Posts by dedpoet

20

This isn't the first time the org have used alleged quotations from bible
scholars to support the NWT. They published a statement some years
ago implying that Dr. Julius Mantey supported it, but this is what he really
said, among other things

What Mantey has said about the New World Translation:

"Well, as a backdrop, I was disturbed because they (Watchtower) had misquoted me in support of their translation. " (These words were excerpted from the tape, "Martin and Julius Mantey on The New World Translation" )

Dr. Julius Mantey, author of A Manual Grammar of the Greek New Testament, calls the NWT "a shocking mistranslation." "Obsolete and incorrect." "It is neither scholarly nor reasonable to translate John 1:1 'The Word was a god.'"

http://www.towerwatch.com/Witnesses/New_World_Translation/mantey_comments.htm

The watchtower are well known for misquoting experts to back up their claims.
They are hardly going to tell jws to read other translations, but that's no excuse
for their dishonesty in eliciting support for theirs.

153

MY DAD MIGHT DIE DUE TO THE 'NO BLOOD' DOCTRINE

by Mary in

i don't have much time to post as i'm headed back to the hospital, but my father collapsed this morning and had to be rushed to the hospital.

in a nutshell: he needs a blood transfusion as his hemoglobin is dropping (bleeding internally), but thanks to this fucking cult, that's not an option...........he'll accept the fractions but those bastards from the blood liaison committee have already shown up to ensure he doesn't cave............... for those of you who still believe, i'm asking you to say a prayer for my dad........and if anyone from crooklyn is reading this: you better hope my father doesn't die due to your fucked up rules, .

dedpoet

I'm so happy to hear he's stable Mary, and well done. He has
you to thank for the fact that he's still alive. Thank goodness
thos HLC morons weren't around to try and overrule you.

11

WHATS ALL THIS ABOUT 1935 and the ANOINTED??

by chuckyy in

jw
friends

hi......just wondering if i have missed some "new light.

" is it now a case of the org saying that 1935 is no longer the date of the 144000 places in heaven being filled???

have i missed something??.

dedpoet

Trev, that is the only thing they have got right in the 130+ years of their existence.
None of those people have the Holy Spirit.
They don't believe in Him so they can't have Him.
'Active Force' is one of the most, out of many other Discombobulated and Delusional doctrines the cult has come up with.

Honesty, I agree with you. When I read this, it made me wonder what
the anointed are actually anointed with. Someone suggested snake oil,
which sounds about right. Apart from that, they have used this "special"
relationship with god they claim to have as a basis for their authority. Now
they are almost admitting that this relationship isn't that special after all.

Frankly, though the change in the 1935 teaching was a bit surprising, it
was forced on them in a way by the number of partakers at the memorial
staying the same or even rising, whereas this new idea about the holy spirit
wasn't, unless of course it's all part of a bigger plan for when all the old
codgers on the gb die off and they can use it to justify "non anointed"
company men running the organisation. As it stands, it seems to me
that the gb have taken a risk publishing this information, and a needless
one at that.

21

Official protocol for DF family member

by ellderwho in

while talking with mom(active dub) this morning, i said " aren't you glad i was never baptised so you can still talk and have a mother son relationship'?

her response shocked me in that she said it wouldn't matter your still my son.

and she would be able to talk with me, just cannot discuss the jw religion.. i was always under the impression you would be shunned for the rest of your life, unless you went through the chain of command for reinstatement.

dedpoet

There's quite a lot of information here

http://www.quotes-watchtower.co.uk/disfellowshiping.html

including this

Official Jehovah's Witnesses Media Relations Web Site, August 28, 2003

Beliefs—Frequently Asked Questions

[…]

Do you shun former members?

Those who become inactive in the congregation, perhaps even drifting away from association with fellow believers, are not shunned. In fact, special effort is made to reach out to them and rekindle their spiritual interest. If, however, someone unrepentantly practices serious sins, such as drunkeness, stealing or adultery, he will be disfellowshipped and such an individual is avoided by former fellow-worshipers. Every effort is made to help wrongdoers. But if they are unrepentant, the congregation needs to be protected from their influence. The Bible clearly states: 'Remove the wicked man from among yourselves.' (1 Corinthians 5:13) Those who formally say they do not want to be part of the organization any more are also avoided. What of a man who is disfellowshipped but whose wife and children are still Jehovah's Witnesses? The spiritual ties he had with his family change, but blood ties remain. The marriage relationship and normal family affections and dealings can continue. As for disfellowshipped relatives not living in the same household, Jehovah's Witnesses apply the Bible's counsel: "Quit mixing with them." (1 Corinthians 5:11) Disfellowshipped individuals may continue to attend religious services and, if they wish, they may receive spiritual counsel from the elders with a view to their being restored. They are always welcome to return to the faith if they reject the improper course of conduct for which they were disfellowshipped.

