Posts by vinman

16

All the changes

by vinman in

are their any newer people here, who recently found out ttatt, who has been disturbed by all the new changes in the organization?

it is turning into something that feels impersonal.

i know change is good.

I am new to this forum and I only found out the TTATT 4 months ago. I must add, even my wife had the weirdest face when she watched the cart song. It is something you would never imagined would happen.

16

All the changes

by vinman in

are their any newer people here, who recently found out ttatt, who has been disturbed by all the new changes in the organization?

it is turning into something that feels impersonal.

i know change is good.

vinman

Are their any newer people here, who recently found out TTATT, who has been disturbed by all the new changes in the organization? It is turning into something that feels impersonal. I know change is good. But it feels like the comfort of grandma's house is going away. Grandma is suffering midlife crisis. Even before I began to leave in my heart, it felt like it was becoming another religion. This just added to my fuel for leaving. (The "cart song " is so embarrassing)

104

The Secret is out....but nobody cares

by MrTheocratic in

i've been looking on this site for some time but never posted.

i'll give a little about myself, but not too much.

i'm a ex-bethelite ( brooklyn )and currently serving as an elder (10 years) (thinking about stepping down) on the service committee.

vinman

I have just recently (about 4 months ago), found TTATT. I'm 45. Was baptized at 13. Have done it all. What you are saying is the real truth! Many just don't want to make waves. They put in"token" service. Very few are absolutely dedicated. No one. And I mean no one, is even slightly believing the generation new light. Unlike the generation that will not pass away nonsense, which did cause some excitement, this is a dudd. So many youth and older ones are going to college. It is a new generation. Kids and adults who work in schools show school spirit. I can go on and on. But you nailed it!

13

144,000

by freein2004 in

okay so the number is literal but them coming out of israel is not?

huh?

what am i missing?

vinman

Just a thought: Since the Watchtower says 12 can represent completeness, couldn't it represent complete spiritual Israel. A limited, yet undisclosed number, in contrast to the "great crowd" which no man was able to number?

23

Help! I'm drowning!

by vinman in

my wife and sons don't know how far i have gone in withdrawing from the organization in my heart.

i've been faking family worship.

i got angry and almost showed it while watching the march tv.org.

vinman

Appreciate everyone's kind words. Everyone leaves the organization for different reasons. For me, it was that the Watchtower hid the fact that we worshipped Jesus into the 50's. How did that ever escape me? That is because for years and even on jw.org today, it carefully says that we have always rejected the Trinity. The assumption is made that we didn't do the worse part of that doctrine, which is creature worship of Jesus. That is so misleading. Anyway, my main point is this. That one finding, is just the beginning as you all know. Then we find all the rest of the deceptions, secrecy, etc. So it becomes complicated to explain to anyone in full why you say this is not the truth. It is not just this or that. Rather you begin to see a big pattern which screams "Do not put your trust in earthling men!" In other words, that is why all leave. A person may try to "explain" what seems to be a deception or that we were overly zealous for the end to come, whatever. But they fail to see what the real problem is. The Governing Body has no more of God's spirit then I do. For so many years, you wait for them to make sense of things. Sometimes they have. But you already had the real understanding 20 years ago! Just like the generation thing. That is such a simple scripture to grasp. Yet here we are now waiting for them to tell us that the generation began with Rutherford when we were called Jehovah's Witnesses. And those overlapping anointed ones will see the end. When you see the real issue, that of trusting men, their is no turning back no matter what "explanations" are given. And that is something that takes time to convey to family. Sorry for ranting. I know this is all old news, but I just need a punching bag and this is the place.

23

Help! I'm drowning!

by vinman in

my wife and sons don't know how far i have gone in withdrawing from the organization in my heart.

i've been faking family worship.

i got angry and almost showed it while watching the march tv.org.

vinman

I know the elders can't help me. The elders know they have nothing to offer. I guess right now, I'm so messed up, that I would think that the elders could put 2 and 2 together and see for themselves that something is messed up here. I would think that they may begin to see that this may not be the truth. I know, wishful thinking. I guess deep down,the comfort I want, is for some of the elders to see that I am not the one with the problem. Yeah right.😕

23

Help! I'm drowning!

by vinman in

my wife and sons don't know how far i have gone in withdrawing from the organization in my heart.

i've been faking family worship.

i got angry and almost showed it while watching the march tv.org.

