Bible Study Student With A Ton of Questions

by AddaGirl 48 Replies latest jw friends

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  TheListener

  Welcome Addagirl.

  You are doing the right thing. Checking out an organization before you join. Your study conductors should know and encourage you to check things out for yourself. I once used the example of reading several movie reviews prior to seeing a movie - would I do less when possibly changing my religion?

  Of course, they don't see it that way.

  If you come up with too many questions or material they view as apostate they will try turning you over to a more mature study conductor and finally you'll be dropped (you're heart condition must not be right at this time will be the likely excuse).

  I wish you and your husband the best of luck.

  My main pet peeves were:

  607BCE for Jerusalem's destruction

  Confession to men and judicial committees and the secrecy involved (plus the non-biblical reasons that can be used for disfellowshipping someone)
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  besty

  Hi Adda

  I think you just made the best move of your life by checking out the JW cult BEFORE joining. You cannot be disfellowshipped before you join. Likely your study conductor will bring increasingly experienced people with her to sincerely try and answer your questions, ultimately failing as you will be more informed than them, and also a small point - you will have both sides of the story - something that is denied most JW's for reasons already posted.

  I was baptised as a JW child at the age of 16. I didn't know then that my Mum and brother would never speak to me again if I left, which has now happened.

  Ask your study conductor what the policy is on speaking with critics and former members. Surely 'the truth' should be able to stand investigation. They may respond with a scripture such as http://bible.cc/ephesians/5-11.htm - you can respond with http://scripturetext.com/acts/17-11.htm - establishing the 'truth' is an obligation on you and doing that requires an open examination of all sides of a matter. How can you make your mind up by researching 'all from one source' with no external validation? Offer them a summary when you have completed your investigation - save this offer till a senior Elder is there - you should get an interesting reaction.

  All the best

  Paul M
• 

  Mary

  Addagirl said: When I inquired to my teacher the things I was finding, she would not look at them, reiterited that I should not have gone looking on the internet for information, that it is all apostate and I should trust in the teachings of the Bible and Watchtower.

  First of all, welcome to the board! You're obviously smart enough not to simply accept the Witnesses' cloistered views of the bible, research and using your brain------something they call "independent thinking", which I'm sure they've probably already covered with you. The ironic thing is, your study conductor automatically calls all information on the internet "apostate", because that's their ownly defense, even though most Witnesses have never bothered to look at this information themselves.

  Now that I have vented, my question is Why?? Why do they keep information from their members? Why do they lie about it and try to cover it up? If they are beating Satan at his own game using his instruments, the UN, to be able to proclaim the good news world wide, why do they feel they have to hide it? When is it ever right for a teacher to lie, knowing or unknowing, to their student?

  The reason is the same reason that all cults give: They don't want you to find out about all their false doctrines, the harm they've caused hundreds of thousands of followers, their flip flopping on vital issues such as organ transplants, blood transfusions and higher education. All cults insist that their followers believe that they and they alone have a "special" relationship with God and they give a variety of bizarre doctrines as "proof" that they are The Chosen Ones. You are to accept this without question. You're told that to question this central doctrine is to question God Himself and that will cost you your life if you don't toe the line. The Witnesses, the Mormons, Islam and a variety of other cults all this to their followers. Their fear is that you will find out that they do not have "the Truth" after all, and they'll lose control, which is what they're interested in.

  There are many excellent sites on the internet that prove by their own words that they haven't a clue what they're talking about. Here's a few of my personal favorites:

  http://www.quotes-watchtower.co.uk/

  http://www.freeminds.org/

  This thread proves that the WTS's calculations of the fall of Jerusalem in 607 BCE is a lie: http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/10/55372/1.ashx

  One of the best books you can read, is of course Crisis of Conscience, written by Ray Franz, a former member of the Governing Body who got the boot after 40 years of faithful service, when he expressed sincere concerns with the way the Organization was being run: http://www.amazon.com/Crisis-Conscience-Raymond-Franz/dp/0914675044

  Whatever you do: DON'T GET BAPTIZED.

  Keep us posted!
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  OMG! Now What?

  This thread is terrific, and I want to add just one more tidbit. How about that "faithful and discreet slave"? If we read the verse in context, it does not say anything about some slave feeding an organization spiritual food. This is the one that really got me. How could they twist it around, take it out of context and relate it to a "slave" (the WTBTS) providing "food at the right time?" It's a crock. For me, at least, that scripture means nothing more than telling me to make sure that I don't slack off, get lazy and start doing bad things if there's no one there to see what I'm doing. I'm a mother of two wonderful children. Is there someone watching me to make sure I'm feeding my children, clothing them, keeping them warm? Am I going to start slacking off of taking care of them just because there isn't a higher authority watching over me? Nope, I'm just going to keep doing what's right no matter who is around, just like the faithful slave in that scripture did. He knew what his responsibilities were and continued to do them because that was the right thing to do. We can't "digest" that scripture and convince ourselves that the slave is the borg. The slave is each and every one of us.

  So, my 2 cents is to look hard at that scripture because that is the key to the achilles heel of the borg!
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  nelly136

  And as of last night, my husband started Bible classes, expressed his concern for me, over the info I was finding and was also told there was no UN involvement.

  how deep in is your hubby? i'm guessing maybe hes been around while you've been learning the jw ways?

  if they can't reach you , they will try and bypass you and work on him for conversion.

  if they've deemed you a spiritual endangerment it could undermine your marriage.
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  kool aid man06

  Hello! ADDAGIRL welcome to the board. Glad you are picking up that something is not right in the Watchtower. It shows that you are able to think for yourself. For us former Jehovah's Witnesses a person like you can be so helpful in exposing this dangerous cult to active Jehovah's Witnesses. Active Witnesses will not listen to anyone who has left the organization and is considered an apostate of the Watchtower. Like in many ways when you see one flaw, this one flaw leads to many more. "A hundred years and a thousand men" have produced the cruelist hoax in American religion and they are hiding behind a curtain that when examined exposes all the falsehood. To see what they are hiding behind check out this website www.sixscreensofthewatchtower.com "It's just a mouseclick away".
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  whyizit

  Can someone here give this person info. on the fall of Jerusalem? I don't have it handy and am in a bit of a rush. It would be terrific if she could use the K.I.S.S. method of counting backwards to show when the fall REALLY occurred. Perhaps she could ask her JW friend to show a secular reference to support their claim that the fall of Jerusalem occurred in 607. History is history. No matter what religion you are, the fall of Jerusalem happened when it happened! And it DID NOT happen in 607.

  " Addagirl" for using your brain! Your questions may be the key to unlocking the WT mind control off of your JW friend/s!

  I wish my JW friend would come accross a few good folks like you!
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  BONEZZ

  Addagirl....It's very refrshing to see someone who is actually doing their own research about the WTBS, rather than just swallowing their lies. And PLEASE take to heart what Nelly136 mentioned about them undermining your marriage if you decide to quit. They killed my 21 year marriage and there are many others here who have suffered from their cult tactics. Nip it in the bud before they can get a foot hold with anyone in your family. I wish you the best.

  -BONEZZ
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  tonyend

  Hi Ada. I was raised a JW and baptized for a few years before I opened my eyes. If you've ever read the book by George Orwell called "1984" then you have an idea of how things work within the organization. I quote: "Who controls the past controls the future: who controls the present controls the past.." http://www.freeminds.org/psych/1984.htm