Stephanie - I too am a newbe to the board and wanted to say WELCOME and I have C of C on order and am anxious to read it. My mother figure too is JW, however she's also my Step-mother and so I can understand your emotional rollercoaster. Keep reading the board and books - you may get information overload, but please DON'T QUIT. The Bible research section of the board my help you figure some things out and all the advice given had been excellent. As for a Mother type replacement, no one can give you back the years and history with your friend, let alone 'replace' her influence in your life. However you can make a choice and allow her to create doubt in your mind or not. Let her know your will always love her unconditionally. I would recommend looking for a Church, talk to a minister about your concerns and see if there is a Bible study you can join that might meet your requirements. You may find a volunteer organization, Aunt, or maybe someone on your husbands side of the family who would eventually become a mentor? Just a few ideas, but like anything it all takes time. Maybe ask your husband to become active in a church. DON'T QUIT! Keep asking questions and you will find the answers you need.
New here...(my story and a request for help)
by stephaniesays 37 Replies latest jw experiences
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peacefulpete
Lots of nice comments here. I and my wife have recntly left after a painful coming to terms with reality. As former missionaries and P.O. we had given our whole lives to the WT. Our thoughts however were not our own, we were role playing 24/7. Your friend is doing the same. All JWs especially those "taking the lead" are. A ridgid supression of thought and opinion is necessary to internalize the programming. Yes, seek friends that like you for what you are not for what they can make you. Friends that love you because they feel comfortable around you being yourself not just you acting as an "approved associate". Only one more thought, the book of Hassan's, the second one is much better and more up to date with present cult recovery techniques. It is called, "Releasing the Bonds...Enpowering People to Think for Themselves"
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Prisca
Hi and welcome to the board!
Asking her to find a non-JW reference that gives the 607bce date is a good start - tell her that unless this can be proven without a doubt, then all references to 1914 (the invisible coming of the Kingdom, the 144,000 and Gov Body being selected etc) don't have a leg to stand on.
And who knows, maybe in doing research to "help" you, it might mean that this sister starts to question things too!
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rainbow2003
I was given this email and asked to post this to help you.
ALTHOUGH CBS, DATELINE NBC ETC HAVE ALSO CORRECTLY DOCUMENTED the child molestation situation involving the Watchtower Society (WTS) over Jehovah's Witnesses (JWs), this, which is also shocking, is to even better inform the general public including medical personnel, JWs themselves and persons studying Bible subjects with them. Your s haring copies of this will can help save many lives even as others have already told us.
CHRISTMAS: The WTS teaches that Christ was likely born about October 2, so why ignore that this means that he must have been conceived 9 months before, meaning in late December. Similarly, why insist that Christmas came from the pagan Saturnalia when John 10:22-3 says Christ also celebrated the Jewish Festival of Dedication or Lights, i.e. Hannukah, which first began December 25 but has varied since because lunar-based, and which includes lights, tree ornaments, singing and gifts?
BIRTHDAYS: You must read all three verses of Job 1:3, 3:1 and 3:3 but after doing so will see that Job's kids celebrated their days of birth, meaning birthdays with Job's approval. Another reasoning point is doesn't the Bible itself state that angels celebrate Christ's own birth! Santa is from Nicholas, a famous Christian gift-giver who lived in the Middle Ages, not a wizard or pagan god. Why call compromises holidays that attacked and replaced paganisms, and besides, doesn’t Colossians 12:16 says let none judge you about a holiday! The WTS teaching that Christmas is definitely pagan and must not be celebrate because two persons were killed in the Bible during birthday situations ignores the facts and destroys normal family ties.
SEVERE SHUNNING CALLED "DISFELLOWSHIPPING:" 1 Corinthians 6:1 only says judge "trivial" things as in business, James 2:4-13 calls judging harmful, and Paul says the "majority" (2 Corinthians 2:6), followed his advice to shun a wrongdoer, meaning a minority chose not to and yet he nowhere condemns them. Christ said families would be divided by some members doing good and others doing wrongs but never ever advocated destruction of families. So we ask why the formal Judicial Committes destroying families via numerous formal renderings of disfellowshipping which is severe shunning?
BLOOD TRANSFUSIONS: Most normal identical twins use a shared placenta to transfuse blood to each other, showing that God Himself uses transfusions. Although Acts 15:20, which the WTS singles out, says abstain from blood, 1 Samuel 14:32-5 says Saul's entire army ate "unBLED" meat to not starve and no verses show God not forgiving them. Too, Christ (Mat 7) says God also forgave David's eating temple holy bread and that God wants Mercy Not Sacrifice. The May 22, 1994 Awake tells of 26 JW kids who died without transfusions, and by common sense in massive bleeding as in car wrecks blood expanders won't save lives. Also, an estimated 3 JWs die daily earthwide from the WTS’s unscriptural policy (Blood On The Altar by David Reed)! Why don't WTS heads teach members these additional facts? Why should anyone's kids, grandkids etc be endangered? Medical doctors etc are encouraged to get this information to JWs and those studying with them so as to save lives!
CROSS: Human remains and inscriptions show archaeologists the stauros was a cross not stake, Dr F Zugibe's research shows suffocation would be in minutes if on a stake but in hours if on outstretched cross per Luke 23:44 and Matthew 27:45-6. Leaders call a cross is a repugnant murder weapon but Paul said boast in the stauros as a symbol of resurrection over death. Read Ga 6:14, 1Cor 1:17-18.
