i went to my first meeting in 9 months (dont ask ive got my reasons cant say on an public board).
they reviewed a wt july 1st page 12----19. it was saying that you should have concern for people who are spiritually weak you should remember all the good things they had done in the past.
even if they wernt going to meetings anymore.
They reviewed a WT july 1st page 12----19Could you give us the year of the WT issue?
It's the July 1, 2004 WT article "Teach them to observe all the things I have commanded you".
Being that my husband is active and we attend meetings (sporadic lately though, oops) ... I have the source material for that Service Meeting - the talk is "Show concern for those who are weak". I just read through it ... interesting.
has it ever happened to you, something so dispicable you would rather go to your grave, not having forgiven someone a wrong they had done you, hopeful that god would sort it out in the end?
mind you, i know things like child molestation, rape and murder are things for which it is difficult, if not impossible, to be forgiving of.
that being said, where does one draw the line on forgiveness?
Then I realized that forgiveness was freeing me from the situation and I was truly able to get on with my life.
I totally agree, Tres.
A little TMI about me ...
At the age of 17 I was raped at knifepoint by someone I thought was my "friend" - while my then 12 year old brother listened in horror through the door banging and banging to get in so he could help me. Soon thereafter, I entered into what turned out to be a tremendously abusive relationship with a man 6 years my senior. When I finally found the courage to leave him after 4 years of hell ... I was a very spiteful, angry, bitter young woman.
The spite, anger, bitterness, resentment carried over into every single facet of my life for a very long time. I continued on that way until the day I chose to forgive both of these individuals who wronged me. You see, it takes a whole lot of (wasted) energy to be angry and bitter 24/7. It also holds you back, keeps you living in your past day in and day out. Once I made the decision to forgive (though I will never forget, you never forget) ... a huge weight was lifted off of my shoulders. And just like that, the nightmares stopped. I stopped living in my past and was able to move forward - start a new chapter in my life ... "acknowledge and move on" as it were.
And of all the benefits of forgiveness I experienced, the most important was this one ... I was no longer a victim, I became a survivor. Through forgiveness, I was able to take away the power their actions continued to have over me and reclaim my life as my own.
I'm not saying it was easy ... but I do believe it is necessary for the healing process. Some might wonder how you forgive your rapist or your abuser. My answer - you just do. Forgiveness does not excuse or minimize the actions of the one who wronged you ... rather it validates those wrongs, places control over the situation in your hands, and acknowledges your capacity to rise above the situation and move forward.
JMHO, of course.
hey yall just wanted to say hi.
today is my 1st day here.
i hope this is a good site for jehovahs people.
It's OK for a JW to get a blood transfusion in Bulgaria.
I'd like to know more about that - details, documentation, sources, etc? I've never heard this before and would love to have a "leg to stand on" in bringing it up to the JWs in my life!
hey yall just wanted to say hi.
today is my 1st day here.
i hope this is a good site for jehovahs people.
Sunspot, I'm in Oneida county. Care to get together some time?
Ack! Fairchild! Check your PM too! Looks like the three of us live very close!
hey yall just wanted to say hi.
today is my 1st day here.
i hope this is a good site for jehovahs people.
dfed, what part of NY were you in? I'm upstate near Lake Ontario in Oswego county.
Sunspot! It looks like we live VERY close to each other - I just sent you a PM!
and a great big g'day!
to all those who've joined us in the past week or so, especially those from the land downunder.. how's things with you this weekend?
the weather's gloomy around bethel today (so what's new, you reckon!
Having never been a JW but being married to one recently reinstated, I would have to say #11. The Org has turned my life upside down at this point - that would be my answer.
i am going to make a fool of myself tomorrow night .i will be featured on www.natradio.com .
about cults!!!
!producer & host of cosmic horizons just called me .
Great job Grace!
Badger and AlanF are amazingly honesthearted and caring
jgnat always has a supportive, helpful post just when it's needed
my name is jaron, 19 years old, i'm from the netherlands, and in about a month i am going to start joining the jw's meetings and i'm kind of looking forward to become a jw.
i can of course tell ya'll my entire spiritual story, but that would take an entire bookwork.
in a nuttshell: my father is an ex-jw, my half-sis (from an earlier marriage from my dads) is one of those "special pioneers", and i am jewish (my mom is jewish).
