Posts by Apostate Kate

10

How many were raised as a witness, and are now Christian ?

by troubled mind in

i was raised a witness and have not known anything else .

i go back and forth with myself on whether i even believe in god at all anymore .

i keep hoping that there is ....from a young age i had a strong desire to understand god .

Apostate Kate

Hi Sandy, Troubled!

You are not alone in doubting the validity of the Bible. It is good and human after having been fooled by a cult, to question it.

I too went through that and continue to seek answers, I probably always will. I found plenty of evidence, historical and archeological to validate the acuracy of the Bible. I always had to check my sources, some people hate the Bible and their agenda is to disprove it.

I have found no other solution to the pain and suffering of the world but Jesus. Loving Him and following Him is an emotional journey. It is not for wimps.

Loving Jesus is a relationship;

If Jesus is the Word of God, whose voice was heard by Israel in the desert?

When Jesus was on earth we talked to Him, walked with Him.

When Jesus died He rose from the dead and spoke to people.

When Jesus rose up into heaven Paul and Stephen spoke to Him.

Jesus said where two or more are gathered in my name I am there.

So when did it become illegal to talk to Jesus;

When the Governing Body of Jehovah?s Witnesses decided they wanted to be Jesus.

Revelation 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.~Jesus

Before I had a close relationship with Jesus I had worries, fears, uncertainties. Now I have true and genuine peace, comfort, faith in Him. Many here know I promote Calvary Chapel. We have to read, research Biblical texts for ourselves, and never ever again allow someone else (church) to tell us what the Bible has to say.

I like Calvary Chapel and churches similar like Saddleback, the "Purpose Driven Life" church. They have always proved to be well balanced and scholarly without being religious and legalistic. It is a come as you are church so shorts and jeans are the norm. They also usually have many charities that you can get involved in.

What's most important is to pray, ask Jesus to come into your life, ask Him to lead and guide you personally. If something doesn't feel right, go the other direction. Read the book of John and ponder chapter 3.

Love~Kate

44

Questions for those born or raised in the truth

by The wanderer in

jw
friends

raised in the organization

"for those not born into the organization .

not having been born into the organization i believe.

Apostate Kate

It felt like what a suicide bomber must feel like. Its all normal. In the end instead of 78 virgins (what the hell are suicide bomber women supposed to get) we were promised some JW paradise.

It was a wasted life sacrificed for nothing that we did not get to choose.

43

Thanks I'm home and angry

by hambeak in

jw
friends

i am angry because my adult children who are active jw's think i should be dead or suffer for not being a witness and i supported them comfortably and they shunned me and show hate i am sad and probably won't do the chemo thing and just let nature take its course.

any ideas?

i am taking pain meds so this is probably messed up with my message help.

Apostate Kate

Hambeak/Gary;

I can actually tell you that I have faced this type of deep despair. I had lost my children's love at one point too. I have to have life saving medical treatments for the rest of my life or I will die.

There was a time I considered not doing something I needed to do to stay alive and well.

Please believe me when I tell you that you can not give up or give in to the disease. You can not let your horrible physical and emotional pain dictate to you what you will do. You know why? Because it IS going to get better.

You have heard it said the best thing we can do after the WT is to do well and succede, this is so true.

I'm so sorry for your suffering. It hurts so bad. I remember it, but it is just a memory now, as this will be for you too. No matter how sad, how bleak, how dark you feel, never give up. Many beautiful things have happened to me since those dark horrid days and lonely nights.

The best thing you can do for your children is to survive. THINK LIFE!

Fight. There are wonderful days ahead.

Don't give up on your relationship with your children. Do you still belive in God? If so, pray for them. Pray for them to know the true God of compassion, mercy, and the same God who said one must HONOR your parents.

Be strong, do your chemo, LIVE.

10

Last Class

by Sparkplug in

jw
friends

that was my last class in my bsba.

i need to wrap up financial and then i get the "paper".

whoohoo!

