Cognac, when you are living in a web full of lies, when you learn the truth, it'll always happens like that.
I'm a Pioneer Married To a Wonderful Brother Reaching Out to be an MS...
by cognac 216 Replies latest jw experiences
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mouthy
When I was 4 or 5 years old I used to beg my grandmother to die because she wasn't a jw
When I read this it brought to my mind my grand-daughter Heather a JW...She was praying i would die before Armeggedon so that I would get a resurrection. Being a kid she didnt realize they had already told me I was dead in Jehovahs eyes when they disfellowshipped me ..I am sure she is very worried now I am 80 & still living & she believes it could come tomorrow -
truthseeker
Cognac (like the user name BTW),
The scripture at Matthew 24:14 also threw me, but read verse 24...
24 "For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect.
The preaching work is in itself, a great sign and wonder. The message is not one of the good news of God's Kingdom but "come to Jehovah's Organization for salvation." - Watchtower 1981 Nov. 15 p.21. The cited work continues: "Uless we are in touch with this channel of communication that God is using, we will not progress along the road to life, no matter how much Bible reading we do."
Jesus said "I am the way, the truth and the life."
Matthew 24: 25 "Behold, I have told you in advance.
26 "So if they say to you, 'Behold, He is in the wilderness,' do not go out, or, 'Behold, He is in the inner rooms,' do not believe them.
The Watchtower have said that Jesus arrived in Kingdom power in 1914, that his presence is invisible and that he is head of the congregation.
Do NOT believe them.
Yes, for years, I was "stumbled" by Matthew 24:14. Who else are using Jehovah's name? Who are teaching Bible truths? Only Jehovah's Witnesses.
WRONG - even habitual liars can tell the truth some of the time. Jesus' message is simple - he died, was resurrected and wants us to believe in him. No Watchtower, no Awake, no publications from the "faithful and discreet slave."
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Vinny
Cognac said:..""Vinny ~ Wow, i'm going to be going over your response a lot for the next few days.. Christianity is already worldwide... huh!"
***** Before the JW's ever showed up, Christianity was already known globally. How did that happen unless PEOPLE taught and shared it with others. No JW's pushing Watchtowers and Awakes needed.
I am often amazed at just how arrogant the JW belief system is. They alone have the truth. All other Religions and people within those religions are doomed unless they become JW's. God uses the WT Society to dispense food at the proper time etc...
Only THIS is what they provided throughout their entire existence, proving GOD was never behind any of it.
http://www1.tip.nl/%7Et661020/wtcitaten/part1.htm
Cognac said:.."wow.... I feel overwhelmed but more relieved then anything... I guess so many things I just put in the back of my mind just came flooding out and I feel 100 pounds lighter... But, as all of these things are coming out of me, I just keep thinking... What the heck just happened? This is my entire life, my entire being, everything that I have ever known, just about my every waking breath and thought, my entire world since the very day that I was borne..."
***** We have all been where you now are. While everything may in fact change dramatically, there is also an excitement in the air...
You will see what I mean...
The two best books you will ever read, IMO.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0914675044/104-9391991-2543967?v=glance&n=283155
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0914675168/104-9391991-2543967?v=glance&n=283155
From Raymond Franz, who was on the Governing Body for nine years. He writes without sarcasm or bitterness. Almost apologetically.His insight and experience will remove any doubts you might have. I have never seen anything as powerful as his two books. Anywhere.
Many here are definitely with you and fully understand how you feel right now. Many of us cried when we learned the truth as it truly is.
You have found a great amount of empathy by being on this site.
And never forget, there can also be a new-found excitement for your life with what you have come to learn. Just think about the possibilities...
Peace to you and yours Cognac,
Vinny -
Odrade
Cognac, we were on our way to the Tacoma, WA District Convention Friday morning in 2003. My husband gave me Ray Franz' book "Crisis of Conscience," before we left on Thursday night. I started reading when we pulled out of the driveway for our two-1/2 hour drive. As we were going through Olympia WA, only 30 miles south, and two hours after leaving home, I knew I could never go back to the WT organization. Sometimes it happens really fast like that. You'll recover. Ha!
My husband had already found out much of the things you have discovered today. His exit had started secretly many months before when he found out about the Society's former ban on both organ transplants, and vaccinations. We were very fortunate that we left the JWs together, because one spouse leaving and the other staying is likely one of the hardest things one would ever have to face. It wasn't easy, but it was worth it. Now our lives are our own. We don't worry about being destroyed at Armageddon because we aren't doing "enough." We decide what to think based on an actual decision, instead of just accepting what we are told. -
SirNose586
Cognac, I wish you the best of luck on your journey to find the answers you won't find in the "approved" literature.
Questions are good. The wrong questions given to the right people mean being df'd. I will give a brief synopsis of my experience with doubt so far....
About 1.5 years ago, I discovered that the 607 date was wrong, as you have also discovered. This lead to an examination of all the other inconsistencies, and eventually I found my way here. Right when I had these questions, I became an MS to avoid their suspicion (which ultimately was not a good decision).
I decided to order Franz's Crisis of Conscience, was found out, and that led to arguments with my folks. They encouraged me to go to the elders with these doubts, which I did.
The P.O. could not defend the date! All he could say was, "So what if the Society has the date wrong? Surely you'll agree we're in the last days?" It was a skillful red herring, and I was completely unprepaired for what he would do. After that one night of discussing my doubts with the elders, all it came down to was whether or not "I could be helped." In other words, would I just up and drop all my nagging thoughts and be led "back to the organization?"
