by skeason 57 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
Go to a meeting and edxperience it yourself.Joker10
skeason, you're doing the right thing by asking first.
Dont listen to Joker10 and feel that you have to go into the crack house to know what's going down.
In the immortal words of Chris Farely from Tommy Boy:
I can get a good look at a T-bone by sticking my head up a bull's ass, but I'd rather take the butchers word for it!
The atmosphere of the JW congregation ( building and service) is very different from any other kind of church service; Methodist or other.
The main Hall of the building ( which usually seats approx 200) is a simple auditorium with a speaker platform. There is no liturgy; apse; alter or other artifice which would identify the space as a place of worship. There is a podium with a microphone . The minister speaking from that podium is usually conservatively dressed in a business suit ( no robes, headpieces, etc). The services are described in the above posts. As a newcomer; you will be welcomed and many will approach you to introduce themselves. They will most likely offer you a "free" bible study. Just be yourself, accept or decline at your will. Just be prepared that if you get involved with them; they do expect you to surrender that free will to their dictates.
Myself and others on this forum would advise you not to "inhale" too deeply. We have not had pleasent experiences with the Jehovahs Witnesses, and this forum is a support group for those of us who have left the faith.
good luck, Frank
When is this day of Armageddon? When will the sheeplike people be saved?
According to the Watchtower Society, end was to have come in 1914, 1925, or 1975. After being embarrassed by so many wrong calls, the Watchtower Society holds off naming dates and merely says, soon, very soon now.
http://quotes.watchtower.ca/1914.htm
http://quotes.watchtower.ca/1925.htm
http://quotes.watchtower.ca/1975.htm
The sheeplike ones (translation: only dedicated, baptized Jehovah's witnesses and their minor children) will be saved at that time. When salvation is permanent and irrevocable according to the Watchtower Society would take another thread.
9/1/89 Watchtower p Remaining Organized for Survival Into the Millennium
Only Jehovah?s Witnesses, those of the anointed remnant and the "great crowd," as a united organization under the protection of the Supreme Organizer, have any Scriptural hope of surviving the impending end of this doomed system dominated by Satan the Devil. (Revelation 7:9-17; 2 Corinthians 4:4) They will make up the "flesh" that Jesus Christ said would be saved through the worst tribulation of all human history.
Welcome Skeason!
Let me try to be as straightforward with you about this as possible. This is a book publishing company disguised as a religion. Seriously. The way they stay in business is through high control cult-like tactics used on their membership. More members means more people buying their books and more members working for them for free by selling their books from door to door.
They will try to have a say in every aspect of your life. They will tell you what to read. They will tell you what life saving medical procedures you can and cannot accept. They will tell you what you can and cannot eat. They will tell you what is and isn't acceptable to watch on TV or what movies you can or cannot see. They will tell you what clothes you can and cannot wear. They will tell you what holidays and customs are acceptable or not. They will tell you what friends you can have and what friends are considered "bad association." They will tell you what kind of sex with your husband is acceptable and what is not. They will tell you what charities you can donate to. They will tell you what music you can and can't listen to.
If you are raped, which I hope will never happen, they will grill you like you are some whore in one of their backroom meetings, asking you what you wore, what kind of panties you had on, and if you climaxed.
If your children are molested by another Jehovah's Witness, and I hope that never happens, they may tell you that nothing can be done about it. If so, they will take disciplinary action against you and/or your child if you report this to the police.
They will tell you where to go for your summer vacation ( a district convention ).
Here are some of the don'ts they have told me in the past.
Here are just some of the charitable organizations you will no longer be able to support:
Welcome Skeason.
Devon
Hallo Skeason
1)The JW's will tell you that they dont divide people into 2 groups -sheep and goats, but that the people they call on do that themselves by how they react to the message from the WTBTS literature.
2) As an "interested person" attending the meetings (services) for the first time you will be "love bombed".
This will be with the aim of convincing you that they are a loving christian group and want you to study their bible related publications and hopefully in time become a fully baptized JW.
