tug of war ensuing (page 2)

Brummie

It took me a loooong time to stop reffering to it as "the truth" even after I knew it wasnt the dang "truth".

Brummie

outbutnotdown

As most people have said, some take issue with it being called "the truth". Hopefully you are just asking it that way out of habit, and not because you accept it as absolute truth.

For me, having my first child did it for me.

Two things in particular about having a child, actually:

1) I began to look at this child as being perfect in his innocence and beauty, as opposed to being "born a sinner" as Christianity in general teaches.

2) Since I was disfellowshipped, my brother told me that if I didn't get reinstated, my son would die at Armageddon, since I was supposedly the head of the household.

How beautiful life, especially my son, was beginning to look to me, contrasted by my brother's swift and unsympathetic condemnation to death for him, was too much. I was done.

Brad

Purza

It is not a religion for strong minded individuals who can THINK for themselves.

This is very true. Once I started thinking for myself (not led by the repetition of the meetings), my life became much richer and I started enjoying life more.

I think the JWs use that "hope for the future" slogan to snare people in -- people who are looking for something more in this life. Why do I want to live for what will happen in the future and not enjoy my life right now? When I realized that is what I was doing (waiting for something in the future), I decided the religion was no longer for me. I still have hope, but I do not let that dominate my life as I try to live each day to the fullest.

Purza

And1

thankyou all for the string of responses.

it appears Ive angered some and thats understandable. the truth....blah blah, who cares??? to my knowledge "The Truth" is another way of saying "Im a witness" - that is all. I can only speak what I know off. Yes, I dont accept it as the truth, its just a way of saying it. Some of my best friends are witnesses and part of me feels reluctant to talk to them about anything I have concern with.
thanks jgnat.

kls

And1 you have not angered anyone ( i don't think ) . If have questions you would like to ask our panel ,i am sure they would .

Sunspot

**Through research in comparison with WT "litter-ature" I elevated my consciousness, integrity and CONCLUDED that though the WT may have gotten a few things right, they are as far from having "THE TRUTH" as any other given religion out there.

That word "integrity" was pounded into us as JWs all the time.

I was a loyal JW for 30 years and there WASN'T the love in the congregation that they say there is. When you're studying, they are all over you and make you feel SO great-all the time! After baptism, unless you're a pioneer, an elder or elders wife, you pretty much get ignored.

If you become disabled and can't "do more" in the preaching work, or miss meetings due to ill health, you also become ignored. The ONLY time that I was noticed was once a month when they'd call me for my "time". Other than that-I was dead meat. It really hurt, and of course I had NO "worldly" friends as a back-up so I was very lonely.

I came to a board like this one and was trying to defend the WTS---but I couldn't. Once I saw different comments that I'd argue with (the WTS would NEVER do THAT) I'd look it up and find out the WTS had done MANY despicable things---and hid them from the JWs.

My world fell apart, I was heartsick and angry, and I didn't know the half of what they had done back then. After six months of research and prayer-I wrote my DA letter to the Society and the elders at my KH.

MY integrity wouldn't allow me to continue on being a JW, knowing how I had been deliberately duped into becoming one, all that they had done and sneakily hid from us, and how ultimately they have become more and more controlling of the JWs as time goes on.

I get tired of hearing how "I couldn't live up to my "vows" nonsense." I have not engaged in anything unscriptural to this day. That's what the WTS like to say that those who leave, will do. Yes, it does happen-but it's not a blanket rule.

The WTS might seem to look appealing on the surface, but the hidden rules and the GBs personal input on what the bible says----is FAR from what Jesus taught. If you are thinking about becoming a JW----all I can say is to be afraid---VERY afraid! All is not as it seems in Watchtowerland.

Annie

edited to add: Leave the WTS and find God

undercover

why did you fall out of the truth?

When I learned that I had been lied to and mislead. I always suppressed the doubts like a good little JW is supposed to do. But when the doubts were too strong and I researched it out, there was so much that showed that the JWs were not what they claim. They were just another hypocritical religion useing fear and guilt to control its members. That's when I quit mentally. I slowly faded out of the system physically. I didn't want to get disfellowhipped and lose my family because I no longe believed. That in itself is reason to not want anything to do with that religion.

it appears Ive angered some and thats understandable.

I'd be willing to say that any anger you felt wasn't because of you're question or anything, but because many are angry at the Watchtower Society for wasting so much of their lives with their BS. So when someone asks a certain question, sometimes they get more than they bargained for. We have to vent sometimes.

xjw_b12

1) I began to look at this child as being perfect in his innocence and beauty, as opposed to being "born a sinner" as Christianity in general teaches.
2) Since I was disfellowshipped, my brother told me that if I didn't get reinstated, my son would die at Armageddon, since I was supposedly the head of the household.
How beautiful life, especially my son, was beginning to look to me, contrasted by my brother's swift and unsympathetic condemnation to death for him, was too much. I was done.
Brad

Hopefully some day your brother will take those words back and apolagize.

jgnat

I wouldn't describe the reaction as anger. Using "Truth" and Jehovah's Witnesses in the same sentence gives them an aura I don't believe they have earned. I won't dignify the two in the same sentence 'cept for this once. You will note that I did not use the word "truth" once in my response.

One of my favorite quotes,

We are always hearing of people who are around seeking after the Truth. I have never seen a (permanent) specimen. I think he has never lived. But I have seen several entirely sincere people who thought they were (permanent) Seekers after the Truth. They sought diligently, persistently, carefully, cautiously, profoundly, with perfect honesty and nicely adjusted judgment- until they believed that without doubt or question they had found the Truth. That was the end of the search. The man spent the rest of his hunting up shingles wherewith to protect his Truth from the weather.
- "What is Man?"

http://www.twainquotes.com/Truth.html

Jehovah's Witnesses say they are the only ones with the hope because this is what they are told, repeatedly. Jehovah's Witnesses say that everyone else is deceived, because that is what they are told, repeatedly. Ask them; when is the last time they had a conversation with a former member, visited another church, researched a source quoted in their Watchtower? My bet is never. Seekers of "truth"? They are desperately hanging out shingles to protect their precious deception.

AlmostAtheist

Every religion teaches about hope for the future, every Christian religion teaches that Jesus is the basis for that hope. The Watchtower has no monopoly on hope.

What they do have a good share of the market on is fear and control. The Watchtower and Jehovah's Witnesses use loaded language to reinforce their position that they are the One True Religion. They call themselves "the truth", they call people that don't agree with them "apostates", they love to say they 'don't interpret the Bible, they let the Bible interpret itself.' Of course, if that were really true, there would be no need for Watchtower's, books, cd's, or even meetings of a doctrinal nature. The Bible would interpret itself, why discuss it?

Please read over this excellent information about mind-control groups. This information was NOT written about Jehovah's Witnesses, but it matches up with them so closely that it should seem immediately familiar: http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/6/82014/1340654/post.ashx#1340654

Consider this: If you asked any other church if it's ok to speak with a person that no longer attends services, what would they say? Most couldn't care less, sure, go for it. JW's on the other hand label such people 'apostate' and strongly discourage you from even talking to them. Why do they feel the need to control you like this? What are they afraid of?

Dave

tug of war ensuing

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