Don't know where to turn, Don't know who to trust

by BrotherPrince 58 Replies latest jw experiences

  • Morbidzbaby
    Morbidzbaby

    Hi and welcome! I'm really glad you found us!

    What has the Watchtower Society to gain by misleading, changing doctrine, etc? Control, Power, and MONEY. Have you any idea how much money they have tied up in real estate and stocks? The numbers would shock you, considering they call themselves "non-profit".

    I think you should start at jwfacts.com In my opinion, this is a great resource as it uses the Society's OWN LITERATURE to prove the points discussed. The thing is, you don't need to look at so-called "apostate" material or even outside sources (though you should check into the latter...if it's good enough for the Writing Department at Bethel to do their research from "worldly" sources, it's good enough for everyone else). The Society's own writing is what shows them to be in error. For instance:

    ~ failed prophecies

    ~ flip-flops in doctrine

    ~ lives lost and relationships ruined due to the aforementioned flip-flops (organ transplants are equated to cannibalism, a woman must scream if raped, etc)

    Here's the kicker. The JW's like to say that they are the true religion partly because they use "god's name". In reality, the name is in error. It's a bastardization, a botched pronounciation.

    Many of their doctrines are not bible-based. Honestly, I hesitate to even give them credit in saying that some of them may be. They employ a method known as "cherry picking" when using the bible or "quote mining" when using secular writings to support their doctrines. There are some wonderful examples of this to be found online. The book "Life How Did it Get Here- By Evolution or Creation?" is FULL of examples of the Watchtower taking what a respected scientist says and picking out the parts that make it look like the quoted individual agrees with Watchtower doctrine, when in fact, this couldn't be further from the truth!

    So basically, the doctrine, the organization is founded and run on LIES. Charles Russell (the founder of the Bible Students) was into Pyramidology and the occult and came up with many of his doctrines from employing those means...If he or any of the "founding fathers" (Joseph Rutherford, etc) of the Watchtower were alive today, they'd be disfellowshipped for apostasy!

    They like to use the scripture about the "light getting brighter". I'd encourage you to read that entire chapter in order for you to realize that it's not speaking about anything having to do with increasing knowledge in doctrine... In other words, this is a classic "cherry picked" verse. Now, let me give you an example as to why this isn't an accurate verse to use in regard to the Watchtower and it's doctrines.

    Let's say you're in a dark room. It's pitch black. However, to your right is a light switch, but it's one of those "dimmer switches". So, you ease the knob slowly, allowing very little light into the room. You notice across the room that there's a chair. On the chair there's some sort of stuffed animal. You can't make out what type, but you know it's a stuffed toy. You turn the knob a little more and see the shadows decrease enough to reveal long floppy ears. Okay, it must me a bunny! You turn it a bit more and see that it has a short snout, the ears are still there, and it IS in fact a bunny. Now, with the next turn of the knob, would it magically turn into an elephant?? No. It would still be a bunny, but the DETAILS would be clearer. Perhaps you'd see it was blue, or you'd see the whiskers and the button eyes...but it would STILL be a bunny. The fact that the light got brighter would not change that. Now, let's apply this to the Watchtower. When a light "gets brighter" in Watchtower understanding, a bunny doesn't remain a bunny. It becomes an elephant. Which we know isn't possible. So the fact that their "bunny" (let's use the example of the "generation" teaching) turned into an elephant...and then back into a bunny...and then back into an elephant...and then, holy crap, now it's a freakin' dinosaur!!...Well, you see that their depiction of the "light getting brighter" can't be accurate. Neither can their answers to questions about things like oral sex or whether a woman has to scream when she's raped in order to not be disfellowshipped be accurate because they keep going back and forth on those things. The light isn't getting brighter, it's flicking on and off like a strobe! I ask you, if they had "Holy Spirit" and were speaking for god through such Holy Spirit, would they be getting things wrong so often and going back and forth? Is the Holy Spirit, and thus god himself, confused and inconstant? Is that the god you serve?

    Something to think about.

  • jemba
    jemba

    Welcome BrotherPrince,

    I too was in the same place you are one year ago. I was a born in and most of my family are in so I worry about losing them if Im DF. I still believed many of the doctrines but was pushed away by nasty people and stupid unloving practices like DF, no Birthday celebrations and the hoops you have to jump through to make friends, very conditional love - they can turn it on and off like a tap.

    It is actually very comforting to learn that God doesnt require you to be part of an organisation. These are not true christians by the way they treat others, homophobic,judgemental, xenophobic and mysogonistic etc.

    It is so liberating to break free mentally as well as physically from them. I can truly say I have never felt this happy, free and no longer under a cloud of depression and anxiety because of guilt, fear and never feeling good enough.

    Feel free to ask questions on this forum there are many good hearted and kind people here.

    Thankyou for sharing your story Bro'... Im glad youre questioning things at a young age and not waiting till youre married in the Org with Kids and its so much more complicated.

    Jemba

  • Fernando
    Fernando

    This counterintuitive message, that eludes religionists, is what Paul devoted his life to:

    The Good-O-Meter >

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrLzYw6ULYw

  • Fernando
    Fernando

    This video contains some unfortunate religious baggage (hellfire = fear & guilt, some emphasis on the cross, directing people to a religious building or organisation).

    Otherwise it is a brilliant classic that graphically clarifies and explains the role of the law (a mirror-like measure of our dysfunction), and our need of grace (unmerited favour).

    (Are you a good person?)

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCSUKIhjevo

  • Fernando
    Fernando

    If you have (the free version of) Realplayer installed on your computer it creates a pop-up download link on these videos if you view them on YouTube. Then you can watch later at your leisure.

