I once knew a sister who learned Russian and went to serve in one of the Russian congregations in Los Angeles. From what I understand, there has been significant JW success in the LA area Russian communities. Your encounter does not surprise me.
Posts by Arthur
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7Russian JWs in the hood!
by Bstndance ini spotted two russian speaking jws doing street witnessing in my neighborhood.
i was going to say something as i walked by but didn't know if they were actually russian or americans that speak russian.
there would have been a lot of confusion.
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Count-Down 4: Treasure Freedom
by Amazing injws are slaves of men: perhaps no other verse so clearly epitomizes the fundamental problem with the religious teachings of jehovah's witnesses than what paul said at galatians 5:1: "it is for freedom that christ has set us free.
stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
" (niv) of course, paul had in mind the enslavement to the law of moses.
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Arthur
Great thread Jim
The atmosphere of legalism is something that began to disturb me several years before I left the Watchtower. In all of my years as a JW I began to notice something peculiar. In conversations with Witnesses on various decisions which contained gray areas, (dress, grooming, employment, etc.) I never once heard any Witness (including elders) appeal to a Scripture. Without exception, they would always make reference to a Watchtower article, or to an assembly talk.
I realized that we Witnesses did not really have a Bible-trained consicience. We had a Watchtower-trained conscience. I began to realize that intense Bible study was only intended to commit to memory various verses so that they could be effectively inserted into Watchtower policies, teachings, and talking points.
There is something very strange when a body of religious leaders demand that their fellow Christians mold their personalities and personal consciences to uninspired writings. I also find it very ironic that the latest Kingdom News tract listed "teaching the traditions of men" as a characteristic of false religion. The tract also stated that "true religion" adheres to the Scriptures only. It is as if the writer(s) of the tract completely forgot or disregarded Paul's letters.
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The 5th trumpet false prophecy by WT$ inc
by cultswatter inrevelation -- it's grand climax at hand chap.
22 pp.
142-148 the first woe--locuststhe first woe--locuststhe fifth angel prepares to blow his trumpet.
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Arthur
as a tract, 50 million copies of that resolution--a torment indeed to the clergy! Years later, people in England still spoke of this stinging exposé.
It's cracks me up how the borg thinks that every member of the clergy is obessed with JWs so much that they are sitting in a bunker; biting their nails, urinating on themselves and cursing the "John Class".
When Rutheford manipulated the rank & file to go out and picket churches and disrupt their services with sound cars; there were certainly going to be some of the clergy that would get bent out of shape. But so what? Who wouldn't get irritated at this? The important thing to remember is that Rutheford & Co. was able to manufacture much of this "persecution" by his public diatribes, and childish sandwich sign campains.
JWs would be very surprised to learn that many; of not most Christian pastors just don't care much about what Witnesses are doing. They have lives. They don't have the time to sit around and worry about every little tract, magazine, and talk that comes from the Watchtower organization.
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It amazes me, that no violent acts have been perpertrated against the JW's
by JH inwhen i listen to the news about the school shootings in virginia, and the previous school shootings elsewhere, it amazes me that nothing similar has ever happened in a kingdom hall.. i'm totally against violence but i know that it just takes a nut, to do something like this, and there are plenty of nuts and angry people running around.... so many lives have been broken because of the watchtower, and so many jw's and xjw's are unhappy because of this sect.. are you also amazed that there has hardly been any violent crimes agaist jw's or the watchtower?.
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Arthur
I think that those who have been hurt and damaged the most by the Watchtower organization simply spiral downward into self-destructive behavior. Those most troubled seem to turn to alcohol and drug abuse, and other self-destrucitve behaviors. Many of them simply commit suicide.
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Arthur
I agree, the post by PrimateDave was excellent. It expressed so many of my feelings and observations as well.
I recently wrote a letter to Ron Frye - the author of "My Christian Quest - From Jehovah's Witness toSon of God". He made a very interesting observation in his reply. His observation was similar to that of PrimateDave's post. This is what he wrote to me in his letter:
"Like you, I was troubled by the fact that there was no forum within the organization in which difficultquestions could be openly discussed and dealt with." Frye continues:
"But we could not even raise a question without exposing ourselves to charges of lacking a good heart. This intellectual dishonesty and intimidation would only be necessary in an organization that lacked true spiritual strength and confidence."
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Arthur
I did not love the Watchtower's version of Jehovah. After leaving the organization; I came to realize that I had been in a very similar situation of a child who never met their father. The mother gives the child a very skewed, twisted, and morbid picture of what their father is like. When the child gets older, and actually goes to meet their dad for the first time, they realize that everything that they had believed was false. The father is very different from what their mother had told them.
The Watchtower's version of Yahweh / Jehovah is a very twisted, pathological portrayal of God. Their version of God is a loving God with a dominant neurotic, fitfull, jealous, and insecure alter-ego. Their God is a projection of their own sick minds.