After squirming and trying to get out of it, they forced me to make the choice between getting a JC formed or DA'ing myself. Dazed and in shock, I chose writing a DA letter. They did their work as cold administrators, not as loving shepherds.
In the morning I rescinded my decision to DA and had to come crawling back to them. But I was deleted as an MS (as I wanted) and have remained that way since June or July of last year...
You are getting excellent advice, and I would like to add one more thing: Look at Lady Liberty's threads about 607. She's guided me on the journey to find out the truth. The Society's section on 607 actually misquotes A. K. Grayson, and I have the proof if you would like it.
But you've got a lot to read so I won't plug my little files just yet.
Welcome to JWD! Take the time to find out everything you want to before making waves!
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cognac
Vinny ~ I must say, it's not necessarily that JW's are arogant for the WT Society's telling them to think that JW's are going to be the only one's that survive. If I was 5 or so yrs old and was terrorized by the thought, other JW's must be. I brought this to a PO's attention once that I thought it was the most self centered, arrogant idea for any JW to believe that they would be the only ones to survive. I said that it was practically sadistic. He tried to reason with me, but I just said if that was the case, then people blinded by satans eyes, through no fault of there own would then have to die for it. There is no way that I could bring my heart to believe that Jehovah would do that to people. I had no idea at the time the JW's actually taught that at one point... I think that he didn't want to tell me. There was nothing that he could say. I think a lot more JW's don't go along with that, they just don't say anything. I think some of them are really good people that love the religion but just either hate or don't know parts of it... I think the society is dishonest and misleading and manipulative. btw, I think the new light on that is "anyone studing can make it into the new system and anyone not getting an actual witness".
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Angry_Kangaroo
Welcome Cognac!
Your comment about your grandmother really made me think. This is one of the things that started me on a different path. My younger brother was killed in a car crash almost two years ago. When I received the news, the first thing that went through my mind was "Thank you Jehovah!". You see, my brother was disfellowshipped at the time of his death. I worried about him not surviving armageddon. I figured his only hope was dying before then. Then after I had that thought, I felt repulsed. What kind of insane reasoning is that!? But I kept hearing the same thing from my JW family..."You know he would had been killed at armageddon". What a horrible, unnatural thought! It did not seem right to me. It was so unloving and strange. Then I met several people who were so loving, so caring, and I was told not to associate with them. I could not believe that a loving God would destroy them. The straw that broke the camels back was being told to stay away from the father of my unborn child. So I was supposed to deny his natural right as a father because he was not a witness? That did it for me; I left and never looked back.
I think its great you have such a supportive husband. Your path may be easier. Listen to the other posters, take things in slowly. And remember you always have a listening ear here.
Amber
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Vinny
Hi Cognac!
Be Happy Readers of the Book of Revelation
The message is clear: If we want to survive Armageddon, we must remain spiritually alert and keep the symbolic garments that identify us as faithful Witnesses of Jehovah God.
"Who, then, are the ones who form the body of true worshipers today? We do not hesitate to say that they are Jehovah's Witnesses."
The ones calling on people with the hope-filled message of God's new world are described at Acts 15:14 as "a people for [God's] name." Who bear Jehovah's name and give the global witness about Jehovah and his Kingdom? The historical record of the 20th century answers: (((only Jehovah's Witnesses))).
To ensure their salvation, Noah and his family needed to exercise faith. This meant following instructions and the leadings of God's holy spirit. During the great tribulation, it will be just as imperative that we follow the leadings of the holy spirit and obey Jehovah's instructions (((through his organization)))
"The flood was a real physical catastrophe to the old ungodly world. The Battle of Armageddon will be likewise a physical catastrophe to this present evil world, and not something just spiritual. The ark of salvation that we enter is not a literal ark but is God's organization".
Yes, there is only "one faith," that is, only one faith that is recognized and approved by Almighty God. Who, then, are the ones who form the body of true worshipers today? On the basis of the evidence, which is known or available to persons in all parts of the earth, we do not hesitate to say that they are the Christian witnesses of Jehovah.
1942 "The Watchtower does not consist of men's opinions" {WT Jan 1 1942 5} -
fyerstar
Welcome!
Don't ever, ever believe that God doesn't love you. As you will find out through your own research, the only ones who are critical of you and belittle you will be the Organization. Jesus said that his load was light, but as you are experiencing, those people will suffocate you if you allow them. Besides this site, I found solace at www.intouch.org. There was a bible study program there that helped me understand that regardless of what I did (pioneered, building KH, whatever), Jesus died for our sins despite the fact that we mess up things on a daily basis. There is nothing that we can do to "earn" his sacrifice and love. It's the same way my kids can't repay me for all of the time and energy that I will have spent on them to get them to adulthood (but an all-expenses paid month long trip to Tahiti might be a start! )
I was so miserable and confused that reading the Bible made me cry. I became suicidal (definitely don't do that!) I was so stressed out from being the wife of an (alcoholic) elder, a regular pioneer, etc. that I developed IBS. Now, the great thing about IBS is that it flares up unexpectantly and nobody can dispute your pain. This might be a great way for you to begin your fade without being under a lot of scrutiny. My IBS cleared up when I divorced my elder husband, stopped going to meetings and such, but if it helps you get a little breathing space I say use it!
Extraordinary Fortune in your quest for peace of heart and mind.