I never let a relgious organization affect my mind. Afterall I choose what I want to believe, other people cannot force me to do so. I do not carry scars from the W.T.S. I am not that weak minded that I allow things to affect my life. So you don't believe what they teach just move on and try to find a religion you agree with. I for one take from all religions not just sticking with one main believe. That is why I call myself a Christian to remain neutral and not get affiliated with this belief or that. Anyway I am about out of posts chat with you all later.
I am new here
by Stauros 28 Replies latest jw friends
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Stauros
Realising the world is not going to end is an important step in recovering from indoctrination.
I choose to believe what the bible says. It says there will be an end, so people that refuse to believe are just fooling themselves.....have a good day
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irondork
I'm with you on that, Stauros. I don't presume to know how or in what overlapping generation it will come, but I do believe God has set a time to remove the old and insert the new.
Welcome to the forum. I hope you find what you need here and are able to ignore what you don't.
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Sam Whiskey
Stauros,
I happen to believe the sam way. While I am no longer a Witness, I do respect the fact there there were valuable lessons learned and pieces of prophetic information that will come to pass in the future. I do not profess to know when or how, but I do believe we in for a change of Biblical proportions. Kind of like looking up at the sky and seeing storm coulds gather, you know something is going to happen.
To your point, it just seems that people are "going crazy". I think it all adds up to Pauls words in his letter to Timothy;
2Tim. 3:2-5 "For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, self-assuming, haughty, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, disloyal, 3 having no natural affection, not open to any agreement, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, without love of goodness, 4 betrayers, headstrong, puffed up [with pride], lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godly devotion but proving false to its power; and from these turn away."
I use the NWT from the JW Online bible. It's just the one I am most comfortable with because I've used it my whole life...
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cofty
It says there will be an end, so people that refuse to believe are just fooling themselves
Stauros I know you are out of posts for the moment so you won't be able to reply for a while.
You seem to be saying that if the bible says something then that settles it.
Jesus made it very plain that he would return in glory within the lifetime of his 1st century disciples - he was wrong.
Peter and Paul were certain Jesus' parousia would happen within their lifetimes - they were wrong.
Instead of getting worse the world is getting better with every generation. Less violence, better health, education, increasing life expectancy, improving attitudes on equality - by every possible measure the world is the best it has ever been.
Why are you - and irondork and Sam - convinced that the bible's apocalyptic promises are worthy of our attention?
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Sam Whiskey
I know, it's almost like I'm still a Witness, but without the emotional turmoil that goes with it. I suppose it's possible to have faith and conviction without actually being a Witness, I think I've done pretty well with it. While I'm a believer, I don't have the drama in my life.
Cofty ~ I don't have a direct concrete answer, other than, I believe. Something is compelling about the story of Jesus (and of the Bible in general) that tells me I cannot abondon my faith, no matter what, it will simply will not fade. I've never been immoral, done drugs or ANYTHING that Jesus would not do. Don't get me wrong, I'm NOT saying I'm perfect, I'm just saying, I have had a very good life because of the Bible, because of Jehovah and His son. I cannot explain it, it's like the Bible is my guide for life, I cannot abandon it, it has not abandoned me. It has stuck with me.
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Heaven
Hi Stauros and welcome.
"Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end."
The world is always ending and beginning. The world never stays the same. Change is the one constant in life.
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irondork
Cofty, why don't we focus on welcoming Starous and offering our support through this difficult transition.
There will be plenty of time for you to browbeat him with your philosophies another time.
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NeverKnew
Welcome Stauros!
Many will welcome your perspective. The broader the better!
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Sam Whiskey
I know that I'm not very popular around here, probably because of my continued belief in God. And maybe this just isn't a good place for me be for that reason. Most here no longer believe in God. Sometimes I wonder if I should go back to being a Witness simply because of the parallel of mind, the way of thinking. But then I pinch myself, and remember all of the drama..so, no way could I go back.
I'm hung up on so many things that the world embraces, one of them is homosexuality. I don't hate gays, I just take the position of the Bible, and that position is that intimacy is only for a married man and his wife. It's not a very popular position, but I'm not here to win a popularity contest. I cannot get past the idea of accepting homosexuality, and never will. Does that make me intolerant or a bigot? Certainly not! I have had gay friends. Our friendships were succesful, but my ability to accept their lifestyle is rigid, it is against God's law, I cannot change what I know to be truth.
And goverments ~ No goverment, Republican or Democrat or any other will work in the long run. If I had to chose the lesser of the two evils (in my mind) I would say that I would be a Republican. Simply because I cannot accept the liberal environment that seems to lean the Democratic direction. I may be wrong, I don't profess to be an expert on all things political. But since my leaveing the WT, I have become more aware of what the liberal left are attempting to achieve, namely, the removal of all aspects of God from our society. This puts me at odds with the left, yet my allegience is to God, not man, so I chose to do nothing about it and remain neutral.