Ok, as a young sister, I was curious about the library. For years I went in and looked through the books. Towards the end of my attending however they did become excessively protective. I would go in there and an elder would ask what I was doing. I state, just looking around, checking out the old books we don't have. Their reply would be something like, "this library is for study only, you need to leave" or "you know those belong to the congregation so you can't take any home." Perhaps something similar led to his statement regarding the elders though overblown. I was never allowed to really read anything in there. Then again, I was a sister so I'm sure it was different for brothers.
I found myself defending Jw's against this unscrupulous Christian!!
by AK - Jeff 28 Replies latest jw experiences
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AK - Jeff
Thank you, unique.
I am sure that your experience is not totally uncommon. What I tried to convey to the 'good Reverend' is that this was not Watchtower Policy. The way he states it in the book, on more than one occasion, is to paint the picture that this was always the case. Not only do I know it was not - but I actually believe it was probably pretty rare that such a harsh stand was taken in general.
I have no doubt that this guy had heard experiences like yours, then concluded it to be standard operation procedure.
His way of stating it was something like the rumors I used to hear when I was a witless, that the reason the Kingdom Halls had no windows was to prevent the public from seeing the horrible things that were going on inside. IN fact, anyone was welcome to walk in and take a look around of course. But if one wanted to paint NEGATIVE as his whole position, the statement worked to do that. It generated false fear. Not that there were not plenty of things to fear - but it had nothing to do with why the KH's had no windows.
Jeff
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undercover
I think that so many have been hurt by the JWs/WTS that some people feel they can print anything they want about the religion and all ex-JWs and non-JW family members will snap it up and accept it as easily as JWs accept the WT magazine. Jeff shows that this isn't the case. Most of us who have escaped have come to appreciate truth over lies and half-lies...even if that means speaking up and defending the cult that we left when it is wrongfully accused or criticized.
Books like this one that Jeff references only gives JW ammunition to say that 'apostates' or haters don't really know what they're talking about. And sometimes you can't argue that point because some of the things printed tends to support their opinion...at least enough that you can't use that publication as a reference source.
Because of this, I avoid most ex-JW books. The only thing I own is Crisis of Conscience. And it's the only thing I'm interested in owning. A book exposing the inner-workings of the GB is kinda hard to top. And it came across not as vindictive or angry, but as facts-is-facts. Too many other books seek to convert people to the writers's own brand of Christianity or try to be sensational or controversial. I know what I experienced and I know the teachings. I don't need a bunch of books by various writers to tell me what I went through and how I figured shit out. The fact that I did it and am out is more important to me than re-hashing the experience through the eyes of someone else who may not be totally honest in their efforts.
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garyneal
Trying to seperate truth from half-truths, rumors, and out and out lies have been difficult for me as well. I remember back when I was looking on the Internet for information about the witnesses in 2003 back when my wife and I were married. What I found back then was a lot of misinformation concerning their beliefs and practices as some of the things they said was not what I actually saw in the meetings or in their literature (at least not the up to date literature). I would tell my wife what I saw and point out the hypocrisy of the source when I saw that Christians were guilty of some of the same things they accuse the Society of doing.
I remember going to a church called the Potter's House where at the door they would ask if I was a Christian. When I said yes, they would quickly add, "Well some people believed they are saved but have been misled." I thought, "That was rather judgemental." Not to mention, culty as I think about it now. Then as the sermon began the pastor immediately attacked the Mormons and the Jehovah's Witnesses as being a false religion without elaborating as to why. Needless to say, I did not return to that church.
I did not began researching again until last year when I found myself in a pretty desperate situation where I felt like I no longer knew what was truth anymore. While still accepting the Bible as truth, I began researching what it really says and found something very amiss from the Watchtower's teachings. When I started comparing Watchtower theology with what mainstream Christianity taught and compared it to the Bible, it did not take long before the scales began to fall off my eyes. Still, though, I was careful what I accepted as truth coming from websites that are critical of the Watchtower.
I've found that even some of the reading materials recommended by freeminds.org contain some misinformation concerning the Watchtower. Overall, I am now convinced that much of what people said in the past about the witnesses are based on truth but some of the details are kind of off. Even now, it is hard to pinpoint exactly the society's view on how elder's should handle witnesses who accept blood transfusions because, according to what I've read, the elder's must make their own notes about that in their copy of the Flock book.
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Quandry
Ok, as a young sister, I was curious about the library. For years I went in and looked through the books. Towards the end of my attending however they did become excessively protective. I would go in there and an elder would ask what I was doing. I state, just looking around, checking out the old books we don't have. Their reply would be something like, "this library is for study only, you need to leave" or "you know those belong to the congregation so you can't take any home."
Ironic, isn't it...they use the example of Jesus questioning the rabbi at the temple when he was young, and gush about his interest in spiritual things....yet they didn't want you to look into books that were put there as A LIBRARY. Obviously, they were just for show. And his answer, "This library is for study only, you need to leave" is idiotic. If you were looking at them, isn't that 'study'?
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cantleave
Presenting inaccurate information does not help anyone. If a doubting witness reads lies it will just reinforce the idea that those who have the "truth" fall into a life of deception and bitterness. There is enough damning truth out there to undermine the organisation, it is unnecessary to fabricate scandal.
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OnTheWayOut
The life we led when JW's was strange enough/bad enough/bizarre enough. It can grate us when some outsider misrepresents it as a completely different animal. Truly a shame that such information gets out there for the JW's to point out as being totally wrong.
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dandingus
I'm with cyberjesus on this one Jeff. I wouldn't say that you were "defending" the witnesses as much as you were defending the "truth" about the witnesses. In this case, the facts were being distorted by this author for his own interests, as almost any active or former witness could tell instantly. I would have "defended" the actual, factual truth just as you did. What is, is. And no amount of lies will change that, no matter whose lies they are.
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NomadSoul
I remember the only use the library was used was to prepare for an improvised talk. I do remember they were picky if you weren't preparing for something. It's not like you could just go in there just to flip through books. It's like you had to know which books you needed and they would let you use them.
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AK - Jeff
This guy remains unchanged in his opinion that he has been accurate, in spite of hours of effort to show him otherwise. I finally just told him to go away.
These books he writes, and he has written several of them about Jw's, are really his personal agenda seeking souls for his BELIEFS/FAITH. He keeps insisting that everything he has written is backed by Watchtower publications, and though I challenged him to provide those references for the above statements - he hasn't. Well, how could he?
Jeff