do you still attend the occaisonal meeting with your believing family members?
if so, do you find any value in what's presented?
i still attend the occaisonal sunday meeting with my believing wife in an effort to show my respect for her feelings and my willingness to be tolerant.
Do you find any value in attending the occaisonal meeting?
Sure - if I start to take my life now for granted and forget how good everything is - I can always pop into a Sunday meeting for a jolt of reality that shoots me right back up and reminds me that THANK GOD I'M FREE!!! Of course, I haven't gotten that bad yet - but it might happen some day.
Oh yea - and if I ever develop some kind of self abuse mental disorder, I guess it's good that the hall is so close
my husband who was never a jw does not see the humor in this - but i knew ya'll would.
occasionally i will ask my mother (a devout jw) a biblical question to get her thinking.
i used to ask her a lot of questions, but it put a strain on our relationship and i finally decided i just needed to love her and accept her the way she is.
You all are so funny - I knew you'd get a kick out of it just like I did. Of course, I have no intention of following up on it, but it's nice to be wanted (he he).
my husband who was never a jw does not see the humor in this - but i knew ya'll would.
occasionally i will ask my mother (a devout jw) a biblical question to get her thinking.
i used to ask her a lot of questions, but it put a strain on our relationship and i finally decided i just needed to love her and accept her the way she is.
My husband who was never a JW does not see the humor in this - but I knew ya'll would.
Occasionally I will ask my mother (a devout JW) a biblical question to get her thinking. I used to ask her a lot of questions, but it put a strain on our relationship and I finally decided I just needed to love her and accept her the way she is. However, there are some times when I just can't resist. So - I asked her something from the bible that I knew she couldn't answer without really twisting what the bible said.
My mom forwards my question on to an elder, who sent me a letter and basically never answered the question either - but did commend me on continuing to read my bible and be considering these things (of course - neither my mom or this elder know that I am now a Christian who regularly attends church, and in fact, am in a children's leadership role at this new church).
Here's the cincher - this is the last part of the letter...
Now xxxx, let me again encourage you to submit your brief letter for reinstatement to the flock of Jehovah's people. Satan will indeed put obstacles/stumbling blocks in your path - but view them as stepping stones to life and not stumbling stones/blocks. This is one of the best long-term investments you'll ever make. I know XXX would be overjoyed to see you there when he is awaken from sleep. Hurry now, lets get going!
So - I guess, since I've been out so long, I've been...........pre-approved for reinstatement. I just need to hurry now - and submit my brief letter. Kind of like the 0% interest pre-approved credit card!! I'm so excited - do you suppose that if I Hurry now and submit my brief letter, they'll still let me work in children's leadership?
the other day i was on a site....looking for a certian news clip i had seen where an older news guy get's mad at the news anchor that replaced him on air...anyway a hit came up reading old news anchor and i downloaded it.
after it was done downloading i started playing it.
this guy's handing out things to certain people he calls by name at a press conference.
Being in Law Enforcement for so many years after I left you get exposed to some pretty troubling and disgusting stuff. To keep ourselves sane we try to joke it off with black humor that to anyone outside the Police/Fire/EMS family would seem TOTALLY innappropriate, heartless and cold. It is just a way to separate ourselves from the tragedy.
rwagonner - I understand exactly! For the past 15 years I have worked in the criminal justice system and have seen way too many awful things that I wish I never knew about (abuse, molestation, murder scenese, etc). You have to find some way to distance yourself from those dark emotions, and humor helps lighten it up.
I can't understand people who would want to watch things like that for entertainment. But then again, everyone is different. Perhaps those individuals have never really experienced it first hand, so it's no different to them than watching a movie. I've come completely about face on blood/gore. I used to be able to sort murder scene photos for presentation (basically picking the ones the jury should see and pulling out the ones that are just too gory and awful) - now I can't even handle a gory movie. I think that I have been exposed to it for too long - and then having went through it all first hand when my brother was murdered just brought it too close to home. This is part of the reason I am moving out of the criminal justice system and into a different field - I just don't want to have that kind of "icky" stuff in my life any longer. Even reading a news article about an abuse case or a molestation case will keep me in tears for days.
this is a follow on from the post recently about someone feeling their baptism is null and void.. i was baptised in 1983 when i was 13, so before the change of wording.. regardless of the exact wording, i've seriously been wondering about my baptism status?.
after leaving the jw 18 months back, about 6 months ago i became a christian, by christian i mean that i have accepted the importance of jesus and he is my lord and savior.
i feel closer to god than i ever have, and i'm actively involved with church.
