2005/11/01 Will You Walk With God?
Mood:  down
Topic: Forecast
Synopsis: The Watchtower trinity of meeting attendance, field service and study.

Forecast: Take advantage of one of those free passes to a fitness club and spend a few hours with your partner, side by side, on the treadmill.

2005/11/01 Jehovah is Our Shepherd
Mood:  hug me
Topic: Forecast
Synopsis: Self-explanatory. This looks like a repeat. I know I've seen the picture before.

Forecast: Feel-good article. Good week to have a heart-to-heart with your partner.

Analysis of the talk, "Do Not Follow Artfully Contrived Stories"
Mood:  mischievious
Topic: Backgrounder

Logical Fallacies
Mood:  mischievious
Topic: Solutions
Opening Story:

In the summer of 2005 I attended the annual district assembly of Jehovah's Witnesses here in Edmonton, Alberta. Darcy Harris gave a talk entitled, "Do Not Follow Artfully Contrived Stories". I made notes of this talk, which provides many examples of logical fallacies and manipulative language. I analysed this talk to practice spotting the ways I was being manipulated in to a particular way of action or thinking. I hate being manipulated. I do this type of analysis once in a while to sharpen my skills in discernment, and I habitually apply these principles when reading a Watchtower article.
Here's a link to my analysis

An unfortunate spinoff to my newly sharpened critical skills is I can't help analysing every appeal or call to action, including my poor pastor's sermons. Appeals to emotion don't work very well on me any more.

General comments from the talk,

It is ironic that a talk designed to warn the hearers away from propaganda is an excellent case study on how to manipulate an audience using strawman arguments, targetting and associating unlike groups as being dangerous, vague threats, and appeal to emotion. Certain words and phrases are repeated, "artfully contrived stories" and "propaganda". There are no specific guidelines given in the entire talk, however, on how to spot the propaganda. Instead, Higher Education, the Media, the Internet and Pornography are all lumped together as being under Satan's influence. Though not specifically mentioned, I believe this talk is priming the listeners to ignore critical information about the society. They are specifically warned away from from the Universities (possibly because of Critical Thinking courses), and the Internet (open and free exchange of information), without providing any evidence that these places are hotbeds for propaganda.

Context:

How do Jehovah's Witnesses make their arguments sound so convincing? Are they using logical fallacies and manipulative techniques to draw the audience and the reader to a desired course of action? None of us want to think that we are robots or puppets. Can you learn these techniques of manipulation?

Lots of other organizations and groups use manipulative techniques to influence their audience. We see an average of twelve commercials per television show. Not all of these sales attempts are sinister. I like milk, and I buy a new car every four years or so. Nevertheless, it is helpful to understand how these groups manage to influence you in a particular direction, so that you are not unduly influenced, and you maintain your autonomy.

Problem:

You may be witnessing someone being sucked in to the Jehovah's Witness arguments. Are they being "brainwashed", and if so, how is it being accomplished? You may be worried that you too may be drawn in to the JW thinking, against your will. When you understand how language is used to guide people in to a certain course of action, you will be able to defend, or inoculate yourself, against it's effects.

Forces:

Jehovah's Witnesses talks and literature use a predictable pattern of logical fallacies and manipulative language.

A person deep in Cognitive Dissonance is desperate for any reason to maintain their pattern of behavior. You may see some creative reasoning an excuses to defend their choices.

Elders, too, are experienced in drawing congregation members to a certain course of action.

The study leader will have warned their study partner that Satan and "worldly people' will be opposed to their newly discovered spirituality. You may not be able to defend yourself against what is said about you in your absence.


Essence of the Solution:

Take time to learn cricial thinking skills, including learning to spot Logical Fallacies. By learning how arguments are designed to manipulate the audience in to believing something that is illogical, you inoculate yourself against the argument. You are then free to choose to follow or to walk away from their chosen path for you.


