Posts by whyizit

27

Ever notice how interested worldly friends were to hear you'd left...zzzzzz

by Gregor in

jw
friends

the first few years after i got my head out of my jw ass i assumed that worldly associates would be fascinated to hear of my escape....wrong.

most of them looked at me like "what the f--- are you talking about?"...

"who cares?

whyizit

That is because they don't "get" it. They simply do not realize the magnificence of it all, UNLESS they have a family member that they are hoping will one day leave.

For one thing, most people would see it as leaving a church denomination. When we left the Baptist church to join a non-denominational church, no one thought much about it. Including us. We still visit our Baptist friends, etc... No biggie!

If people understood more about the WTS, THEN they would be more interested. But most people have no idea. They just think it is another denomination of Christianity. If you decide to leave, the you'll find some place else. They don't see it as the true accomplishment it is, because they don't know anything about it.

I WOULD LOVE TO KNOW YOUR STORY!!!!!!

And I know others who would too. But we are the ones who have loved ones that are in the WTS, and we want to know everything about coming out of it.

71

Do Jehovah's Witnesses Have The "Right" To Practice Their Religion???

by minimus in

jw
friends

whether we agree with them or disagree---i think they have a right to practice their religion----although i disagree with their beliefs.

whyizit

I only had time to read the question, so I'm sure my answer is probably a re-peat of what others have said. But, just in case it's not, here goes:

Yes. Absolutely. They DO have the right to practice their religion.

HOWEVER, I think it should be mandatory that any group that is actively trying to recruit others into their group, no matter what that group is (religious or not), should have to provide a written TRUTHFUL statement that covers EXACTLY what they believe, and EXACTLY what they expect from people who join their group.

9

I've been asked to explain the Trinity...............

by whyizit in

jw
friends

a jw friend of mine asked me what the trinity means to me and how i can use the bible to explain it.

why others think it is so important.. i understand that this could be a baiting technique to try to pull me into a debate, but in another aspect, i think she really could be wondering about it.

lately she has appeared a little disgruntled with the wts.

whyizit

A JW friend of mine asked me what the Trinity means to me and how I can use the Bible to explain it. Why others think it is so important.

I understand that this could be a baiting technique to try to pull me into a debate, but in another aspect, I think she really could be wondering about it. Lately she has appeared a little disgruntled with the WTS. (She is not yet baptised.)

For the sake of argument, let's assume that she is asking, NOT because she wants to debate, but because she really is curious. Should I give her a long winded version of it, or should I try to keep it as short and to the point as I can? Do you have any good suggestions on what NOT to say, or perhaps what would be BEST to say about it?

I don't mind getting in to a back and forth discussion about it with her, but I really would like to keep from offending her. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

(BTW: I don't mind that some folks do not believe God is tri-une. I know the concept is hard to grasp. But I really would like advice from those who DO believe it.) Thanks.

10

When the "honeymoon" is over....will previous doubts be revisited later?

by whyizit in

jw
friends

i have been studying a lot about mind control.

i understand that while someone is in the "honeymoon" phase of being recruited in to a group, it is very unlikely that they will leave.

my jw friend is still in that stage.

whyizit

I have been studying a lot about mind control. I understand that while someone is in the "honeymoon" phase of being recruited in to a group, it is very unlikely that they will leave.

My JW friend is still in that stage. She has not yet been baptised, so the love-bombing is still very intoxicating to her. We recently discussed how the 607 BC date doesn't add up, and she actually agreed that she thought they were a couple of years off, but dismissed it as "close enough". The point I am getting at, is she did the math and found the error herself. Yet, she is still enamoured with the group and is jumping in deeper all the time.

If she goes ahead with her indoctrinazation process and becomes baptized, with my understanding being that it is shortly after baptism that the "honeymoon" is over, then how long do you think it will take before she starts to become disillusioned with the WTS? Do you think the points that have been made previous to her commitment to the group will start to weigh on her mind? That she may want to revisit them with me when disillusion starts to take hold?

I am trying to figure out how to recognize when the disillusionment starts to occur. I have sensed it in the past, but it was more toward a person in the group, rather than with the WTS as a whole. Any ideas on how to tell when this is happening? What reaction should I have? Just a listening ear, or more food for thought? I don't want to drive her away.

Thanks for advice!

30

Describe Your Emotion Involving The Witnesses

by minimus in

jw
friends

are you angry?

dissapointed?

saddened?

whyizit

Disgust---at those in the highest levels, because they know they are NOT God's organization, yet they won't buck-up and accept responsibility. Come clean and change things to the way they ought to be.

Saddness---for my friends are enslaved. They are trying so hard to do what is right.

Terrified--- that it could cost them their very lives, due to the blood policy.

Frustrated----(I can totally relate to Tuesday's response.) It seems like nothing gets through.

Hope--- having faith that something will eventually get through. Even if I don't get the chance to see it happen.

Love--- I truly love my JW friends. It's not conditional upon them jumping through any hoops.

