Dear Inbetween,
Only talk with someone if you are truely prepared for the consequences. Questioning ANYTHING will raise huge red flags, and no doubt the one you talk with will feel a moral obligation to speak to others what you have confided. Even if you talk with a Elder friend, he will most likely go to the body of Elders alerting them to your questions and they will begin keeping an eye on you.
I remember how afraid I was to go to the Elders or ANYONE for that matter with my questions. From what I read here on the forum, I learned from others experiences, that it was very probable sharing my questions would not end well for me. My husband, who had been a Ministerial Servant, insisted I was being paranoid, and that we wouldn't have any problem if we shared our questions with the Elders.
I was too afraid of being disfellowshipped, and so I made him promise not to say anything to anyone. That lasted for a while, but he felt he could confide in his mother....boy was he wrong!! (I tried to copy the link to my very first post on this forum for you to read the whole story, but since the format has changed, I can't figure out how to find it. Sorry.)
Anyhow, remember...you can question, but you CANNOT question the answers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And if you have DEEP sincere questions, most likely you have done much research, and still things don't make sence. The Elders are trained on how to question, and can very quickly turn the tables on you so be VERY AWARE!!!!! It was my experience that they avoided answering my questions and got flustered with me very quickly, they want to convince you you are spiritually weak for even having questions to begin with. They use twisted reasoning simulare to Reiannas, by asking you "Why would you ask qustions to the things you already have to answers to?" (something to that effect.) And they will want to know how you came to have such questions. They are VERY suspicious because of the internet and sites like these. The point is for you to have conviction in your faith you HAVE TO have answers that make sence and are supported by facts regadless of how you came to question.
As it finally turned out for us, we were eventually disfellowshipped. Still to this day my huband says how he just could not believe at the time how we were to encourage those at the door to question and even "aposticize" their faith, but we cannot question ours.
Side note: There are plenty of articles saying research is a fine thing, and we should make the truth our own, and to do research even with the older publications, but if you do....BEWARE!!! You will be SHOCKED at what you find, as the most damning evidence of all, is the Societys own older literature. You will quickly realize that those articles are not written for those within, but for those coming in or those reading the magazines on the outside.
Also, I want to tell you, you made a EXCELLENT point on your reply to Reianna regarding the disciples of old. We have to remember that Jehovah and Jesus do not change! What is wrong or right in their eyes will continue to be so from now into eternity. So if someone tells you a teachingis now old light, and the thinking changes, then it could not possibly have been from God or Jesus to begin with. Because we know from reading God's word, he does not change. So then we have to ask, who was the teaching from? Was Jesus directing the organization or not? Why would Jesus guide his sheep one way and let them live and die according to that teaching only to perhaps years later change.
Light can get brighter, for example, we learn more reasons to continue supporting a belief that we have learned. Reasons become clearer, we become even more wiser and planted as to why we have always believed a certain way.
But light does not flip off and on..like a light bulb...not if its from God it doesn't. For example something that had been wrong is one day announced to be ok...for instance, for years the Society taught that organ transplants were NOT a conscience matter. It was the same as cannabalism, and if a one were to take a transplant they were to be disfellowshipped for their actions.
Now, however, it is a conscience matter. Think of the thousands who died refusing transplants, who would have maybe still been with us had they not have been faithful to who? Mere men! Certainly the teaching did NOT originate with God but man. The same goes with blood. My Grandfather is dead because he was faithful to a man idea..a teaching that has now changed!! You could not take ANY part of blood then...no fractions. Now....they are a conscience matter. It's very hard to accept for those of us who are left, and who now know the truth about the truth.
Sincerely,
Lady Liberty