Apostate Kate

woooooooooohoooooooooooooo!

Way to go!!!!!!!!!!!!!

even tho I don't know what a BSBA is, I am happy for you!

I'm gonna have a glass of vino in your honor right now!

87

How many 'real" friends did you ever really have in ther "truth'

by The Lone Ranger in

jw
friends

sure we got to know a lot of people, we knew a lot more people then the average person, but how many real friends did we ever have?

a friend that we could trust, that we could confine in.

i can say i had just one, bro x and even then i still had to be careful, bro x is an elder now and he tells me that im the only real friend hes ever had, he cant freely talk to anyone.

Apostate Kate

I had two girlfriends, one I met in the late 1960's, the other 1972.

They did not make it out alive, whole.

I'd give my right arm to have them back the way we were, the WT destroyed them. They had both been in from birth.

Joanna had long red hair, a silly grin, fair skin.. we endured elementary school torments as dub kids together. We were the minority of the minority.

the other friend was truly a beauty with an engaging sense of humor, we had so much fun together. It was so odd though, we would go door to door one day, and then make fun of some of the stuff going on the next.

She seen demons when we were little...monsters..heard things that were not there..she would throw up a lot..I did not know what anorexia was until I developed my own eating disorders later.

She could sing too ..she had an amazing voice. I always in awe of her talent and beauty.

Terrible things happened to us....there was no normal...she lost her mind in the end.

I miss her

47

thirdwitnessCan you Scripturally support JW dogma?

by AuldSoul in

jw
friends

thirdwitness,.

my father, who sat on his first judicial committee when he was 17 and has been and "elder" ever since, couldn't provide scriptures to support some very basic teachings of jehovah's witnesses.

our current circuit overseer could not either.

Apostate Kate

JosephQ; The short answer to your main question is, no. I cannot provide scriptural proof that these are prerequisites for Christian baptism. The simple fact is, they are not taught as requirements anywhere in the Bible.

That said, Jehovah's Witnesses are not alone in imposing organizational requirements for baptism that the Bible does not specify. Quite a few churches require special slogans to be said by the offiating baptizer, specially formulated agreements and oaths, various ceremonies, certain articles of clothing (sometimes made of a specific fabric), persons of a special status in the church to do the baptizing, waiting for a specific occasion, etc. None of these are required in the Scriptures for baptism.

LOL great..special slogans by other churches is what JUSTIFIES JWs special baptismal requirments...

what perfect logic

47

thirdwitnessCan you Scripturally support JW dogma?

by AuldSoul in

jw
friends

thirdwitness,.

my father, who sat on his first judicial committee when he was 17 and has been and "elder" ever since, couldn't provide scriptures to support some very basic teachings of jehovah's witnesses.

our current circuit overseer could not either.

Apostate Kate

Oh come on guys..don't be so hard on him, he has gone to discuss this with some elders and will get back to you........

15

"KNOCKING" DVD now available, anyone see it yet?

by Apostate Kate in

jw
friends

received in email; (i didn't see it posted here) sounds really discustingly pro jw.

august 21, 2006. www.knocking.org.

order dvd now.

Apostate Kate

lies and deciet deciet and lies.....

PBS NEEDS to be made aware of this crap propaganda movie. It makes me sick in the gut to think how many people are going to see this, BUT....anyone still curious about the WT after seeing this trash will do an online search...

I'm sure nothing about Silent Lambs or broken families is mentioned.

How does one start a petition? We can pass around a petition to send to PBS.

12

The dubs may not be dishonest but is the WTS?

by ozziepost in

the recently distributed tract "you are cordially invited to attend the 'deliverance at hand!

' dc of jws" invited people to mail in a coupon requesting the publication "what does the bible really teach?

the coupon had two check boxes:without obligation, i request a copy of the book what does the bible really teach?please contact me concerning a free home bible study.. given that the coupons would be mailed to local congregations with a covering letter from the branch requesting that the householder be visited with the book and the offer of a home bible study, was there really any difference between the two question?