More about the Solution:

You can practice locating logical fallacies by taking a section of Watchtower writing. You don't have to do the whole article at once. Take a small section of the article and analyse that.

1. First of all, read the article for key words or phrases.

Can you spot the manipulative language? (underline words or phrases like "should", "a reasonable person would" or "how do you feel"..with answer provided

Watch for words like "likely", "evidently". It means that the WTS is speculating and adding to the bible account.

Is the "carrot" mentioned (everlasting life on earth)?

Are code words and phrases used that have unique meaning for the JW- such as "True Christian" (only JW's), and "Conscience Matter" (an issue the JW must be careful to follow the direction of the Watchtower Society).

2. Are there any Logical Fallacies? Learn to spot illogical arguments. Here are some illogical arguments often seen in Watchtower articles:

Straw Man - an extreme example is given first and defeated. Then the article goes on to dismiss milder examples. For instance, an extreme example of bad reporting by the media is given, quickly followed by a statement that "media feed us lies".


Bait and Switch - the article starts out with a generally accepted religious principle, "Obey Christ" and ends with "Obey Jehovah's Organization."


3. Does the topic hint at the issues worrying the Watchtower Society (for instance, constant encouragement to settle offences may mean that this is a big issue for the organization)?

4. Look up all quotes. If they do not reference the author, try doing a googlegoogle search for the source. Are authors and bible verses quoted in context? Were they represented accurately?


Do other translations give another slant to the meaning?

Online searchable bibles:

www.blueletterbible.org

www.biblegateway.com

What was left out between the three dots?

5. Is there a setup for Cognitive Dissonance, for instance, mention of ambiguous hazard or ambiguous reward, so the reader will "fill in the blanks"?


Resulting Context:

Logical arguments can only take you so far. People have many reasons for doing what they do, many of them emotional. That's OK, recognize the forces that you and your loved ones are drawn by, and adapt to them.

Many people join the Jehovah's Witnesses for emotional reasons. Trying to point out the logical fallacies may push your listener in to increasingly illogical reasons for remaining. I explain these forces in my article on Cognitive Dissonance. You may need to address the emotional reasons that a JW is drawn to the Witnesses before you tackle the logical fallacies.

The JW's in turn accuse opposers of using "Artfully Contrived Stories" to draw converts away from the "truth". In the end, you will have to make up yuour own mind on who is trying to deceive and why.
In the head of the moment an experienced debater may sound more convincing than your best argument. You may have to be content to concede for the time being. Take a few days to mull over your opponent's arguments to find the holes.

Known Uses:

A side benefit to this new skill is that you will become a logical thinker not easily taken in by con artists, phone solicitors, activists, Multi-Level Marketing schemes, or politicians.

Logical Fallacies
Mood:  mischievious
Topic: Solutions
Opening Story:

In the summer of 2005 I attended the annual district assembly of Jehovah's Witnesses here in Edmonton, Alberta. Darcy Harris gave a talk entitled, "Do Not Follow Artfully Contrived Stories". I made notes of this talk, which provides many examples of logical fallacies and manipulative language. I analysed this talk to practice spotting the ways I was being manipulated in to a particular way of action or thinking. I hate being manipulated. I do this type of analysis once in a while to sharpen my skills in discernment, and I habitually apply these principles when reading a Watchtower article.
Here's a link to my analysis

An unfortunate spinoff to my newly sharpened critical skills is I can't help analysing every appeal or call to action, including my poor pastor's sermons. Appeals to emotion don't work very well on me any more.

General comments from the talk,

It is ironic that a talk designed to warn the hearers away from propaganda is an excellent case study on how to manipulate an audience using strawman arguments, targetting and associating unlike groups as being dangerous, vague threats, and appeal to emotion. Certain words and phrases are repeated, "artfully contrived stories" and "propaganda". There are no specific guidelines given in the entire talk, however, on how to spot the propaganda. Instead, Higher Education, the Media, the Internet and Pornography are all lumped together as being under Satan's influence. Though not specifically mentioned, I believe this talk is priming the listeners to ignore critical information about the society. They are specifically warned away from from the Universities (possibly because of Critical Thinking courses), and the Internet (open and free exchange of information), without providing any evidence that these places are hotbeds for propaganda.