    If you can tolerate 4 X 10 minutes of audio these Spurgeon videos are some of the best I've ever come across on the subject of avoiding self-righteousness (a centrepiece of religious living):

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXp6PoZgvIw

    (A blow at self-righteousness)

  • Finkelstein
    Finkelstein

    Also, what would the JW organization get from misleading 7 million people? I mean, I hear about the change of doctrines, their dishonesty about the changes etc, what do they get from all of it?

    Power and money, the WTS. is a corrupt publishing house that exploits people to serve the needs of itself which is to distribute and proliferate

    its published works to the public. They lie and deceive people to make them their subservient working slaves, empowering its leaders and

    luring money to keep on going. The Gospel of the Watchtower Corporation is nothing but a commercial fraud, its not the true Gospel taught

    in the bible. The web site JWfacts.com has much information about the WTS., who started it and why check it out.

  • uninformed
    uninformed

    Prince---Hey apostate yourself. The WT direction is that you should not be here, disfellowshipped or not, in good standing or not.

    But as to your question, you wrote:

    21 years old. Baptized when I was 14 years old, reproved at the age of 16 because I love vagina. Attended meetings until I was 18 only because my mother is a witness, once I moved out I cut association with most of the witnesses and stopped attending meetings because I felt I was already disfellowshipped in Jehovah's eyes, but was never disfellowshipped. I do not want to talk to any elders from my home congregation because I fear my family will cut association with me.

    A couple of thoughts on this in view of your comment above: You already have shown a penchant for rejecting, not just the WT teaching, but the Bible's teaching itself with regard to morality. Since you love pussy, and you are not going to control yourself, why stab yourself with the pain of being in an organization that will constantly be on your case, always in your personal business, always calling you in to tell the gory details.

    Additionally, you need to learn to trust YOURSELF. Not God, Not Jesus, Not the WT, yourself.

    With regard to the WT, they are plainly false prophets. I was baptized in 1961 and was an elder for over 30 years and left in 2005. They did teach that the end of the system would be in 1975. They also taught that the generation that was mature enough to discern the 'establishment' of the Kingdom along with the war in heaven in which Satan fought gloriously for 3 and 1/2 years but still lost, (how come so long???) WOULD NOT PASS AWAY until all things occurred, including passing out of this system into the new world.

    You haven't been alive long enough to know the story behind the WT and their condemnation of other religions for being associated with the United Nations, and yet they themselves slyly 'joined' themselves to the UN and hid it for 10 YEARS. If there was nothing wrong with it, why did they hide it?

    They are hypocrites too.

    There end is near too.

    Prince, get control of your own life. Try to live it to the full, but still being true to yourself. Don't waste half a century like I did, and many like me.

    I lost an education to go to prison for the WT version of Neutrality, then in the 90's they changed that view (no dougt because of their own breach of neutrality by joining with the UN).

    Don't be a glib jerk and call us names.

    We are almost all very serious people who have been harmed greatly and for decades by the WT. Even your reasoning that you don't want to be disfellowshipped because of your family reveals that you too despise the WT but are too chicken to just leave with your head up. Rather, it serves your purpose to slink around leading a double life, complicating your already overloaded mentality.

    My advice. Get serious, go to school, get a good profession and get totally away from this lying-A**ED organization, while you have a chance.

    Brant

  • palmtree67
    palmtree67

    Hello and Welcome!

    I hope you continue to read and learn. The thing I like most about this site, is that almost everyone provides links to prove what they say.

    All the best to you on your journey!

    Palm

  • HillaryJean
    HillaryJean

    Your question, BrotherPrince: Also, what would the JW organization get from misleading 7 million people? I mean, I hear about the change of doctrince, their dishonesty about the changes etc, what do they get from all of it?

    Answer (by Sapphy): The GB members don't have mansions or genuine 'millionaire' lifestyles. It took me ages to accept what Randy has been saying for years, but all the money, all the contributions, kingdom hall remodelling scams are all for one purpose:

    The primary purpose of the organisation is the survival of the organisation.

    I believe everything the society does is to ensure the organisation survives. They will cut the printing business to the bone, they will 'simplify' or cut any department that makes a loss.

    http://www.youtube.com/user/NotJehovahsWitnesses

  • mind blown
    mind blown

    Hello BroPrince and Welcome

    I've been in the world for many years, though it's true conditions are better then the 20's ( look at old photos of NYC) , but I do believe man's internal condition has not. Govermental corruption, law inforcement corruption....etc....

    I myself still beiieve in God and feel the bible has core universal truths for all. But it hasn't been JW doctrine that has blown my mind, it's the outright dishonestly, hiding pedophiles, money laundering, claiming 144000 are only a theocratic arrangement to get out of a court issues, the corporation, dummy companies, now saying JW only volunteer thier service instead of expected to go out in service (that's not what JW charter says and well as time card)...the list goes on. A real contrast to Christ teachings. These men weilding religious law, DFing many and distroying families, when they themselves should be Df'd.

    I personally feel "Paul" was the "leader" in spreading the good news of the kingdom down to our 21st Century, it was already in motion and the first fruits had the wonderful previlge of spreading it......and now it's up to us to find it....

    I know the bible has been corrupted, there's missing books, there was many various stories of Christ even within Egypt religion, but as I mentioned there's something about this crazy man....and stories of kind mercy that still makes me believe.

    The GB had their chance to do the right thing and now they have lost repect among many. I don't think any man or organization can claim they are the chosen ones......we can never live up to that.....The Great Mo couldn't live up to it while leading the chosen people....so time will only tell....

    If you don't mind bending to the GB rules, If you can stand watching them steal KH from congregations who bought them with their own money.... it's your life.....you can love Jah in and you can love Jah out.......that's my take......for now.....

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