Welcome Jidders - and KevinB. Wow the exJWs will be outnumbering those left in soon. Take your time, there's no rush, no end of the world as we know it is around the corner. Just relax, read what you want online or in the library and when you want a break go enjoy your life.
Just peeking in for a bit...
by Jidders 34 Replies latest jw friends
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smiddy3
Welcome kevinbothma I look forward to hearing more of your story / experiences .
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john.prestor
Jitters, I want to say this absolutely clearly: throughout history people who don't want others to see the truth about themselves always discourage them from reading sources they didn't produce. This isn't just true of JW's, I'm gonna quote a poem by Ephraim Syrus, he's an early Catholic 'church father' who wrote in the 4th century:
The Lord will bless you oh faithful church, for you are not concealing the book of the insane Marcion, nor the books of the mad Mani
Might not rhyme in English but you get the point. Ephrem's telling his congregation not to read people who disagree with him. Remember, the Catholic 'church fathers' claim that the canonical gospels came from the apostles, which makes them the only true Gospels. This disqualifies all competing Christian faiths at the time (many existed l, few survived), and elevates the Catholic Church. But Marcion and Mani wrote in those books mentioned in the poem that the apostles didn't write the canonical gospels, which of course undermines the Catholic Church fathers' claims to Authority. Obviously, Ephraim wouldn't want his congregation reading that.
If a group tells you not to read their critics or at least not look at the evidence themselves, they admit in doing so that they don't even believe what they say. Don't listen to these people anymore. Hell, dont listen to me either except what I'm gonna tell you right now:
Listen to yourself. Go out and do the research, don't take my word for it, dont take our word for it, go to sites like jwfacts.com, you can find PDFs of some of Russell and Rutherfords works online, there's also a lot of good scholarly work on Jehovah's Witnesses too. If you want some places to start PM me. Best of luck on your journey. You're doing great already.
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Vanderhoven7
Welcome to the forum Jitters and Kevin.
Jitters, I agree with the advice Aude Sapere and others have already given you and I look forward to hearing how things progress for you.
Kevin, I appreciate your testimony and am glad you found the peace you have through faith.
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days of future passed
You are a brave person and honest to look at the truth of things, that might change your view of the world. When I found out that the Jehovahs Witnesses religion was untruthful, I remembered a book written by George Orwell called "Animal Farm" It describes a situation that could be found in any government or movement/religion. It mirrors what this religion does, how it changes it rules and teachings - and makes the followers feel like they never do enough and are to blame for any failures.
I had read that book in high school but never realized how it explained exactly what was going on in this religion. Because of course, it was "the truth" and they would never lie or do something wrong. I know better now. At least you are in your 30's and can do something for your future.
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Half banana
Jidders welcome to the site. Factual things should not make anyone feel weary!
Try and distinguish between what is a belief and what is factual. JW teachings are mere beliefs.
Beliefs are unprovable things such as Armageddon, the kingdom of God, angels etc. They use these ideas to manipulate their flock. Be prepared to have your own say and not fear religious warnings.
Prophecy is quite useless, remember Jesus got it completely wrong when he said that the kingdom of God would come in glory in his day and be witnessed by some of his listeners. Mark 9;1.
Discover who you are and what you can do--this is far more important than learning about fearful beliefs from a crank religion.
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The Fall Guy
Welcome Jidders. I hope your resolve & courage will be strengthened and your knowledge about the the org's real persona will be greatly enhanced.
You have a PM.
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Onager
Whatever else you do... keep peeking! :)
Truth is truth. You can't change it, you can't break it. You can chuck it into a bucket of crap and it'll come out shining. On the other hand, you can't even shine a light on a lie without it collapsing.
If anyone tells you that their truth needs protecting then they have lies not truth.
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thereality
JIdders...
I got brought up in a JW household as a child until the age of about 13 (father only, while my mum went to meetings she was not a believer, it was the 70's early 80's and simply going because my father was converted), just a bit of background.
JW is the most devisive religion going around, has wrecked my and siblings life and you need to be wary. They change their doctrine when they like, as do most other religions which they call out other religions for doing. They make a big issue out of the stake versus the cross, which, no matter what Jesus was crucified on is a form of symbolism which jw clearly detest. Shouldn't the crucifixion be the only thing that matters? No. They want to keep bringing up the symbolism of the whole event.
While nice people in general they are effectively cult members controlled by a group of self appointed men in New York that answer to no one and make up the rules as they go along.....sounds like a great way of life to me.
Save yourself and keep away
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Biahi
Welcome, newbies! And remember, there is life after Watchtower. The longer you are away, the better you feel. I’m glad I didn’t waste my life following this false religion, I left 35 years ago.