In my own experience, most jws shun me now, but a few still say hello.
Any conversations are brief, however, and never touch on jw matters.

11

WHATS ALL THIS ABOUT 1935 and the ANOINTED??

by chuckyy in

jw
friends

hi......just wondering if i have missed some "new light.

" is it now a case of the org saying that 1935 is no longer the date of the 144000 places in heaven being filled???

have i missed something??.

dedpoet

It was in the May 1st watchtower questions from readers section.
What they actually said was that the gathering of the 144,000
anointed, previously believed to have ended in 1935 apart from
replacements for those who fall away, is in fact still taking place,
and the org doesn't know how long this gathering will go on for.

The other,and perhaps even more telling comment they made
in this qfr is that the so-called anointed don't have any more
holy spirit than the other 6 million plus jws.

The change of thought on the gathering of the anointed is
maybe in response to the fact that the number of partakers
at the memorialnever goes down, and often increases -
last year 234 more partook than in 2005. It's also another
way to postpone armageddon in the jws minds, as they still
believe this gathering has to end before it strikes.

Edited to add: here is the thread that originally discussed
this latest doctrinal change

http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/12/130668/1.ashx

26

My JW Experience

by V1710 in

i've been lurking here for a few years on and off.

i faded from the borg seven years ago and haven't had one regret since.

the only regret i have is wasting twenty years of my life and my children's lives.

dedpoet

Hi V1710, and welcome to the forum

Thankyou for sharing your story

108

Hello everyone, first post.

by Frjprice in

jw
friends

hello, i just wanted to introduce myself to everyone here - as i will be posting here.. i grew up a jw and pioneered, was a ministerial servant, ect, i was in the organization for 17 years.

i left and naturally my family did as they were told and cut off all communication with me.

this left a horrible taste in my mouth for not just jw's, but any religion for that matter.

dedpoet

Hi there and welcome to the forum, it's good to see you here

153

MY DAD MIGHT DIE DUE TO THE 'NO BLOOD' DOCTRINE

by Mary in

i don't have much time to post as i'm headed back to the hospital, but my father collapsed this morning and had to be rushed to the hospital.

in a nutshell: he needs a blood transfusion as his hemoglobin is dropping (bleeding internally), but thanks to this fucking cult, that's not an option...........he'll accept the fractions but those bastards from the blood liaison committee have already shown up to ensure he doesn't cave............... for those of you who still believe, i'm asking you to say a prayer for my dad........and if anyone from crooklyn is reading this: you better hope my father doesn't die due to your fucked up rules, .

dedpoet

(((((Mary)))))

Keeping you in my thoughts

35

Why Do You Think Jehovah's Witnesses Are At A Standstill?

by minimus in

jw
friends

i think they've lost all of their zeal.

years ago, even if people were bothered by the door knocking, it was still said that people admired their zeal and conviction.

not one jw that i know truly gets excited by the "truth".

dedpoet

The "new system" has been just around the corner for a long time
now for many jws, particularly those who have spent a lifetime in
the org, and maybe they are getting tired of waiting. Then there's
the flashes of "new light", like the generation change and the revised
teaching on the gathering of the anointed. They've both served to
postpone armageddon again, so maybe a few are thinking it's one
hell of a long corner nowadays.

The ones we see around here don't seem to have much spark in
them, not that they speak to us, leading me to think that the
watchtower is in a lot more trouble than it realises. It probably
wouldn't take much more for some of these people to fade, become
inactive or leave altogether.

49

Let's Keep The E-Focus on Barbara's CD - Important

by AK - Jeff in

i have been sworn to secrecy on a couple of matters that will soon be evident in this regard.

sorry to be 'cryptic' here - but timing is everything when one is trying to bring the very serious [and often ignored in the press] matter of child sexual abuse to the fore.

with barbara anderson's permission, i reproduce part of pages 66 to 68 here for discussion..

dedpoet

How can a victim have two witnesses watching such an act! It really does fall on the parents to protect their children no matter what an organization claims! I know that parents are manipulated and controlled by the WTBTS not to press charges, but it still is the parents job to protect their children not any organization

I fully agree with you Sarah, the parents need to take action when their
child is abused, whatever the elders say, but you know as well as I do
the level of control exerted by the org on its' members. What would appear
inconceivable to most people is made to seem quite natural to a member
of a cult, even when it endangers the safety of a child.

Hopefully now that the full extent of how much the org has tried to cover
up the extent of its' child abuse problem is gradually being exposed in
the media, more parents will report these crimes to the authorities
more qualified to deal with them rather than the congregation elders.
Knowing how good the org are at making such reports appear to be
persecution against them though, I fear that many jws will continue
to take the elder route, thus exposing more children to danger.