Not to mention the fact that I have 2 children to think of - this means THEIR future as well - if I raise them in "the truth" that will set the stage for the course of their entire life, for the potential for great heartache if they don't measure up to "JW standards" - and that's not a price I'm willing to pay.OK, I dont have any kids myself but I understand your concern. But this means you are choosing not to "pay up the price". I can understand that too. There are many examples in the bible of people who have suffered great loss in the name of God. I would suggest reading the book of Job again. That man lost all of his children ones! Of course at the end he had new children, but that doesn't take away the hurt and feelings for the children that were lost, its not like "Ow I can stop feeling sad about my lost children because I have new ones", at least at the present time it isn't. But what it teaches you is that, if you keep the faith, not only will God save you, but your children can be saved too (I imagine that Job's first children will get a ressurection). Its something only you can decide, either believe, with the chance that if its all true that you, your husband and your children will get a new life in a paradise, or disbelieve, and lose this chance. I agree that the JW-standards are high, but that is parallel to what has been said in the bible, that the path of the truth is small and narrow.The things about the paradise might seem stupid to believe, same with believing in angels and Satan and all the other things. But think about it really carefully... in the end it makes sense, and it gives use, a goal, it adds more purpose to your life. All arrows point in the direction that there is a God, and that we are here because of his will. So it might be smart to not dismiss this believe so easily. Just my few cents ;)
My faith in God is without question, I have faith in Him wholeheartedly and I always have. It's my faith, or lack thereof, in the WTS that is at issue here. I have no problem instilling Bible principles in my children, and I intend to do that. My concern about my children not "measuring up" by JW standards refers to the social structure/expectations within the Kingdom Hall. I will raise my children to question things every bit as much as I do - and as I have demonstrated before, a questioning spirit is frowned on by JWs. I will raise my children to be accepting and tolerant of ALL people - not just people LIKE THEM - which is not in line with the JW spirit of being as far removed as possible from worldly people, not having worldly friends, etc. I find that concept reprehensible. It precipitates an "us vs. them" or "we're better than they are" mentality, which is unacceptable in my book.
It reminds me of something my husband told me once. When girls would approach my husband's best friend (also a JW) and start being friendly with him, his friend would turn his nose up at them and walk away without even acknowledging their presence. When my husband asked him why he did this, his friend replied, "Why would I want to talk to HER? She's not a witness, she doesn't even exist to me".
If either one of my children ever behaved in such a way I would smack the attitude right out of them (no, not literally). My point being, I will not raise my children that way, nor will I let an organization raise my children for me in a way that is unacceptable to me. Let's remember that Jehovah reads the heart in judging his children - I am confident that in reading my heart he will understand my devotion is to him, and not to an organization. My husband's childhood friend, on the otherhand, had better watch out - I don't think Jehovah will be too happy when reading his heart.
like the idea that alcoholics have a particular gene, certain mannerisms we inherit from parents or grand-parents, red hair is a recessive gene etc.
is religion inherited as a life style or emotional dependency?????????????????
is it low self-esteem and the need for others to decide what is right and wrong, how to live and even die???????.
I plan to do my best with my life............and I don't need religious leaders or an organization to make me do it.So my question remains.......................???????????????
I have always explained my position this way:
I am Roman Catholic. But my faith in God is independent of my religion. I say that because I've always believed in God and had faith, whereas I only became Catholic when I was 15 years old. That said, my religion is simply how I choose to celebrate that faith. With or without my religion, my faith in God would still stand strong.
I think the "need" for religion stems primarily from the fear/worry/belief that you aren't properly worshipping God unless you do so within the confines of a building (His "house of worship") ... be it a church, Kingdom Hall, Synagogue, or what have you. I think it also stems from the fact that it has been ingrained in people that without religion they are just floating aimlessly in their belief of God, with no real sense of direction - religion provides structure and direction.
That said, I do think that there are people who subject themselves to a rigid religion such as the JWs out of their need for acceptance, need to belong, need to fit in somewhere, need to feel worthwhile ... essentially to fill a need of one kind or another. If you think about it, JWs tend to appeal and gravitate to the "lowly", the people of need, people with no direction or support system, troubled people, etc out in the ministry. I don't think that is entirely unintentional, based on what I said previously.
