Posts by adelmaal

19

Has being a JW...

by the_classicist in

... ruined certain words for you?

words like "the truth," "watch tower," "jehovah.

" each time i hear words like these get a strange mental reaction.

adelmaal

I thought they were the ones who wanted to kill us - AT ARMAGGEDON! Eye for an eye

37

one of the claims against the trinity that the wtbts makes is that "[s]ince the bible calls humans, angels, even satan, "gods," or powerful ones, the superior jesus in heaven can properly be called "a god.

in the old testament, the hebrew employs elohim to signify what the wt says above.

but it is interesting to note that psalm 82 (81 in the septuagint, and i will be using septuagint numbering from now on), in which the judges of israel are called "gods," is a satire.

adelmaal

Bear in mind that the Trinity claims as well that the Son and the Father are two separate persons in a relationship with each other, distinguished from each other tho unified

Some definitions say unified, others say co-equal. I don't buy it. The creation cannot be co-equal to the creator. Mighty is not the same as Almighty. Sure their related, sure their unified, they are not one and the same in my mind though. In my opinion, God and Jesus are two separate gods, they are not one Almighty God, which is what I have always understood the Trinity to mean. Correct me if I'm wrong, that's just the impression I always got from Catholicism and from Calvary Chapel (who in my opinion worships Jesus more than God himself).

I can almost buy that God and the Holy Spirit are one and the same because I believe the Holy Spirit emanates (SP?) from God in some way; it is a part of him whereas Jesus is a separate creation from him.

37

Gods and the Trinity

by the_classicist in

one of the claims against the trinity that the wtbts makes is that "[s]ince the bible calls humans, angels, even satan, "gods," or powerful ones, the superior jesus in heaven can properly be called "a god.

in the old testament, the hebrew employs elohim to signify what the wt says above.

but it is interesting to note that psalm 82 (81 in the septuagint, and i will be using septuagint numbering from now on), in which the judges of israel are called "gods," is a satire.

adelmaal

I am so not versed in Greek or Hebrew, I'm not sure whether I believe Jesus is Michael and I don't know whether or not Proverbs is describing wisdom personified in Jesus. I have lots of researching to do... But...

I would have to agree with Zen Nudist and say that when I read through the Bible and take what I can from it I believe it reinforces a personal relationship between Jesus and God, which in my mind separates the two. I can go with John 1:1 saying "The Word Was God" because I do believe Jesus has been placed in a position of authority by his Father. He acts as God in that position and deserves all the dignity that comes with it. I do not believe they are one and the same though, which I don't think takes away from Jesus or God.

JosephMalik: I love the point you made about Jesus being our God in a sense that he created us. So true! Mighty but not Almighty.

As for the Holy Spirit. Got me

5

There Must Be Apostates Working At Amazon - LOL

by adelmaal in

jw
friends

i ordered "crisis of conscience" and a bible 2 days ago on amazon with super saver shipping and it's being delivered today!

last time i ordered books on super saver shipping it took 2 weeks - lol.

them apostates at the un and amazon must be working together

adelmaal

I ordered "Crisis of Conscience" and a Bible 2 days ago on Amazon with Super Saver Shipping and it's being delivered TODAY! Last time I ordered books on Super Saver Shipping it took 2 weeks - LOL. Them apostates at the UN and Amazon must be working together

8

Michael the Archangel

by Linuxjunkie85 in

hello all, i'm new here and i see there are lots of encouraging threads here.

i am trying to understand why jehovah's witnesses believe that michael the archangel is christ.

to me this would lower christ to the level of the angels and if the annointed would be above the angels, then christ would be below the annointed of mankind.

adelmaal

Personally, I don't know if there exists a parallel between Jesus and Michael but I think the Witnesses are so bent on making one because it's just one more thing that supports their belief that Jesus is NOT God himself. They will grasp onto anything that proves they are right about the Trinity not being a Bible teaching. Hard to have Jesus be an archangel and at the same time be God himself. That would be my speculation.

22

Discipline for the unbaptized

by homme perdu in

does such thing exist?

adelmaal

There is also the practice of "marking" where they have the local needs talk address a specific issue that points directly at an individual without saying their name outright. I had this done to me. For the life of me I can't remember why though... So long ago.

whyamihere: I am so sorry you received the full extent of marking... I hadn't read your post prior to posting this one.

23

How many of you were nervous?

by Confusedgirl in

if you are taught the jw organization is your link to god, it is so hard to think of leaving everything.

like a hole that will not be filled again, there is so horrible things that have happened in the world, could it be that there is no everlasting life for us, so many questions and to think of giving up everyone makes me sick to my stomach.

but i want to be happy and i'm not, does anyone feel empty?

adelmaal

I felt very similar to the way you are feeling. I lost all my friends and the family I had gained in "the truth". I ended up with a major ulcer. I felt like I had nowhere to go and nobody to turn to. That's how JWs want you to feel if you leave or get disfellowshipped. So you'll feel like you need to go back.

