Posts by alanv

28

HELP I need some ex-elders help for a phone conversation with my JW parents

by cyberjesus in

ok this is the deal: i was dfd 14 years ago, i was just planning to go back last year.

i had planned to come back with a clean conscience so i started to study and research the wt to prove to myself this was the truth, the elders had met with me to suggest me to submit a letter of reinstatement, in the same meeting i told them i had some questions that i needed help with before i was to go back.

they said they were gonna answer those questions after i was reinstated :-d so i went by myself and started doing my research.

alanv

Why would they think you are an apostate if you want to go back to the org? It shouldn't matter to them what you were doing while you were out, it is the future that counts.

Having said that you need to think very seriously about going back. Are you going back so you can have contact with your family (which I can completely understand) or are you going back because you really do think they are teaching the truth.

If it is the latter I strongly suggest you check out books or websites written by exwitnesses. The best book for any witness or exwitness to read is 'Crisis of Conscience' by Ray Franz who was a member of their governing body. It is not a bitter or vengeful at all, it simply tells people what really goes on behond the scenes.

It is ridiculous they wouldn't answer your questions until you were formally accepted back. Very unchristlike.

By the way I was not an elder but MS and pioneer for 10 years. Good luck

19

No windows

by BlackSwan of Memphis in

a couple years back i read posts re the lack of windows in the kh.

i think at the time i was still so close to the situation that i thought it was a bit extreme and surely it couldn't be anything like it was being made out to be: conspiracy on the part of the organization.. flash forward to recent days.

i have been attending our local unitarian universalists church (or universalist unitarian?

alanv

In my area they have plenty of windows in the Kingdom Hall but also net curtains over them so you can't look out.

6

2010 Year Text - Oh, the irony!

by lepermessiah in

jw
friends

yeartext for 2010 is from the last part of verse 7 and the first part of verse 8 in 1 cor.

13 7:8.. "love endures all things.

love never fails.".

alanv

According to JWs, love is the way you can identify them as the true religion. What you are never told as a witness though is that the love is only there when you completely agree with the teachings of the WT. Once you show any disagreement with anything that is said from the platform you will be marked as not good company.

Their love is a totally conditional love and way different to the love that Jesus spoke about. Always you will be told go speak to the elders about your problem. You are simply not allowed to have any of your own thoughts. Real love in the cong. would allow you to talk to anyone about anything. That is what real love is all about.

15

How do elders step down?

by BlackSwan of Memphis in

catching up on some of the posts a thought came to mind..... .

if an elder or ms wants to step down, what is the process?

can it be as simple as saying "i need to step down" without having to supply an explanation?.

alanv

As far as I remember if you are serious about it they make an announcement to the cong. It simply says that so and so is no longer an elder/MS. Trouble is because witnesses are such a suspicious lot, the tongues are soon wagging about why that one has been removed. It may be for a totally innocent reason like spending more time with the family but many will wonder why has he been removed and I wonder what he has done.

28

The "Truth" Is A Huge Waste Of Time!

by minimus in

jw
friends

my mother still has hope i'll come back to the "truth".

i think back at the utter boredom i suffered week after week for years sitting through the dull spiritually edifying meetings.

i never understood why people would want to sit there only to hear repetition and more repetition.

alanv

Agree totally with undercover. Also because of all the years I spent in the 'untruth' I do feel a need to help others so they don't get caught up in this sect. I regularly read comments on this site and make sure I keep up to date with Watchtower changes. It is only a small part of my life now, but I wouldn't want to completely forget my experience with them, for there were good times as well as bad.

7

U K 2009 Part service report

by alanv in

just had sight of the december 2009 kingdom ministry.

it seems people in u k have definitely had enough of jws.

average publishers for the year is around 128374. this is a 1% increase on last year.

alanv

Just had sight of the December 2009 Kingdom Ministry. It seems people in U K have definitely had enough of JWs

Average publishers for the year is around 128374. This is a 1% increase on last year. The comment in the KM was 'Jehovah has blessed us with a 1% increase'. I couldn't help but laugh at this, as this figure is about the same as the population increase in UK for 2009. That means for all the millions of hours witnesses have spent this year they are actually no better off than they were last year. The number baptised was 2912 which is a half percent increase. The memorial was even worse showing a quarter percent increase. I think it's the ex witnesses that Jehovah is actually blessing!

20

Started reading Crisis of Conscience

by KingDavidwasframed in

i was referred to the above mentioned book but never thought it necessary before to read.

i am starting the 3rd chapter now and all i can say is wow!

what happened to me has happened to many.

alanv

Hi Etna I'm so pleased that you have been spurred on to read Ray's book because of the good comments about it on this sight. The same was true of me. We would all love to hear what you think of it after you have read it.

6

JW Media Warnings????

by brainwashed-from-birth in

due to the dangers of this organization, and the fact that all of them spend hours a week trying to recruit others into the madness, has there ever been media attention, a msnbc story or something, that have done a story about the facts?

maybe my dad will catch it and be tempted to investigate further.

it would probably have good ratings.

alanv

I watched a programme the other day about two British rebellious immoral teens who were sent to USA to live with a strict Morman family for two weeks. To cut a long story short there was a complete transformation in these teens and in the end they were both in tears having realised how bad they had been in the past.

My point, is that there is good and bad in most religons. Same is true with the witnesses. There is good and bad coverage by the media about JWs. Thankfully these days we can all make an informed choice by talking to people all round the world about their experiences with the JWs by way of the internet. I would have got out years earlier if I new then what I know now.

20

Started reading Crisis of Conscience

by KingDavidwasframed in

i was referred to the above mentioned book but never thought it necessary before to read.

i am starting the 3rd chapter now and all i can say is wow!

what happened to me has happened to many.

alanv

Welcome to the forum Kd. I new about the book when I was a witness but never had the courage to read it until years later. It is one of the best books I have ever written. Unlike some writers that speak about their past Ray simply tells it as it was. He is certainly not a bitter, vengeful man as many JWs have labelled him. Just about everything he says is checkable. He even says that he still loves the brothers very much but simply could not carry on living a lie. That is true of many on this forum. When you have finished that book there is another he wrote which is just as revealing called 'In search of christian freedom' That too is a mine of information.

30

I went to the meeting today

by doublelife in

so my husband dragged me to the meeting this morning.

i brought my new bible that i bought instead of the nwt and he didn't say anything about it.

in the public talk, the speaker opened to matt.

alanv

It seems to me that most posters here are fairly convinced that JWs are not the true religon. If that is so then why are you still attending and worrying about putting in an unscriptual report. There comes a time when all of us need to stand up for ourselves. It is not always easy to do but in the long run I'm sure you would receive more respect. Just my own view.