i was in my company vehicle and i spotted some jw's going from door to door.. i circled around the block and pulled over.
when they passed, i rolled down the .
window and asked the pleasant looking middle aged couple as they passed, if they were jehovah's .
Amazing well done with the two JWs. I really like the reasoning about the generation as an opening Topic.
Your experience is very sad. I do hope your son and DiL can over time realize they don't need it as a network and form new friendships whilst they are still young. It shows how strong the hold is when after everything they still feel the need to go.
i offer this with out further comment:.
12 the mosaic law made it a capital offense to profane gods name.
(leviticus 24:16).
A turning point for me when leaving the JWs was watching online the stoning to death of an African woman. It was the most barbaric thing I have ever seen. Crowds of people were screaming at her, throwing all manner and size of rocks at her. She was cut and bleeding, would struggle to her feet and collapse again to the ground. Small rocks hitting her head had stunned her so she deliriously would attempt to stand. It took many minutes for her to finally be unable to lift herself, as people contined to pelt her with more rocks. I have since looked for that video but can no longer find it.
What it showed is that the Mosaic Law was written in a time of barbarians. Stoning, slavery, the treatment of women and animal sacrifice were all inhumane. No educated country would pass such a laws in our more enlightened times. Any person that complains about modern society is unaware of how much we have progressed. The Old Testament was a product of its times and fortunately the Greeks improved culture enough that by the time of the New Testament the writers were somewhat less offensive.
i'm thinking around 20% have serious doubts and 99% have some doubts but keep them from becoming conscious to avoid cognitive dissonance.
this is becoming increasingly harder to do over the fact that the governing body are showing their true colors and the contridictions are so great..
My father was a CO for 20 years, up until about 3 years ago when he passed away with cancer. He never believed that holy spirit directed the governing body. He just thought they were more genuine in trying to interpret the Bible than any other religion. Somehow he seemed unaware of how much the GB have been elevating themselves over the last few years.
the writer of this article commends the work jw's have been doing on suicide prevention.
obviously he has not seen the secret elders tapes.. .
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/josh-rivedal/mental-health_b_4788273.html.
Leaders in religious studies in their respective religious fields need to open up dialogue with mental health professionals (and vice versa) so that faith can be used as a tool to help nourish a person back to health.
Two faith-based organizations have been doing commendable work. Awake!magazine (Jehovah's Witnesses) did an article about reasons to live
The quote about JWs immediately follows the paragraph stating that religious leaders should have dialogue with health professionals. How disappointing to mention JWs when they are one of the religions most against recommending health professionals.
one of the worst and best things about waking up is realizing that despite what you've been taught as a child, you are going to die one day.
that was easy for me to handle, as i've had near death medical emerigencies.
the hardest part is the thought of losing your parents.
I realised the same when I left. JWs talk about others not having a hope, but actually heaven is a better hope. Dying and soul sleep is quite depressing compared to thinking that death is a doorway to immediate and better things.
i visited this site about 2 years after leaving?.
when did you first visit jwn?.
paul.
I joined after learning TTATT, but before leaving the Witnesses (still in).
Same here. I took years to confirm that it was not the truth before looking to external sources, but the exit was quite rapid after that due to help from sites like this.
darkest area is most anti-gay.
perhaps they need to focus on those areas since they seem to agree with them on this issue.
jehovah.
Same sex relationships are unatural as they can't lead to reproduction.
Same sex relationships occur frequently amongst numerous animals, so it is very natural.
Sex does not only need to be for procreation. Prior to the availability of contraception it was common for married men to take male lovers, so as to prevent their wife having too many children. A woman's body takes time to recover from pregnancy, and child birth is dangerous, so same sex relations is a naturally effective way to satisfy the male sex drive and have the most number of healthy children.
many jws don't know the basic doctrines we all use to debate the clergy with.. .
jws don't know the bible, the know a few proof-texts but can't handle the bible like the witnesses of 1950s-1990s, what happened?.
the caliber of the new elders is horrible when compared with the elders of 1950s-1990s, they don't know how to use their bible, they are turning towards orgnazational minor details while ignoring the bible and gospel message.. .
Tim Hopper - He was so au fait with his Bible that he could give a public talk with only the scriptural references for notes. Once, after I'd left, he phoned me and I mentioned that I was suffering with piles. He immedediately quoted a scripture that stated somethimng about those deserting would have a sore arse - something like that anyway.
Whilst many knew the Bible inside out, they did not know how to interpret it with any degree of logic, but rather have always does so in line with how the Watchtower forces them to. The Watchtower uses an Eisgesis approach to interpretation that is poor when compared to standard Christianity, yet educated and intelligent JWs still followed it without question because the religion was always about indoctrination and control. For example, JWs were unphased by flip flops around the great crowd, the worship of Jesus, or the ridiculous Revelation interpretations and antitypes. I has always been Watchtower devotion ahead of Bible accuracy.
many jws don't know the basic doctrines we all use to debate the clergy with.. .
jws don't know the bible, the know a few proof-texts but can't handle the bible like the witnesses of 1950s-1990s, what happened?.
the caliber of the new elders is horrible when compared with the elders of 1950s-1990s, they don't know how to use their bible, they are turning towards orgnazational minor details while ignoring the bible and gospel message.. .
Gingerbread - For a century they have been telling us that we can come to a true understanding of the Bible ONLY by reading and studying their publications.
BOTR - We were never taught thinking skills. My experience is from the 1950s but I had notes/lit from deceased family members. There had to be self-selection going on in who became a Witness. I thought I knew the Bible and WT doctrine.
Those two comments sum up the situation. JWs have always been forced not to think or research, but rather learn Watchtower doctrine by rote. They forcefully felt they knew more than others, and still do. That does not make Watchtower doctrine right, it is just that most religious people do not know their own doctrine well enough to hold such a debate.
Overall, both JWs and people of other religions are becoming less interested and educated about their own doctrine. That is product of society in general. TV, computers and ipads have led people to short attention spans and information overload. This generation operate off sound bites rather than extensive research.
have been going to a few meetings to support my kids that have to go with their mother.
i knew it would be a powerful lesson for them to see how these loving people treat their father who da'd a while ago.
couple of elders tried to corner me the 2nd or 3rd time i went to remind me that i cant talk to anyone.... i however reminded them that i am not df'd and i can talk to whomever i want to.
"I however reminded them that I am not df'd and I can talk to whomever I want to."
That is a great comment, and I had not considered it before. Since you da'd and do not want to go back, you have no reason to abide by their rules. That same reasoning can also be used by someone disfellowshipped that has no intention of going back. The comment by a df'd person would be slightly different, such as "I do not agree with Watchtower rules, and can talk to whomever I want to."