Their are dozens of versions of the Christian God out their. The Mormons, Seventh Day Adventists, Catholic Church, and Bible cults all paint a different picture of God. For me, I know that I must break out of the sectarian "group-think" to know what God is really like.
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Would I be dfd if ?
by FourMs inwell, let me fill you in on a few things first.
i have stopped all jw activity since a few months and as mentioned in other posts, i am being stalked by every elder and car group looking to stretch their service time.
when they come i just ignore them by not answering the door (or the phone when they call).. today they came (for the 3rd time in 3 days) and when i went outside a few hours later my neighbor was out front of his house and after some small talk, he informed me that i had some dressed up people come to my door.
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Arthur
I really don’t believe in the JW stuff anymore, but would like to maintain my relationships with family.
Then, I'm afraid that this may require at least allowing one visit from the elders. You need to give the appearance that you don't have anything to hide. You need to give the appearance that you are just "spiritually weak" - missing meetings because of being busy with other affairs. If you continue to refuse visits, it will continue to indicate that you are trying to hide something.
I can tell you from personal experience that to maintain JW family relationships while not believing in the JW organization anymore is going to become more and more difficult. It is going to involve a lot of play acting. I can assure you that it will not be a smooth transition. From my own personal experience, I would at least allow one visit from the elders. Just act as if you have been busy. Show that you still believe in it, that you appreciate their concern. As far as the elders "cornering" you, you can usually disarm such a situation if you act "taken aback" or hurt by any suggestions that you are disloyal. If they believe that you are just "spiritually weak" and preocupied with personal affairs, they will more than likely leave you alone.
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IS BAD NEWS INCREASING FOR WT?
by badboy inis it my imination,but has bad news increased for wt?
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Arthur
I think the LA Times had a religion section every Saturday and they covered it. The article as I remember was very direct and specific on the change.
I distinctly remember that LA Times article. I remember that the Witnesses in my area were up in arms over the article. The article was "proof" that we were being persecuted. I remember that the article quoted from a prominent ex-JW; but I don't remember who it was. (I know it wasn't Ray Franz) The individual was quoted by the Times writer as stating that they knew the Generation teaching was going to have to be scrapped soon. I remember that I was surprised that an ex-JW had anticipated this. I was much younger and naive at the time; and didn't fully comprehend the significance of the change.
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Refuting a JW, "But we follow the bible" - Matthew 24:45
by jgnat inrecently i saw a post from a jw who challenged his opposers to find anything wrong with the witnesses, "we follow the bible.
" i say there's following the bible and then there's understanding, isn't there?
can we say that someone is following the bible if the verse is taken out of context or stretched to justify all kinds of behavior?
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Arthur
"You must not be called 'Teacher', because you you are all equal and have only one Teacher." Matthew 23:8 (Good News Translation)
In the recent QFR article in the May 1, 2007 Watchtower, the article stated that annointed ones do not necessarily have an special insights beyond anyone else; and that they serve under the direction of the Governing Body. How can a body of annointed men have a distinct level of authority over other annointed ones? The above scripture also discounts the notion that Christians are expected to subjugate themselves under a "Class" which holds a position of superiority over them in the area of deciding upon teachings, and practices
"And you must not call anyone here on earth 'Father', because you have only the one Father in heaven" Matthew 23:9
Was it acceptable therefore to refer to someone on earth as mother? The WTS has stated repeatedly that the organization (on earth) is our spiritual mother. Christians are not to refer to anyone on earth as "Father" but they are instructed to view an organization as their "Mother"?
"Nor should you be called 'Leader', because your one and only leader is the Messiah" Matthew 23:10
In light of the above words, how can the WTS claim that salvation comes through association with a "John Class", or an organization. In light of the above words, how can a centralized ecclesiastical body (Governing Body) have supreme judicial and legislative authority over their fellow annointed brothers who serve in the congregations?
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Would I be dfd if ?
by FourMs inwell, let me fill you in on a few things first.
i have stopped all jw activity since a few months and as mentioned in other posts, i am being stalked by every elder and car group looking to stretch their service time.
when they come i just ignore them by not answering the door (or the phone when they call).. today they came (for the 3rd time in 3 days) and when i went outside a few hours later my neighbor was out front of his house and after some small talk, he informed me that i had some dressed up people come to my door.
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Arthur
They may be calling so often because they are worried. When someone abrubtly stops attending, they may think that you have some sort of crisis. Is there a particular reason why you don't want to see them? It might make is easier if you allow them to visit with you once.
Just tell them that you have been busy with work, etc. It is often more effective to do a slow fade out than to abrubtly quit talking to the elders. If you kindly placate them; telling them that you have been sick, busy, etc, it will pacify them to where their visits will become less and less frequent.