i think the biggest reason someone maintains their faith in the wts is because the wts is the "ticket" to paradise earth.. how did you deal with the prospect that the "ticket" salesmen weren't totally reliable?.
did it cause you to let go of your hope in paradise earth?
did it redirect it to another hope?.
Blondie is correct, the allure faded long ago.
I think that is true for most witnesses. I very rarely hear them talk about paradise, they may use it at the door sometimes but they don't talk about it like they think it's comming. Maybe they just hope it doesn't come as they can't live up to the WT standards.
i have been a jw all my life, my sister and i are now in our late twenties and are so unhappy and after desparate attempts to keep up meeting attendance are not spiritually motivated.
we in last few weeks have found some very disturbing things in our search such as the un involvement.
after research on these things and use of the wt library the society speaks for it's self on these issues calling the un the "disgusting thing" that the book of daniel spoke about(wt 85' para.
I just love it when they fall back on the "Jehovah is using imperfect men to run his organization".
What does that really mean? A perfect God would use imperfect men, to run his now imperfect organization, and have those imperfect men expect perfection out of the rest of the flock.
I believe the reason why most witnesses join in the shunning ritual is that it help shield them from their own imperfection and enables them to dirrect attention to someone else- "a common enemy"
Love to you all
from the jw point of view as 'christians' they are bound by all the new and some old testament laws.
it would be a farce if they copped out every time things got hard, they might as well have a corporate merger with the catholics.
acts 15:20 clearly states that the new christians that are being recruited should abstain from blood amongst other things.
It may be interesting to find out which, if any, GB member needed some form of blood each time a change in the policy came around. I don't know if anyone is in a position to find that out but it would go a long way to explaining the changes over time.
i need some help reaching a friend regarding the faults of the society and the control they have over us.
i keep stressing that the nt insists that salvation is by faith and not by works and that those under works of law are in fact under a curse.
(see gal 3:10-11 and romans 3:20-24).
Forgive me as I don't recall the scriptures exactly but I know you could find them.
Paul said we are saved apart from works so no one can boast, and James said we faith without work is dead. Both of them used an OT story to prove their piont. They even used the same story. It was Abraham offreing up Issac. How would this be possable if the Bible is Gods word? Simple, we as men could only see Abraham raise the knife up over Issac, but God read Abraham's heart before he even got to the foot of the mountain. By faith we are justifed by God, by works we are justified by men. Find those scriptures and read the chapters in total and you will see the differance. James is looking at things from a human perspective. I hope this helps
Fair question jgnat,
My wife, and my father are JW's, I have been out since '92. Plus where I work there are five others. Further my father was quite promonent for a while so most JW's in town know at least my family name. So it's not so much that I go back for more as it is they keep coming.
Well I’m off to a great start.
Anyway, I find it very insulting to the JW’s will say that they don’t celebrate B’days, Christmas etc. give their faulty reasons and then proceed to say that they don’t give thanks just one day a year. They don’t give their children gifts just one or two days a year. The way they say this is just to try and impugn non-JW’s and make themselves look loving and kind. All the while their watching every move their children make so as to catch them in a wrong doing. Remember there are some things more honorable and respected than a JW family being perfect in every way. Some of those are having an unbelieving or D’fed mate, and still going to meetings, and having unruly and unbelieving children that you have “lovingly” put out of your house and turned your back on.
I personally am not going to stand by and let those comments go unchallenged anymore. I am going to call them out on their un-Christian rudeness and have them answer for it.
What do you think?
i once talked to a jw about disfellowshipping and was curious to how can this be showing a christly love when you all out turn your back on them.
he gave me an answer about rightousness and unrightrousness having no fellowship (which is biblical) but it didnt make sense to me.
didnt seem applicable in many ways.
We must not forget that the "punishment" of D'fing starts the moment someone starts to become indoctrinated. Everything that is non-JW is of Satan. So when you leave you are with Satan no matter where you go. (I remember being told that "if you aren't a JW then you are worshiping Satan whether you know it of not." I found it funny that you could deliberately worship some one by accident.) Also if you were a "good JW" then you have already cut off most of your non JW family and friends except for trying to convert them. Then, when you do leave, you do feel alone. As far as the love goes, they tell you that shunning you is showing you love (really they are telling themselves that), but all it is a fear of man. They don't want to be judged but other JW's.
To tell someone that I love you and care about you, just as long as you believe what I believe, when I believe it, and to the same degree I believe it, is not unconditional love. And if there are conditions place upon it is not love it is merely acceptance. Is that not a sad state of affairs that you are only allowed accept your children, (family and friends to) not unconditionally love them. To be able to turn your emotions off like that is a form of psychosis that is highly destructive and anti-social. I know this all seems scary to some but it is a sad reality. I have seen this and a lot worse first hand, as have many others.
is there any one scripture (or more) that really suprised you once you took the wt glasses off and just read the bible as is, without all the extra literature?
1st John 5 v1
'Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God...."
Whoever is anybody and everybody, not a select few.
I love hearing JW's try and explain this one. The most common reply I've heard was "Yes, but that only applies to the anointed" So I had to ask "does that mean that all of 1st John is only talking to the anointed?" I was told yes, at first; until I pointed out that it was just encouragement to love God and your neighbor. Then I was told no all of 1st John was just for the anointed (same conversation mind you) only Ch5 v1. Then I asked for understanding on how you can pick and choose which verses are for the anointed and which are for the pawns. This of course led to the "Don't move ahead of the Organization", The FDS will deliver the proper food and the proper time", and my personal favorite---"We have scholars in
Anyway that was the first scriprture that made me start to open my eyes. It is so simple and to the point.
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it is alleged that santa was an invention of cola cola back in the 1930s.. due to the pagan connection,should jws drink cola cola?
I believe that one of the heirs of the Coke inventors family is a JW and gives thousands.
Not sure if it's true.
