Suspicious

by Suspicious 122 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

• 

  LoisLane looking for Superman

  Hello Suspicious,

  I was an Elder's abused wife for 40 years. There was an article in last years Watchtower, about Steve and Selma, with the slant that the abuse Selma was receiving from her husband, was her fault and that she should stay in an abusive relationship. My Elder's wanted me to stay quiet, not tell anybody the truth about my husband, this brother who was so admired for his talks and prayers. The Governing Body says all Elders are appointed from "holy spirit". They were mad at me for going to trained Therapists for help. The only help the Elder's offered was more Bible reading, more door to door and anything else, keep my mouth shut. Huh? I was afraid for my life and I am told to just read my Bible more, do more door to door?

  They made me mad. I found Ray Franz's book , Crisis of Conscience and read it through the night. That morning at 5 AM I was OUT.

  Those Elders actually did me a huge favor. As a born in I/we are never allowed to "grow up". To "grow up" means you use your own thinking and reasoning abilities to make good, thought out decisions with the best information you have.

  The Governing Body tells you to listen and obey them only. You are not allowed to think. You are not allowed to rationalize. You cannot question. I am 63 years old. If I want to question - I will question. The Governing Body does not want anyone questioning them about their decisions. Why not? Can I tell you how many times in 63 years they say this is what God told us. Obey us. A few years go by, they never apology, they just change their doctrines and say, God told us we are going to do it this way now and don't bring it up, otherwise if you do, we will brand you an apostate. Huh? It just keeps changing again and again and again. They don't want you to read "old" literature because it contains their mistakes from not hearing correctly what God told them the first time 'round. How can you go from absolutely no blood transfusions to now it is OK to infuse blood fractions? How many people died when God told them having an organ transplant was akin to cannibalism and now it is OK? How can you go from a foundation in Egyptogogy to forbidding anyone to read the old literature and if you bring it up, you are labeled an apostate and DF?

  You asked, "What's in it for the GB members?"

  Not everyone wants children, grandchildren, a home and garden, and a loving soul mate. Some people enjoy a regimented lifestyle, with millions of adoring fans. Clap - clap - clap - clap - clap. Hitler had absolute power. If you disobeyed, you were dead. The GB makes sure to DF anyone that displeases them.

  I am fading, but I don't want anything to do with JW's. The ball is in your court on what is best for you and your family.

  I welcome you to JWnet and wish you and your family the best on your journey of life.

  Just Lois
• 

  Aunt Fancy

  Welcome! Less than a year ago my husband (he was an elder for years) and I were still going to meetings but I started to ask myself questions and I found a few books to read and that lead me to this site and JWfacts.com along with a few other sites. I then was able to get my husband to read Crisis of Conscience and after reading a few chapters he was out too. Keep searching and continue to read and you will find the answers you are looking for. I too wanted to hold on to "friendships" but once you start to fade those too will fade. I am making new friends and have also built a much stronger relationship with my family (they were never Witnesses). We are here if you need to talk.
• 

  Suspicious

  Wow thanks everyone! I will apologize in advance because I feel I have a lot of questions and some may be annoyed. I never knew all these. That's so weird. One thing that got me thinking was someone in service seemed so bitter and told me to research more about something that happened in 75. I didn't argue or say much more. I am fairly young (Under 25) so I don't know all the details when it comes to history. It seems this place advocates thinking for yourself which I was not expecting.
• 

  Hortensia

  oh well, 1975. I was 25 then, had been in the org. my whole life. They strongly predicted the end of the world by fall of 1975. Just another of their failed prophecies. There are quite a few other times they predicted the end of the world, although they always deny it later. I knew people who gave up everything they owned, as well as their jobs and savings, to "work" fulltime in the preaching work, because the end was "near." Many of them have died since then, usually in poverty.
• 

  Comatose

  Watchtower articles on 1975

  camt get them posted... Try this:

  http://postimg.org/gallery/48kgllkm/
• 

  AnnOMaly

  Hang on to your hat, Suspicious. It's going to be a helluva ride for you as you pursue the answers to your questions :-)
• 

  irondork

  Suspicious: It seems this place advocates thinking for yourself which I was not expecting.

  Oh yea! You have to or you'll be wasting your time. We also encourage you to read the WT literature. No... REALLY read it! The truth about the WT organization is in its literature. Much of the content on this board is based on a critical review of the literature.

