Posts by NowImFree

18

What does "born again" mean?

by Country Girl in

to most of the people on here, the term "born again" reminds them of fanatical christians who try to impose their beliefs on all other people, have an agenda (which is sometimes co-mixed with politics), and want to convert the rest of the world.

to me, born again is of a different nature.

it's different from my understanding of it as a jehovah's witness, and it's different from my understanding of it as a baptist.

NowImFree

Hi Country Girl,

I am fairly new here within the last week or so, but your post interested me. Since leaving the JWs I too consider myself a born again Christian, but I don't always say that phrase. It turns a lot of people off because of people like Pat Robertson and Bush who wear their "christianity" like some kind of political flag. That totally turns me off too, it embarrasses me and I don't want to be connected to that type of christianity at all.

For me, being born again meant turning everything over to Christ, my sin, my problems, everything and realizing that I could never pay for my sins or do enough to save myself, I knew it was only through him, not my own efforts. I had a complete change in authority, my authority used to be the Watchtower Org, now my authority is Christ. It was very freeing and gave me a peace like I never knew as a JW. When I was a JW, I always felt like I was never good enough, like I could never do enough, be perfect enough to satisfy their God that "they" have made. None of them are good enough, most JWs feel condemmed, that is why so many are so depressed, I was one of them. I was always terrified of Armaggedon because I never thought I would be good enough to make it through it. And if I did make it through, I started getting more and more depressed about being a JW forever. It sounded alot like slavery, it certainly didn't sound like heaven on earth when you really thought about it. I used to think about a world full of kingdom halls, with all of the elders being "princes" when most of them were so cold and arrogant. And of course, there is the huge mess we would all have to clean up and the birds would have to eat all the dead bodies. It sounded more like hell on earth to me the more I thought about it. But I am rambling, sorry. Anyway, to me being born again is a faith that doesn't leave you, it is a spiritual birth, it is not a religion. It is feeling like Christ is with you and in your soul, which is very hard to explain to anyone that has not experienced this. And one of the evidences of this birth is love for your fellow man and reaching out and really loving people like Christ did, unconditionally. I did not see this type of love in the Watchtower, I did not see that self sacrificing type of love or that unconditional type of love so I started to see that they were not really followers of Jesus. I have seen that in many people outside of the organization though, people the organization would call "worldy". I would want them as friends any day.

NowImFree

53

BIG NEWS I recieved my pamphlet WOW

by skyman in

the baylor university has a potential time bomb for the society all i can say is wow i can see how now.

you better get a copy.

use this link and get you a copy http://www3.baylor.edu/church_state/ordering_publications.htm

NowImFree

Hi Skyman,

I went to the site and I completed everything but how do I pay? Will they send me an invoice and once they receive my payment, then will they send me the brochure? I didn't see anywere to put in my credit card info or anything.

Is the brochure better than you expected? If I send one to my JW mother and if she reads it, do you think it will have an impact?

Thanks,

NowImFree

17

Death and Destruction

by NowImFree in

i'm new to this board, only my second time posting, and i have been out of the organization officially since i disassociated about 3 years ago.

i have seen so many bad things in my time as a witness, my disfellowshipped oldest brother committed suicide, prior to that he was terribly shunned by my family, my other brother and sister didn't talk to him for probably 10 years.

two children in my family have been molested by the sons of jw elders in two u.s. states and in both cases the parents were told to not go to the police.

NowImFree

Hi J,

I am thinking you are atheist. Am I correct? I have believed in God ever since I was a little child, I can't remeber a time that I didn't believe. Honestly, I can't imagine life without believing in God, I would have no hope at all and I don't think I would feel there was any point to life and I would be terrified of death for anyone I love and I would feel hopeless. I would have probably committed suicide a few years ago I it weren't for my faith in God. I know so many people who leave the Watchtower become atheist or agnostic which I think is common when people come out of a high control cult. My faith is what gives me peace. I think the Watchtower destroys the faith of many. All I know is that everyone has to come to their own conclusions and know why they believe what they believe. I did do a lot of research after I left the organization, but mostly I read the bible. It seems like there are so many paths that people take after leaving the organization, some become atheists, some become Christians, some become pagans. But I know I am free to choose what I believe in my heart, and that is a good thing.

