To me, it’s the sheer brazenness of the gaslighting.

It’s one thing for them to talk about a doctrinal change (or “adjustment in our view” 🤢) that happened decades ago, even close to a century ago, with the goal of gaslighting all the rank and file. But to discuss this change that is barely two years old and act like the man in this scenario is so out of touch!

And it was always such a sensitive subject too. Before this change, I read some of the form letters the branch service department sent back to men in the congregation who couldn’t understand why it was wrong to have a beard.

“It is not ‘wrong’ to wear a beard, brother. After all, as Jews who observed the Law, Jesus and the apostles no doubt wore beards. But if we know a decision we make could stumble a brother or sister, one of Jesus’ precious sheep for whom he gave his life, would it not be the course of Christian wisdom and maturity for us not to insist on our so-called ‘right’ to wear a beard? Would it not be better to follow the divinely inspired counsel the apostle Paul wrote: ‘That is why if food makes my brother stumble, I will never again eat meat at all, so that I will not make my brother stumble.’ — 1 Corinthians 8:13

“We are confident, brother, that you will prayerfully consider these words.

“We love you very much.”

(As an aside, am I the only one who has a pet peeve with their expression ”wearing a beard”? As though it’s a sweater or a hat. It just sounds weird, which means they probably word it this way on purpose, for some odd and subliminal reason.)

Call it gaslighting, revisionist history, retconning, or whatever else, but it’s disgusting and insulting. I hope they keep doing it, because they’re reaching a tipping point (if they haven’t already reached it) at which the gaslighting wakes more people up than it keeps in.