My mom became a JW's when I was around 4 in 1969 so I don't really know what it is like to not be a JW's and become one. At 4 I was dragged to all of the meetings and that was the way of life for me and my siblings. But for JW's that were of an adult age did "opposers" tell you all of the "horror stories" about JW's before you became a JW? And if they did Why did you become one? I think if someone had showed me the false prophecies, beth sarim, Johannes Greber, doctrinal flip-flops I would have ran from JW's. I just do not understand how a person could become a JW's after seeing all of the skeletons in JW's past.
Before you became a JW's did you hear "all" of the horror stories about JW
by booker-t 7 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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garybuss
Most adult new Witnesses I know became Witnesses in order to peruse a romantic interest. Joining the Witnesses is more of a compromise than a commitment for many. No Witness joins because of the history and doctrines, they join in spite of them.
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BluesBrother
Like you, booker-t {like the name, remember the MG's and Green Onions?] I was only a kid when my mother was contacted and joined the dubs. I have no knowledge of what it is like to "Come into the Truth".
Those that I have known, and the one lad with whom I studied and he got baptized, seemed to just accept what was on the printed page of the WT and the study books without doing any additional research. They seemed ready to accept it, for whatever reason in their lives.
If the book said that Jerusalem fell in 607bce, then they accepted that as a historic fact and the starting point to calculate the "remarkable fulfillment of prophecy" Some may have quibbled over "Blood", or Birthdays but if the came in then they had reconciled to those beliefs. The overiding thinking was that the Paradise is so good, the other things would be tolerated .
So, no - the ones who get baptized do not do outside research, in my experience . Of course it is a lot easier now with the internet than it was in the past..
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Joe Grundy
Gary B said "Most adult new Witnesses I know became Witnesses in order to peruse a romantic interest."
On my 3 visits to a KH I was impressed by the number of Very Attractive Women present. They were very well dressed, not 'immoderately' but certainly making the most of themselves, tight clothing, etc. I could have made a fool of myself with a number of them (individually I mean, not collectively - though collectively could be nice, too). I realised that these were probably not the type of ladies who would be up for a quick jump or even a brief affair, and I am old enough to be a little wary, but I could certainly see how someone who knew nothing of WTBTS could be persuaded into joining by the prospect of such attractive worldly rewards ....
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Lapuce
Most adult new Witnesses I know became Witnesses in order to peruse a romantic interest. Joining the Witnesses is more of a compromise than a commitment for many. No Witness joins because of the history and doctrines, they join in spite of them.
That was the case with me I like the woman simply too much..... and it ruined my life...
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mkr32208
You've got to think too that this info (while it was out there) wasn't EASY to get! Even in the late 1990's this info wasn't just a google away! We forget how much the world has changed in just a very very few years! Now all the info that was 'hard to get' is now EASY! Now the chances are good if someone (stud A) started studying to be with a witness girl (Hot chick B) their family would google Jehovah's Witnesses get a site like this find all the dirt show it to stud A who would show it to hot chick B and BOTH would leave! That's why in industrialized nations the witnesses are declining!
The cracks are there, they are REAL, this tower is going to fall!
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greendawn
Before the internet information was not abundantly available there may have been books but perhaps someone wouldn't knoe about them, it's not like now when you can google JW etc and find out everything about them.
But when I think of it for me it was more about joining a group rather than caring about dogma. -
Honesty
I had never heard of them when I started 'studying.' After less than 4 'studies' I was so afraid that God was going to "Off me from the face of the earth" that I would have done anything to escape his wrath.
I was stupid.