LL
welcome
It is a great story...........I just could'nt leave it with out the entire read................Thanks
It's High Time I Introduce Myself
by Lady Liberty 71 Replies latest jw friends
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Kaput
Scholar has written extensively on this very point , as have other sites eg ewatchman.
They all took the blue pill.
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Swan
Welcome Lady Liberty!
Of all of the amazing revelations I have had about the JWs after extricating myself from them in 1994, the Fall of Jerusalem in 607 issue was the most disturbing. It was flabbergasting to me because no other historical reference mentions it at all. It is entirely their own fabrication. When I was growing up, that date was ingrained in us at countless book studies.
What was most disturbing about it was that, being a bibliophile, with all of the time I have spent at various libraries, I never once checked it out before (I have since, however) for myself when I was a JW. One day spent researching that date could have quickened my exit and saved me a lot of heartache in dealing with my family. I might have even had some of them leave with me.
I really do agree that it is a very pivotal issue. It is such an easy question to ask, for which they can find no answer. "Since the year 607 BCE is crucial in the Watchtower's calculations pointing to 1914, what is the Watchtower's historical basis for selecting 607 as the fall of Jerusalem when all other historians unanimously say that Jersusalem fell in 587/586 BCE and when even the Bible supports this date?"
That, the UN membership, and the pedophile issue have been key to a lot of people leaving in recent years. I have a feeling that the recent research on blood transfusions and tort misrepresentation will also become big in the years ahead.
I am so happy for you and your family! The number 19 is such a big number when it involves your family. Congratulations on figuring it out.
Tammy
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Little Bo Peep
If , however , you take the view that 607 is false and feel this is fatal to JW beliefs , you basically have 2 choices.
1... "Christian" way of life. So you now believe the Trinity is true , immortal soul , Xmas , Easter , numerous other core belies that you were convinced from a study of the scriptures were false , you now have to believe were true.
2.. Secular way of life. Now you have to believe that we all evolved from primeval soup and that God either doesn't exist or is disinterested in mankind. The bible is a load of bunk and we are here for 3 score years and thats it. No purpose , no hope.
Some who post on this site have adopted native American beliefs or worship trees. Have they found a greater truth?
To dismiss JWs over a relatively trivial issue that is still not proven and adopting a completely different belief & worship structure is like divorcing your husband because he came home one night from the pub and (you think) lied about snogging the barmaid and then marrying a serial philanderer , gambler and alcoholic and not believing that your new husband does any of these things. It takes a far greater leap of faith than you would ever have in believing (or at least reluctantly accepting) 607.
Couldn't leave this one alone. Why does everyone seem to think when you leave the WT, you also throw the baby out with the bathwater? My "worldly" sister said she could hardly wait to hear me cuss! I havn't changed! I still love my "father" Jehovah, his dear son, my Lord, my mediator, Jesus Christ, and dearly love God's Word, the Bible. Where would we be without that? In leaving the WT, I've done just as the apostles asked Jesus in John 6:68, "Whom shall we go away to? You have the sayings of everlasting life." I havn't gone anywhere. I've just begun following Jesus (through the words of the Bible), rather than the WT! I realize I really do have a "mediator", and one that doesn't depend on my relationship with a man's organization. There is truly love all around us, and as a JW I never saw it!
This is surely nothing trivial! The lies and deciet are disgusting. And they have proved they'll say and do anything to keep their beliefs in tact. Just being open-minded in reading the Bible, context and all, will really open your eyes. In 58 years, I never once read all the Bible, except for the occasional Bible reading from the TM School. I have finally read the Bible several times, using first the NWT, then various other translations. What a breath of fresh air! When you finally read the Bible to see what it is really telling you, without any pre-conceived interpretations, it makes a huge difference.
Lady Liberty - What a great first post. You should be able to help many with your story. I'm glad to be a part of it. Love you.
Little Bo Peep
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Mrs.Congeniality
Great post Little Bo Peep. Just because some have left the org. does not in any way mean they have left the bible, Jesus and Jehovah. I was discussing this with my Grandmother last night and she said "Well I am not leaving the org. I believe everything the bible says." my reply was"I want to make this very clear-I too believe the bible, just because I am not going to the meetings does not mean I dont believe what the bible teaches. I also still love Jehovah and Jesus with my whole heart"
People seem to think that is impossible. Or that you cant have one with out the other.
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daystar
Amazing story LL! Glad to have you here!
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unique1
That is an awesome story. Please let us know how it goes with the elders.
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davegod
Very late I know, awesome tale though.
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truthsetsonefree
We never meant to quit "cold turkey". But we did. And so here we are, we haven't been to a meeting in a year. It is amazing how easily we were thrown by the wayside. It really hurt, because we were so active and visible.
Wow, this describes my experience to the tee.
Isaac
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emptywords
Hello LL,
One of the things that finally dawned on me was that Russell was just another turn of the century prophet, and there wre several other religions started at the same time using essentially the same info Russell used. It hit me then, JWS were just another religion started at the turn of the century, not ispired by God, just a product of the time period.
Just another religion. That realization did it for me.
welcome to the board. Your story was great.
True what you say there were the millerites and others the advent ect, but you don't see them around and the growth is no where the Witnesses have grown and the preaching work is being accomplished world wide, no other org has achieved this as true the Jesus words in Mt29:19,20.
I have my own problems with the org, but this isn't one of them, I think that things changed over the years and they need to reform, I am hoping that Jehovah does this, especially with the issues of shunning family and focusing on the love, not hours.
Cheers