What Doctrine Or Belief Didn"t You Agree W... (page 2)

blondie

I'm not saying until you do, minimus.

Blondie (who NEVER bought into 1975 and said so and look I was right)

Being raised a Witness, I was indoctrinated to believe it all. I was baptized at 9. So I took it all in and became a very good WT. apologist. As I got older, I questioned "the slave"and all the explanations to prove its existence. I have to wonder though, why anyone that was not raised "in the truth" would ever accept so much of this pitiful crap.

Mary

I never believed that Jesus "returned invisibly" in 1914.........everything I read in the scriptures plainly showed that His Return would be visible to all....

I was studying with a sister in the Hall when I was 14 years old and I was preparing for baptism......anyway, she asks me if I had any questions about any of our beliefs or doctrines and naive as I was, I told her that I was having a hard time understanding the "invisible return" because the bible says "every eye will see him." So she starts the explanation and asks me "If Jesus appeared to people over North America, how would people in Russia see him?" I thought this was a very poor argument and so I said "the same sun that we see in the sky here in North America can be seen at the same time by people in England and South America."

Well, the Christian attitude vanished like ice on a hot coal and she looked at me in total shock at first (because I was challenging our main doctrine and she could think of no reply) and then she fixed with with a look that, at the time, absolutely terrified me. She suggested that unless I "readjust" my thinking, that I would not be able to get baptized and would lose Jehovah's favour. Being that age, I was still very impressionable, and so I pretended to "readjust" my thinking, but I never waivered on my personal belief that His Return would be visible.

The other doctrines I never agreed with are:

not celebrating birthdays or Xmas, but Anniversaries are okay

can't gamble on a lottery ticket but you can gamble in the stock market or worse, gamble on 1975......

It's okay to stand for a judge in a courtroom, but not for your National Anthem.

New Years parties

the entire Revelation book

the 144,000

and their 'two-witness' policy on child abuse........

Edited by - Mary on 7 December 2002 9:38:32

blondie

Good thinking, Mary. But what about the part of the earth where it is dark and the sun has set while the sun is up in the other half? I think that at times nearer the poles the sun is seen 24/7. But at least you weren't just accepting it hook, line and sinker.

Interestingly, at the recent circuit assembly, the district overseer said there would most likely be visible signs of Jesus return citing celestial events using Luke 21:25-27. I think they are just using weasel words to cover all their bases, invisible or visible.

The pressure to be accepted as part of a group is very strong. I never understood the psychology of that until I went to college and took social psychology.

Blondie (who still doesn't believe the end came in 1975)

LB

Of course I didn't believe in their shunning people at a time when they probably need love the most. That always bothered me. I also had a hard time believing their doctrine of 1914 and I should have noticed that red flag. When the change came about generations the end was close for me.

Gopher

I had doubts about whether so many things written in the book of Revelation (such as the two witnesses of Rev. chap. 11) found their modern fulfillment in the Watchtower Society. That's what the ~~"Revelation Orgasm"~~ "Revelation Climax" book strongly implies.

And did you notice how every 10 years or so, they kept changing the meanings of the interpretations of the book of Daniel? The 2,300 days kept shifting to a more convenient meaning. (What, wasn't Jehovah whispering in the ears of the Watchtower writers the exact truth of the matter several decades ago? Oh my gosh!) And the saying in the "Let Your Will Be Done" book (published 1958) that the communist bloc would survive and persecute Jehovah's Witnesses right up till the end of the system. I guess that kind of faded away after the iron curtain tumbled starting in about 1989.

But my strongest doubt of all was the WT interpretation of 1 Timothy 2:5 about there being one mediator between God and men, a man, Christ Jesus. They say that he is only the mediator for those anointed ones in the "new covenant", and not for the "great crowd" with the earthly hope. What the hell? Then why did I even pray "in the name of Jesus"? Why not pray "in the name of the faithful slave"? It seems like that's what they wanted you to do......

Edited by - Gopher on 7 December 2002 9:57:25

Matty

Even when I was a staunch witness I never understood the birthday thing. The WTS argument was so incredibly weak, I could never explain it satisfactorily to anybody.

blondie

And did you notice how every 10 years or so, they kept changing the meanings of the interpretations of the book of Daniel? The 2,300 days kept shifting to a more convenient meaning.

Gopher, I had to explain that to a bible student, and was flabbergasted at all the interpretations. I finally just redirected their question but it got me thinking. The WTS would just say that the "light got brighter."

Matty, birthdays, that was hard to explain especially since celebrating anniversaries wasn't much different and the average non-JW didn't have to be a rocket scientist to know that. I have the old publication where Bible Students (pre-1935 JWs) wrote down the birthdates of fellow witnesses. It was my grandmother's and she has quite a few names written down. It is one of the gnat things the WTS loves to emphasize while they gulp down the camel of child abuse.

Blondie

shera

I have to wonder though, why anyone that was not raised "in the truth" would ever accept so much of this pitiful crap.

I agree with you there,one of the reasons I stayed as long as I did,I never knew any of the history of the WTS.I always doubted it,just stayed for all the wrong reasons.One was....what if it is truth and armageddon comes? I never had much biblical teachings growing up and it just sounded right.It sounded as right as any other religion would sound. BUT... after I have learned of other religions,the JW did sound more off.All religion has truth from the bible,they read the same book.They just enore some scriptures and use the ones that suit their fancies...

freedom96

I was raised a witness, so I really didn't know any different. As I got older, and could think rationally for myself, I realized that pretty much everything of a doctrine issue was wrong.

What Doctrine Or Belief Didn"t You Agree W...

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