What does the Bible Really Teach?

RainbowMonkey

Hi everyone!

I just have a querie about this book my JW freind gave me, its called "what does the bible really teach" i started reading and i found the first few chapters ok but further on in the book it seemed logical but just doesnt seem right, the best way i can describe it was kinda hypnotic, it just doesnt feel right... the other thing in the book i noticed was when it says "as you learn more from the bible, you may find that some well meaning people wil urge you to stop such studies. They may worry that you will change your beliefs. But dont let anyone stop you from forming the best freindship you can ever have. So why do they warn you about well meaning people urging you to stop such studies, is there something wrong with JW that they dont want you to listen to others who care about you, because i just think that finding god would be a good thing especially if you changed bad habbits, that would be positive, i dont know it doesnt add up! and why is the title what does the bible really teach? did it teach something different before?

I hope these arent silly questions and am i being too cautious with this book?, can someone tell me about this book, because i said it doesnt feel right to my freind and she said that i only feel that way because i may be trying to cling on to my beliefs.

Any help would be good

carla

The warning is because many people know that the jw's are a dangerous cult and will try to tell you to stay away from them. They always counter this, not with facts of any sort but with rhetoric such as 'it's all apostate lies'. Your 'friend' may even tell you that you are being persecuted if someone tries to tell you anything negative about this publishing company masquerading as a godly religion. She is a friend? Would she still be your friend if you stop all studies? doubtful.

Why can't you read the bible on your own without man made books and 5 meetings a week to help you understand? Do you have a mental deficiency of some sort? Do you believe as the bible says that you have no need for man to teach as the Holy Spirit will?

You need to research a number of things before going any further with this ungodly org. Do you think it appropriate for men who claim to be godly to lie to it's own people? To misrepresent authors and scholars? To flip flop on issues that affect millions of lives? Do you really want to hand your brain and entire life over to them on a silver platter? They will control nearly aspect of your life on a daily basis. How is this done you ask? They may say something is up to your 'bible trained conscience' but, if your conscience tells you that something is ok to do but is an unspoken rule of the wt, you can be disfellowshiped for following your own 'bible trained conscience'.

Why don't you read through some of the threads here and see the human wreckage stories left in the wake of the jw's? Do some research before joining a group that will change your entire personality and your own family dynamics and relationships with everybody you know. This is not an organization of love. Love bombing maybe but not the real deal.

Changing bad habits? Alcoholics can join AA or many churches have programs as well, smoker? try the patch or the gum or cold turkey if you want to quit, bad language? increase your vocabulary, sexual promiscuity problems? see a therapist if need be, my point being is there hundreds of ways to 'fix' negative behaviors without joining a cult.

misspeaches

Hi Rainbow monkey and welcome. First of all can I just say you are extremely astute to have picked up on that point and made an enquiry about it.
The Jehovah's Witness religon discourages any active association with anyone other than themselves.
Additionally don't you find it at all ironic that they use a book about what the bible really teaches? Isn't the bible on its own sufficient?

greendawn

Those well meaning people are indeed well meaning because they know that the JWs are a destructive cult eg they shun members for trivial reasons such as celebrating birthdays or Christmas, even parents do the shunning.

Questioning the ideas and ruling style of the leaders will very quickly earn expulsion and shunning without their questions ever getting answered. Their claim that only through them one can have a relationship with God is another false claim. They arrogantly believe that God operates only through them and no one else.

RainbowMonkey

Yeah thanks for the input, well she is a freind at work, weve been working together quite awhile, she then told me to look at this book and tell me what i think of it. As I said i told her it didnt feel right, but she said it was because i was holding on to my own beliefs. I have heard alot of things about jehovahs witnesses, but knowing one in person seemed to be different, she seemed nice and trusting, a little fruitty at times, but i always thought it was passion for their religion. I didnt realise how it really is, its hard to scrutinise the book when everything seems to fit in place, I was beginning to think to myself that maybe my beliefs were wrong, but i have this feeling there is stuff thats doesnt seem right.

Undecided

What does the bible really teach? That question has been answered by so many religions that disagree with one another that you just might as well flip a coin. It is just an opinion and your's is just a good as anyones.

The one that they teach about the faithful and discrete slave(12 old men in Brooklyn) is just to be able to controll your every thought and action. If you love your freedom don't go there. The JWs are usually good people but are controlled to only be associated with their own. Your family are not counted as those you should associate with unless they are also JWs. Everyone else is a worldly person, waiting to be destroyed at Armageddon.

Unless you want to be part of a cult, stay clear of their religion.

Ken P.

AuldSoul

Welcome, RainbowMonkey!

Since you are not a JW there should be no reason you would refrain from researching the religion. In fact, now (before becoming a JW) is the best possible time to research it thoroughly.

One of the foundational doctrines of Jehovah's Witnesses is the need to follow instructions received from the Faithful and Discreet Slave (a specific group of humans). They believe the book she gave you is from the Faithful and Discreet Slave.

I encourage you to ask your workmate to show you the place in the book that discusses the "Faithful and Discreet Slave." It isn't in there. She likely will not know that, and will probably search for it. When she cannot find it, ask her whether the Bible really teaches the doctrine about the Faithful and Discreet Slave. She will likely show you Matthew 24:45-47. You can follow with, "Well, if the really Bible teaches that doctrine, and Jehovah's Witnesses believe that doctrine, why isn't it in this book?"

If you get an answer, please share it with me. My father (an elder) and the Circuit Overseer could not answer it for me, and I would really like to know.

Respectfully,
AuldSoul

Swan

Welcome RainbowMonkey!

RainbowMonkey

Well after snooping around on the net, i found something interesting, in the book on pg 215 in the apendix it talks about 1914 and says "Decades in advance, Bible students proclaimed that would be significant developments in 1914. What were these? and what evidence points to 1914 as such an important year?" If im right is this talking about christs presence, and if so didnt his presence begin in 1874 and armageddon was in 1914, and then his presence was changed to 1914 20 years later or so.

So what were they expecting decades in advance? armageddon or christs presence?

DaCheech

you know something funny, that I saw:

the last couple of weeks in one of our meetings (theocratic school) there were a series of talk done on confession.

they claim that the catholic confession is anti bible, but theirs is biblical.

they twist the words of their talks to prove anything wrong with other's beliefs, but show with no proof that theirs is 100% AOK.

fallacy at its best

What does the Bible Really Teach?

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