I went to a JW party - and could not shut up.

by GermanXJW 16 Replies latest jw friends

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  herk

  GermanJW,

  Thanks for telling us about the lively party - red wine and all! I would have told the women that I would return to the Kingdom Hall if they would invite me to drink red wine there as well, at least once a year. (Just kidding.)

  I like the phrases "braindead" and "hardcore JW." I would encourage children and others to stay away from pornography, but even more so from JW influence. Neither is beneficial for the brain.

  I do question your following statement:

  I think subconsciously most of the JW know that with dates like 1914, 1918, 1919, 1931, 1935 et al. something is wrong and that it cannot be found in the Bible for an unbiased reader.

  Having recently been in the organization, it's still fresh in my mind how I felt about those dates. I never bothered to question them. I had access to some of the oldest WT literature and to a small amount of opposition literature that my conscience allowed me to read. However, my mind had been trained to overlook the discrepancies as Jehovah's way of shedding more and more new light. I used to thrive on discussing how "Bible" prophecies were fulfilled during those dates and in breaking down for others just how it all happened. And I usually had a rapt and even spellbound audience that showered me with expressions of appreciation. They were so grateful to finally have explained for them things they did not understand from private study or at the WT study. Interestingly, I often found that those same people 15 minutes later would be totally unable to explain those so-called "Bible" prophecies, as clear as they thought I had made them.

  As a JW, I saw the discrepancies but never thought deeply about them or brought them to the attention of others. My strong feeling was that I was in danger of bringing condemnation upon myself. God would know that I had allowed myself to engage in "disloyal" thinking. And I would be especially liable to the second death if I in some way weakened the faith of others in "the faithful and discreet slave class." When strong evidence was presented by persons I met in the door-to-door work that 1914 was a miscalculation by the Society, I just knew "in my heart of hearts" that the Society had access to reliable information that these opposers knew nothing about.

  I don't doubt that many do subconsciously wonder why the discrepancies exist. But I think most JWs will not allow themselves the luxury of such introspection. They will not engage in any measure of deep thinking about those dates due to that secret inner fear that even thinking independently of the organization can incur God's disapproval.

  Herk
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  Beans

  Great story, I dont think I could have kept my mouth shut though! Where do you live in Deutschland GermanJW, I will be in Hamburg in April for mein Omas birthday party.

  Beans

  Canadian District Overbeer

  http://Quotes.JehovahsWitnesses.com
• 

  GermanXJW

  Beans, check your eMail.

  Herk, thankyou for your thorough reply that reminds me of my own situation. I was also able to explain the chronology topics, how to derive 1914 etc. And how proud (and what a fool) I was. :-)

  But I could explain it because I studied the topic. And I studied it because I did not understand it. I felt something was strange, but I wanted to be loyal to the FDS. I trusted that Jehovah would take care of his organization and set matters straight at his own time. So, parrot the Society's explanations and was convinced that it was "meat in due season". I surpressed doubts. I also began to read critical literature and admitted that they had a point there. But after all, it was God's organization and mistakes were to be corrected. The doubts persisted and in the end I read CoC and C.O.J. Gentile Times Reconsidered. And this was the end. But it took years until I not only admitted that chronology was wrong but also this was not God's organization.

  I agree with you that there are many who just say "this is too deep for me" and "the FDS is always right". But I trust that many find the explanations about dates in our lifetime strange and find it strange that the 2.300 days of Daniel are to end with a copy of the Watchtower magazine etc.
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  nickpark

  Sagen Sie die echte Neuigkeiten aber mit Briefen!
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  GermanXJW

  Sagen Sie die echte Neuigkeiten aber mit Briefen!

  I beg your pardon - but what does this sentence mean????

  "Tell the true news but with letters!"

  Huh?=
• 

  Englishman

  German JW.

  On the few occasions that I have met JW's socially, it's nearly always been in a pub. I love to drink to their health, and look at them expectantly for a return greeting. Boy, do they squirm!

  I suppose you could always burst into:

  Ein Prosit, ein Prosit Der Gemtlichkeit Ein Prosit, ein Prosit Der Gemtlichkeit!

  Englishman.
• 

  herk

  GermanJW,

  You wrote:

  But it took years until I not only admitted that chronology was wrong but also this was not God's organization.

  Dear brother, I started to weep as I read your last post. Your story is so much like mine. Only God knows how many of us there are who have gone through that struggle.

  Herk