Sorry to dredge up an old post, but a small piece of the brick wall seems to have started crumbling. It was the district convention at the weekend. I went to the convention city because we had booked the accommodation nearly a year ago, but I didn't go to the convention itself. My wife is quite ill with M.E. (CFS), among other things, and she could only make it to the Friday morning session. She was gutted that she missed the rest, and is feeling so de-spirited that she says she is on the verge of giving up on 'the truth'. She did emphasise that it was not because she didn't believe it, just that she couldn't cope. I asked her whether she believed Jehovah gives 'strength beyond what is normal' in such situations, and she said that he does sometimes but not others, and she doesn't understand why but just accepts it (WTF?)

I am obviously not happy that my wife is feeling so low, BUT, at least it means she will get less exposure to the indoctrination now (although she still listens to talks on her MP3 player incessantly). Anyway, let me get to the point: Last night, she admitted to me that she could see how some things the society say might seem like mind control or brainwashing, and she thinks they do try to control people too much. Of course this caused a classic episode of cognitive dissonance, and she resolved it by saying that they are like an 'overprotective parent'. But I was greatly encouraged that she is actually starting to see through some of the BS.

We talked a little bit about the new DVD release ('Out of Darkness') which neither of us have seen yet, and I dropped the passing comment that I bet they don't mention Conley as being the first president (I pointed it out to her in the Proclaimer's book a couple of weeks ago). She said she plans to read through the Proclaimer's book again very carefully to see if there are any inconsistencies. I think that is a waste of time - there is no way anyone will spot any problems in the Society's history by studying that book! Even the fact of Conley being the first president is so well hidden that nobody would ever notice it. If she does go ahead with that project, I think it will just confirm to her even more that it is 'the truth' ... unless I can persuade her to verify the facts with a neutral source.