reniaa,
In the past few months I haven’t been here much but this one caught my eye. From all the responses I can see that a lot of people are truly concerned for you. Sorry the post ended up so long.
I haven’t followed your thread but did skim over to get a general idea. I hope I don’t come across as stern or judgmental. That’s not my intention. I am also concerned for you, that you make the right choice for yourself and your children. I’m also concerned that because of a couple of opinions on this board that it strenghtens your belief that the org is the truth. My mom went to church with me a couple of months ago and because the music was too loud it confirmed her belief that the org was the truth and she went back to her cong. I do wonder if her cong found out what would happen to her. Would she just have to say that she was influenced by her "worldy" daughter during in a weak period of her life?
At times you sound very inquisitive, wanting to know the truth and then seem you pull away. You sound so confused. You believe the JW to be in the truth yet you go on an Atheist board hoping to find answers. You come to JWD and go into the "world" hoping to find answers.
You have made mistakes like we all do and you are paying the consequences like we all do. Yours are a bit more complicated than others in that you can’t give your children back, not that you would want to. These decisions affect you for life. The world didn’t make you do it. The reality is that you have four children and no spouse. I’m sure you are totally overwhelmed. I get the sense that you want the truth but at the moment it’s a luxury; that you are in survival mode.
You need love and support. For some reason you are not getting it. Where are your parents, the grandparents of your children, the grandparents of your new baby. I’m appalled that the "Christian" boy and his parents have deserted you. Could it be that they too may think that their son stepped out and became involved with a "wordly" person. This is inexcusable. You didn’t become pregnant on your own. Your sister also got pregnant out of wedlock. You both were born into the org yet both got pregnant out of wedlock. I have to wonder if there was some dysfunction within your own family.
I do get tired of the accusations that when you step out into the "world" you step into the den of iniquity. I was told by a PO that I was worldy. He has since been demoted and isn't even an Elder. He doesn't define who I am. Thankfully my mom knows me. I have two children probably not much younger than you. My daughter is a moral Christian girl who has made a vow to abstain until she got married. If she weakens I would still love and support her. My son has not gotten a girl pregnant and if he did we would be there for him and the girl. They are in the "world" (apart from the org) and they know right from wrong.
At the moment you are getting your emotional needs met from your congregation and I’m glad that you are getting some. I worry that it may be short term. This is a religious organization. It is not a social club or babysitter. I worry that when you are stronger that you may realize that it is not the truth and possible shunning from your children when they are older.
It sounds like you have made up your mind but I believe it’s for the wrong reason. It’s not because the Org is the truth. As a Christian, never having been a witness, I don’t come with the baggage that so many have that comes with being an ex-witness. I have other baggage!
Because of my parents I started looking into it many years ago wondering if it was the truth. It is not. Pray to God for guidance, that He will open your eyes, pray for protection from untruth, and help in raising your beautiful children.
A number of religions claim that only they have the truth and a person will be saved only if they remain with them. This is contrary to what Jesus said. The JW org has demoted Jesus. He is not Mediator for the Great Crowd. The Great Crowd does not partake at the Memorial, they don’t celebrate his birth, he seems to morph. into Michael, back to Jesus, then back to Michael again.
Show me in scripture where God chose the JW org. Show me where 144,000 go to heaven and the great crowd has a different hope. Show me that Jesus is Michael. Show me that the JW Org is the New Jerusalem and has replaced the Covenant that God made with Israel. Show me where Jesus is Mediator only between God and the 144,000. Show me where only the anointed can partake at the Memorial and the rest are to watch.
Going door to door:
JW claim that people must go door to door to evangelize. It doesn’t say that in the bible that we must do that. The people came to Jesus to listen to him. What is the success rate among the JW’s doing it this way? My understanding is that it takes a long time to convert someone. Our Alpha group has a very high success rate of people coming to the Lord. We evangelize - just differently.Preach the Gospel at all times. Where necessary, use words. St. Francis of Assisi
You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody. You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. 2 Corinth 3:2-3
The Cross:
Leolaia has covered this. I don't worship the cross. Most likely you don't worship the Watchtower symbol. But how much more important a symbol is the cross over the watchtower symbol. Jesus died for you. He suffered horribly for you. To say that Jesus died on a stake diminishes his suffering, as the cross was much more barbaric. It also never made sense that Jesus would then have been carying the pole that was a permanent fixture in the ground. He carried the cross beam.Covenant with Israel:
At some point I will post more extensively as I promised someone here a quite a while ago.Many churches hold to the replacement theology that the church replaced Israel. They argue that since the Jews rejected Jesus as the Messiah then God has rejected the Jews. This is untrue. God made four everlasting covenants with the Jews. At the death of Jesus the Gentiles were grafted into that same tree, to be in the same Covenant. God never gives up on us. We give up on Him.Memorial:
I assure you: Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you do not have life in yourselves. Anyone who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day, because My flesh is real food and My blood is real drink. The one who eats My flesh and drinks My blood lives in Me, and I in him. Just as the living Father sent Me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on Me will live because of Me. This is the bread that came down from heaven; it is not like the manna your fathers ate — and they died. The one who eats this bread will live forever." John 6:53-58Mediator:
I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone, for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men. 1 Tim 2:5Jesus:
Jesus is the same yesterday today and forever. Hebrews 13:8Truth: "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you men had known me, you would have known my Father also; from this moment on you know him and have seen him:" John 14:6-7
some more scripture to ponder: we do good works because we are saved, not to be saved
As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit - just as it has taught you, remain in him. 1 John 2:27
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:4:10
The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!" Galatians 2:20-21
‘And you will know the truth and the truth will set you free’. John 8:32