one of the things i've noticed on threads like this....there are anti-jws that are just as hardlined, stiffnecked, and doctrinal as the most rabid bethelite lifer. if we can't listen to each other, we can't learn from each other. personaly i would rather see a few posts from thousands of posters, instead of thousands of posts from a few posters. but, that's just me. we've all been abused in some way or we would not be here. we all hope to help or we wouldn't post here. if we wanted to be abused we could always go to the kh. i realize that the abusers will not recognize themselves from what i've said, but they should. perhaps a friend could clue them in. as for how we cope? just like everyone else, the best we can.
Question for JWs still on the "inside":
by Hellrider 64 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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serendipity
Hi Just2sheep, I had the same thought about people being dogmatic. Old habits die hard.
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yesidid
there are anti-jws that are just as hardlined, stiffnecked, and doctrinal as the most rabid bethelite lifer. if we can't listen to each other, we can't learn from each other.
I absolutely agree. There are people on this board in all stages of removing themselves from the WT.
It's hard enough for them without other self righteous know alls telling them what they should or should not be doing.
If someone says something negative about the homosexual lifestyle they are told to live and let live.
Can that not apply to those who are caught in a situation, not of their own making, or liking. Please be more understanding. Some are more judgemental than Ted Jaracz and the Judge put together.
End of rant.
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silentWatcher
I feel bad for those who have to keep up the facade. fortunately, my life situation allowed me to quietly fade away. I respect that not everyone has it so good, and will never judge another's situation.
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Highlander
I never do 'field service' and I never will again. If someone wants to talk about religion I use only the bible. The only time I reference the watchtower is when I talk to other witnesses
regarding inconsistant doctrines/rules/regulations.
I merely attend the occasional meeting to show my face and give the illusion of being a witness.
From my Great grandparents to my nieces there are 5 generations of witnesses in my family. I think I have in excess of 100 witness relatives.
Therefore I just 'hang on' by a thread so that I don't lose my entire family that's caught up in the F'd up religion!!!
Till the day I die, I promise I will never spread the lies in the watchtower.
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stillAwitness
I preach the "bare truth". I just give mags, and don't return.
Same here! But I take it a step further. I purposely make sure I get a handful of literature at the counter each week.
Call me crazy but I do this, take them all home and dump them in the trash at the end of each month (usually amounts to over 30 magazines and about 10 books)
I figure I am doing my part to keep at least some of that brainwash propaganda out of the hands of an innocent person.
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stillAwitness
From my Great grandparents to my nieces there are 5 generations of witnesses in my family. I think I have in excess of 100 witness relatives.
WOW! Must be tough.
Hang in there buddy!
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jah1914
Kid-A,Serendipity,HellRider Thank you for your feedback. Kid-A - I honestly see your perspective, but I honestly do not peddle magazines. I think that if we look at some of the articles honestly, we will see that some of them are very good. When I come across articles like that I photocopy them and give them to whomever I am talking to, again...they are just one of many tools that anyone who wants to talk about God could use. Please see some of my comments below to Serendipity and Hellrider if you are interested. Serendipity - I guess that is why I say I must have grew up in a time warp or something. My dad has been an elder since I was born and he never taught us to put faith in anything other Jesus and his Father. I have never been taught that the FDS is infalliable or that they alone preach the truth. Maybe people cut us slack because of what my parents have been through. My dad has been deleted and stepped down many times by different bodies of elders for obeying the dictates of his conscience, only later to have been reappointed after some new article or adjustment in beliefs later upheld his bible-trained view. Through it all he has always maintained that 'helping' sheep was the most important thing. He has always taught us to consider ourselves 'christians' first and has always discouraged us from identifying ourselves as 'JWs'. Where some of the teachings make biblical sense, we follow them, not because the FDS or a baptist preacher or a methodist minister tells us to, but because the bible we spend so much time studying and asking God to help us do his will by tells us to. We were taught it doesn't matter the source of truth, if you perceive it as truth then follow it. If it is something you bible trained conscience does not allow you to believe it don't and God will reward you for being truthful. But my dad would always say, the only obligation or belief you need is love. I don't know why people don't bother me. I certainly believe and have witnessed people being disfellowshipped for similiar things. I don't know. But I can honestly say that I do say all the things that I mentioned and I have never had a problem. Understand, I don't make those things the focus of my conversations with people inside or outside the congregation trying to prove myself right because again, what do I owe anyone other than love? Maybe that is why no one has bothered me to this point, I don't feel the need to point these things out and try to correct things that can only be corrected by God. I know this is cliche, but we really are all imperfect, even the ones that believe that collectively they can't be(FDS?) I also am humble enough to realize I could be wrong. But sometimes I wonder, Is Jesus really going to say to an individual at Har-Meggdon, "Hey you lived a upright life and followed me with your whole heart, but you know.....you got that 1914 thing all wrong...to the goat pen with you." or "you know you were not an upright person, but you got the date for my presence right. ...to the sheep pen with you." What does your heart tell you? Mine tells me such doctrinal issues are not important. Don't get me wrong...I could be wrong...but that is something God will have to judge me and me alone on. Hellrider - you are absolutely right. I have never been a JW. I have always(since my baptism) been a christian pursuing the mind of Christ. For whatever reason God has placed me in association with this group of people who call themselves Jehovah's Witnesses, who when we boil it all down are not really 'evil' people. Just people in different stages of there walk(some of them christian walk) who face all the same pressures and problems everyone else does. We all need help, why should leave and go help others, when God has already put me in association with people that need help? I tend to ramble, so I'm going to stop typing, but again I appreciate you guys taking the time address me personally in a non-judgemental way. Until we speak again Agape
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jah1914
Wow that post did not format right.....=)
I know there is something on this board about double posting, but I am still getting the hang of the formatting. Please forgive me, but I want Kid-A, Serendipity and Hellrider to actually be able to read what I wrote. Here it goes.....
