lordygb]

Cheers tonus looked up crisis of concience and sorted a copy..on its way..looking fwd