Apostate Kate

Rank and file dubs are taught thet they are loving moral honest people so they believe that they are.

The truth is that dishonesty and deception was part of the deal from the beginning.

Are new converts told all the rules/facts from the beginning? How many times have new JWs, or "studies" happened in here and were shocked at the reality of life as a JW or xJW.

Are they told that they will never move up the invisble ladder without at least 8 hours door to door service a month? Or that they will be required to give up all their friends and shun their own children?

no..not at the beginning

The lies and dishonesty become normal and acceptable like the frog in the pot, but it is still dishonest.

I guess there is a line that gets crossed at some point when a "study" becomes a believer in the WT, that the deception begins to make perfect sense.

Deception for Jehovah. riiiight...

15

"KNOCKING" DVD now available, anyone see it yet?

by Apostate Kate in

jw
friends

received in email; (i didn't see it posted here) sounds really discustingly pro jw.

august 21, 2006. www.knocking.org.

order dvd now.

Apostate Kate

Received in email; (I didn't see it posted here) sounds really discustingly pro JW.

KNOCKING DVD SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT
August 21, 2006
www.knocking.org

ORDER DVD NOW
Go to www.knocking.org and click on the “ORDER DVD NOW” button found in the
upper left corner of the screen. Get 15% discount on orders of three or more
DVDs.

SPECIAL DVD FEATURES
The DVD contains a 63-minute film festival version that is 10 minutes longer
than what will be broadcast nationally in the United States on PBS in May
2007. The feature presentation is Closed Captioned in English. The DVD is
"All Region" and will play on newer DVD players in Europe and Australia (it
will not be compatible every DVD player outside North America, especially
older models).

We’ve spent many months putting together lots of extra features on the DVD.
There are more than 3 hours of additional material, including:
* Short film about Jehovah's Witnesses and free speech cases at the U.S.
Supreme Court
* Behind-the-scenes interviews with the directors
* Segment on "Street Witnessing"
* Special lecture series. The lecture series features expanded interviews
with leading experts in the areas of civil liberties, medical ethics and
Holocaust history. Each expert comments on the contributions of Jehovah's
Witnesses. There are also rare, official interviews with representatives of
the world headquarters of Jehovah's Witnesses
* Study and discussion guide. A printed 48-page booklet comes with each DVD,
providing in-depth historical and social analysis. Extra copies can be
opened and printed from the DVD on your computer.

AWARDS
KNOCKING has played at a number of film festivals and has won several
awards. It will be broadcast nationally in the United States on the PBS
series "Independent Lens" in May 2007. Get your own sneak preview by
ordering the DVD now.
Film Festival awards:
*Best Documentary, Jury Award, 2006 USA Film Festival (Dallas)
*Best Documentary, Jury Award, 2006 Trenton Film Festival (New Jersey)
*Best Documentary, Audience Award, 2006 Indianapolis International Film
Festival
*Best First Film, Jury Award, 2006 Long Island International Film Expo (New
York)
*Official Selection, 2006 Cleveland International Film Festival

WHAT WAS WATCHTOWER’S ROLE?
The New York-based Watchtower Society directs the worldwide ministry of
Jehovah's Witnesses. It publishes the Watchtower magazine and other
religious books and journals distributed by Jehovah's Witnesses. Viewers who
would like to know more about the role of the Watchtower Society in the
production of KNOCKING may call Watchtower at 718-560-5600 (weekdays between
8am and 5pm Eastern time). KNOCKING is an independent film production.
Watchtower cooperated with the film's producers, providing them with
archival material, granting interviews and permitting their cameras access
to Watchtower's headquarters. KNOCKING's camera crews were also allowed to
film at a district convention of Jehovah's Witnesses, inside local Kingdom
Halls and accompany Witnesses in the door-to-door visitation work.
Watchtower had no editorial control over the program, but the producers
provided an advance courtesy screening of the completed film.

