Posts by imfreeimfree

4

WHERE TO BUY WATCHTOWER REPRINTS CD

by imfreeimfree in

can anyone help me with the cheapest place to buy .

watchtower magazine reprints on cd.

david

imfreeimfree

Can anyone help me with the cheapest place to buy

Watchtower magazine reprints on CD.

Thanks

David

39

Bible Believers 'Only'

by Golf in

jw
friends

what are your favorite notable bible passages, why and how does it affect your life?

i have a few such as; "for if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing he is dececiving his own mind.

"also from presumptuous acts hold your servant back; do not let them dominate me.

I regret now I did not make the following my favoured scriptures before affiliating with the JWs in mid 40ties; it would have protected me from falling prey to the deception perpetrated by the “faithful and discreet slave.” ----

“Beloved ones, do not believe every inspired expression, but test the inspired expressions to see whether they originate with God, because many false prophets have gone forth into the world.” 1 John 4:1.

“Do not put YOUR trust in nobles, Nor in the son of earthling man, to whom no salvation belongs.” Ps. 146:3.

“But even if we, or an angel from heaven, were to be a preacher to you of good news other than that which we have given you, let there be a curse on him. As we have said before, so say I now again, if any man is a preacher to you of any good news other than that which has been given to you, let there be a curse on him.” (BBE) Gal. 1:8, 9.

David

39

Bible Believers 'Only'

by Golf in

jw
friends

what are your favorite notable bible passages, why and how does it affect your life?

i have a few such as; "for if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing he is dececiving his own mind.

"also from presumptuous acts hold your servant back; do not let them dominate me.

imfreeimfree

Philip. 3:14, 15

“… But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead,

I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God's heavenly call in Christ Jesus.”

( The Holman Christian Standard Bible)

David

56

Do you still want to believe?

by daniel-p in

jw
friends

if the answer is "yes," please explain why.

.

(i don't think this question needs explaining - i think you all know what i'm talking about.

imfreeimfree

“Do you still “want” to believe”; yes and no.

I no longer believe many of the doctrines promoted by the Society. My faith is now stronger in God; am spiritually more alive since abandoning the thinking sponsored by the WBTS organization.

After examining both sides, it is possible to make an informed decision.

Subsequent to reading the two books: “Crisis of Conscience” & “In Search of
Christian Freedom”, written by former member of the governing Body, Ray Franz, I challenge anyone who would still “want to believe” the misinformation emanating from WBTS association. These publications are available at: www.commentarypress.com

As one poster stated, I too: “…attempted to force myself to believe against my better judgement”, hoping that eventually the WBTS authorities would step off their lofty tower, stop going “beyond what is written”, discontinue persecuting the brothers who in all sincerity, on discovering discrepancies in the WBTS doctrines, question the meaning of such philosophies, only to find themselves facing judicial committees.

In our (so far successful) fade, my wife and I also struggle with how much to say to our family and friends. We have decided to divulge the truth about the “truth” in small increments. Shock treatment does not work always. The gentle approach is more successful in most instances, IMHO. The analogy of fruit picking is fitting; when fruit is ripe it will come off easily with only a gentle tug, if not, it is not ready to pick.

David

48

DELIVERENCE AT HAND'.......... ..... 2006 District Convention

by yesidid in

jw
friends

.

imfreeimfree

At least they might give obey, obedience, conform, act upon, observe, comply, abide by, submit, respect, follow the FDS to the death, a break.

Or maybe not. It will probably be as well as, not instead of.

David

39

Is disfellowshipping bad?

by Simon in

it seems that some people are keen to use disfellowshipping as the measure of anything bad.

if someone is deleted from a forum for being obnoxious then that is akin to being disfellowshipped and is b-a-d. yada yada yada.. is it?.

is every disfellowshipping "bad" simply by virtue of being a disfellowshipping?.

imfreeimfree

Thank you Simon for keeping the finger on the pulse.

It is your board, your property, you set the rules and we must abide by them.

Anyone who is not happy with the guidelines is at liberty to start their own site. True, “Deleting someone from a forum is nothing like Disfellowshipping”. No one will be shunned or lose family or friends because of removal from the board.

Thank you Simon and all Forum Assistants.

David

27

Life Sucks!!!!

by Tez in

aaaaaagggghhhhh!!!

thats how i feel at the mo!!!

why is it that no matter how hard you try life still sh**s on you!!!!!

imfreeimfree

Hi Tez.

My heart goes out to you. The pain and the disappointments, the heartbreaks you endured over the years were noticed by our God; He will give you a better outcome eventually.

To be acceptable to God, we do not need to subject ourselves to the dictates of the JW religion. Jesus encouraged us to go to Him. I know what you imply when you state: “spent years being made to feel guilty”. Our God and our Lord Jesus are not hard task masters, they are not after performance rather they want our heart. Do not torment yourself thinking that you have failed God because you could not live up to the unscriptural requirements imposed by the GB, who have mislead millions of people by imposing regulations which are unscriptural. They will have to answer for their actions. Gal. 1:8, 9.

My wife and I, (she also left the organization with me,) feel that is imperative to read the Bible regularly, particularly the New Testament, it helps us develop a receptive heart toward God’s Word and fosters contentment and happiness. In the Scriptures there are no heavy burdens or loads put on us we cannot carry, difficult they may be at times. To have our Lord’s approval we need to go to Him and not to an organization as taught erroneously by the JWs establishment and the self appointed “slave”. Our God has planted perpetuity in our hearts; he will not disappoint us but bless us with eternal life. Our Lord Jesus is kind, sympathetic shepherd; he bought us with the ultimate prize, and will not reject us because of our failings. .