36

What would you do???

by Es in

jw
friends

hey there, im kinda looking for some guidance here, i had a very close friend, she was actually one of my bridesmaids at my wedding, she's a little messed up but never the less we had a good friendship until i told her i was pregnant....!

it was no secret i was trying we had told everyone that we wanted to start trying after our wedding, but anyway when i told her her response was " oh, ok congratulations" and that was it, for the 9 months i was pregnant i reckon she asked me twice if i was ok and how it was going, all her text msg were about her and what was happening in her life.

she has come no where near us since i have had kaia, she hasnt seen her once and kaia is coming up to 6 months old.

whyizit

When I was younger and single and some of my friends became married and pregnant, we drifted apart somewhat. Our lives and interests were different for awhile. I didn't avoid my friends, but I didn't know a thing about babies. Or being pregnant, etc... To be honest, I wasn't really all that intrigued with babies, until I had one of my own.

Of course, I attended their baby showers and went to meet the new arrival. I wasn't a cold fish about the whole thing. I just didn't "get" what the hoop-lah was all about. Until it was my turn! NOW I get it.

Maybe your friend is uncomfortable around babies. Or maybe she had a miscarriage or abortion unbeknownst to anyone else. It sounds like something is going on under the surface. Something she doesn't want to talk about. Not exactly like she is trying to be hateful. It is coming across that way, though.

She may have forgotten she asked you about being a bridesmaid. If it all feels way too awkward and you don't want to go, you could always send her a card and/or gift and then let it go. Then if she makes it a point to ask why you were not there, you could just tell her in a nice way that you felt you might be out of place, and why. "Are we still friends, or not?"

16

Question about 144,000-- heaven at death?

by whyizit in

jw
friends

as many of you know, i am not a jw, nor have i ever been.

but i do have lots of questions.

perhaps there is an active jw out there that might be interested in answering this question for me.

whyizit

People can't die anymore, but yet God is going to kill them.....

Uh.....okay.

Thanks to every one for helping me to at least see what kind of respose I will get should I ever ask any of my JW friends about this. Will the look of utter confusion on my face make them think I am an idiot, or do you think they will see that it isn't making a bit of sense? Maybe a little of both.

Your great people and I appreciate your honesty and insights on my questions. Thanks so much!

16

Question about 144,000-- heaven at death?

by whyizit in

jw
friends

as many of you know, i am not a jw, nor have i ever been.

but i do have lots of questions.

perhaps there is an active jw out there that might be interested in answering this question for me.

whyizit

One more question on this topic:

If all the people get resurrected, except those who have left or been kicked out of the WTS, and there is no longer death in the world, how does God get rid of the ones who reject the teachings? Since death is no longer an option, what happens?

And how do those who have lived on into the new pure earth account for their sins? Sins they have not died, aren't they coming in to the new world with a bunch of sin in their lives? It doesn't make much sense to me. that sinful beings would be able to live on in a perfect world and teach others, when they are still in a sinful state. Or the idea that evil people, like Hitler, get to come back again, while someone who got booted out of the WTS for smoking is not allowed to come back.

Any thoughts on that?

16

Question about 144,000-- heaven at death?

by whyizit in

jw
friends

as many of you know, i am not a jw, nor have i ever been.

but i do have lots of questions.

perhaps there is an active jw out there that might be interested in answering this question for me.

whyizit

Okay.

I always had the impression that resurrection means "to stand again". What once was alive, is alive again. Like when Lazarus was raised from the dead. He wasn't a spirit creature, he wasn't re-created, he was raised from the dead literally. He was exactly who and what he was before he died.

The resurrection that JWs refer to isn't actually a resurrection, but it is actually a re-creation of some kind, right? Some are re-created into similar beings like they were before death, some are re-created into spirit beings. Is that what you are saying? More of a reincarnation than an actual resurrection?

16

Question about 144,000-- heaven at death?

by whyizit in

jw
friends

as many of you know, i am not a jw, nor have i ever been.

but i do have lots of questions.

perhaps there is an active jw out there that might be interested in answering this question for me.

whyizit

As many of you know, I am not a JW, nor have I ever been. But I do have lots of questions. Perhaps there is an active JW out there that might be interested in answering this question for me.

I know this is probably a common question out in the field. But I haven't had the chance to ask any JWs about it yet.

I know that JWs believe that the majority of them are going to live on a "paradise earth", even though I cannot find one Biblical reference that states earth and paradise are one and the same. I also am aware that JWs do not believe we have a soul that lives on after we die. I find that teaching most confusing.

The WTS teaches that there are 144,000, some that are still alive today, who will go to heaven when they die. Never mind the confusion I have over the fact that many of these heaven-bound folks have participated in many things that are now considered "pagan", because they did not have the "new light".....(they smoked, had blood transfusions, celebrated holidays, etc...)

But exactly when do these folks get to go to heaven? If it is immediately upon their death, then WHAT part of them goes to heaven? If they are non-existent upon death and don't have souls, what part do they figure is going to be in heaven?

Thanks for any help on this question!