vinman

My wife and sons don't know how far I have gone in withdrawing from the organization in my heart. I've been faking family worship. I got angry and almost showed it while watching the March tv.org. My son is getting married to a very nice witness. It broke my heart when my wife told me that what he likes about her is that she is like me (very spiritually strong). I have not abandoned the Bible but we know what he means. An elder is trying to "help" me right now. He knows I've gone downhill since i discovered we worshipped Jesus. Just adds another huge issue with 1919. He is even having a hard time with that one. No one is really helping me. No sound reasoning. No scriptures. One elder said "your here". You haven't left Jehovah. I said that's true but it doesn't explain the worship of Jesus. He commended me for not spreading what I know . He then said, "well, that is why they are called "the discreet slave ". "What would happen if they told everyone that? That is what makes them discreet." Wow! I feel so trapped. My mom who is 64 will die if she finds out where I am right now. I have two adopted children, ages 9,11. They love this organization. My 9 year old last night after watching tv.org said Bethel is the most spiritual place on earth. I have to go to an assembly this weekend. People know I'm not quite the same. I haven't been commenting or having my normal conversations. You see I have returned to my original congregation after being in sign language for 4 years. Why the return? My wife knows I haven't been doing well. I feel so lost and lonely. The Kingdom Hall feels so different now. It is like I'm walking into a haze. Literally. A huge weight is lifted once I'm in the safety of my car. I just don't know what to do.

8

Russell and Jehovah's Name

by vinman in

i'm pretty new here.

but i have a question.

the kingdom rules!

vinman

I'm pretty new here. But I have a question. The Kingdom Rules! book states that Russell didn't use God's name much because it was felt that the ransom was the main doctrine. How true is that? Have you read anything different?

52

Why do I suddenly want to start reading JW literature and going to Kingdom Halls?

by yogosans14 in

jw
friends

is good calling me back or am i just letting my emotions get the best of me?also i really want to be closer to my jw family.

btw i was never baptized and i consider myself a born again christian i go to a baptist church and wath televangelist and i have expirenced gods presence like never before but sometimes i get fearful and think "what if jws are right and i'm wrong" than i'm screwed!but if there wrong and i'm right it doesn't look to good for them.. i would prefer if nobody posted "god isn't real" type comments.

i truly believe he is real but i respect why some are atheists..

vinman

I happily and sadly discovered the truth about the truth just four months ago. It broke my heart. Regardless of what I found, some facts remain. I know from actual experience, that I could hand my house key to absolute strangers (pioneers) and go to work and not worry a bit. Then come home, and have a nice meal and good times with them. This of course, is why it should be the truth, right? Sad to say, it does not change the real story. But we will continue to struggle with such feelings. I know I will.

19

Road to Recovery

by vinman in

i am totally new to this.

i was raised as a jehovah's witness.

i made it my own at the age of 5. i was a "true believer ".

vinman

I am totally new to this. I was raised as a Jehovah's Witness. I made it my own at the age of 5. I was a "True Believer ". I am 45. Served as an elder about 12 years and servant about 8. I am not some disgruntled man that will say my life was terrible as a witness. It was wonderful. I loved everything about it. Just sitting at a convention listening to the music prelude filled me with joy. I was a staunch Bible reader. Read every magazine since I was baptized at 13. It gave me joy morning and night. True, like many, I shelved some doubts, but I felt Jehovah and his Christ were far more important then my little life. I had planned on getting old in this system and dying "old and satisfied". Then one day about 4 months ago I started reading our "spiritual heritage " within the old publications. It was simply a curious journey. Nothing to try to criticize the Wt. Society. I can say many things, but the worship of Jesus till 1954 took me down hard. I ran into this in old Wt. magazines. I didn't enter an apostate site until I discovered this. The site only verified my worse fear. Then of course, this beautiful garment ( the organization) unravelled before my eyes. Now I see of course, that a person can't simply put their trust in these 8 men again. Their is no going back. It is illogical. Of course I'm very depressed but I feel I'm dealing with it. My wife and 4 kids (2 still are at home) are still active. I'm trapped between rock and a hard place. I feel i have read everything I can possibly read about the organization. My question is, when did you give yourself a break from all the reading about the organization? I seem to be rereading the sites. Simply because of the shock factor. I feel that I'm of the same disposition as Ray Franz. Why would i turn into some atheist just because the Watchtower is false? If you throw away the Bible after life in the Watchtower, that really tells you the power of that organization. You simply believed because Wt. said so. So i guess, if you are one that continues to read and meditate on the Bible, how long did it take before you could do this without distraction ( that is, without this obsession of reading other websites about ex-JW's)?