the reason why i have asked such is question is that i served as a congregation elder for 12 years.
i served as the presiding overseer for 10 years, and as chairman and media spokes-person for a particular region.
during my time within the organisation that being almost 30 years, i have concluded that there is, as far as my own experience is concerned grave doubt in my mind as to the existence of the devil and his demonic hoard.
No way. The stories you hear are always absurdly sensationalized accounts of "this sister my friend's friend knows." And the people I've met who claim to have had direct experiences were either stoned at the time or clearly psychologically unstable, or both.
SNG
just wanted to take a second to vent.... me and best friend got the same royal middle finger up the ass when it came to our marriages.. my friend's marriage was much like mine.
but i'll give you the nutshell of mine only.... was married 11 years.
pioneered full-time with my wife for 10 years.
I really enjoyed reading the insightful comments of TMS. BTT!
SNG
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if you have a need to hate the wts then so be it.. but don't hate all jw's, that is just wrong .. you preach that you have found truth, if that were the case then where is your love for all humans?.
jw,
Based on your opening post, I'd say you have misunderstood me on three counts:
If you have a need to hate the WTS then so be it.
I believe that the WTS is a harmful organization, but I don't hate much of anything.
But don't hate all JW's, that is just wrong.
I don't hate all JW's. I have to admit that I sometimes make fun of their uniformly wacky ways, and I sometimes get frustrated that my family doesn't snap out of their delusion sooner. But that's not hate. Those are just normal human reactions. You can easily put yourself in my position if you imagine how you would feel as an ex-Mormon whose family stays in and treats you weirdly because you left.
You preach that you have found truth, if that were the case then where is your love for all humans?
I don't know where you're getting this. Very few ex-JWs preach that they have "found the truth," having been burned once by this concept. I seriously doubt that there is such a thing as religious truth (that is to say, I believe all religions are based on fantasy). The truth of the matter regarding the Witnesses is that they are wrong about almost everything.
My love for humans is much brighter and warmer than when I was a Witness. I now have the freedom to actually be open and sincere with others. I don't have to treat every person I see as fresh meat to convert to my mindset. I can respect people with different views. I can be a friendly, involved neighbor and a good citizen. I can go even crazy and donate to charities.
Hope that helps you in your efforts to understand people here.
SNG
strange increase in u.s. publishers
over the last few months there has been an unusual increase in publishers in the united states, but baptisms have been falling.
when baptism rates are compared to the 2004/05 service year, only 4 out of the six months shown are higher than 2005/06 service year.
truthseeker,
There's nothing strange about it. What you have proved is that there is a decrease in the rate of increase. But there is still an increase, however small. As long as they are keeping more than they are losing, they can post increases. We're obviously getting pretty close to rounding the top of that curve, though.
SNG
can anyone explain to me how the nwt( when referring to those who are to rule as kings and priests over the earth) uses the word "over" in rev 5:10 , whereas other translations uses the word "upon" ??
also acts 18:21 in the king james bible mentions how paul was to go to the .
feast/festival in jerusalem but yet there is no mention of this in the nwt,niv, and many other bibles?
2 Scriptures confuse me?
Only two? You're not reading carefully enough! :-)
SNG
hello, i discovered this site yesterday and have been on it for hours!
i've been studying with jehovah's witnesses for 4 years and quite frankly love it.
a bit of background, i am a college educated young man (have a bs in psychology) and am currently a medical student.
psychsnana,
Welcome to the board. You sound like a really intelligent person. Most of your questions are framed within the context of Christianity, and I am no longer religious in any sense, so I don't think I can help you much in that regard. But I can tell you what turned the gears in my head, what caused me to make what was the hardest decision in my life.
You'll be happy to know that for me, it was not hypocrisy. (I do feel obliged, however, to point out that it is entirely possible to be imperfect without being a hypocrite - the two are not necessarily tightly bound - but that is a discussion for another day.) For me, it was the fact that their "proof" of their underlying theses - most significantly that the Bible is God's infallable word - their proof for these was so incredibly weak that I began to feel dishonest when attempting to convince others based on it.
I think I described my reasons most lucidly in my disassociation letter. It's online here:
http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/6/65121/1.ashx
I must apologize that in several spots, the software on this board removed country names. You'll notice the missing names of Malawi and Mexico near the end.
Hope that provides helpful perspective! Best wishes on your journey.
SNG
a freind of mine who doesnt go to meetings and his wife (but the troof has a firm grip on their thinking) were quizing me on why i dont make my way back to the meetings.
well i explained the un thing and quotes website and i have a problem with those things and if it could be sorted out id come back.
at one stage of the conversation it almost got heated (which is understandable as its a touchy subject for anyone who still beleives)
Hey heretic,
Nice work. If they ask for proof about the UN thing, be sure to print out this letter directly from the UN's Department of Public Information:
http://www.un.org/dpi/ngosection/pdfs/watchtower.pdf
SNG
the apostle paul told the christians in the ancient city of philippi: "this is what i continue praying, that your love may abound yet more and more with accurate knowledge and full discernment.
philippians 1:9
similarly, accurate knowledge is needed for you to be motivated to believe in god.
It always kind of amazes me when religious people seem to think that quoting scripture is going to induce belief, as if the words were some kind of magical spell. Let me ask you this, jw, if I quoted the Koran to you, would you switch to that belief? What if it was a really neat passage? What if the passage said that people who don't believe would die? Wouldn't that be incentive to believe? What if the guy quoting it to you was 110% sincerely convinced that he was right?
What causes you to believe anything? Take it out of a religious context. Say a stranger gives you some information about the stock market. Do you believe her? Are you skeptical? Does a "lack of faith" prevent you from immediately believing? If you could not find evidence to verify the claim, would you believe it anyway? Would you spend your precious resources on a claim that could not be verified? Why or why not?
Thinking about what causes people to hold the views they do is enlightening. Best wishes to you on your journey.
SNG
when i left - not a one.
do these so called 'shepherds' come pre-castrated?
or do they get castrated right after ministerial appointment?.
merfi,
As far as I know, both are still truckin' along in the same congregation. I initially had hope for S, but it seems nothing has come of it yet.
SNG
when i left - not a one.
do these so called 'shepherds' come pre-castrated?
or do they get castrated right after ministerial appointment?.
Two elders came by about two and a half months after I stopped attending meetings. Here's an account of the visit:
http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/9/64672/1.ashx
SNG
