(check out my first post if u wanna know more about my situation).
well i waited till like 6 oclock my parents never came home so we just went to church i came back and we talked for like an hour and i was almost completely truthfull there was maybe one or two things i wasnt about but they were little anyway they know i have a girlfriend they know i went to the assembly of god last night i told em i didnt want to be a witness anymore they tryed saying that maybe i was crazy or i wasnt thinking straight anyway im going to thier meeting tonight so i can talk to the elders and probably get disfellowshipped :) and my dad said that the least i owe him is to let him study with me ive made it clear that i dont want to study but i luv my dad and i respect him so im going to let him.
it felt so good giveing up the double life i really dont wanna study but hes right i do owe him something
Okla,
I encourage you to be a very inquisitive student. Make him answer your questions with such expressions as, "Yes, but my question was..." and, "Well, is there a scriptural answer, or not?" and, "So, if I wanted to teach that to someone using only the Bible, how would I do it?"
If you would like some suggestions of some key doctrines to try that with, PM me for a list.
Respectfully,
OldSoul
what would you say to someone who is going to be baptized soon, who does not understand the whole 1914 doctrine or even how it was arrived at?
good grief, isn't there a test or something before they baptize someone?
husband has agreed to explain the 1914 for me in writing, but when i said he needed to explain the 607 date as well, he didn't even know what i was talking about.
carla, If I may, I would recommend a different approach. Ask specific questions that point up your friend's lack of comprehension without confronting him.
Here are some examples:
"Are you really okay with answering 'Yes' to a question that pledges your relationship with God as subordinate to your relationship with an organization?"
w85 6/1 p. 30 Subjecting Ourselves to Jehovah by Dedication
Do you understand that your dedication and baptism identify you as one of Jehovah?s Witnesses in association with God?s spirit-directed organization?
"Are you going to let strangers come between you and God, instead of Jesus being your mediator? Where is the scriptural evidence that Christ is a mediator only for the 144,000?"
w91 2/15 p. 17-18, pars. 8, 11 ?You Were Bought With a Price?
8 Hence, the ransom sacrifice is fundamental to the new covenant, of which Jesus is the Mediator. Paul wrote: ?There is one God, and one mediator between God and men, a man, Christ Jesus, who gave himself a corresponding ransom for all?this is what is to be witnessed to at its own particular times.? (1 Timothy 2:5, 6) Those words especially apply to the 144,000, with whom the new covenant is made.
11 Nevertheless, in a preliminary way, the great crowd have already ?washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.? (Revelation 7:14) Christ does not act as Mediator of the new covenant toward them, yet they benefit from this covenant through the work of God?s Kingdom. Christ still acts toward them, however, as High Priest, through whom Jehovah can and does apply the ransom to the extent of their now being declared righteous as God?s friends. (Compare James 2:23.) During the Millennium, they will gradually ?be set free from enslavement to corruption [until finally they] have the glorious freedom of the children of God.??Romans 8:21.
If I understand correctly, a fundamental doctrine is the need to recognize the Brothers of Christ, the Faithful and Discreet Slave. Can you clearly explain to me who the 144,000 are?
Then don't let him get away with linking Luke 12:32; John 10:16 without explaining why those two scriptures are tied together. There is no explanation. Follow by asking, "Couldn't the other sheep have been the Gentiles?"
Sometimes, history doesn't matter so much to a person. But all JWs are trained as they start studying that doctrinal truths have to be based only on the Bible. As they approach baptism they are introduced to more "solid food" that isn't based on anything but Faithul and Discreet Slave Governing Body reasoning. I hope you find this helpful.
Respectfully,
OldSoul
from canada's globe and mail, tuesday may 10. .
'every decision i make, i apply god's standards' .
cancer-stricken jehovah's witness teen explains her determination to refuse blood .
rebel8: Cult, anyone?
The sad part is, she truly believes that her God would want her to die rather than to be infused with blood. Would she have come by that conclusion without the influence of the Faithful and Discreet Slave (pen name for the Governing Body). Of course not! According to their own words, if she fed only from the Bible she would believe many "Babylonish" doctrines espoused by theologians over 100 years ago. Which is odd, because they teach the Bible is inspired of God and they teach they are not inspired by God ... hmm.
Just kidding, it doesn't make wonder in the slightest. It makes me know.
i believe in jesus christ the son of god conceived of the virgin mary and who is one and the same as the father and the holy spirit, and through him all things where created.
i believe that he was crucified as a perfect sacrifice for our sins and on the third day rose from the dead and later ascended in heaven.
it is through jesus christ that we enter the kingdom of heaven and there is no lack of space in heaven.
kingdoman: As to this being a site for recovering JW's. I am sot sure what you mean by that. The site appears to be very JW to me.