Context:

How do Jehovah's Witnesses make their arguments sound so convincing? Are they using logical fallacies and manipulative techniques to draw the audience and the reader to a desired course of action? None of us want to think that we are robots or puppets. Can you learn these techniques of manipulation?

Lots of other organizations and groups use manipulative techniques to influence their audience. We see an average of twelve commercials per television show. Not all of these sales attempts are sinister. I like milk, and I buy a new car every four years or so. Nevertheless, it is helpful to understand how these groups manage to influence you in a particular direction, so that you are not unduly influenced, and you maintain your autonomy.

Problem:

You may be witnessing someone being sucked in to the Jehovah's Witness arguments. Are they being "brainwashed", and if so, how is it being accomplished? You may be worried that you too may be drawn in to the JW thinking, against your will. When you understand how language is used to guide people in to a certain course of action, you will be able to defend, or inoculate yourself, against it's effects.

Forces:

Jehovah's Witnesses talks and literature use a predictable pattern of logical fallacies and manipulative language.

A person deep in Cognitive Dissonance is desperate for any reason to maintain their pattern of behavior. You may see some creative reasoning an excuses to defend their choices.

Elders, too, are experienced in drawing congregation members to a certain course of action.

The study leader will have warned their study partner that Satan and "worldly people' will be opposed to their newly discovered spirituality. You may not be able to defend yourself against what is said about you in your absence.


Essence of the Solution:

Take time to learn cricial thinking skills, including learning to spot Logical Fallacies. By learning how arguments are designed to manipulate the audience in to believing something that is illogical, you inoculate yourself against the argument. You are then free to choose to follow or to walk away from their chosen path for you.


More about the Solution:

You can practice locating logical fallacies by taking a section of Watchtower writing. You don't have to do the whole article at once. Take a small section of the article and analyse that.

1. First of all, read the article for key words or phrases.

Can you spot the manipulative language? (underline words or phrases like "should", "a reasonable person would" or "how do you feel"..with answer provided

Watch for words like "likely", "evidently". It means that the WTS is speculating and adding to the bible account.

Is the "carrot" mentioned (everlasting life on earth)?

Are code words and phrases used that have unique meaning for the JW- such as "True Christian" (only JW's), and "Conscience Matter" (an issue the JW must be careful to follow the direction of the Watchtower Society).

2. Are there any Logical Fallacies? Learn to spot illogical arguments. Here are some illogical arguments often seen in Watchtower articles:

Straw Man - an extreme example is given first and defeated. Then the article goes on to dismiss milder examples. For instance, an extreme example of bad reporting by the media is given, quickly followed by a statement that "media feed us lies".


Bait and Switch - the article starts out with a generally accepted religious principle, "Obey Christ" and ends with "Obey Jehovah's Organization."


3. Does the topic hint at the issues worrying the Watchtower Society (for instance, constant encouragement to settle offences may mean that this is a big issue for the organization)?

4. Look up all quotes. If they do not reference the author, try doing a googlegoogle search for the source. Are authors and bible verses quoted in context? Were they represented accurately?


Do other translations give another slant to the meaning?

Online searchable bibles:

www.blueletterbible.org

www.biblegateway.com

What was left out between the three dots?

5. Is there a setup for Cognitive Dissonance, for instance, mention of ambiguous hazard or ambiguous reward, so the reader will "fill in the blanks"?


Resulting Context:

Logical arguments can only take you so far. People have many reasons for doing what they do, many of them emotional. That's OK, recognize the forces that you and your loved ones are drawn by, and adapt to them.

