i put this in another thread but i would like to start a new one.. i was a jw when i got married but i left about15 years ago, my wife is still in.
before we met she had a relationship (while she was a witness) with a guy and even had a child with him.
(she did not get dfed for this.
2112
I believe that the current policy tells elders to not pry into the conduct between
husband and wife.
Wouldn't it be nice if you and your wife could apply the principle of "mutual respect"
to your private lives, and not have a part of your lives which is nobody's business
controlled by a "faithful slave"?
Pray for her deliverance from this cult, and for a relationship with God through Jesus Christ,
and not the "governing body".
NMM
just because the watchtower society is wrong doesn't mean that there is no god, nor does it mean there is a god.
it would interesting to now how former members have adjusted thier cosmology, or whether they are now atheists and why.
i personally see religion as a more personal matter, rather than belonging to an organization.
I never lost my faith in God.
I'm now pastor of a New York church.
NMM
after alot of time, lurking, fighting this damn inward battle i am dealing with, i've decided to join in the mix.
a little about me (i'll try not to bore you to much) ... i am a fader.
was raised jw, was even a m.s.
Welcome In Between!
I was where you are 4 years ago.
The best thing that you have right now is your faith in God. He is REAL. and He loves you.
Get another translation of the Bible (not the NWT) and prayerfully start reading it. Ask to be taught by the Holy Spirit.
True Christianity will begin to reveal itself. It very simple. It is not judgmental. It will set you freel
Others have recommended Crisis of Conscience, which is excellent. In Search of Christian Freedom goes beyond Watchtower error and examines each person's freedom as a Christian.
God bless your journey.
NMM
just returned from minnesota.
i was invited to preach the sermon and take questions during sunday school about how to reach jw's with the simple truth of christ.
a number of mennonites from a local church also were there.
Hartstrings,
I was near Grand Rapids.
just returned from minnesota.
i was invited to preach the sermon and take questions during sunday school about how to reach jw's with the simple truth of christ.
a number of mennonites from a local church also were there.
Just returned from Minnesota. I was invited to preach the sermon and take questions during Sunday school about how to reach JW's with the simple truth of Christ. A number of Mennonites from a local church also were there. About 140 were there.
Every time I travel to speak in a church about my leaving JW's and how to reach them with the Gospel, there is a strong reaction. People are surprised to hear of the highly controlled lifestyle and the spiritual blindness. The go away with a better understanding of JW's and how to reach them.
We need to pray that JW's can find the simple truth of eternal life through faith in Christ alone, not by meeting attendance and hours in field service.
NMM
is anyone on this board available to help an indiana man with a jw child custody case?.
perhaps testifying to the closed jw lifestyle for children?.
pm me if you can.. thanks,.
Is anyone on this board available to help an Indiana man with a JW child custody case?
Perhaps testifying to the closed JW lifestyle for children?
PM me if you can.
Thanks,
NMM
hello from mavie.
currently happily married for a number of years to a great jw wife, i currently serve as an ms in our local kh.
my wife and i have been told we are pillars in the congregation.
Mavie,
Welcome to the board.
Six years ago I was presiding overseer in a New York congregation.
I was "in the truth" all my life. It got to the point that I could no longer teach
the Watchtower doctrine. What I was taught as a boy, I could not teach as an elder,
because the teachings had changed.
I lost my 16 year old son to leukemia 11 years ago. He refused all blood products. Including the
ones that the Society said were O.K. to take in the June 15, 2000 Watchtower, six years after he died.
Between the doctrine that changed from my youth, to the blood doctrine changes, to the extreme guilt that I had taught
my son to deny medicine which was never really wrong to take in the first place, I begged Jehovah for the truth,
because I realized that what I was teaching from the platform was not really the truth, just changing teachings of men.
The guilt also devastated my wife and seriously affected her health for some time.
Much prayer and a serious study of the Bible in various translations led me to resign as an elder and realize that my
salvation does not come from meeting attendance, field service and association with the Governing Body. Salvation comes
from accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, to the glory of Jehovah. No organization is required.
The joy that has resulted from understanding the simplicity of Christianity, and being able to have a relationship with God through Christ,
has enabled my wife and me to fully recover from the damage caused us by false teaching.
I hope your journey brings relief to you and your wife, as well as a direct relationship with God.
NMM
in the new testament paul writes letters to congregations.. corinthians, ephesians etc.. .
were these congregations jewish?
had the catholic church been founded yet?
Last month I toured Israel with 250 Liberty University students.
The dean of the seminary, Dr. Ergun Caner, left Islam as a teenager and accepted Christianity.
He spoke one evening on how Christ came, not to establish religion, but to destroy it!
Organized religion is not necessary for salvation, only faith in Jesus Christ.
A church may accomplish good in the community on its own, but in order for a church to be under the authority of Jesus, the church needs to seek His will by prayer and study in the Bible. The church is directed by Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit. A church will flourish when it recognizes this.
Liturgy and ritual may aid worship for some, but it is not necessary for a person to have a personal relationship with God through Christ.
Churches that are legalistic (like the WT), grieve the Holy Spirit and totally miss the point of serving God and Christ.
To Jesus, there is one church, with one faith, and one hope. It doesn't matter what the name of the church is. Church could be as simple as two gathering together in Jesus' name.
Associating with fellow believers keeps our faith strong, brings God's approval, and provides opportunity to meet the needs of others. (James 1:27)
in the new testament paul writes letters to congregations.. corinthians, ephesians etc.. .
were these congregations jewish?
had the catholic church been founded yet?
According to the Nelson Study Bible, Paul was rejected by the Jews after preaching in the synagogue on the Sabbath. He ministered in Corinth for 18 months, eventually establishing a church. This church, like the city, had a mixture of nationalities, Though some Jews had been converted, most of the believers were Gentiles (12:2)
Galatians was not written to one church but "to the churches in Galatia". Galatia was a geographic area in modern Turkey. Jews were part of these churches. Paul's correction in Galatians deals with Judaizers, who were trying to impose the Law, including circumcision, on the Gentiles.
A key verse in Galatians concerning Paul's view of one universal church in 3:28- "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor femane; for you are all one in Christ Jesus."
Paul was teaching the immature church that salvation comes only through the Gospel: faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior brings eternal life.
As for the Catholic church's beginning, it depends on who you ask. The Catholics say the church was founded by Peter in the first century. Others say that the church officially began several hundred years later with Constantine.....etc.
NMM (Pastor Ron)
do you have any regrets that you have turned your back on joe hoba by your departure?.
i bet you are shaking in your socks when you reflect on the following spiritual food dispensed by those loving brothers in new york:.
it is vital that we appreciate this fact and respond to the directions of the "slave" as we would to the voice of god, because it is his provision.
I've been on the most amazing Christian walk since I left.
God has truly answered prayer for me.
