would you have become a witness if not raised as one?.
for me i would say no way.
I was raised within , left for a bit when i was about 20, re joined and was active for the next quarter century . I said I had "Made the truth my own"
I re started because I did not fit easily into "Worldly company" I felt awkward and wanted to feel at home in the org. Later real faith did develop.
The idea of a New World, the belief that we were special people with special knowlege , all made one feel important. It is exciting to contemplate the secrets of the Universe !
an invitation:.
i would like to see a short description of your personal beliefs or religion today, after you lost faith in "the truth", from anyone here that feels for it.
If anyone should want to know, I can see the beauty and wonder of this natural world, and I firmly believe in a Creator. It does not seem logical that it came by chance.
I am fascinated by the Bible and I believe it to be inspired, although that belief comes more from my head than my heart. I do not think it necessary to believe it as literally as I once did
Other than that, the rest is up for discussion.
where did all the fun times go?
i was looking at the june 1, 1985 watchtower, pg.
29-31 with its legalistic baptism vows, where one recognizes their association with gods spirit-directed organization, when i was struck by the context of the article.. essentially it gives a last minute warning about proper decorum with swim-wear used for baptism a serious and solemn occasion.
They still say the same stuff about baptisms and the like, heard the K M article re. This year's District Assembly?
We used to serve food at the Assembly too!
i once had a friend who had racial epithets hurled at her by a white man.
he was not the only one who showed himself to be a racist.
she also went to get a job at a huge prominent corporation in a prosperous country and she did not get the job because she was a certain color.
Any one familiar with my posts will know that I am certainly not an apologist for the Org. but I do have some concerns with the way this issue is treated
Thinking back to my days as on committees, it would be a dillema. suppose little girl A , accuses Brother Goodstanding B of indecent touching. He denies it vehemently. Who am I supposed to believe ?
In the absence of any other mitigating factor , I guess I would have fallen back on the old formula that we need two witnesses or acquit.
I am not aware of a law in the U K that forces elders to report. If the parents chose not to put their child through the trauma of that investigation , I would have respected their decision.
i always say i do not believe in demons, but i find that perhaps i do.
not the kind that haunt and lay in wait for bad little, straying jw's to make a false move with a ouji board, or a misthought purchase at a garage sale, but the kind that haunt a childhood, that steal souls--the scarist kind--the human kind.
i was inspired by farkel's post this morning (btw, farkel's posts are never boring) to write this, and try, once again to exorcise these demons.
"and they want more than contributions, they want your soul. ". could not put it better than that Bridgette. Well done .
This place surely is addictive, after wasting your life in the Borg, you need to know you are not the only one.
these past few weeks i've spent a lot of time trying to decide how i want to proceed with the rest of my life.
one of my first decisions to carry out is to break free from the wts.
even though i've been a life long witness i feel no guilt or hesistation in leaving the only religion i've ever known.
I can empathise with so much of what you feel. I have never lived alone ,went from parents to wife, was a M/S then soon an elder and a treadmill ensued of meetings, preparation ,service, next meeting etc.
What would I have become? no one knows or cares now.
But some things in life are too important to be lost in an indulgence of self pity, like a good wife for instance!
She will need help to get through a hard time when you quit the Borg.
Give her as much as you can? Try some of your dreams, you never know, she may still be there for you.
PS , Who am I to give advice?
i just found this to be a bit amusing.
i was scrolling through the elders handbook.
hehe well it was there!.
The old Hippie is about right, sounds like a man after my own heart!
24 years in elders meetings taught me that is a macho competitive culture where you may never admit a weakness .It is dominated by men who spend working lives on Building Sites and factory floors and have no understanding or insight with women and often feel uneasy in there presence
Humility, meekness? does not get you far.
i had this thought while reading the co visit thread, and decided to make it a separate topic.. how much longer can they keep beating the slaves before there is a rebellion?
it is obvious that the trickle of people that are leaving is growing, and growing enough to make them worried.
at some point it may become a flood.
Gozz,
I hope you are right. I would love to be proved wrong and see the local K Hall up for sale because no one was there to contribute any more... Lets hear some more about your phone call to Bethel.
doormouse,
"Since the leadership know that they are not the real truth,"
In the absence of evidence to the contrary I believe as Ray Franz put it "We are the victims of victims" They are the most institutionalised old people,living their own dreams , indulging in cognitive dissonance - I bet they really believe it !
remember me?
i posted once before in november of .
once a year, or should it be celebrated weekly, even daily, like some.
Interesting thoughts, and although I am happy to criticize the Borg, I believe there is merit in their argument on this point.
Acts 2.42 and 20.7 , are clearly talking of normal meals for which the early Christians got together frequently.
1 Cor.11, from vs 20 on is counselling the cong in respect of their attitude towards the Lords Evening Meal . Paul quotes Jesus as having said "As often as you eat THIS LOAF " vs 26 , which loaf?
The special unleavened Passover Bread which they ate at passover only .
This occurred annually on Nisan 14.
As to partaking, Jesus instituted a covenant arrangement with his disciples present at that time. If one sincerely believes that they have have been brought personally into that covenant then it is not only their right but a duty to partake of the emblems of that meal. However consider carefully the warning given in 1 Cor. 11 vs 27
we had our second co talk yesterday, the topic of which was loyalty, thinly veiled as to one another, but dripping with threats toward those who might go against the society.. after the usual drivel about the society being god's organisation, and appreciating their junk food (as an aside, has anyone actually vomitted up any of this "food"??
just wondering...), i was rudely dragged out of my slumber by the co's harsh declaration that we should shun all those who slipped away from the thruth, as they inactivity is a bad influence.
he went on to heap the blame on them, "if they feel this way, then they should expect their due", "they bring shunning onto themselves" etc.... has it always been this way?
Jack2 said earlier that this may be acase of a certain C O having a "Bee in his Bonnet"
In the past that might have been true, I can recall some glorious howlers with the benefit of hindsight.
In recent years however, the manuscripts for the service talks at a c o's visit have been laid down by the WTS and he has to stick pretty much to what they tell him to say . The style of delivery and emphasis on key words is all that may differ. Even the elders and min.servants meetings have a scripted outline during the visit,therefore deadly boring.
Perhaps it would be worth attending the up coming visit midweek, just to see if this the case