Kid-A,Serendipity,HellRider Thank you for your feedback.
Kid-A - I honestly see your perspective, but I honestly do not peddle magazines. I think that if we look at some of the articles honestly, we will see that some of them are very good. When I come across articles like that I photocopy them and give them to whomever I am talking to, again...they are just one of many tools that anyone who wants to talk about God could use. Please see some of my comments below to Serendipity and Hellrider if you are interested.
Serendipity - I guess that is why I say I must have grew up in a time warp or something. My dad has been an elder since I was born and he never taught us to put faith in anything other Jesus and his Father. I have never been taught that the FDS is infalliable or that they alone preach the truth. Maybe people cut us slack because of what my parents have been through. My dad has been deleted and stepped down many times by different bodies of elders for obeying the dictates of his conscience, only later to have been reappointed after some new article or adjustment in beliefs later upheld his bible-trained view.
Through it all he has always maintained that 'helping' sheep was the most important thing. He has always taught us to consider ourselves 'christians' first and has always discouraged us from identifying ourselves as 'JWs'. Where some of the teachings make biblical sense, we follow them, not because the FDS or a baptist preacher or a methodist minister tells us to, but because the bible we spend so much time studying and asking God to help us do his will by tells us to. We were taught it doesn't matter the source of truth, if you perceive it as truth then follow it. If it is something you bible trained conscience does not allow you to believe it don't and God will reward you for being truthful. But my dad would always say, the only obligation or belief you need is love.
I don't know why people don't bother me. I certainly believe and have witnessed people being disfellowshipped for similiar things. I don't know. But I can honestly say that I do say all the things that I mentioned and I have never had a problem. Understand, I don't make those things the focus of my conversations with people inside or outside the congregation trying to prove myself right because again, what do I owe anyone other than love? Maybe that is why no one has bothered me to this point, I don't feel the need to point these things out and try to correct things that can only be corrected by God. I know this is cliche, but we really are all imperfect, even the ones that believe that collectively they can't be(FDS?) I also am humble enough to realize I could be wrong.
Sometimes I wonder, Is Jesus really going to say to an individual at Har-Meggdon, "Hey you lived a upright life and followed me with your whole heart, but you know.....you got that 1914 thing all wrong...to the goat pen with you." or "you know you were not an upright person, but you got the date for my presence right. ...to the sheep pen with you." What does your heart tell you? Mine tells me such doctrinal issues are not important. Don't get me wrong...I could be wrong...but that is something God will have to judge me and me alone on.
Hellrider - you are absolutely right. I have never been a JW. I have always(since my baptism) been a christian pursuing the mind of Christ.
For whatever reason God has placed me in association with this group of people who call themselves Jehovah's Witnesses, who when we boil it all down are not really 'evil' people. Just people in different stages of there walk(some of them christian walk) who face all the same pressures and problems everyone else does. We all need help, why should leave and go help others, when God has already put me in association with people that need help?
I tend to ramble, so I'm going to stop typing, but again I appreciate you guys taking the time address me personally in a non-judgemental way.
Until we speak again
Agape -
flyphisher
..there are anti-jws that are just as hardlined, stiffnecked, and doctrinal as the most rabid bethelite lifer
Its simple. Depends on the RANK the JW held BEFORE he became an ex-JW.