Many people join the Jehovah's Witnesses for emotional reasons. Trying to point out the logical fallacies may push your listener in to increasingly illogical reasons for remaining. I explain these forces in my article on Cognitive Dissonance. You may need to address the emotional reasons that a JW is drawn to the Witnesses before you tackle the logical fallacies.

The JW's in turn accuse opposers of using "Artfully Contrived Stories" to draw converts away from the "truth". In the end, you will have to make up yuour own mind on who is trying to deceive and why.
In the head of the moment an experienced debater may sound more convincing than your best argument. You may have to be content to concede for the time being. Take a few days to mull over your opponent's arguments to find the holes.

Known Uses:

A side benefit to this new skill is that you will become a logical thinker not easily taken in by con artists, phone solicitors, activists, Multi-Level Marketing schemes, or politicians.

2005/10/15 Cultivate Genuine Humility
Mood:  chatty
Topic: Forecast
Synopsis: Soccer players succomb to the worldly tendency to excel, very bad. Stop fighting with other members of the congregation.

Forecast: Great anti-witness picture on page 28. Apparently soccer is evil.

Trust in a Religiously Divided Household
Mood:  hug me
Topic: Backgrounder
I polled a group of Unbelieving Mates, or UBM's on their feelings on trust in their marriage. From the poll results it is clear that intimacy, trust, and honesty go together. Each is impacted by the others in dozens of ways. Any can be improved or weakened by action or inaction, each of these principles of relationships require effort to achieve and maintain. It is clear too, that if communication and intimacy had broken down before a partner changes faiths, it makes it doubly hard afterward to salvage the tatters. All human relationships involve trust to varying degrees. Marriage is probably one of the ultimate expressions of trust because both of you are vulnerable on so many fronts (physical, emotional, financial ). Before making a major life change (like changing religious beliefs), think of your spouse.

Trust means:
- You've got their back.
- Trust can be like money, it can lost but can be earned back. The earning it is hard once it is lost.
- When you trust someone, you can rely on them and have confidence in the decisions they will make. I think it’s closely related to predictability.
- Marriage is completely betting the farm on another person. Not just yours, but all your progeny as well.

Want to be trusted?

-Say what you mean and mean what you say.
- Stay trustworthy, even when it hurts, especially through the tough times.

Here are some more comments:
Trust is a very big issue in the divided religious household. I have had 3 major surgeries and some illnesses since my husband and I have been married. I had to trust him that he would follow my instructions against his religious beliefs. That's a big thing. But in the same regard, I have to do the same if he's ever in that situation. And we were in that situation this summer. I watched him say no to blood products while having surgery. While I completely disagree with this, its his life and his decision to make.

I just asked my wife if she trusts me. She said "not entirely." I asked "why?". She said, "Because I know you are going through some sort of midlife crisis these days, and I don't know really what to expect from you..." I had to laugh because she is such a straight shooter, and because I can only imagine how she must see me in her ultra-moral and boring JW life, where I am the evil atheist who is screwing up his life and throwing caution to the wind and has a purposeless existence. Which is all true, I may add. But ya, I can see what she means. I have had a lot of surprises for her in the last year. Probably coming out of the closet as an atheist that had been praying to a non-existent Jehovah, and closing in a non-existent Jesus' name, and commenting at the book study about stuff that I thought was total BS for months and months, was a blow to her trust in me. It seems silly to me, but it's obviously not to her.

The biggest break of trust in our marriage happened when he realized that I wasn't going to be a JW anymore. For a while it really shook his trust in me. He thought that everything about me had changed. In fact, he told me that he didn't know me anymore, that I wasn't the person he had married anymore. That hurt, because I was the same person, still a good wife and mother... believing that the WTBTS is not God's mouthpiece on earth does not make me a bad person!! Once he realized that my ‘apostate’ activities were a betrayal to the WTS and not to him personally, or to our marriage, the trust he had in me before all this slowly returned.
I have never lied to him or misled him or hidden anything important from him - until now, leaving the [Watchtower Society]. And he knows that I hide some things now, but he also knows the reasons why. And I honestly think that if he didn't trust me so much, he would give me a much harder time about my clandestine activities than he does.