I appreciate all the time and effort you have troubled yourself to go to for the sake of strangers. That indicates some very important character traits that I highly esteem. As I understand it, you have taken pains to research deeply details that damn other faiths as cults. Most posters here agree that JWs are a cult. A very dangerous and destructive cult.
From the tone of your posts, I gather you have not spent very much time at all learning how to help victims of cults overcome the lingering insecurities and discomforts associated with having been under the excessive control of a cult. I gather this because your approach is diametrically opposite of the one recommended by those who have had success in helping cult members grow to a point of enjoying rewarding and independent lives.
For that, I am very glad you stopped here before you do real damage to some devout JW by driving them further into the cult's "protective" arms. I admire your objectives, your methods are grossly wanting. You already know for certain that these organizations are cults. The trick is convincing the victims. Most here already know JWs are a cult. If you expect to truly render aid by helping others escape, start by learning what it is that actually helps.
I assume your goal goes beyond propagandizing for Jesus. I assume that, like Paul on Mars Hill, you hope to win hearts away from these cults. Try taking a lesson from his approach. (Acts 17) I hope you will take this counsel in the spirit in which it is offered and find no malice in it.
Respectfully,
OldSoul
according to the watchtower bible and tract society, all non- jehovah witnesses will be destroyed at armageddon, a time said to be coming soon.
the watchtower prints over 14 million copies of its magazines every week, and has over 4 million (in 1992) jehovah's witnesses are spreading their doctrines in 200 countries and it is rapidly increasing.
since it's origination, the jehovah's witnesses have had many names and boldly claim to be the only organization that god is using to speak his truth for him today.
kingdoman: I do believe that even though you are a recovering JW forum that you all defend the JW?s and the Bible states that if you are not for God then you are against him.
I do believe you read a total of zero (0) posts before determining what most posters here feel toward the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society.
Now if you are talking about JWs as individuals, I think most people here view them as basically good folks who are twisted and perverted in their minds by an extremely high-control and manipulative corporation. So you might see indication here of people defending JWs as individuals, but you will not see very many posters at all attempting to defend the organization.
Your prejudice is showing. Do you understand? This is a Web site that offers free exchange of ideas. That concept is directly antithetical to everything JWs teach. As an example of the kind of critical analysis going on in here, take a look at this link: http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/10/89803/1.ashx
One of our regular posters, blondie, voluntarily undertakes a weekly chore of reading, critically analyzing, and posting either the entire Watchtower article or a large portion of the article being studied each week. If you have ever read a Watchtower article, then you understand the mental and emotional anguish she willingly goes through to help others understand what the WTS is really all about. Read that thread, which is typical of the mindset of most posters with regard to the information distributed by the WTS, then tell me if you believe we defend them.
If you wish to continue posting here, you are WELCOME!!!
However, if you keep the approach of telling us what we believe instead of asking us, you are in for a very long and arduous uphill journey. Most of us are done with letting someone tell us what we believe.
Respectfully,
OldSoul
They say a tit in the hand is worth two and the bush, but I don't believe it. Or am I misquoting that ... oops!
a critical expose of the publication organized to do jehovah's will.
i will post scriptures in context wherever they appear, the portion pointed to by the governing body will be highlighted in yellow.
letter from the governing body of jehovah's witnesses (the masters over your faith): paragraph 1:.
Oops. I forgot to completely cite the source for that "Students and Soldiers" subheading.
w98
3/15 p. 22 Living Up to Christian Dedication in Freedom
in another thread, quentin reminded us all of the lyrics to one of the kingdom songs: .
"kiss the son lest god be angry and you perish in the way" .
my question is: .
Quotes,
Quotes: OK, seriously, I think changing it to "lest God be angry" is pretty sneaky of WTS.
KJV: Psalms 2:12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.
Probably a holdover from the ASV days. I know that song was around long enough. That said, may nothing ever detract attention from their genuine sneakiness...there is yet nothing in the text that would indicate someone other than the Son might be angry at him not getting his smooch, but they changed "he" to "He" in the Bible, and "he" to "God" in the song.
Their sneakiness persists, "Those of the [Governing Body] who were with him heard these things, and they said to him: 'We are not blind also, are we?' Jesus said to them: 'If you were blind, you would have no sin. But now you say, "We see." Your sin remains.'" (John 9:40-41)
Respectfully,
OldSoul
what exactly does a po do?
what is he resonsible for?
does he have any part in dfing?
PO = Pissed Off. A PO is one who pisses off others and who is easily pissed off by others.
{Mostly Kidding}
i would like to hear some of the strangest or most ridiculous thing you got in trouble with the elders for.
here is mine.. back in the early 70's i was married at the age of 18, typical witness thing to do.
my husband who was 6 years older than i ruled me like a overly strict father.
No question. An accusation that I was spying on the Witnesses for {dramatic music: DNH! Dnh! dnh!} the U.S. Guvment!
