Which Beliefs and Doctrines Helped Push You Out? (page 3)

straightshooter

I left because of their judicial system and the flaws that exist in that arrangement.

The one that really floored me is that JESUS is not the Mediator for all humanity, that the 144,000 or FDS is ... I was raised in that organization and I always assumed that JESUS was my Mediator not a bunch of imperfect men here on earth ...

designs

Try living with having someone die under your care as an Elder because of the Blood issue.

Balaamsass

LYING. Satan is the Father of the lie. We all lie, by accident, to ourselves, in a moment of weakness...but for the Watchtower to TEACH lying as OK..that is over the top. Also minimizing Jesus as our mediator, and cheapening his sacrifice in the Baptism Vows, and signage, judicial arrangement (probation, restrictions etc.).

aristeas

I couldn't teach things I knew to be erroneous, just for unity or whatever. The way of life all seemed so brainless.

Balammsass: what do you mean by 'signage'???

ilikecheese

Thanks very much for all of the responses! I haven't been online much since I posted this topic, so I'm just now getting around to responding. I'll definitely see if the 1995 topic has any bearing on him. I'm not sure if he would have known much about that because he's only been around it since after that time. This website also taught me about the UN thing; I had no idea about that! That's a really good thing to point out since they keep talking about how they're the only "non-worldly" religion. I always thought that was a pretty stupid claim, considering any devout Christian would be going to church several times a week, reading the Bible daily, witnessing frequently to friends, and trying earnestly to live the Bible and avoid worldly temptations, too. The whole idea of being separated completely from the world is completely unrealistic anyway. You'd have to find employment in religion, only read the Bible and Bible related books, stop watching sports, stop watching films, not have pets, not celebrate any achievements, etc.

Black Sheep, thanks for the offer of help and the information about sources taken out of context. Do you or anyone else know of any sort of website that has good examples of that? I have no problem googling it, but if you guys know of any place that shows the occurences of it, that would be great. Wobble, thanks for the book suggestions! Cinciguy74 and Rydor, your posts had some good examples. Jonathan, I've looked at that website you post a lot (I'm assuming it's yours), and it's got a lot of great information. Thanks for sharing!

This isn't completely on topic, but as per the whole "spiritual Israel" thing, how do they teach Romans 11? I mean, the whole thing is basically about how God won't forget about the Jews because they're "beloved for the father's sake" and it talks about how they will come to Christ (mirrored in Zechariah 12) at some point. Then the remnant spoken about earlier, I assume and have heard commentary assuming that those are Messianic Jews. They have been around since the time of Jesus, clearly. So it seems to say that they haven't been abandoned because throughout the time of Jews, there has always been a loyal remnant. (And in post-Jesus times, that would be Jesus loving Jews.) So do they kind of ignore that chapter 11 is clearly talking about actual Jews and say the whole thing is about "spiritual Israel?" Or is it something else?

ShadesofGrey

http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/watchtower/beliefs/219194/1/One-page-Will-you-accept-Christ-as-your-one-and-only-mediator#4190220

I was released from the cult when I realized that the governing body was my mediator. I was already aware of the scriptural view and I said right then and there that Christ was my only mediator from then on. My life changed.

cedars

This comment struck a chord:

607. Once you get rid of 607, the whole house of cards comes tumbling down.

It describes what happens when you reach a tipping point with beliefs being undermined.

For me it was something similar, but with a range of beliefs, rather than just one. Pretty much like this game:

One by one I was managing to pull out the false beliefs (or blocks), until there was very little that could support what was left, and the whole thing came crashing down. It started off with bible prophecy. I couldn't believe that virtually every prophecy of real significance in the bible related to the faithful and discreet slave, and more specifically to the exploits of a few imperfect men in the early 20th Century.

I carried those doubts with me for years before other doubts were added. I served for a little while as an elder, and saw first hand how deeply flawed and "human" the bodies of elders really are in the way they treat the flock. I then started to notice other things, e.g. that the Governing Body were lying when they called themselves "representatives" of the Faithful and Discreet Slave, because they openly admitted that they didn't communicate with the rest of the anointed, and saw no need to.

Finally I realised that the "increasing light" doctrine, which is pretty much used by Witnesses to explain away any flaws, is itself completely flawed and not based on scripture. There were other things as well, but that was pretty much what sent the whole thing crashing down. At that point, I felt justified in reading Crisis of Conscience, and this reaffirmed that my doubts were completely valid.

Cedars

tornapart

For me it was the 'overlapping generation'.. followed by 607.. followed by 1914.. followed by 1919 and the FDS.. followed GB worship.. and like Cedars said, the rest just comes tumbling down...

Which Beliefs and Doctrines Helped Push You Out?