I see believers from two backgrounds, out of the Jews and out of the Gentiles who become one single christian congregation, the body of Christ.
I agree.
Coldfish - I would agree with the others who have posted here in that it depends on how you feel about your first baptism. I was baptised as a JW when I was 13. A few years back I began attending a non-denominational church, and after a while I decided that I wanted to get baptised again. When I was baptised at 13 I didn't really understand what the biblical baptism was - I was getting baptised as a JW so that I could Aux. Pioneer. So in my 30's I was re-baptised by a friend of mine who is a minister, I wasn't baptised into any church denomination, just a biblical baptism as a symbolic step to show that I had now understood who Christ was and wanted to be a part of the body of christ.
I made the decision after I researched baptism in the bible and after I prayed about it. I hesitated for a while because I just wasn't sure, thought about it for a number of months - then one day it just felt right. So I called up my friend and got baptised.
If you now feel the need to be re-baptised then by all means do so - but only do it if it is what you feel is the right thing in your heart. Don't let someone push you into it or you'll end up in the same uncertain state down the road.
i know a little about it, including the basic theory on how it works.
but i'm interested in reading more.
i figured some of the sciencephiles on the board would have some good resources on the topic..... this is pertinent because the recent thread on noah's flood has prompted discussions on whether alleged global events could have changed the rate of radioactive decay, a suggestion fundamentalist groups like the witnesses like to make.
I did a research paper on it for my Anthropology class. I'd recommend researching it at the library - look up information in archeological texts. I found it very informative.
i was just earlier reading holly's goodbye thread........what was good was to see alot on here wish her all the best in whatever path she chose to take.......nothing more, nothing less .i think that spoke volumes for the posters who wished these sentiments towards her.
to me it showed a maturity, a kind personality and to a greater degree, people that do genuinely care.
("good luck and we'll be here if you need us"....was a few of the replies from some) how refreshing that was!
Hi Scoob:
I think that some of the anger you see here is from individuals who are simply in that phase of their healing process. There are 5 stages of grief:
People do not all go through these 5 stages in the same order - nor do they all take the same amount of time. However - as a general rule - they do all go through the 5 stages.
Leaving the JW's (or being kicked out) is a huge loss in one's life - a loss of family, friends, and a loss of that feeling of control. All of a sudden, we don't have all the answers and the landscape of our world is drastically changed.
So - those who have wished Holly the best are most likely individuals who have moved on to the acceptance stage (or perhaps they just don't really give a rats @ss). Others are angry, and that is ok - they are on the right path - they are healing. And last - there are individuals who have reached acceptance - but still feel a very strong pull to protect and respond to others who may be falling prey to a trap - I call it a righteous anger.
Things are not always just black and white - the world is full of grey zones.
.......or only true belivers?
From reading the bible it seems to me that the real "church" exists on a much larger plane than we tend to think. We think of individual churches (which one is right?) - whereas the bible clearly teaches that Jesus lives inside of us and not inside of any building.
I think the true religion exists among believers - believers who may attend any number of churches but who sincerely have accepted Jesus as their savior and follow him.
He doesn't need a building - he needs a "body".
its time to leave.
i have had all the answers i need to make a firm decision.
thank you so much everyone for your replies, for talking to me over the last few weeks and for some of the humour.. i believe the jws are right and that they have the truth.
Best wishes Holly.
Romans 10:9 That if you confess with your mouth, ?Jesus is Lord,? and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
Just a thought for you to always remember - "where" you worship is not nearly as important as "who" you worship. Always keep your eyes on Jesus.
i really like this board.
i hate making this statement bec i dont want you to all start hating me.
but since i came on here i have been researching a lot.
give us an example of understand script. in context
John 3:1-6 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, ?Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him.? In reply Jesus declared, ?I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again. [a] ? ?How can a man be born when he is old?? Nicodemus asked. ?Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!? Jesus answered, ?I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.
Point 1: You MUST be born again to enter the kingdom of God
Revelation 21:1-3 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ?Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God
Point 2: The kingdom of God will be be all encompasing - God will dwell with men.
Point 3: defd - if you plan to dwell in this kingdom, are YOU born again? If not, why?