The big thing where we are lacking is that she joined [the Watchtower Society] after I asked her to put it off. I only wanted a little time to understand the implications of her baptism. I also thought it was reasonable to ask her to look at the facts, with me, with a fresh set of eyes. I felt that, as her husband, this was a completely reasonable request. I would never have joined if she came to me that way. But the effects of mind control are deep and profound. She made a profound change in our life without my consent. To me, there is no "us". There is only "her". Even if she left the [Watchtower Society] tomorrow, I would still be looking for her next catastrophic choice.

Dress for the Hall
Mood:  flirty
Topic: Solutions
Opening Story:

My missionary friend had just come back from Mexico. We talked about the cultural differences and getting used to life in Canada. He noticed that he had to "pause and reflect" before he went outdoors. In Mexico, he never gave a thought to the weather before he went outside. I noticed that Mexicans require much less personal space. My missionary friend reflected while innocently cuddled side-to-side on a park bench. I love talking to friends from the tropics, too, because of my own homesickness for the West Indies.

The markets are so different than in Canada. You are expected to barter. When a white person enters the market, the prices rise in a wave before them. It is assumed that if you are a tourist, you can afford the markup. This was a problem for my missionary friend, a nordic blonde, as he was living as a native and had no more income than the people he was serving. He got in to the habit of bringing one of his native-born daughters along. As soon as his girls started chatting in the native dialect, the merchant relaxed. And relaxed the price.

People are more relaxed when they are with their own, an identifiable group. When you attend a gathering as an outsider, it helps to do what you can to "fit in". If you dress like a native, people you meet will likely be more relaxed and treat you more like their own kind. My first, dramatic, visit to a Kingdom Hall certainly bore this out. I'll give you the back story to set the scene.

I and my Jehovah's Witness husband had married months before, the culmination of a three-year courtship. While I was dating Art he had started studying with the Witnesses. He chose to keep our relationship a secret. He did try "testing the waters" a couple of times, confessing that he was dating a non-JW but each time he received a firm warning that scared him off from bringing it up again. So we married quietly, with my parents and my children, my granddaughter and the Justice of the Peace. After we were married I told my husband he had to come clean at the hall. I was tired of being treated like an embarrassing secret. He kept putting it off. The last time he'd brought it up, he lost two night's sleep over it. He had told the elders he'd prayed about it and was content to leave his fate in Jehovah's hands. The elders had replied, "What makes you think that Jehovah hears your prayers?" So we continued our early married life in limbo. He continued going to the Kingdom Hall, and I went to my church half a block away.

We were quickly heading for a collission, though. The elders were talking about granting my husband more responsibility. I warned Art that he would be deceiving these Elders and lying to the Holy Spirit if he continued in this lie. Still he put it off.


The final straw, I am ashamed to admit, came on a day I was a woman scorned, aggrieved and neglected. Art had put off my amorous advances that morning. Even though he knew I was a simmering cauldron of feminine misery, he chose that morning to pretend that I would peacefully let it pass, if he ignored me long enough. So I made my decision. I dressed carefully, did my hair up nicely, and put on a full application of war paint. I asked him to drop me off at church on his way to the hall, our regular pattern. He dropped me off at the rear entrance, pecked me on the cheek, and drove off to his own service. I watched him drive out of sight. Then I picked up my heels and trotted off to the Kingdom Hall myself. I walked in shortly before the service was to begin, located my husband, and sat myself beside him. The look on his face satisfied my burning desire for justice. He whispered furiously if I might sit somewhere else. "No way, I am your wife," I answered. In a panic, he ran to the back of the hall to request an emergency meeting with the elders. His moment of truth had come, the elders would know about me.

I came to this first Kingdom Hall meeting dressed to fit in, even though I was a complete stranger to the ladies there. During that first meeting a few ladies confided some of the local gossip, assuming I was the wife of the visiting speaker. I learned a lot about the plans to renovate the hall. Word was out within the week of course, and I never had such a candid conversation again. It was fun while it lasted.

