Posts by CloseTheDoor

160

"The organisation is imperfect, but it doesn't affect my relationship with Jehovah"

by Alive! in

i've noted active, devoted jw's state the above.. and, it's not a problem for me to remain trusting of god, i just don't trust religions or men.. recently, a member of this forum stated that he remains an active jw, in the family of god's people, wanting to encourage and do good - whilst recognising that the pastoral leaders (the gb) have shipwrecked the faith of many, being unsound scripturally etc, etc.. stop and think about this - the bible says to not follow after those who lie and hurt the faith of "little ones".. the pharisees were accused of traversing over lands and expending much energy to make a single convert - only for that convert to end up worse of than he started off with.. it's one thing to not believe this is the 'truth' and feeling the awful pressure of managing ones life, trying not to lose ones family.. it's quite another thing to declare oneself to be a christian believer of god's jw household, and somehow believe the god of love would use corrupt liars to parade as jesus' brothers in the urgency of last days.

really?

and, to then visibly promote faith in corrupt men, and try to bring converts into a place where the rulership is wrong.. some of us are dying from hurt here.......give me a break..

CloseTheDoor

There was a time in the organization when love of Jehovah and Jesus was not tied in with "loving" and being "dedicated" to the Society - a mere publishing company. Many older and some other JWs still believe this way, including myself. This is especially the case with many born in JWs of aged years.

As I mentioned in another post, the earlier publications always encouraged readers to carefully examine their statements against the Bible, and if something didn't add up, then false statements should be tossed aside.

Attending a KH, going out in the ministry and sharing Bible verses and basic tracts (not GB/WT chronology garbage or other false doctrines) is considered by some as their duty (Matthew 28:19). Baptism is another thing. Without going into great detail, there are ways to get baptized and officially recognized by the congregation without going through those silly questions. Some of us did not pledge allegiance to the GB. Things were very different back in the day, and some of us have taught that to our children and Bible studies too. Personally, I don't attempt to bring any of my Bible studies to the congregation or have them "join" anything.

Service to Jehovah and dedication to the GB are two different things. Some Witnesses can't see that. Most x-JWs will never see the difference. Attending KH meetings does not make one a follower of the GB. I don't consider myself, my family or many in my cong. as R&F Witnesses.

"Do and observe everything that they tell you; but do not imitate their deeds, for they say things and do not do them. And they pack heavy loads and lay them on men's shoulders, but will not move them with a finger themselves. And all their moral acts they do with an eye to being viewed by men." (Matthew 23:3-5 - Bible in Living English)

42

Why doe New light tick me off???? Next 2 weeks WT Studies

by zophar in

jw
friends

if you have been a jw for 20+ years you may remember that the wt went into great detail on different illustrations that jesus used and the "type/anti-type" ridiculous explanations.

remember the revelation book and how those obscure jw conventions of the past pictured big things in heaven and the opening of seals?

anyway, the wt lessons for the next two weeks do two big things for me.

CloseTheDoor

Now, here is what is truly amazing. After showing how the interpretation was wrong, Paragraph 9 in tomorrow's lesson says: "For many years, God's people found this approach to Bible accounts faith strengthening." In other words, "We were wrong in our interpretations but these false understandings were still faith strengthening!

It bothered me when I began to prepare for the study.

62

Floyd Kite's "Enduring the Tests Within God's Organization" (1980)

by Leolaia in

thats a big test.

can you think of the test that that would put on gods people?

its a big test, its a big test.

CloseTheDoor

Marked.

37

Seems very easy to leave now, why do people hesitate?

by Xanthippe in

when i see people on here saying they've looked on several sites before this one, jwfacts, jwstruggle, youtube, etc., and then they make friends here, sometimes meeting up with ex-jws, it seems incredibly easy compared to leaving in 1989. .

no internet, no amazon to find ex-jw books, no facebook to link up with ex-jw groups.

still people find it so hard to leave.

CloseTheDoor

I imagine more will leave with the recent money grabbing video. The main reason I remain within is to help some of my family.

35

behind the curtain: literature offer for the month

by Magnum in

i was an extremely sincere, zealous pioneer.

i really cared about the people in the field.

i thought their lives were in danger.

CloseTheDoor

If interested, this guidelines document gives some insight into the method in which the local KH orders literature from the Org/Soc. It indicates some guidelines and limitations on what can and can't be ordered. The document is published by the Org.

http://wwwb.fileflyer.com/view/TpwkQA6

160

"The organisation is imperfect, but it doesn't affect my relationship with Jehovah"

by Alive! in

i've noted active, devoted jw's state the above.. and, it's not a problem for me to remain trusting of god, i just don't trust religions or men.. recently, a member of this forum stated that he remains an active jw, in the family of god's people, wanting to encourage and do good - whilst recognising that the pastoral leaders (the gb) have shipwrecked the faith of many, being unsound scripturally etc, etc.. stop and think about this - the bible says to not follow after those who lie and hurt the faith of "little ones".. the pharisees were accused of traversing over lands and expending much energy to make a single convert - only for that convert to end up worse of than he started off with.. it's one thing to not believe this is the 'truth' and feeling the awful pressure of managing ones life, trying not to lose ones family.. it's quite another thing to declare oneself to be a christian believer of god's jw household, and somehow believe the god of love would use corrupt liars to parade as jesus' brothers in the urgency of last days.

really?

and, to then visibly promote faith in corrupt men, and try to bring converts into a place where the rulership is wrong.. some of us are dying from hurt here.......give me a break..