It took me awhile to realize it's ok to be alone, it's ok to be lonely, it's part of life, you eventually pick yourself up and get the opportunity to see that you have worth, you are strong and you can take care of yourself. Eventually, you may even see that you can lean on God; without human intervention.

After awhile I decided I was going to start getting to know the world. I was going to start getting involved in things and start meeting friends, etc. I started salsa dancing, I reconnected with worldly family members, I started going out with people from work, I started listening to talk radio, I got involved in politics. I saw that there were so many things out there for me that could be enjoyed. And I realized that not being a JW allows you not to feel constantly worried you are doing something bad. I realized that there are so many wonderful people out there and God could not possibly want to destroy them all. I have come full circle and I am now actually revisiting the Bible. Not revisiting organized religion but reading "Crisis of Conscience" and other books, studying a little bit everyday with my children out of "One Year Book of Devotions for Kids" and just reading the Bible bit by bit on my own. I now have the ability to take what I want (believe) from each source and leave the rest behind. I know that I don't have to believe everything that one organization tells me to believe. It's exhilirating! It's freedom from bondage! I have accepted that I can actively be a good person, I can love God and that can be enough.

It took me awhile to see that not only was there life beyond JWs but that life can be enjoyable, non-judgemental and relatively stress free! I no longer feel like I could be destroyed anyday by a ruthless God who loves only lemmings who would run off a cliff for a manmade organization.

40

Why Do You or Don't You Believe In The Bible?

by minimus in

jw
friends

do you believe in the bible just because you were raised to believe?

are you sure it's "believable"?

.....have you convinced yourself the bible is just another book?

adelmaal

For the longest time, after I left "the truth", I avoided the Bible like the plague. I think I was afraid that if I read it I would read things that would make me feel guilty somehow. Like I might read scriptures and have a hard time seeing anything but the beliefs of JWs in the Bible.

Finally, I am starting to study the Bible again. I am seeing that most of the scriptures the Witnesses used to teach certain beliefs can be used to actually refute their teachings. Such as Galations 1:12 where it says "the good news is not something human", which to me means it does not come from a human organization it comes from God. The Bible also says to "make sure of all things" and "not to believe every inspired expression" and I plan to instill this concept in my children.

So far... What I am reading has been helpful to me and has helped me to be more open minded rather than less open minded, which is what JWs wanted me to be. I for one plan to use the Bible to help my children have some kind of purpose in life, faith in God and as a spring board for gaining knowledge.

Yes, I do believe it's God's word. I guess I don't want to think we have been left out in the cold without any source for God's word. I cannot tell you exactly why I believe in the Bible other than the fact that I have faith that God exists and I have faith that the Bible can be used for good.

I'm actually very surprised after what I have been through with organized religion that I have faith but at this juncture I think faith in the Bible beats faith in an organized religion or faith in nothing for that matter.

26

Yet Another Newbie Here

by adelmaal in

jw
friends

i am so glad to have found this site .

i was not raised a jehovah's witness.

i studied as a teenager with my boyfriend's sister.

adelmaal

You are all awesome! Thanks for all the heartfelt responses.

I have struggled with the decision to fight for full custody and for me it just isn't something I am comfortable doing, nor something I can afford to do. I actually think I would have a great chance of winning but I don't want to completely alienate my daughter from her father as he tries to do with me. I know that anything short of supervised visitation would be a vain effort because they won't listen to a human judge when it comes to her "everlasting life". They so take the whole "obey God as ruler rather than man" to the limit. Can't they see they obey the GB as ruler rather than God - LOL? They won't stop studying with her and I know that.

So what I want for her is to be able to distinguish right from wrong and I have gotten some really good pointers in this post. I am going to take a more aggressive stand with her and really by not only have a Christian Bible study but also by showing her some of the things suggested above.

Thanks again!

21

Elders stepping out of bounds

by homme perdu in

when i was very young the elders told my mother that my unbaptized teen sister could not go to the public park on days that brothers would socialize at due to her lack of morals.

three years ago my brother moved in with my grandmother.

he is baptised but faded from the organization 10+ years ago.

adelmaal

Oh yes... The elders came to my door multiple times wanting to know "do you have a worldly boyfriend?", "are you celebrating holidays", etc. My ex kept letting them know everytime he heard anything about my personal life. I told them my personal matters were not of their concern and it was my right to choose not to be active in their religion. I also told them eventually that they really needed to stop coming to my house as I was not interested in discussing my personal life with them. If my ex had questions for me he could approach me like an adult and if I felt it was any of his business I would talk to him about it. I let them know they and my ex-husband needed to respect my right to privacy.

Don't you just love how they think it's ok to just "stop by" at your residence anytime they choose? Just trying to see whether or not you are doing something they might be able to disfellowship you for - LOL! When I moved (a few months later) I let my dear ex-husband know that my personal address was not for him to share with others and if he chose to do so I would personally make sure he was prosecuted for breaking the law.