Door to Door

by I-follow-the-narrow-path 99 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

• 

  fullofdoubtnow

  Hi narrow, I am glad that you have decided to stay with us. True, a lot of us are ex - jws, and most, including myself, regret ever being involved with the wts. However, you can learn a lot from being on here, and I would also reccommend, if you haven't done so already, that you have a look on Freeminds and Silentlambs. They will give you a good insight into the type of organisation you are getting involved with.

  I expect you will be experiencing a lot of "love bombing" at the moment. It is the usual jw tactic when a new person starts attending meetings, and it will soon stop if you get as far as baptism, I can absolutely assure you of that. You will then be expected to become one of the love bombers yourself.

  You may be having your questions answered now, but if you do become a jw, you had better not ask questions then - or else! The elders have been known to come down very hard on anyone who questions anything, and I am speaking from personal experience here.

  You mentioned that your friend said this to you:

  My friend said that I was a different person and that is why he doesn't like talking to me much. He said that I was a person with problems in my life (I was angry and had bizzare thoughts), so I let somone else take control of me,

  I well remember some of my pre - jw friends saying similar things to me. I chose to ignore them and continue on my way to becoming a jw. I thought they were wrong then, but I now know they were right. I was allowing the wts, rather than an individual, to take control of my life, and I wasn't even aware of it. I assure you, the same thing will happen to you, as it does to everyone who gets involved with jws.

  Please be careful, keep researching and don't get over - committed until you are 100% sure about what you are getting into. Remember, the person you are studying with is likely to be as 100% brainwashed as the one I studied with, and they will be out to brainwash you, and they will succeed if you let them.

  Linda
• 

  Lilycurly

  Hello Elizabeth.:)

  It is great that you are starting to get interested in spiritual matters at such a young age...I`m 24, but still feel like a teenager at heart.hihi

  I have been raised in `the truth', so I understand exactly how you are feeling now. I also had an interest in spirituality but as I grew up, I realised that even though the Witnesses where mostly good people who wanted to please God...there were other options. And I needed to dig deeper, not just look a bit around. This the Watchtower doesn't allow. You know what they say...it's like in relationships, if there are more things that make you unhappy then happy, you should reconsider. Well, after a while, I realised that it was time to do just that.

  Spirituality is infinite, I learn more and more everyday without restrains. And I am free to look everywhere I want, in any book that interest me, or any path that I am curious to learn more about. Most importantly, I make a point of considering both sides of every point. You would be surprised of all the things you would discover if you let your mind go free. I feel so much more happy now.

  I also needed a purpose, I felt my life wasn't all it could be (and I was in the Witnesses at that time). Well I say...*study*, give yourself a purpose to educate yourself in everything you have an interest in. Buy or make a blank-page book, or even a binder. And take notes, classify them, read about as many subject as you can. Get more in depth knowledge about ancient religions, and christianity, Bible history and origins...and look at both side of it, they are really quite interesting. Did you know that...for example, the word pagan designated the peasant people. The people of the earth, that lived very close to nature, celebrated the seasons. Even before anyone started to beleive in such things as devils and demons. Even before christianity appeared. Learn herb-lore, bring yourself close to nature and everything beautiful that is around you, thank what creator you beleive in for all of it. This, to me, has been the most fullfilling spiritual experience I have had. Take a walk where there are beautiful old trees, listen to the birds sings, look at the blue sky...you will learn more and be more grateful then in any cathedral or Kingdom hall you will go to. You will feel free, you will live by the moral rules you make for yourself, and not those some men put upon you...
• 

  Hellrider

  Elisabeth:

  Sorry... but I don't really like reading stuff from the bible that goes against the WTS. I like reading lights stuff. I get very nervous reading stuff, that is in depth, going against the religion. I mean, sure I want to know, but I feel really nervous reading that stuff.... kinda guilty and I honestly DO NOT know why.

  I know why. It is because you allready feel loyalty towards what you believe is an organisation representing God, and in the back of your mind, that makes you "block out" anything that might speak against the organisation. You allready truly believe that the WTBTS is "Jehovahs mouthpiece on earth in our day". In your subconscious, the organisation has allready been elevated to the size of a prophet. And who dare speak against a prophet? But remember what it says in the Gospels, "in the last days, many false prophets will come forward to mislead the people". They will come like wolves in sheeps clothing, pretending to be good shepherds, while in reality, they are the complete opposite. Also, this means that it is probably allready to late for you. You say that you like reading "light stuff", and yes, WT-litterature (about the Bible) truly is "light stuff". And everything that is "light" is oversimplified and almost always wrong! If you truly want to learn what the Bible really, really teaches, then you should go elsewhere than the WT-litterature. And isn`t that what you really want to do? Learn about the Bible, I mean? And what the Bible really teaches? Are you not searching for truth (not to be mistaken for a religion that refers to itself as "the Truth")? Continue in your search, it is a life-long quest. And you will not find it in any organisation. The Bible nowhere (!!!) says that "the truth" will be in an organisation. You should read some books written by real theologians.
• 

  blondie

  ALSO-- I noticed I have been picking up things from my teacher

  
  
  

  I notice I explain things to people the way she explains it to me

  You need to start researching this information in other places....not just what she says. Have you read the Bible through yourself...I doubt if she has either. So use Bible commentaries to help you; the WT Society uses them all the time. This will mean some work on your part, not letting yourself be spoon fed.

  http://bible.crosswalk.com/Commentaries/

  This is a good site that I use; there may be others that people on JWD may share.