Thanks for your input,

NowImFree

17

Death and Destruction

by NowImFree in

i'm new to this board, only my second time posting, and i have been out of the organization officially since i disassociated about 3 years ago.

i have seen so many bad things in my time as a witness, my disfellowshipped oldest brother committed suicide, prior to that he was terribly shunned by my family, my other brother and sister didn't talk to him for probably 10 years.

two children in my family have been molested by the sons of jw elders in two u.s. states and in both cases the parents were told to not go to the police.

NowImFree

Hi Carmel,

Thanks for your response. I didn't quit understand your post though. Please explain. Were you talking about what I said about the organization being influenced by Satan? That is just my own feeling based on all the bad things that the organization does, that is not an idea I got from anyone else, just by own gut feeling. However you want to say it, I think they are not a positive group, but a very negative group, whether someone wants to say Satan is behind it or just evil corrupt men or both, which is what I think. Let me know if that is what you meant.

Thanks,

NowImFree

17

Death and Destruction

by NowImFree in

i'm new to this board, only my second time posting, and i have been out of the organization officially since i disassociated about 3 years ago.

i have seen so many bad things in my time as a witness, my disfellowshipped oldest brother committed suicide, prior to that he was terribly shunned by my family, my other brother and sister didn't talk to him for probably 10 years.

two children in my family have been molested by the sons of jw elders in two u.s. states and in both cases the parents were told to not go to the police.

NowImFree

Something else I forgot to mention. I feel like I am reliving my life. I am doing things over the past three years that I was never ever able to do because I was raised as a witness. Like celebrating my sons birthdays, even though they are young adults, we are still getting a kick out of all this. And Christmas, I have really been enjoying putting up a nativity scene, buying ornaments and arranging them on my tree, and Christmas candles, buying gifts for people, going to sing Christmas carols at Church (very uplifting for me) I cried through it because I was so emotional because I had never felt the meaning in the songs until the last couple of years. I think it has really been huge for me because I never got to do any of these things, like any of us who were raised as JWs.

NowImFree

17

Death and Destruction

by NowImFree in

i'm new to this board, only my second time posting, and i have been out of the organization officially since i disassociated about 3 years ago.

i have seen so many bad things in my time as a witness, my disfellowshipped oldest brother committed suicide, prior to that he was terribly shunned by my family, my other brother and sister didn't talk to him for probably 10 years.

two children in my family have been molested by the sons of jw elders in two u.s. states and in both cases the parents were told to not go to the police.

NowImFree

Oops, I just meant to post but I sent it without saying anything. Nina, sorry to hear about your dad. How terrible, I am so sorry. They have caused so much pain for so many people.

Since leaving the organization, I started going to a non-denominational Christian church. I never lost my faith in God, I just totally realized that the WTS was not from God and that he wasn't there at all. I was raised as a JW so I only knew what the WTS had said about churches. I was terrified the first time I went to one but I knew I needed something. I was really shocked and surprized (pleasantly). I am not saying all are great, I know some are much better than others. The one I found is a good one. I was just so shocked at finding so many really nice people, who really had a strong faith and helped the poor and did all kinds of things for people, not because they have to but because that want to. It was very eye opening and refreshing. I have been going ever since, (not because I have to, but because I want to). I know some that have left the org are turned off on religion. It seems like that is one of the most common reactions to feeling so deceived. I actually think the WTS is influenced by Satan, not God. Is that a shock to some of you or do alot of you agree?

I just amazes me that I believed all the garbage the WTS says about "wordly" people and how they condemn everyone. I have met so many good true friends since I have been out. I feel ashamed sometimes of how I could have believed them for half my life instead of having doubts for so many years but never checking things out for myself.

Have most of you had similar experiences with realizing how many good people there are outside the organization, much truer than most of the friends you had inside?

