due to lack of any intimacy with these guys it is hard to say for sure, but listening to the talks on the internet i think anthony morris is the biggest with gerrit losch second runner-up.. .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xml-u6-kkj8.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1b7drwti-h4.
I am not as familiar with this GB 2.0. I am an old GB 1.0 person.
Everyone says 'follow the money'. If that is true then it seems that those who control the money control the organization. Business managers, lawyers and any financial guys they've got.
Plus I bet like most big companies it takes on a life of its own and almost everyone is just swept along with the current. Especially with donations constantly coming in and not being dependent on sales of products to outsiders.
well could it be that we overlooked this little idea in our reasonings on why the governing body is comming up with new light they love the idea of?
about the f&ds?.
you know to keep any type of rebellion at bay before it starts.. have you ever woundered what many that are closely associated with the governing body are feeling about these new guys called the governing body right now with all this new light loved by the governing body,,i smell trouble a brewing for these guys right there at headquarters i'm sure thier dealing with everbody they meet they reflect this same attitude so they got to be making enemies..
...and still my wife attends regularly and believes all of it.
ARRRRGHHHH the frustration
because of "religious" differences, she now wants me to move out and "separate"...i said what biblical grounds does she have for her request?.
she couldnt respond...she said she'd rather be beaten up by me than have an "apostate" in the house.... this org definitely encourages conditional love.... i don't know what to do...by the way, we dont have children.
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Sorry to hear this nolongeconfused. I guess by all the responses and advice you can tell you're not alone. Many of us have similar situations. That's what's so great about this forum. In the old days we felt alone and didn't have a way to communicate to others all across the world who have had similar issues. This forum is a fantastic way to learn from those that went before.
I had to stop talking about the TATT as well in order to save my family. I have kids and I wanted to be sure I was around to love and guide them.
if the apostles were guided by the holy spirit, how could they have made any doctrinal errors as mentioned by many jehovah's witnesses?
the governing body has admitted to making doctrinal errors and state that " you might as well condem jesus' apostles as well since they too had made errors.
i have read that the apostles had only made behavior mistakes not errors in doctrinal writings.. "the new testament makes it abundantly clear that doctrinal error can lead to eternal damnation.. didache is a noun found thirty times in the new testament to mean doctrine, teaching.
I don't have access to my reference material right now but the WTS also uses the Circumcision issue as a doctrinal error to show the Apostles made errors.
El_Guapo, I agree with others. Avoid the CO. That shouldn't be hard to do if you are working.
I have noticed something though. A fade implies a gradual slowing down of all the typical JW activities. Stepping aside due to medical or mental reasons will pass the sniff test if you are doing your best (in their eyes) to maintain your other spiritual activities. Each step of the fade takes time. If you rush the fade it makes the elders suspicious and turns them into bloodhounds.
I can't begin to tell you what to do in your situation. For me, I spoke with two elders a few times about stepping aside and had to say all the typical JW stuff to get through it. I still went to meetings and service but I slowly made myself scarcer and scarcer. Eventually I was able to disappear completely and not even warrant a shepherding call.
Of course, each body of elders is different and some just never let something like this go.
I'm glad your wife is at least being understanding. Keep your spirits high because JW spouses tend to go hot and cold about stuff like this.
Good luck.
that is my dilema.
my child is wonderful, funny, smart, talented, cute, kind, and a social butterfly.
i want to see her happy.
Great thread.
What about families where the kids are young and don't believe, but, the wife is a true believer. Deciding on when and how to put the final nail in the WTS cofifn with the kids while not completely screwing up the marriage is no easy balancing act.
I am glad all my kids are 99% WTS free but if they experience trouble later in life I don't want them to turn to the WTS.
so my wife is aware that i am totally disillusioned and i am having problems with lots of things.
one day she can see the crap(such as this past watchtower question from readers about ivf... what a pile of insanity.
if someone carries me and my wifes baby i have committed porneia rofl!!!
Great conversation sosoconfused! You've given me a bit of hope that my wife may ask something similar - one day.
i've just been watching a youtube video that reveals the new assembly hall in orangeburg, sc.. two things struck me when watching it.... firstly, everything is attributed to jehovah, right down to deciding the location where the hall is to be built.
"we examined over 300 properties," said one interviewee, "we were reminded that jehovah knew where the site was, we just had to keep looking and show him that we were persistent.
" other workers interviewed throughout the video attribute everything to god, as though it is impossible to build anything without divine direction.. here is the video.... .
I am still of the opinion that the GB and majority of Bethel muckety mucks totally believe their own BS.
They build to accomodate their current needs and probably for future District Conventions.
I really believe the building style and shape is about doing things as cheaply as possible while still having a nice presentable facility.
The WTS has known for a long long time that their construction projects are a key way that witnesses build strong relationships with each other. Working long hours, stressed and trying to make the deadline for their crew, eating communal meals and quite a few suffer money issues at home in order to participate. Since the United States and other countries haven't persecuted Witnesses for decades the community feeling they get as they work together and consider themselves martyrs at the same time can forge a strong lasting bond. The friendships from these construction projects are much stronger and wider than those from doing d2d work and fill the need for social gatherings as well since those dont' occur nearly as often as they used to.
imho
i have been reading steven hassan's books as well studying like never before.
my wife has seen the amount studying i am doing, just hasnt known what all subjects instudy.
over the last few weeks i've slowly shared certain things.
Congratulations Comatose! You are really lucky. Some of us never truly gain acceptance in our spouses eyes.
so as some of you already may know, i have stopped going to meetings for good and have nothing to do with wbts anymore...did not write a letter of disassociation because i dont believe an organization should spiritually execute me for rejecting men's tradition and false doctrine...some of you may recall i spoke to my wife and are in good terms, even though she's still an active jw.
my parents are both active jw's...when i visited them yesterday, they clearly did not expect me to tell them i had left the "org"...to my huge surprise, after i explained to them i had found ttatt (truth about the truth) and gave compelling evidence of my reasoning, and using the scriptures, they totally sided with me...i was dumbfounded...one of my parents even brought up ray franz and his book coc....i was like wtf??.
they told me all of these years they never had the guts to say anything about the hypocrisy in this org and they were glad that i as their son was able to step up and believe what is right and what is on the bible...they re-assured their love to me and they were happy i had found happiness in jesus christ and the need to have a personal relationship with him and not through a man made organization.... i totally did not expect this response from my parents...but it just leaves me to think that there are thousands of active jw's out there feeling the same way and don't have the courage to step up to the org...still don't know what they are going to do, but i got the feeling they will do the same eventually and move on from the wbts.... have a great week everyone.
Congratulations Nolongerconfused. Truly a happyifying outcome!
