i realized, the other day, how far the wt has really gone from the original gospels.
i was having a minor argument (again) with my mother regarding my no longer being a witness.
she sarcastically asked me what i did believe in..was i going to go out and join those ... ... catholics?
Welcome, Anew. Yes sad is the word I use on the subject of their viewpoint of Jesus.
You hit the nail on the head for me, re the "Christ" in Christian...it makes one realize just
how brainwashed they are, they can't GET it. They quote Paul, who was one of the utmost
followers of Jesus, but somehow overlook just WHY he said what he did, did what he did...for
the LOVE of Christ! Sad sad sad.
any of you who went "in" as adult jw's, w. no or few other family members "in".... did you ever have 2nd thoughts about how your being a jw affected your nonjw family members?.
do you remember ever caring that they were hurt when you wouldn't participate in holidays with.
did you have any true feelings for how they felt or did you quash those emotional thoughts completely?
Any of you who went "in" as adult JW's, w. no or few other family members "in"...
did you ever have 2nd thoughts about how your being a JW affected your nonJW family members?
Do you remember ever caring that they were hurt when you wouldn't participate in holidays with
them? Did you have any true feelings for how they felt or did you quash those emotional thoughts completely?
i'm talking to her online right now, she's at her dad's house in new glarus, wi.
he's still a witness and she spends a great amount of summers with him.
evidently they had a deep, emotional heart to heart about religeon and jehovah's witnesses.
That is awesome; congrats on raising a smart young girl. I hope you
are showing her there are other ways of learning about God. I have found it is so important
to take a little time and sit and talk openly. Ask them what questions do they have about
God etc. Take them to church, pray together. Kids are really looking for a solid foundation,
that higher power to guide them. Sorry to go on, but often I think exJW parents want to drop
everything and have nothing else to offer to the kids.
how many here believe that it is ok to pray to jesus?
what about you who believe it is wrong.
i am trying to decide.
The oldest surviving fragment of an early Christian liturgical prayer is probably "Our Lord, come" (Maranatha) , I Corinthians 16:22; compare Revelation 22:20); it implies that prayer was addressed to the risen, glorified Christ. The Aramaic title Mar or Lord (Greek Kyrios; I Corinthians 12:3) was a term or title regularly used in religious worship. (Encyclopedia Americana, Trinity, p116)
Do a Google Search for Maranatha; you will find many faith groups who have chosen this beautiful
word to guide them.
http://gnm.org/malawi/children/child-index1.shtml sorry i don't post often and don't know how to put this link in, but thought some might be interested in helping children in malawi, 100% goes to them.
http://gnm.org/malawi/children/child-index1.shtml
http://gnm.org/malawi/children/child-index1.shtml Sorry I don't post often and don't know how to put this link in, but thought some might be interested in helping children in Malawi, 100% goes to them. http://gnm.org/malawi/children/child-index1.shtml
so my daughter (14 y/o and i will call her r) finds out some girl at school is a jw.
so r approaches her and tells her that she "used to be a witness".
the girl was very friendly and told r about the convention this past weekend.
Purza, This may not be a connection, but I have a 16 year old young friend who left the JWs with her family at age 12.
She has seemed to enjoy birthdays and other such celebrations to the hilt. However, recently a "friend" has encouraged her
to come study at the KH. I realize this girl has been taught nothing, absolutely nothing, other than JW teachings. When they
left they left. Period. Did not attend anywhere else. She is questioning God, etc. and hears kids at school talk about their religions and feels left out. Could this be similar to your daugher's experience? If so, I strongly suggest that you sit down and talk with her, even show her Christian websites that she can learn from, etc. Read and look things up together. Kids need guidance, esp at times like this.
Just a possibility....Good luck to you and your daughter!
recently the local congregation had the visit of the c.o.
the local needs talk he usually gives was replaced by a talk he said will be given to many congregations around the world.. this talk is targeting th very young.
kids are being strongly encouraged not to put off baptism and that children as young as 10 can make an informed decision to get baptized.
This really bothers me. I have a 15 yr old friend who has just started Bible Study/her family
is out but JW "friends" have gotten her to come back after 4 yrs. Now I know why they
want her so bad. I can't believe they can bring her in for Bible Study; wouldn't most churches
want to OK it with the parents at first, since she is not of legal age?
I need Help in reaching her...suggestions?
this has been something i have been thinking of for awhile.i was so naive when i started to study and i was even naive when i was in for a few yrs.. i suppose i could be calling myself gullible too,but you know,when i was a jw,i had no idea what the "society" was,no idea who was teaching these beliefs.i look back at it and i realize how i just listened to what was thrown at me.people told me it was the "truth",so it had to be the truth.. when i was a child,i went to bible studies and sunday's school,but i never really went to church to "learn"the bible.so basically never had any biblical knowledge,before i began to study.. when i was studing and even when i was a jw,i always felt something wasnot right,and that used to bother me and depress me.never feeling i was good enough for god.i didnot want to get baptized when i did,i felt something was wrong but i went ahead just incase........ kinda ticks me off,that i never learned the background and history of this religion...but of course i wouldnot be here and wouldnot have met many great people as i have and hope to meet more!.
it wasn't until,i started to search and started to read the bible on my own,that i realized how wrong this religion is.it was like "wow"........with some anger mixed in there too with the "wows".
now i believe,the bible is not 100% authentic,but there is a loving god and i believe in jesus and he died for all people!
Shera and Others: This post has given me courage to talk to a young friend who has been pulled back into the KingDum hall by "friends". Her family is no longer associated but dysfunctional in their own way, thus I have developed a friendship w. her, in a mother/daughter sort of way. I have been trying to decide how to approach her as I know the JW's is all she has known and I need courage to speak up to her w/out appearing to be attacking. she's been away 4 years and is only 16 now. I do think I can talk with her but any help is appreciated!
when we first left the dubs, we celebrated x-mas pretty much straight away, but had no decorations or tree, and only gave gifts to each other.
for some reason it just seemed wrong to put up decorations and we continued to celebrate this way for about 5 years.
we decided to put up decorations when it was my daughters 1st x-mas, and have never looked back.
Mizpah, While you have let go of the Watchtower's control over your free will to a large extent, you seem to still be in a mindset that there is something bad about celebrating Christmas. But now your source for your decision is an old Puritan and old Baptist teaching, etc. Don't get me wrong, that is perfectly fine with me and I am most happy when anyone is able to release themselves of the WTS mindset.
But as a Christian, (maybe I'm assuming here, I really don't post much or know each of you as well as you seem to know each other), it would seem that a better choice would be to embrace the season at the level you can not only grow from it personally but that you can set an example for others, such as your grandchildren. Putting up a small Nativity, attending some kind of church service (to expand your horizons beyond Kingdom Hall); hosting a family dinner beginning with a prayer, starting a family gift exchange of homemade gifts, taking holiday food to those who are alone, or better yet invite them to your home... there are so many ways to celebrate and let go of the "pagan" trappings...and not give in to the commercialisms. Because isn't setting a Christian example the important thing? I totally agree with you that Christmas is too commercial but there are personal ways we can each make it a really special time and teach others loving kindness by our own embracing of the holiday.
did any of you who came into the dubs as adults ask this question, since jc is "stifled" by the jw "bible", the nwt.??
if so, what kind of answers did you get?
if not, did you think it odd that this so-called christian organization didn't preach in christ's name?
Eyeslice, thanks for the perspective. It just boggles my mind that they call themselves a Christian congregation, an adjective which I believe they just tacked on in recent years. No doubt, to make them appear to be like any other Christian group to innocent householders.