May I suggest you read “What’s So Amazing About Grace?” by Philip Yancey. It may help you obtain a different perspective about God’s love for us imperfect, sinful and often troubled humans. He points out that:

“There is nothing we can do to make God love us more. There is nothing we can do to make God love us less.” It may raise your spirits.

Best wishes.

David

20

The Listener Needs Advice - QUICK

by TheListener in

jw
friends

i need this advice before my spouse gets back from the meeting (1 hour tonight).. ok,.

here's the lowdown:.

if you've been following my story through various posts for about the last year you know that i've recently stepped aside as an elder and have been quietly fading.. i go to meetings sporadically.

imfreeimfree

Hi Listener

Not an easy problem to confront; but if you approach the issue prayerfully you will be successful.

Invite her to assist you in getting to the bottom of problems you have stumbled upon. It is imperative to assure her that you are not loosing faith in Jehovah God, or the Bible. It may help to point out that you take the instruction given in the Scriptures seriously, and that you do not want to invoke the consequences described in Gal. 1:8, 9; which clearly confirm that God’s curse will be upon those who go beyond what is written. Rev. 22:18, 19.

It could be helpful to point out, since you choose to “obey God as ruler rather than men”; you are currently experiencing some reservations about some doctrines. You may wish to suggest that some of the guidelines and predictions as expressed and enforced in the organization are not strictly Scriptural and therefore causing you some concern and stumbling; but that you are working through them. Confrontation will not succeed, unfortunately due to extensive indoctrination JW’s are often unable to appeal to reason, rather emotion dominates. Please proceed in small increments.

My wife and I were captives of the organization for 60 years; and yes I am grateful we both faded away from the theologies and systems of the WBTS yet remained strong in faith and in devotion to each other.

Best wishes.

David

44

Not DA'd, Not DF'd - but pretty much Disowned...

by Ingenuous in

i just came from what will probably be the last conversation i'll ever have with my father.

earlier in the day, i'd talked to my mom and she asked what i was up to - translated "what are you doing with yourself since you aren't going to meetings or out in service?

" i told her i'd been discussing the bible with an informal group of people and reading older wts literature.

imfreeimfree

Hi Ingenuous!

My heart goes out to you. How sad that you are facing such heart wrenching situation. You feel as you say: “…pretty much disowned”, by your relatives, however you are neither forsaken nor abandoned by God, nor by our Lord Jesus; also most, if not all of us here on this forum feel for you and are keen to support you.

To assist on your new journey, keep in mind as “Gill” described: “… in the end the only way to get over it is to feel sorry for them. They're totally lost and afraid and they will NOT be helped.” Pray for them, you just never know one day their eyes may be opened. You can help them by assuring them that you love them and that you have not apostatized from God or the Bible.

Remember the elders have no power over you, if you do not let them. If you DF yourself, to my way of thinking, you are empowering them to take action against you. It does not matter what option they take, ultimately they will have to answer to God, but your responsibility is not to men, but our Creator. After 60 years in the WT system, we decided to keep a low profile when exiting this organization; it is working well for us, though each circumstance is different. If possible, by keeping the lines of communication open with our loved ones, we some day hope to assist them escape the clutches of spiritual captivity.

God bless. Best wishes.

David

16

I Need help!

by cazza in

jw
friends

i need help making one of the most important decisions of my life, i was brought up a witness and fell away nearly 9 years ago.

i firmly believe what i was taught and still believe in the truth.

theres just a few questions i would like asking but never have the opportunity to ask anyone.

imfreeimfree

Hi Cazza.

Warm welcome.

Here you will find many empathetic people. We are here to support each other, offer encouragement, suggestions and help, when possible.

Obviously you believe in God. As Danny suggested: “Why do you not try to find out more about God.” My wife and I have been reading the Bible since our childhood, with no regrets. It has helped us in our marriage, given us much peace of mind and has quelled our fears and concerns about the future.

We were associated with the Witnesses for many decades; I held various positions of responsibility in the organization, however we quit our association recently with the WTBS because it became very obvious that the hierarchy, the governing body of the organization is not following, nor strictly teaching Bible beliefs.

Please permit me to make some suggestions which may help you.

Yours fears and anxieties are understandable. Nevertheless, our God and our Lord Jesus care for us; here is what the Bible says: “throw all your anxiety upon him, because he cares for you.” In MHO is it imperative to maintain strong faith in God and our Lord Jesus, through regular Bible reading, this would contribute to your spiritual well being and eliminate some fear and apprehension. Personally, I find much comfort in the assurance given to us by Jesus: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Mat. 11:28.

Some of the concerns you raise, I am sure no one except God can answer. God is not unjust; he will give an opportunity to everyone desiring life to get to know Him; Jesus even assured the evildoer, he will be resurrected. He forgave those who tortured and put him to death. The Bible assures us: “… that there is going to be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous.” Acts 24:15.

You say: “My 7 month old daughter is obviously not of an age where she can make decisions for herself, if i don’t return to the truth in time will she die?” Be assured, you do not have to “return to the truth” to please God, and you do not need to worry unduly about your daughter. To have God’s approval we need to draw close to Him in our individual, personal relationship with Him and Lord Jesus, and not through an organization. He is a just and loving God.

May I suggest you read two books written by Ray Franz, former member of the Governing Body: “Crisis of Conscience” and “In Search of Christian Freedom.” These publications have opened the eyes of many thousands to the real truth about the “truth”. They are available at: www.commentarypress.com

Best wishes.

David