Context:
When you do get together with the Jehovah's Witnesses, either at the Kingdom Hall or informal gatherings, dressing like them can help them relax, help them to be more open, and help you fit in.

Problem:
You don't want to be treated like "fresh meat" or a "worldly person" or even worse, a "pagan" when you first visit the Kingdom Hall.

Forces:
Your partner may also want you to "fit in" with the "clean living" members of the Kingdom Hall.
You may feel like rebelling at times - why do you have to conform? You don't of course, and there may be times that you choose to overtly rebel to preserve your individuality. If you treat the dressing up as a way to appease the natives, and not a reflection of your true nature, the dressing up can be made tolerable, even fun.

Jehovah's Witnesses are more relaxed when they are around people who dress and act like them.

Essence of the Solution:
To fit in at a JW gathering, dress conservatively, as if you were attending a business meeting or a funeral.

More about the Solution:
I have the advantage of having a full wardrobe that fits the JW standard for modesty. Their standards are very similaer to any evangelical church that bought in to the "holiness" movement in the seventies. For those of us who lived through it, Christians attempted to set themselves apart from the "world" by dressing differently than the "world". The holiness movement also affected makeup, reading, music, and recreation. The holiness movement inspired book burning, record burning, and measured skirt hemlines. I am certain the Jehovah's Witnesses got caught up in this movement as well, and though the rules are gone, there is still a strong standard for dress and appearance for both men and women. Also, Rutherford, the former president of the Watchtower Society, wished it's representatives to dress themselves in a clean and decent manner when presenting their literature at the doors. This tradition continues to this day.

Men:
Clean-shaven
Hair well trimmed above the collar
Suit or sports jacket with dress slacks
Dress shirt and tieTie
Dress shoes
Portfolio or suitcase
No: dreadlocks, tattoos, body piercing, "soul patch", beards, jeans, turtleneck sweaters, sneakers, hair coloring other than natural colors.

Women:
Hair - streaks OK, but no unnatural colors.
Makeup OK, modestly applied.
Dress, suit-dress, or blouse/sweater and skirt
Skirt, short slit only. Length below the knee is best.
Button collar one higher than you are used to.
Nylons, dress shoes
Usually don't bother with a hat or other formal head-covering.
No: dreadlocks, tattoos, body piercing, slacks/jeans/pants of any kind, sneakers, hair coloring other than natural colors.

Resulting Context:
Congregation members have gone so far to mildly accuse me of "fooling" them. As far as possible, be honest regarding your stand regarding the JW's. Your goal is to put them at ease, not to creep them out. If asked where I have come from, I usually respond, "My husband attends XXX congregation."
You may get fed up with fitting in,and have an overwhelming desire to express yourself. If you are at the point where individuality must express yourself, do it! Once in a while I wear slacks. Nothing terrible happens, I'm not expelled or anything. When I do wear slacks though, it does mark me as an "unbeliever", and I am treated more like "fresh meat" than "interesting stranger".
Your partner may demand that you fit in. I don't have this problem, as I usually dress conservatively anyways, and my husband is very accommodating. I always ask before we go if I look OK.

Known Uses:
Dress up for a visit to the Kingdom Hall, conventions and assemblies to keep the JW's at ease.

2005/10/15 Beware of developing a Haughty Heart
Mood:  don't ask
Topic: Forecast
Synopsis: Pharoah, Hagar, Hezekiah were haughty and see what happened to them. Haughtiness originates with Satan.

Forecast: I call these articles manhood shrinkers. Break out the Viagra.

Elder comeback lines
Mood:  energetic
Topic: Backgrounder
I don't mind if there are legitimate reasons and arguments to be a Jehovah's Witnesse, but I dislike the use of manipulation.

