Hello. (page 3)

amicus

Gloria,
I just wanted to stop in and say Hi! Sorry I missed this post. This site has been a lot busier that normal lately and so have I.
I just recently started investigating the teachings of Jehovah's Witnesses on the net and at first I was offended at the tone of some of the sites, so I stayed away from those. There's a lot of neutral sites though. Take your time and read, read, read.
Hope you stick around a while.
Amicus -Who wonders why the Arawaks and Caribs couldn't just be friends.

thinker

Hello Gloria,
I'm not a witness, I just spend alot of time doing research on the organization and I married a wonderful ex-JW. I like to hear all opinions about the Society (actives included). I've found alot of truths about the WTBTS that they don't advertise. Hope you'll stick around and express your views.

thinker

neyank

Hi Gloria,
Welcome to the board.
Jump right in whenever you feel like it.
:-)
neyank

TR

Hi, Gloria

A lot of the comments that I have read seem somewhat harsh toward the Witnesses.

Well, if you read the initial posts especially by "Danielle", you'll see why we've given them a hard time.

logical said:

Read the posts by MDS, Jr, bjc and myself. Im sure you will find a lot of eye-opening information.

No, don't read those posts. They're useless and full of crap.
Just kidding. Read 'em if you want, but they're still useless and full of crap.

TR

Roamingfeline

Hi Gloria,

Welcome to the board. I hope you'll thoroughly enjoy your stay here.

RCat

gloria

Well, I'm overwhelmed! I was totally unprepared for what is happening here. I haven't made up my mind yet if I should stay.
SixofNine, thank you for your reply. You say the truth will set me free but I have been taught all my life that I AM in the truth.
JAVA, you said, "going to the next level suggests one is questioning "the Truth," a serious trap that could lead to disfellowshipping." That's sort of what I was told. It makes sense that once we know what is true that there is no point in looking any further.
Amicus, that's what I plan on doing, reading and asking questions.
Thinker, thank you for your response. I find your situation interesting because my husband is an unbeliever as well. He studied for a long time with a very capable brother but he finally just stopped and now he won't even come to the hall with me. My husband is a very intelligent man but he just will not accept the truth.
Neyank, thank you.
TR, I have read some of MDS' postings. I'm afraid that I don't understand what it is that he is trying to say.
Hello Rcat. Thanks.

JAVA

Gloria,

JAVA, you said, "going to the next level suggests one is questioning "the Truth," a serious trap that could lead to disfellowshipping." That's sort of what I was told. It makes sense that once we know what is true that there is no point in looking any further. - gloria

The Catholic Church (and others, too) believes it is the true religion. Why would any Catholic examine their religion once they know they have the Truth? What is the "point in looking any further?" I'm sure you can see where I'm going with this, but it's important to see how an argument works if it's on the other foot. If an argument works on one foot but not the other, it's flawed.

Why does a religion need to intimidate followers with disfellowshipping for examining their religion? Why does a religion ask others to examine their religion, while pressuring its members to do otherwise? Truth does not need to use intimidation to prove it's "the Truth." Indeed, any religion claiming they have "the Truth" should welcome full examination, without intimidation. Truth has nothing to fear from honest examination.

Gloria, please don't be put off by the above questions. I don't expect you to answer or comment, unless you want. I'm just thinking out loud, and the above comments are some rambling thoughts. The nice thing about this group is you don't have to agree. It's a group that shares ideas, and you can pick and choose what works or doesn't work.

--JAVA, a cup without coffee is like a room without windows

Edited by - JAVA on 7 February 2001 14:53:41

ZazuWitts

Hello Gloria,

What a beautiful name you were given.
It's always been one of my favorites-
it has much meaning, as I'm sure you know.

Welcome.

RedhorseWoman

Hi Gloria,

I tried to post a welcome to you last night, but unfortunately (thanks to Danielle) I had reached my posting limit for the day, and I couldn't reply to you.

Welcome to the board. Please take your time....look around....ask questions....and discuss things.

It makes sense that once we know what is true that there is no point in looking any further.

This was what I once felt myself. And yet, I couldn't understand why JW's were absolutely forbidden to look into anything else. After all, truth should be able to stand on its own merits, and looking into other beliefs should simply serve as a means to strengthen the "truth". Is this not correct?

My concerns were heightened even more as I saw the progression of "new light", with doctrines being changed back and forth numerous times. This wasn't a progression toward a better understanding, but was rather like a seesaw....this is what is correct...no, wait, this is what is correct....wait, it's back to the way it used to be....and so on.

Don't ever be afraid to subject what you believe to be true to scrutiny. If it is, in fact, true, it will stand the test. If it is not, then your perceptions can be changed.

gloria

Hello, zazu, RedhorseWoman, and Java (again). Thank you all for your kind replies. There is so much activity here I was afraid that my little post (Is that what it’s called?) would be lost in all the shuffle.
Java, you keep comparing the truth with the Catholic religion. Surely having been an elder and all you can’t seriously compare one to the other. There are so many things that the Catholic Church teaches that is false. They teach a trinity, hellfire, they have idols in their church, and many more things. We, on the other hand, know the truth about all these things.
Also I would hardly say that Jehovah’s Witnesses are intimidated for examining their own religion. We have tons of material in the form of Watchtower and Awake bound volumes and many books and brochures and the Reasoning book and the Insight volumes. There is so much that one cannot possibly read it all. And now there is the CD which I find to be a very useful tool in studying and researching. The Proclaimers Book is a book about our history as Jehovah’s modern day organization. There is nothing hidden there.
RedhorseWoman, you said: “I couldn't understand why JW's were absolutely forbidden to look into anything else. After all, truth should be able to stand on its own merits, and looking into other beliefs should simply serve as a means to strengthen the "truth". Is this not correct?” I was not aware that JW’s were forbidden to look at anything else. After all we talk to people of all sorts of different religions all the time and they tell us what they believe. We even have a book that tells us a little about different religions. We have articles in the magazines that tell us about different religions and their beliefs. I know that after reading what the Catholic Church teaches about hellfire my knowledge of the truth about the true condition of the dead is faith strengthening to me.
As far as the new light, well I can understand how things are not all clear at once and that it can take time for an issue to become clear to the brothers. At least that’s how I see it.

Hello.

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