NowImFree

17

Death and Destruction

by NowImFree in

i'm new to this board, only my second time posting, and i have been out of the organization officially since i disassociated about 3 years ago.

i have seen so many bad things in my time as a witness, my disfellowshipped oldest brother committed suicide, prior to that he was terribly shunned by my family, my other brother and sister didn't talk to him for probably 10 years.

two children in my family have been molested by the sons of jw elders in two u.s. states and in both cases the parents were told to not go to the police.

NowImFree

Nina,

17

Death and Destruction

by NowImFree in

i'm new to this board, only my second time posting, and i have been out of the organization officially since i disassociated about 3 years ago.

i have seen so many bad things in my time as a witness, my disfellowshipped oldest brother committed suicide, prior to that he was terribly shunned by my family, my other brother and sister didn't talk to him for probably 10 years.

two children in my family have been molested by the sons of jw elders in two u.s. states and in both cases the parents were told to not go to the police.

NowImFree

I'm new to this board, only my second time posting, and I have been out of the organization officially since I disassociated about 3 years ago. I have seen so many bad things in my time as a witness, my disfellowshipped oldest brother committed suicide, prior to that he was terribly shunned by my family, my other brother and sister didn't talk to him for probably 10 years. Two children in my family have been molested by the sons of JW elders in two U.S. states and in both cases the parents were told to not go to the police. (So when I saw the Dateline program I knew these people were telling the truth.) My parents divorced because of the witnesses, my mother became a witness when I was 2 and my father never bought into it, which caused marital problems between them. My father was not allowed to take us to church or to celebrate the holidays or anything. These are just some of the things that have happened in just my family.

Then you have worldwide, all the adults and children that have died because of the ban on blood transfusions. You have all the people that have committed suicide because of the shunning, then you have all the destroyed families because of shunning and divorce when one spouse isn't a JW or leaves the JWs. When you really think about it, it is so sad and disgusting. The bible talks about false prophets and how you will know them by their fruits. The fruit of the WTS is rotten to the core, when you really look at what happens to people, not just the false image the organization tries to portray. I have just been thinking about all this lately and I can't believe I didn't see it sooner. I honestly can't believe the media have not exposed more about all the people that have died, especially children because of the blood ban. I keep thinking that something more is going to happen with this, maybe due to the legal document that just come out, but even before that I kept thinking that this is what will bring them down and show them for what they are (a dangerous and destructive cult). What do you think?

NowImFree

37

Scriptures to make a JW think?

by AlmostAtheist in

jw
friends

i'm looking for scriptures that you believe a doubting jw would read that would cause them to think a bit.

i have four in mind now: .

'do not go beyond the things that are written.

NowImFree

Hi Dave,

Thank you for the welcome to the board. I'm sure you are right. They would have some bogus explanation and all the brain washed JWs will buy it. It wasn't until I finally realized that the GB are just plain old men that I could finally read things with my own mind and analyze things. But when I was brain washed, I probably would have believed what they said. But for me, things that didn't make sense would always float around in the back of my mind and would really bother me. Which is what finally lead to my research and ESCAPE.

NowImFree

37

Scriptures to make a JW think?

by AlmostAtheist in

jw
friends

i'm looking for scriptures that you believe a doubting jw would read that would cause them to think a bit.

i have four in mind now: .

'do not go beyond the things that are written.

NowImFree

Hi, I'm new on this board but I have been reading some of the posts lately and this one really interests me. Now that I've left the JWs, I can't believe I didn't notice scriptures more and really think about what they are saying. Like these:

Philippians 1: 21-24 NIV Translation

For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far, but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.

2 Corninthians 5: 6-9

Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. We live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it.

Now, based on my upbringing as a JW, now I'm 41 and I just disassociated 3 years ago. But anyway, as a JW, I was always taught I thought that none of the 144,000 so called heavenly class were resurrected from "non-existence" until 1914 when they teach that Jesus came back invisibly. Am I right about that? If this is what they have taught, how can they explain the above verses? These verses definitely indicate they were looking forward to immediatly being with Christ at their deaths. Why would Paul be contemplating which he would prefer if he thought he was going to be in non-existence at his death until the resurrection.? Any thoughts?

NowImFree