Hello Everyone . . .(Questions)

by Frobrisher 52 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  gdt

  Frobrisher,

  You have read and made summary of how you see this board, and I personally can only totally agree and commend you for the honesty in speaking up. Your depth of feelings run counter to so much expression of, and I agree, hate. I have been here a month or so, to listen, learn, help or be helped, and my conclusion is that after being in the truth for 50 odd years, I never did grasp the real meaning of 'gnashing of teeth.'

  You obviously have great love of Jehovah God, and realize we all are in an imperfect way trying to abide by the principles of Christ. Please don't give up and accept that you must be drawn to the truth else you would be a happy member of this and other groups dedicated against love of God and ther Christian principles. I say groups, because in here are some lovely and kind and hurt people, who have been in the truth and hurt by both Society and individual acts, and sometimes by our own imperfections.

  My respects, gdt.
• 

  marcosgarcia

  Hello! I have a question. In order to be disfellowshipped do you first have to be baptized as a JW? If someone says thy are "not" a JW, but they are "studying" to be a JW can they be booted out?

  THANKS
• 

  kls

  Marcos. Yes , in order to be disfellowshipped you must be baptized , If you are only studying they cannot boot you out.
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  gitasatsangha

  you can be "marked" more or less as an unapproved associate, but they can't disfellowship or even dissassociate non baptized witnesses. I think here are some legal snafus that keep them from doing that now, though they did use to.
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  kls

  OOPS, i am being unfriendly,,,,,,,,Welcome to the forum
• 

  marked

  I've always found it, shall we say, "amusing" when JWs (or any cult/sect/whateverthef#ck) claim their members are free to leave whenever they wish. They are, of course, but it's not that simple a matter. When you leave, you lose your friends, family, perhaps a job if employed by a "brother", not to mention eternal salvation. Basically, you lose your life (and the next one, if you believe in the resurrection).

  Are you told all this before signing the dotted line? Sure. But the indoctrination leading up to this decision is performed in an information vacuum where any contrary data is avoided as much as possible. Don't fool yourself into thinking the choices made by JWs are strictly their own. They're led to believe they're completely autonomous in their decision-making, unaware that a significant portion of their thought processes are controlled by the Society.

  I've heard JR Brown state in public that things like not celebrating holidays or voting are choices to be made by each individual witness. This, of course, is laughable. Sure, one could choose differently. One could say, "I've a bible-trained conscience and I believe in all that the WTS teaches except the blood part," but we all know how well that would go.

  And don't tell me that leaving is not the same as being disfellowshipped. All people I know who've left/been DA'd (including myself) are treated like lepers.

  So much for choice.

  marked
• 

  TrailBlazer04

  I'm a "never was"...I ALMOST got sucked in during a really bleak time in my life...but, didn't. Later, I married a man (my wonderful hubby) who's x-wife and children were/are JW's. I have witnessed the "christian love" shown by them to him, his family, etc. by these so called "good christians". So, yes, I've been affected by the WT. My husband essentially has lost his children since he is not JW and will not survive armageddon.

  As far as the rest of your questions...in the interests of being polite, I won't answer them the way I'd like to, but will say that I think maybe you need to open your eyes a little wider to the world around you and those who have left this organization. Many of them have lost almost everything, family, children, grandchildren, just because they chose to leave a certain religion...

  I left the religious tradition I was born, raised and educated in, and the tradition my mother still holds dear...YET...I STILL have my mother, I still have my children and grandchildren...can the WT say the same?

  TB
• 

  sunshineToo

  I have to go along with what jwbot said. It is not just leaving a religion. Jws don't make it that way. They punish you with shunning - sometimes with some hostility. Since you've been DF'd, how are you doing with your friends and family who are still jws?

  As you said no body is perfect. But if they, the WTS, truly believe that, they should apply that rule to other groups as well. Whenever other religious group or members make a mistake, why do they jump on to say, "See. That's why they are false religions"? And whenever they screw up, it is because they are not perfect, and everyone has to forgive and forget. And the WTS is claiming that they are the only annointed one by God Almighty.

  Hmm.....The only annointed one who didn't know that it is OK to go to college for Christians?

  The only annointed one who thought they knew better than Jesus and told the world that 1975 would be the yearArmaggedon.

  I can go on and on. Yes, I hate this lying cult that destroys families. This forum is more like a support group meeting. Without it we probably would have gone mad. Jehovah's Witnesses almost destroyed my belief in God. I am still trying to believe in God.

  If you are having a great life as a DF'd pro-witnesses, good for you. But never criticize people here, who are seeking for support and help. That is just not healthy for anyone.
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  candidlynuts

  i dont feel bound together with anyone in hatred. i dont hate anyone. i find people who've been thru some of the things i have been thru and they have more to say than just " pray on it, get to more meetings , and go out in service more, try harder" which is the soloution to an abusive marriage the elders gave me. i wasted a lot of years wholeheartedly TRYING and failing. i care about a lot of witnesses.. how could i not? i've been one my entire life. i just dont feel guilty reading and posting here. people here understand and people like Lee are an IMMENSE help with the resources she has posted about abuse recovery.
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  Black Sheep

  Do you think it?s healthy to be bound together in hatred? I know you?ll say your giving each other support, and I?m sure you do, but the venom in the snide remarks and labels that you give the WTS, GB, Elders, and other brothers/sisters . . . is nothing more that hate.

  I was never dunked and get on well with JWs. I don't hate them. I just regret that I made some really bad desisions that had had major effects on may life.

  Do you think it?s healthy to perpetuate yourselves as victims? This is something I think a lot of people do. (Not just on this forum.) They become addicted to the attention, so they become the perpetual victim, and whine about their wounds, but never really heal.

  No, it is not healthy, but it takes time to get over it.

  Which of you was unable to leave the JW?s due to a gun being held to your head? When I was a Witness, I was always given the impression that if the ?truth? wasn?t for you, then you were free to leave. Of course, there will be those who would try to ?help? you not leave and tell you that your decision was wrong. It would seem that somehow you?d make peace with no longer being a JW and stop fixating on them.

  I sneaked out of the house without letting anyone know where I was going. I was not free to leave, or to live up to my own expectations.

  It seems that you try to villianize the JW?s for your disfellowshipping and the subsequence shunning that comes from former JW friends and your JW family members. Every Organization has rules, right or wrong, and you knew what would get you disfellowshipped, not saying that everyone got a fair shake, but that happens in life. The fact that your family and friends won?t talk to you is a decision they make, because of a decision you made, caused by all of you choosing, at some point or another, to live by these rules. The subtle way around this reality is to portray the WTS Organization as a monster or cult that has your former friends and family as victims, thus relieving them of any responsibility, in your eyes. (Not sure where the question was in that one, just an observation I guess.)

  I didn't get dunked, because I knew I would just get DFd. I didn't like the control crap.

  Also I?d like to ask the following questions, just out of curiosity, feel free to answer or ignore, cause they are personal questions:

  Who here thinks they are Jehovah God?

  LOL

  Who here thinks they are Jesus Christ?

  WTF

  Who here thinks they are of the anointed?

  ROTFLMAO

  Who here thinks they are going to heaven, but are not necessarily anointed?

  I think I am going to die one day. Heaven would be a bonus, but I ain't countin' on it.