When a Jehovah's Witness starts to express doubts, often a lot of pressure is brought to bear for them to stay. Very often, this pressure is brought on by JW elders. Here are some common questions and manipulative statements used by elders to convince a JW to remain.

Even if an exiting JW doesn't come back with the perfect comeback, knowing how you they are being manipulated inoculates them from it's effects. They will have a lot less trouble walking away without answering the Elder's interrogation.

Attack
You have a problem, brother.	Is my problem that you're unloving?	Scriptures?
Did you get this information off the internet?	I am confused by your question. If it is correct, does it matter where it came from? Would you turn away truth from a donkey?	Scriptures?
Why do you always point to negative things? You used to be such a positive person.	You aren't asking me what I like about the organization. I didn't (leave;stop going to meetings/field service) because of positive things.	Scriptures?
Selective bible quotes like: They were not of our sort and went out from us. Are you not of our sort?	If I take out the trash, am I not of your sort? No? Just because someone leaves does not mean they are no longer part of us, right? We have to ask ourselves, WHY are they leaving?	Scriptures?
Deflect
We don't know what your situation is, and we don't want to get too personal.	I appreciate that. It is best if you don't risk inquiring about things that really aren't anyone else's business.	1 Thessalonians 4:11
Deal breakers This is used when the elders have given up trying to turn you and want to establish a good reason not to talk to you any more.
Do you still believe that the Faithful and Discreet Slave is Jehovah's representative here on earth in our day?	I am not sure anymore. One thing that weakens my confidence is that they seem scared of anyone who doubts the truth of that.	Matthew 10:24-31
Delay
Wait on Jehovah.	Should I use this advice on contributions, too? If Jehovah will provide, we don't have to bother. I am waiting. I am just avoiding meetings while I wait.	Scriptures?
Put it all in the bin.	Answer?	Scriptures?
Why not be like Moses and accept the situation for now, who knows what Jehovah has in store for you?	Moses left his homeland of birth and waited at a great distance. And no human or group of humans set him on his eventual purpose.	Scriptures?
Increase Cognitive Dissonance
You've invested so much already, it would be a shame to throw it all away.	I know, doesn't it all seem wasted? Why go on this way, expecting more of the same? What if I had eaten only McDonald's my whole life and the doctor said it would kill me if I kept going that way? Would it matter how much I had invested?	Scriptures?
Can you take your stumbling blocks and turn them into stepping stones?	Yes. But since I was stumbled by path XXX, wouldn't it make more sense to try a different?less dangerous?path next time?	Scriptures?
Our kids grew up together.	I know. I will miss many of the people I love so much. But I can't afford to make decisions about religion based on emotion, can I?	Scriptures?
Instill Guilt
Even if you just KNOW about a sin, and you don't notify the Elders of that person's sin, it's as if you committed the sin yourself.	[search furiously through NT] I must have missed that one. Where does it say that in any instructions to Christians?	Scriptures?
We miss you.We love you.	Great! Why don't you give me a call next week and we'll go for coffee.	Scriptures?
We missed your partner at the meeting.	Great! Why don't you give us a call next week and we'll go for coffee.	Scriptures?
We understand that sometimes it's difficult to express ourselves when we have been accused of committing a sin. Is there anything we can do to help you express your feelings about how this all started?	First, you could stop comparing an accusation to a conviction. You can help me to express myself by telling me who made an accusation, what evidence there is of the accusation, and whether you have already found me guilty of the accused behavior. Once you have done that I may have some things to tell you.	Scriptures?
It's so nice to see you here as a family.	Answer?	Scriptures?
We love you.	O, how I wish I could believe that!	Scriptures?
What do we tell the brothers?	About what?	Scriptures?
Is there anything that you feel that you ought to be telling us?	Oh, yes! I have many things to tell you, but I'm not sure you can bear them.	Scriptures?