CloseTheDoor

Remember, too, that you have made a dedication to Jehovah God himself, not to a work, a cause, other humans, or an organization.

53

Ties at the Kingdom Hall

by CloseTheDoor in

couple of weeks ago an elder took a young man aside and crawled all over him after the tms for wearing a "skinny" tie.

it was one of those 2 inch wide ties.

nothing bright or scandalous about.

CloseTheDoor

I definitely like those animal ties. I can only imagine what would be said if I wore something like that.

160

"The organisation is imperfect, but it doesn't affect my relationship with Jehovah"

by Alive! in

i've noted active, devoted jw's state the above.. and, it's not a problem for me to remain trusting of god, i just don't trust religions or men.. recently, a member of this forum stated that he remains an active jw, in the family of god's people, wanting to encourage and do good - whilst recognising that the pastoral leaders (the gb) have shipwrecked the faith of many, being unsound scripturally etc, etc.. stop and think about this - the bible says to not follow after those who lie and hurt the faith of "little ones".. the pharisees were accused of traversing over lands and expending much energy to make a single convert - only for that convert to end up worse of than he started off with.. it's one thing to not believe this is the 'truth' and feeling the awful pressure of managing ones life, trying not to lose ones family.. it's quite another thing to declare oneself to be a christian believer of god's jw household, and somehow believe the god of love would use corrupt liars to parade as jesus' brothers in the urgency of last days.

really?

and, to then visibly promote faith in corrupt men, and try to bring converts into a place where the rulership is wrong.. some of us are dying from hurt here.......give me a break..

CloseTheDoor

done4good said:

This is a good thread.
Watcher, Close the Door, Jeramy:
I understand where you all are coming from. Several years ago, I was where you are today to some extent. None of you would even be here, if you thought 100% obedience to the GB was necessary to be a JW. None of you obviously think that way, at this point in your lives.
This is where things may get a bit harder, however. As you begin to question the veracity of the GB's teachings, and management style, at some point you need to ask, "If this is the truth, where did it all go wrong then?". What about that "light that gets brighter"? The GB taught you to judge other religions as "false", and their leaders as "corrupt". How do you know that the one you are still choosing to follow is not equally corrupt, just different?
These are tough questions that you will need to ask, and there will be many more along the way. If you keep an open mind, you will find some of the answers initially disturbing. Try to understand what cognitive dissonance is, because this is what will prevent you from logically drawing the correct conclusions, and resorting to rationalizing your particular "understanding" of things. Also, don't expect to have all of the answers immediately. Try to become comfortable with the fact you are learning. Learning is good, always.
d4g

Thanks for the thoughtful post. I was born in a time when loyalty to the GB was not enforced, or rarely hinted at, if any. We were told to verify everything published in the publications with the Bible. Sadly, this is no longer the case.

I don't follow the GB. I am suspicious of 100% of what they say and do.

4

3 things you didn't know about Rutherford

by Coded Logic in

i never realized rutherford was so devious and delinquent.

just found this on a debate forum: .

1) forgery:after c.t.

CloseTheDoor

Many old timers (both Bible Students and JWs) are aware of those three points, especially Bible Students. When these serious issues are presented to younger generation JWs, they don't care. Now, if you could wrap those facts up in a GB produced video and slap a JW.org logo on it, the kiddies would eat it up. But that aint gonna' happen.

For most old timer JWs I know, including myself, Rutherford was/is an embarrassment to them. His name makes me cringe.

35

behind the curtain: literature offer for the month

by Magnum in

i was an extremely sincere, zealous pioneer.

i really cared about the people in the field.

i thought their lives were in danger.

CloseTheDoor

We have always been able to offer just about any piece of literature we wanted to, as long as it was published by the "Mother" (a.k.a. "Organization"), and as long as it wasn't anything too old (for example: Russell's or Rutherford's books). However, if you wanted to offer only the Bible to householders, it wouldn't be very long before you were questioned about your motives by an elder or an overzealous nosy pioneer sister. Most would be peer pressured into going along with the "suggested" literature offer.

I have often only offered Bibles, certain tracts and brochures. But it is difficult to have a quantity of Bibles and carry them in your service bag. Plus the literature counter only stocks so many at a time.

If you've ever read the old "Kingdom Ministries" from back in the 20's, 30's, and 40's, (called "Bulletin" and "Informant"), it is easy to see how it was all about movement of printed matter. It was even more obvious in those days.