i just wanted to add another piece to the puzzle that is the exile from the organization.
a little background about myself first.
i was not born into the religion, technically.
Bradford,
This is just a belated welcome. I recognized a lot of my story in your story-except my mom never faded. My aunt did a few times and she is now pioneering and dragged her poor husband into the religion.
Anyway, I welcome you and congratulate you on choosing a compatible spouse! All good things to you now that you have made your escape.
in 1986, peter davies was on holiday in kenya after graduating from louisiana state university .. .
on a hike through the bush, he came across a young bull elephant standing with one leg raised in the air.
the elephant seemed distressed, so peter approached it very carefully.
the wt study (feb study edition) for today stated "the jews had established a pattern.
of worship.
they regularly met together.
Plenty of Jews today do their fellowshipping in home meetings. The synagogs are for religion and education approved of by the 'authorities'. However, small groups would get together over coffee/food and discuss things in a deeper way, both religious and philosophical. I have had the privilege of attending both synagogs and groups of studious faithful who wanted to go deeper into the scripture and other writings. I have seen the same in Islam. The informal discussions usually have more politics woven in-philosophies of how religous and political issues mesh-or if they truly can and how much compromise is beneficial vs comproMISING.
I have learned a lot more in those discussions-in all three faiths than ever in a synagog, mosque or church. If not always what I agreed with, it always gave me more to study about,think about and pray about-because they were honest conversations, rather than ones meant to please "authority" or follow the party line, so tospeak.
this week has been the week when my whole way of thinking shifted.
i still cannot believe how this can happen so fast.
over a period of seven days i went from not even imagining that i could ever not be a witness to wanting to get out of this organisation.. .
me ?
my after meeting ritual, is getting my suit off, and a beer in my hand....in less than 2 minutes from entering my door.
raised in the borg, 45 year old and never been a ms or elder, but.
yet he is a die heart jw.
he criticize the elders but will defend the.
I think a JW can talk about individuals, but to say anything against the org is the issue. Few elders would want to draw attention to talk about them (probably true observations), but talking against the org is verboten!
Is he married? He sure isn't marriage material, according to the WT.
heard/saw this 30-second commercial last year - they just started it up again this growing season.. pink songbook memories, anyone?.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocuojb1ripq.
Pretty much any "kingdom" song that is at all catchy or recognizable was copied from a song popular in the culture. There are several that are based on church songs, Disney, and a couple of songs that I heard of from mid century old movies.
what i can't seem reconcile are the concepts of 'clergy' and 'ordained minister'.. the wts has consistently won legal battles, specifically in cases involving military exemption, by making the claim that each and every baptized jw is an 'ordained minister'.
and, they bolstered this label with the assertion that 'we do not have a clergy class'.
so, why is that different now in the sex abuse trials that happening right now?
has anyone seen this movie about christian longo and his adventures in id theft?
thank you, jw.net and cofty, for redirecting me to the right organization!.
when i posted why did god permit scriptures to be corrupted?
then i thought, if there is an organization that believes all scriptures are corrupted (which obviously makes it enemy of all religions), that organization is not ordinary, but gutsy, lionhearted, and worthy of close examination!