SURVEILANCE TO KEEP THE ORGANIZATION CLEAN: Done mostly on the quiet by some JW elders and their cronies, surreptious surveillance has been done even on rank-and-file members, some of which is documented in the book Crisis of Conscience. Members are routinely told to report on each other "to keep the congregations clean" even though the Bible point-blank condemns "busy-bodying," comparing it to the crime of murder.
Regular JWs not allowed to read Judicial Committee "sin files" on themselves, many not even knowing they exist; often with misinformation.(photos: freeminds.org) See also picture of the WTS's Pay Attention To Yourselves And All The Flock book on p 232 of the Insight book that elders have but which non-elders are not allowed to read. Judicial committee sin files on a person are supposedly to be destroyed after 7 years, but even when they sometimes are locally destroyed, the permanent file is kept forever in Brooklyn and, as said, is subject to abuse and falsification. Page 302 in the WTS's Daniel book and pages 88 and 651 in the Proclaimers book show photos of the swords and the cross-with-crown-and-wreath used by not only some Christian churches but also by the secretive Masons while some old WT books also have the winged sun god Ra on front covers - which never ever was a Christian symbol. Many regular JWs find it hard to believe but in fact Elders are encouraged to use "tested and true" "Theocratic Warfare" tactics for testing and training non-elders as to fitness, which includes misleading or false statements.
TRINITY: WTS heads say the Trinity is believing Father, Son, Spirit are one "identical" person yet most churches accept it as three totally different entities or persons forming one "Godship" (Ro 1:20) in which the Son and Spirit share age, power, knowledge inherited from God the Father just as an acorn may be only one day old but also have its genes inheriting its ancestral oak tree's age, capacity and information. The Catholic and most major Protestant churches do not even fit the WTS's description of the sameness trinity belief which is that Jesus the Son is identical to Jehovah the Father.
ACCUSED CHILD MOLESTORS ON THE WATCHTOWER SOCIETY'S GOVERNING BODY? Elders often hide local scandals, but also note that Leo Greenlees was a child molester who sat on the worldwide WTS Governing Body. He was reassigned but never disfellowshipped (excommunicated/shunned) in the 1980s (jehovahs-witness.com in the archives, etc). Child abuse coverups by Watchtower Society (WTS) associates will cause costly, organizationally destructive court costs and has already brought grave reproach including articles in Christianity Today, investigations by Dateline NBC in 2002, an airing on CBS in April 2003 etc. Copies of letters to the Bodies Of Elders which regular members aren't shown, including on child abuse etc, have been posted at http://www.silentlambs.org, freeminds.org etc.
HARASSMENT: Some regular JW members in places where illegal child molestation has occurred have complained of physical harassment (poking, shoving etc), platform talks with hints that "Jehovah’s eyes are everywhere" and complained that elders have divulged details of their (the non-elders) most private conversations and bedroom doings with marriage mates - strongly suggestive of wiretapping. Although WTS articles told elders not to “police” bedrooms in 1978, in a later during the week night-time talk (but not in writing) in 1983 elders told regular members "The Practice" of some marital intimacies can lead to Expulsion. (discussed also on Jehovahs-Witness.com) Some regular JWs absent for that evening's talk have indeed been "expelled" (harassed/trained) without ever even being clearly made aware why it was done. This is an ironic contrast to the pedophilia coverups. Notice that WTS "Insight" book articles are on all Bible books except for the Song of Solomon (also called Canticles) which has much positive marital imagery out of line with the WTS Gov Body’s own views of what is “holy.” Instructed to keep such things "in-house," when asked most elders deny the 1983-onwards policy to protect the Gov Body.
UNITED NATIONS: WTS heads teach God does not like the United Nations but until exposed, during 1991-2001 they were a formal UN associate (called a Non-Governmental Organization), not just a UN library card associate as claimed. Read the November 22, 1998 Awake magazine very closely. Also see http://www.thetablet.co.uk/cgi-bin/archive_db.cgi?tablet-00577 by highly reputable BBC writer Stephen Bates.
WHY THIS IS NEEDED: Not only do more people need to know about these things but also JWs are told they must not read such material if given it by hand, but when e/mailed it most do quietly read it, some then exit, feel angry at first then quietly decrease donations to the WTS, if not baptized a JW stay that way etc, some form independent nonWTS groups, go back to past beliefs or associate with less reproachful churches. Please make and share copies of this to help improve and save lives!
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stephaniesays
Thanks a lot. I have gotten so much great information off of this board in just a few short days...I appreciate the listed scriptures! Although I have not lived as a JW for years, it is still amazing to finally start to become free of the beliefs!
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SixofNine
Hi Stephanie and welcome. What part of Texas are you from? I'm from Dallas, and there are several others from the board in the Dallas area.
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stephaniesays
I'm in Houston, but my parents used to live not too far from Dallas..Plano, I think-is that close? I think I visited there once and it was "dry". We had to fill out a special card to drink a beer! Is anyone in the Houston area?
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SixofNine
I was just in Houston yesterday.
Yes there are a couple of people from the board in Houston, they don't post much anymore. I'll try and alert them to this thread.