Papillon1960 wrote:
maksutov-Excellent point! I may have to use that one about the blood transfusion.

Askeptic1-I didn't know that about when someone is studying and wants to be a publisher that they have to send what is, in essence, a letter of DA to their former religion. I've been out for almost 30 years and that is a new thing. Did you have to do that yourself? Your post is excellent in disproving her assertion that someone who writes a letter of DA is asking to be shunned. Geesh! To be honest, I could care less if I ever talk to JWs other than my mother ever again, and now I'm not even sure that I would want her in my life either, but it doesn't make any sense that an ex-jw who writes a letter of DA is begging all JWs to shun them, including their close family members. How stupid. I pointed out that just because someone who writes a letter of DA knows that shunning may be the result of writing the letter does NOT make it right that it happens. Shunning is so wrong and the JWs on this site will not see that. I get that. I see others getting annoyed with their personal attacks on me and anyone who disagrees with them.

I'm now being called a troll by one JW. lol I will post her reply to me on here later. You will all find it amusing, I'm sure. She started out asking me questions, and when I tried to answer her, I was attacked by her and another JW. And they call me a troll? lol

I was not part of another religion, but I was a registered voter. I had to write to the state requesting to be removed from their list... I said it would probably go straight in the trash, but the elder said what they did with it was up to them...what was important was that I did my part. When I was asked if I attended any other church and I said no, I ask out of curiosity if I would have to write a similar letter if I had and he responded "Yes". It's all in the "Organized to do Jehovah's Will" book. I love my mother very much and would never want to cut ties regardless; and I know she never would; at any rate, I'm not even baptized, and she's not a hardline JW.

Here's another illustration. Ask her first if she wants to pay taxes. Then ask her why she pays them. She should say because she has to. Then ask if she asks to pay taxes. No one in their right mind wants or asks to pay taxes. But if you work, you are obligated and forced to. Her argument that someone writing a letter of DA is asking to be shunned, is like a person working is asking to pay taxes. Paying taxes is a condition of employment. The only way to get out of paying income taxes is to not have an income. I never asked to pay taxes. The difference is, is that while taxes are necessary, shunning is not. The argument that a letter of DA means that someone asking to be shunned because they want to is completely and utterly absurd. A child may not want to eat his vegetables. But his mother says in order to get dessert, he must eat his veggies, therefore, he complies so he can have dessert. When did he ever ask to eat those disgusting Lima beans?

Another argument: Why would he ask to be shunned in the first placed??? He can turn around and shun everyone else!!! He doesn't have say in his letter, "I wished to be shunned". He only has to say "As a result of my decision, I am completely ostracizing everyone who is a JW." She gets double points if she can prove by references using Society literature her line of reasoning. Quadruple points if she uses the bible.

For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring. - Carl Sagan

Last Edited By: Askeptic1 Jul 21 10 8:45 PM. Edited 1 times.