what i have realized studying JWs,the bitter truth (page 2)

punkofnice

Stories about jws reducing?wrong.

What is your basis for saying this. Please provide the statistical evidence.

Facing problems? false.

This could mean anything. Please expand and provide more than annecdotal testimony as proof.

Spirituk, I am beginning to wonder if you're considering becoming a JW...your cousin seems to have made impression on you...you seem like the people...and maybe you're thinking that there may be a bonus...?

Hey knock yourself out...don't say we did not warn you....again...and again...and again...

cedars

spirituk - so when will you be getting baptized?

Cedars

Sammy Jenkis

"People are paid by watchtower to attend seminars to learn foreign languages and to be sent to preach in other countries as employees of watchtower + paid rents and salary."

Sorry but I have to refute this statement as no one is paid, I learned two foreign languages in my time and never received a cent. Anyone that takes on missionary, bethel, or further privilieges in their home congregation is a volunteer.

I would recommend doing a bit more research, maybe check out the sex abuse scandals, effect of severe shunning, and how they preach love but love is not demonstrated in the congs except for Saturday morning at 9:30am when they knock on your door. Hopefully this forum can help you get all the facts and from there after examining both sides of the coin you can make your decision.

Best wishes,

garyneal

spirituk:

Plenty of rebuttals but I will add my take as a fellow outsider and relate it to my own religious experiences.

Yes, they do look happy and blissful. They boast about having one faith worldwide as opposed to all those different churches disagreeing about every little piece of doctrine. They boast about how a witness family can find themselves alone in a distant location and instantly call upon help of a brother in the faith for help thanks to the worldwide brotherhood. They truly study their Bible more than I am use to seeing in other churches. They seem to take a more intellectual approach to the Bible than most churches which usually caters to the emotional aspect of humanity. They even get some things right that most churches get wrong, like Christmas and birthdays.

Trust me, I was nearly convinced myself but I was still skeptical because I noticed some parallels between them and my old IFB church that I had personally debunked long before I married my witness wife and began attending their meetings.

They believe that they are the only true church teaching the only true teachings and having the only correct interpretation of the Bible.
They each believe that their preferred Bible is the most accurate translation.
They each have a laundry list of rules that seem ever expanding that their adherents must follow in order to have the right standing with God.
They each have come out with contradictory rules that are best interpreted as exceptions to the rules but only for certain people.
They each have had to rescind old rules or teachings that have been proven wrong beyond all reasonable doubt.
They each outlaw seemingly innocous things such as the smurfs, the telly tubbies, Captian Planet, Super Why, and Sparlock.

The result is that many adherrents either get frustrated and depressed trying to follow all the rules in order to please God (like I did when I was an IFB) or you have people basically calling out specs in others while ignoring beams in themselves.

Furthermore, the main advantages that they have can be found in varying degress in other churches or even secular groups so in the end I saw no benefit to being a witness except to end up living like my wife. She lives a double life big time but not the kind of double life most religious people live (like smoking or drinking on the sly for example). No, she is not allowed to share with her religious friends that she sees little wrong with celebrating most holidays or birthdays and cannot share what college she is attending to earn her master's degree. How silly is that?

eyeuse2badub

Compare recent baptismal figures with those of just a few years ago. The numbers are dropping.

If baptism candidates knew the true history of the WTS, TTATT (pyrmiads, 1874-1914-1925-1975, Beth-Sharim, flip flops, etc.,) would anyone get baptized? If baptism candidates knew that if ever they decided to disagree with the GB, aka "FDS", they are shunned and labeled would they get baptized?

man oh man

I am glad you enjoyed the convention, of course if you are a serious Bible student I don't know how you could enjoy it as over half the scriptures cited there were taken out of context.

If JW's are increasing as they claimed then why at my convention this year did only one fourth as many get baptised as they did at my first convention 22 years ago?

If you enjoyed all of the hate speech at the convention then I guess you belong there as well friend! Have a nice life living without freedom!

MissMyHarley

I don't post here often but you really need to dig deeper and investigate this. I know some one who is 92 yrs old waited all there life for the big A and is just figured out that 72 yrs of service was a huge waste of time. The wake-up call was...... please give us all your land holdings and homes and cars and CD's before you pass away. NO was the answer...... then tough love began. OH MY Sister Gotrocks is giving it to her children and not the society. She has lost her?????? No....... she woke up and relized all they wanted was her money to put these snot-nosed lazy little door knockers in other countries to lie to the natives. Just my take on this........ sad part I had to join the idiots to protect the assets. It was still quite hard to convince her that this was really wrong (at first). LOOK READ UNDERSTAND Just my humble opinion.

Ride Safe Ride Happy Be Free

GromitSK

I don't quite see how being convinced there is a god and therefore accepting any particular version of any religion is connected. Being a member of any organised religion is easy provided you can comply with all it's requirements. When you can't the you'll see what that religion is all about.

Assemblies and meetings are the shop window of what is, in effect, a sales organisation. Tempting though it is, I wouldn't base any judgements on such events. As a former member, I can tell you it's a sophisticated con.

jgnat

Haven't been out in field service yet, have you? You've seen the carrot. Now meet stick.

If you want a pleasant dream any church will do.

I find the Witnesses to be deadly dull by comparison. Try going to a Billy Graham crusade. Better music, happier people, and a decently paced, impassioned message.

what i have realized studying JWs,the bitter truth