  http://www.blueletterbible.org/

  http://www.houlton.net/monk/com.htm

  Blondie
• 

  heathen

  I tell ya another good way to see through the WTBTS double talk is to try reading some of the blondies, comments you will not hear at the WT study, threads . There you will see how the WTBTS uses all sorts of convoluted reasonings to keep people distracted from the fact that they can't actually support alot of their dogma . They use alot of "buzz" words or phrases so that you are stuck with their opinion which is infallible and cannot be challenged by anybody wanting any status in the congregation . I know I exsperienced their BS first hand . I read the bible for myself and tried to discuss things I disagreed with and buddy the hammer came down from elders to little kids I was being insulted and conspired against . As long as you swallow all their beliefs and never even give an impression you disagree I'm sure you will get along just fine , but don't try thinking for yourself ..............
• 

  A Paduan

  I-follow-the-narrow-path,

  This is the love of the wtbts:

  • Sure it messes up families, but that is yours..

  And this is what brainwashing is:

  • I notice I explain things to people the way she explains it to me. I have no idea why I do that, but I do
  • all my trust was in her and still is in her
  • I don't really like reading stuff from the bible that goes against the WTS
  • I think it is horrible that people study other religion.

  
  And this has got to be the classic quote of the week:

  • I'll try and do more research, but a lot of sites I find are very anti-JW and I want something that is not biased.

  And this is the faith that is directing your future:

  • I think I am following the truth, but I do not know........... Maybe I am the one mislead.

  ----------------------------------------------------------

  salvation is to know Him
• 

  KW13

  Mormons, JW's and actually some other religions follow this practice.

  personally i believe in teaching not preaching, if someone wants to know i'll tell them and you'll be suprised how often an opportunity comes up. The witnessing by the Society achieves little by the amount of people going out.
• 

  nelly136

  this has absolutely no relation to jw's so you should be safe reading it, its about scientologists not jws.just wondering if you can see any similarity and why your friend may be getting a little concerned about you.

  http://www.holysmoke.org/cos/cults-today.htm

  Stage 5: "We alone can make people happy and are the only ones in heaven": Other people are objects of missionary work or thoroughly worthy of damnation; people who do not believe are to be avoided. Their non-belief is demonic.

  Stage 6: The group tries to ban non-believers from their field of vision - it begins with the separation from the world: only the sect has the right to life on earth (key word: persecution complex); not everybody has a right to it, for those people destruction is certain: they will burn anyway - so why not help them along a little bit? The "divorce"

  from other people manifests an inquisitional manner of thinking in the form of psychic inquisition. [...] Anybody who leaves a group which is in this stage is seen (even by relatives) as non existent - the people in the village look the other way when they pass him by.

  Stage 7: The delusions of the sect turn into persecution complex when operating externally and, at the same time, into megalomania internally ("If I think a thing is, then it is"). [...] Without criticism, megalomania develops almost automatically.

  Anyone who takes note of the delusion becomes (thanks to the persecution complex) an arch enemy.

  The persecution complex develops from the ever-growing unawareness of the outside world. The sect begins to demonize any criticism from the outside world;
• 

  carla

  all my trust was in here and still is in her. ---Think about what you are saying here. If you are studying the bible who should you be putting your trust in?

  I think you may not even realize the personality changes that are right now happening to you. I know my husband did not see the slow but sure personality changes within himself. Others did and do. He thinks these are changes for the better, but I have yet to find someone who agrees. The jw's did not know his pre jw personality. Changing your behaviors to match the man made unbiblical rules of the org will not make you grow closer to God or make you a better person. It will simply make you a follower of men not God or Christ.
• 

  bebu

  Ifollow, here is the url for Crisis of Conscience. Click on the book to be able to read an excerpt (the preface). Folks who have read this book agree that Franz is very even-handed and respectful.

  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0914675230/sr=8-1/qid=1147706284/ref=pd_bbs_1/002-0029546-5747251?%5Fencoding=UTF8

  And here is a review:

  http://freeminds.org/sales/most_burned.htm

  Lastly, I think you might like to know what the leaders of the WTS have said in court about how they view loyalty to their organization. If you think that it is to follow God's word at every cost, you would be wrong. (That would be the proper expectation, though!) Does the following court transcript bother you? It bothers me.

  http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/6/108181/1883368/post.ashx#1883368

  (It's a little long but it is interesting. You can scroll down to read what I've bolded, and then go and re-read the whole excerpt.)

  I follow, you have mentioned that you are very glad to know 'truth'. But on the other hand you complain if it gets too complicated to research some of these things about the JWs. I would like to point out that if you are really dedicated to following truth you will not sit down and quit searching so quickly. The Bible says "The first to present his case seems right, until another comes forward and questions him." (Proverbs 18:17) You have gotten the side from the JWs and it certainly seems right. But it is also your duty to "test ALL things and hold fast to what is true", isn't it?? (Read 1Thessalonians 5:21) It is never your Biblical duty to be spoon-fed.

  Jacob struggled with an angel of the Lord, and was renamed Israel ("Struggles with God"). Jesus struggled in Gethsemane. The process refines and clarifies who you are. Certainly, it's easier to just accept everything someone (anyone!) tells you and block out the questions, but God has given all people the curiosity to understand deep things, and your curiosity will not go away. One day in the future, the questions will refuse to be left alone and you will be afraid to research... because who would ever want to risk finding out that they have wasted their lives over a lie--and perhaps persauded others to do it as well?? The fear of asking/seeking/knocking might turn your heart to stone.

  This is the time to research and test all things. Not ten years from now. So please don't shrug this off and quit. If you research everything and still decide to be a witness, at least you will be one of the better informed ones out there.

  bebu