(May 17, 2015 at 2:50 pm)Rhythm Wrote:(May 17, 2015 at 12:01 pm)nicanica123 Wrote: I don't understand why I have to keep repeating the fact that I am not saying being a JW is the protection. The point I was making about my brother is that he ignored his "indoctrination" and he suffered the consequences.(b-mine)
You have to keep saying it, because you keep implying it...as you just did....in bold - as though there is a connection between following his indoctrination and avoiding (or falling prey to) said "consequences" -beyond the implication made, by you...understand?
Perhaps his poor life decisions -are- the consequences of his indoctrination......JW's aren't exactly "well equipped for life", in my experience. Imaginary friend believing sheeple, or somesuch. Having never been a JW, or a believer, myself...it's difficult to imagine how I would cope with the loss of both my childhood worldview, and the full support of family and friends. I know this, though, the thought makes hookers and blow sound pretty damned nice. Course, there's always that, perhaps your bro just likes hookers and blow? Maybe he'd have a thing for hookers and blow if he remained a JW (as plenty of other JW do.....they're still human, after all - I think....)?
The effect you point to may have nothing -at all- to do with his indoctrination, given the nature of the claim it's pretty much wide open...............but I do understand why a person with your history might make such assumptions....
(we see "those people", btw, because they are the most obvious examples of their faith..some might even say that they are the most faithful, they also tend to have trouble keeping their mouths shut about it.)
Isn't the meaning of the word consequence simply the result of an action? So yeah, my brother suffered the bad consequences for not following CERTAIN JW principles. Am I implying that this is the proof that they're the true religion? No, not at all. I do believe there are probably some JW's that live double lives but I also think that the religion is attractive to certain kinds of personalities. So most witnesses in my opinion are probably earnest. My brother has issues that go beyond god and religion. I have never even implied that our religion was a talisman for his protection. I am only simply saying that you can nail down some of his biggest mistakes and say, if he had followed his scriptural principles then they could have been avoided. You say that in your experience witnesses aren't equipped for life? What can you base that on? That is about as broad as me saying that my experience with atheist is that they go crazy after smoking too much weed. My brother is one tiny sampling size