  The Society has invited JWs to research their "rich spiritual heritage". On the face, this looks good. Sounds like an organization with nothing to hide. But the Society also knows that the vast majority of Witnesses have no access to the older publications, given that they have been out of print for decades and most Kingdom Hall libraries don't go back that far. Even the CD library only goes back to what, early 70's for the Awake and late 60's for the Watchtower? It is in this way that the Society can come out with videos that present a very sanitized version of their own history, or make references to its spiritual heritage in its various publications without any concern that the rank and file JW can or will check their "facts".

  For that matter, rank and file members are reminded that it is a BAD thing to go around checking the information presented by the Governing Body, threatening that Jehovah will be angry with us if we do. For example, use your CD Library to look up the September, 2007 Kingdom Ministry and read the question box on page 3, titled: Does “the faithful and discreet slave” endorse independent groups of Witnesses who meet together to engage in Scriptural research or debate?

  Also:

  Watchtower, February 15, 1981 - Do We Need Help to Understand the Bible?
  Jesus' disciples wrote many letters to Christian congregations, to persons who were already in "the way of the truth." (2 Pet. 2:2) But nowhere do we read that those brothers first, in a skeptical frame of mind, checked the Scriptures to make certain that those letters had Scriptural backing that the writers really knew what they were talking about.
  OUR VIEW OF THE "SLAVE"
  We can benefit from this consideration. If we have once established what instrument God is using as his "slave" to dispense spiritual food to his people, surely Jehovah is not pleased if we receive that food as though it might contain something harmful. We should have confidence in the channel God is using.

  So much for "Keep testing... keep proving", huh?

  It is in this way they can tell you that some of the brothers read too much into what was being said about 1975 and got the wrong idea. They can tell you that some of them just didn't feel they should have to participate in the door-to-door preaching work and so those apostates had to be removed. They can tell you what an upstanding person Joseph Rutherford was and how he carried the message forward after the organization was selected by Christ in 1919 - without discussing his reputation for being a drunk or mention anything about Beth Sarim. (Google Beth Sarim)

  There's a lot for you to learn. You think you have questions now? Hang on to your britches, friend. You don't know the half of it.
• 

  yadda yadda 2

  Trust your own natural intuition, intelligence and conscience, and the messages those are now giving you. Those are much better guides in life than ancient scripture and priestcraft, or the weird creeds of some modern cultish religion you were born into.

  
• 

  2+2=5

  Welcome Suspicious.

  Nice to have you here, please stay a while and ask questions as often as you want.

  There is a wealth of knowledge on this board, knowledge about the Bible, Religion and Christian theology, as well as science. The folks here a greatly varied in their beliefs and opinions, but for the most part everyone is kind and friendly.

  Some have a great sense of humor, some come across as being a bit blunt. Some say they can hear Jesus talk to them, others believe that Jesus never existed. Some believe they are Jesus Christ.

  The one thing just about everyone on this site has in common, is that they were once JWs. Learning the truth about this Religion can be one the most uncomfortable experiences in a persons life.

  I like you had questions, and was not entirely satisfied with the answers I had. I wasn't convinced on the WTS's interpretation of the Revelation book and even the Daniel book. This got me researching.

  Before long I understood 607/1914 was all false information..... and from here it snowballed. The Jehovah's Witnesses are just another religion. This had my mind spinning for months. I lost my appetite for weeks, couldn't sleep properly and my research was consuming every thought I had from the moment I woke until I slept. This was in October last year so this is still all pretty fresh for me.

  I was raised in 'the truth', and thought I had all the answers to life's big questions. Instead I now realize just how ignorant I was and still am. I am in the process of fading from the religion. I can't voice anything to friends and family that is against the WTS or I risk being DF'd and shunned for life.

  Good luck on your journey. If you are in your early twenties, you have plenty of time to live your life as you want, instead of putting it on old as you serve an American publishing corporation and wait for the "real life" to start in the "New System".

  All the best.
• 

  Oubliette

  Suspicious: It seems this place advocates thinking for yourself which I was not expecting.

  Exactly!

  Thinking for yourself is the unforgivable sin in the KH. In stark contrast, it is strongly encouraged here.

  I was thinking about what you wrote about meeting someone that was so bitter in the field service. That happened to me a few times and I could never understand it. Now I know the reason: WT teachings and practices destroys lives.

  Don't let it destroy yours.

  Welcome to the rest of your life. Proceed with caution, particularly in regard to what you say to those still under the influence of WT mind-control.

  Read Steven Hassan's book: Releasing the Bonds, which is appropriately subtitled: Empowering People to Think for Themselves.

  Keep us posted!