Hi all

by SailAway 43 Replies latest jw friends

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  SailAway

  Thanks for your welcome guys.

  Megs, good question. When i say for a number of years, it has only been from time to time i haven't looked in depth at many of the issues.

  I don't necessarily believe the WT has lied. Yes i have seen the mistakes they have made, but it doesn't mean that they have lied to us. I have doubts about going back because sometimes i hear things from the platform that don't sit well with me. But as a whole i do agree with what the organisation is doing.

  One of the doubts i have for instance is whether Jesus is God or the Son of God. In the bible there are instances where the NWT has been changed, for instance in Colossians where Jesus is described as creating (other) things, the word other has been added. Jesus also said no one comes to the Father except through me, so do i need an organisation to have Jehovah in my life. But this said i can see the spirit working through the society and there are many things that the society does that is good. I feel i have made a connection to Jehovah by going back to meetings, but i don't know whether i can make this connection on my own.
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  SailAway

  Thanks Void Eater

  I have considered going to other religious meetings, but i don't feel right with that. I do want a connection with God.
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  Gopher

  Welcome to the board, Simon (SailAway).

  You should know that the WT Society has told lies which have deeply affected the lives of people.

  I'll share one that affected me deeply. I grew up in the era of the "1975 mania" of the Watchtower Society. The end was going to come for sure. I remember it very clearly, as I was a teenager.

  In 1969, here's one of the lies they wrote that adversely affected many:

  "If you are a young person, you also need to face the fact that you will never grow old in this present system of things. Why not? Because all the evidence in fulfillment of Bible prophecy indicates that this corrupt system is due to end in a few years. Of the generation that observed the beginning of the `last days' in 1914, Jesus foretold: `This generation will by no means pass away until all these things occur.' -- Awake May 22, 1969 page 15

  Did you notice the word "FACT"? Can you see how the Society used their power of authority to sway people, including young ones, to put off any future planning and serve THEM?

  The same thing happened in 1941, with J.F. Rutherford's book "Children", in which it was written there were only "months remaining" until Armageddon, so their young followers had best put off marriage and children until "the new order".

  This is outright deceit and manipulation, and not simply "over-enthusiasm" as they later claimed.
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  TinyDancer124

  Welcome!!!
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  SailAway

  Gopher

  I see the 1975 and generation issues. Personally i would say they are mistakes they have made, rather than lies.
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  snowbird

  Hello and welcome.

  I, too, wondered about Jesus and just Who He is.

  After much Bible reading and supplication for Holy Spirit, I've come to the conclusion that Jesus is YHWH of the Old Testament.

  Of course, the compilers of the NWT took great pains to conceal that.

  Anyway, whichever road you decide to take, this is a good place for those who are seeking alternate views on the JW's.

  Peace to you.

  Sylvia
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  Gopher

  Hi SailAway,

  I forgot to welcome you to the board. Not to get too argumentative on your welcome thread , but I must say about this:

  Personally i would say they are mistakes they have made, rather than lies.

  You can say that now, but if you had called out the "mistake" during the time when the organization was teaching it, you would have been marked an apostate.

  I saw the runup to 1975, and I think they focused on that date (even in the face of Scriptures saying "no man knows the date") just to increase enthusiasm in the organization, bring in greater numbers and more adherents which helped them expand their printing and real-estate facilities. Call me cynical, but their plan worked.

  Then they later implied that those who had quit their jobs and sold their houses before 1975 were overenthusiastic and had done all these things on their own without encouragement from the organization (which is an evasion).

  So -- the question is, what "mistakes" are they teaching now, that are impacting the lives of those who take their word as gospel (and probably weren't around in 1975)?
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  changeling

  Welcome!

  I did not know they had sailing in Iceland!

  As for lies, I agree that for the most part the WT has made "mistakes" (though the call them "new light", or "old light") and that they are for the most part sincere. But you can be sincere and be wrong.

  There are exceptions though, check out the "best of" section on this forum and read about the WT's association with the UN. This was the issue that pushed us out of the WT. We even sent a letter to the Society. Their response was not to deny (the can't, it's true) their involvement, but to justify. And their justification: "we needed a library card", flies in the face of reason, therefore, it's a lie.

  changeling :)
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  changeling

  About mistakes: when they involve life or death issues (no transplants/transplants ok, no fractions/fractions ok, no vaccinations/vaccinations ok) calling them "mistakes" as in "oops" just falls short, don't you think?

  changeling :)
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  Eyes Open

  Hello SailAway,
  
  Welcome to the forum.
  
  My only advice for you: don't take anything anyone says for granted. If something doesn't sit right with you, research it using WT material and scholarly material, and even sites like this if you so wish. Personally I have found using scholarly commentaries on books in the bible, particularly Daniel and Revelation which the Watchtower Society like to use to "prove" themselves and to inject fear and a sense of urgency into people, to be extremely educational.
  
  All the best.