3) This could takes many months to achieve and during this time you will be very popular. You will be strongly encouraged to ask lots of questions, especially about your present beliefs and other religions. You will be told that people will try and oppose your studies and contact with the JW's but this they will convince is satan trying to stop you learning the "truth". Once you are baptized any questions about the WTBTS or doubts you may feel must never be voiced.
4) Gradually over time you will be persuaded that former friends and family (unless they become JW's) are a bad influence on you and your spirituality and that contact with them should be kept to a minumum or better still stopped all together. You by this time will think this is a good idea and will comply. If you dont you will lose all the new "friends" that you have made in the congregtion.
5) If you are engaged you will be persuaded to see how dangerous to your spirituality you fiance is, so unless he also studies maybe you should think about breaking of the engagement.
6) You will gradually persuaded to see how bad and evil it is to do the following
CHRISTMAS
BIRTHDAYS
INDEPENDANCE DAY
MOTHERS DAY
HALLOWEEN
THANKSGIVING
ATTEND ANY SERVICE IN ANY OTHER RELIGIOUS BUILDING INCLUDING WEDDINGS, FUNERALS AND BAPTISMS
and most other customs that may take place where you live.
7) You will be expected in the course of time to join in with the "preaching work" devoting as much of your time as possible. Anything less will be viewed as "spiritually weak".
8) As a women you will be viewed as inferior. Women do not conduct any of the meetings or offer prayers. They do not hold any positions of responsibility or authority ever. Even praying in a family setting requires a head covering to be worn if another baptised male is present.
9) After baptism dont question, be submissive and obediant to the FDS through the elder arrangement, devote yourself wholesouled to attending 5 meeting a week, hours of preparation for those meetings, as much field service as you can possible fit in (measured in hours) a low standard of living due to part time work (those field service hours have to come from somewhere) and holidays arranged around conventions, assemblies, special assembly days and CO visits and no more free weekends.
All this you will do because of the big paradise earth/armageddon carrot.
It might take you 5, 10, 20 or more years but one day you will wake up and realize it's all a lie. But by then you will have bought your children up with these teachings and extracting yourselves could be the most traumatic and heart breaking thing you will face.
I hope you dont go there.
If you do you will go armed with more information and knowledge than most of us on JWD had when we first became entangled with the WTBTS.
Take care and let us know how you get on.
Anglise
Hello Skeason!
I may have missed it, but has anyone mentioned to you NOT to attend the "Memorial" of Christ's death? It's THE ONLY "celebration" that JWs honor---but it's a meeting only held once a year, where they pass wine and unleavened bread throughout the congregation.
RARELY will anyone "partake" of these, and the meaning of Christ's sacrifice is denigrated terribly. It's an insult to Christ. JWs are taught that only 144,000 people will go to heaven,and THEY are the only ones who are supposed to "partake" of the "emblems". Very twisted.
Anyway I guess at this point the 144,000 special people have dwindled down to about 8,000 worldwide, so very few are actually observed doing this.
I strongly advise that you stay completely clear of the Kingdom Hall you plan to attend, but if you MUST---find out when this "Memorial" is being held, and make a note to yourself "Do NOT go" that night!
Don't stick your hand in a snake pit just to see if one will strike.....
Annie
Hi Skeason,
Thought I'd through my 2 cents in here. Just a bit of heads up, If you do go to a meetings--you may be "love bombed." This is usually what happens to new victims people when they first attend the meetings. But keep in mind that these people honestly believe that you, not yet being one of them, are still considered to be bad association. In fact, they truly believe that God will violently destroy you unless you become one of them. They also believe that God could charge them with being bloodguilty if they do not try to convert you, thus the desperate smiling and handshakes all around. There are some nice people there who are trying to be good, but are burdened and loaded with guilt and shame because they can never be good enough for the WT. JWs are a cultish religious organization that burdens it's followers with a plethora of rules and regulations while they suck their souls out, destroy their families and take their money. Watch out for the Watchtower.