Instill self-doubt
How do you know Jehovah hears your prayers?	Why do think Jehovah is listening to your prayers? What's the evidence?	Scriptures?
You know what you did was wrong.	Are you talking to me or a mirror? I know what I did, you only know what you say I did.	Scriptures?
If you're stumbled maybe it's because you want to be stumbled, maybe you're looking for an excuse to slow down.	So, by this reasoning, no Witness could actually be stumbled by someone or something else. Is that what Jesus said?	Luke 17:1-4
Instill Fear
How do you know Jehovah hears your prayers?	I haven't lost confidence in Jehovah. All who call on him in confidence, he hears. As long as they pray in accordance with his will. Don't you believe that?	Isaiah 30:18, 19; 1 John 5:13-15
Is your choice worth giving up your life for?	Are my choices worth living for?	Scriptures?
See what happens when you leave Jehovah?	I see what happens when you leave an organization that speaks in Jehovah's name. Is that the same as leaving Jehovah?	Scriptures?
Sometimes you think you can get away with things, but Jehovah sees everything, and it will be much worse for you to be judged by HIM	How true that is! Maybe someone should write and remind the Governing Body that their accountability for error is greater than mine.	Romans 2:1-11
Here are some scriptures on Apostacy. You don't want to go apostate, do you? 2 Tim 3:10-14, 2 Tim 2, 2 Tim 1 20-21, 2 Thess 15:2, 1 John 2:18-19, 2 Peter 2.	I don't want to apostatize myself from God, Jesus, or the Bible. But none of these scriptures discusses leaving an organization, do they? Hasn't the Governing Body also said the resurrection has already occurred? Starting in 1919?	Galatians 1:6-9; 2 Timothy 2:18
As in the days of Noah, the people were laughing and mocking, until the flood came and took them all away.	Yes, they took no note at all of the ark, God's means of salvation. Why do we say the organization is God's means of salvation instead of Jesus? Isn't Jesus the modern day ark? Was Jesus apostate since he directed people to a different approach to God than the organization of his day?	2 Peter 3; John 14:6-7
Where else will you go?
Suppose you are entirely correct. What then? Where will you go?	I will figure that out once I know whether or not I am entirely correct. Can you show me that I am not entirely correct?	1 John 4:1; Ephesians 5:15-17; Phillipians 1:8-11
Suppose this isn't Jehovah's Organization. Where will you go??	If it isn't, then anywhere else would be preferable.	Revelation 18:4-8
Suppose this isn't Jehovah's Organization. Which one is?	If we are still living in the Great Apostasy, why would there have to be one?	2 Thessalonians 2:3-12
So, if this isn't God's Organization, how will you carry out the worldwide preaching work?	Hm. I don't know. How was it carried out during the Great Apostasy?	2 Thessalonians 2:3-12
So if you don't believe XXX anymore, what do you believe?	I believe all of my beliefs should be based on (the Bible/logic). Is that wrong? I also believe I don't have to necessarily tell everyone what I believe. You don't think I should tell everyone what I believe, do you?	Hebrews 5:14; Romans 12:1, 2; Acts 17:10, 11
What other organization has done more for the truth?	Hm. That's a good question! I really should do more research before I answer it.	Scriptures?
Where else will you find such loving, clean people to be with?	I did not want a kind of 'social club'. I joined because I thought I had 'the truth', If only one person has the truth in a tin shed somewhere then this is where I would want to be. Besides, many aren't loving and if they were clean they wouldn't need constant policing.	Scriptures?
This is still the best way of life even if there is no paradise.	I disagree. The best way of life is a personal relationship with God. And being able to trust that you have a helper with God and a High Priest with God, and that these are not imperfect. My leader doesn't make mistakes and would never stumble me.	Scriptures?
If this is not Jehovah's organisation then how do you explain the growth?	Um, are you suggesting that growth is proof of God's blessing? Then how do you explain the Mormons? How do you explain the Buddhists? How do you explain the explosion of growth among Evangelical religions? I would call growth a "powerful work," nice to look at but it can't be used as proof of favor.	Matthew 7:15-23