WHAT ARE VIEWERS SAYING?
"I am one of Jehovah's Witnesses and I think KNOCKING would be a favorable
screening for Witnesses and non-Witnesses alike. I had the pleasure of being
at the screening of your documentary in Trenton, New Jersey at our city's
recent film festival. I found KNOCKING to be fresh, enlightening and fair."
Terri Taylor
New Jersey

"KNOCKING was a knockout! It was fair, honest and factual. You couldn't have
picked better subjects than the Kempler and Thomas families. Best of all, it
was told by non-witnesses. Congratulations."
Ellen Williams and Anna Turner
Long Island, New York

"We wanted to let you all know that we really appreciated the fair depiction
of Jehovah's Witnesses contained in your film. Four of us from Cleveland,
Ohio traveled to Flint, Michigan to see it, and it was wonderful. We all
cried as we watched the movie! Once again, thank you for an accurate and
interesting portrayal of Jehovah's Witnesses. We look forward to seeing the
DVD."
Marla Roberts, Lashella Carroll, Sonya Parker and Paulette Murray
Cleveland, Ohio

"I just got in from the Long Island screening of Knocking and I had to write
to express my feelings. It was wonderful! As one of Jehovah's witnesses for
35 years, I was a little wary when I first heard about this film. I've been
used to inaccurate reports from the media over the years and was thrilled to
experience your fair and accurate documentary. I shed a few tears during the
sections dealing with Seth Thomas and his father, and of course the
experiences of Joseph Kempler. Thank you for your film and for being fair
and accurate about our beliefs and way of life."
Alick C. Samuels
Cambria Heights, New York

"I was very impressed with your film and its four perspectives: 1) the blood
issue; 2) our relationship with non-JW family members; 3) JWs & the Nazis;
4) JWs and civil rights. The delivery of these very important issues was
nicely demonstrated in the film. When I returned home I immediately told my
friends and family about this wonderful film. Thank you for your fairness
and good research."
Helen Cole
New York

"Thank you so much for giving our beliefs a fair shake."
Luanne Longan
Retired English professor, Gadsden State Community College

WHAT ARE PROFESSIONALS SAYING?
"Riveting and illuminating. KNOCKING takes us inside the world of Jehovah's
Witnesses in a way that is utterly surprising and moving."
-- Anderson Cooper, CNN

"A compelling documentary. KNOCKING affirms the principle that in a free
society, the protection of religious liberty and the advancement of personal
freedoms need not be competing values.”
-- Anthony D. Romero, Executive Director, American Civil Liberties Union

"A thoughtful telling of an important, often-overlooked story about
essential American issues.”
-- Jon Meacham, Managing Editor, Newsweek

“KNOCKING contains a wonderful surprise: It shows how science and religion,
with worldviews that rarely overlap, can reach a common goal – the use of
less blood in medicine – even if for very different reasons.”
-- Arthur Caplan, Chair, Department of Medical Ethics, University of
Pennsylvania

"An absorbing account of a misunderstood religious movement and its
relationship to contemporary culture. KNOCKING raises important questions
about how we know and how we consider the religious "other," and through its
own presentation, causes us to re-think the way media represent them."
-- Stewart M. Hoover, Director, Center for Media, Religion and Culture,
University of Colorado

BULK DISCOUNT
Receive a 15% discount when purchasing 3 or more DVDs. Regular price of each
DVD is $29.95.

LIMITED FIRST RUN
Guarantee your copy. We are making a limited first-run of DVDs to assess
interest. If you want one of these first DVDs, best to pre-order now.
Pre-orders will be shipped between Sept. 15-30. If interest is high, we will
produce more DVDs.

HOW TO PAY
We accept most credit cards through a secure online shopping cart. Checks
and money orders are also accepted. Go to www.knocking.org and click on the
"ORDER DVD NOW" button found in the upper left corner of the screen to begin
the secure online ordering process. Only the "regular shipping" option is
available for this pre-order period. DVDs will be shipped between Sept.
15-30.

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