i've seen where some former jws compare the wts to certain movies or books (such as the village and 1984).
i just wondered what movies or books reminded you of the wts and why?
did you draw this conclusion before or after you left the organization?
Worldly Andre-
Yes, I saw the Omega Man. Really an admirer of Charlton Heston. He's Moses, you know. Right after we left the Borg-not df'd or da'd now- my husband and I would keep the shades in the front of the house drawn. He would only mow the yard if I was with him. We would look out the windows before we ventured out. Yes, the Omega Man is a good analogy.
i wondered, since the jws claim that jesus is their teacher, what evidence do they have of jesus shunning "bad associations"?
it seems to me, from reading the bible, that the religious people of his day really gave him a hard time, because he actually spent the majority of his time with "bad associates", rather than shunning them.
thomas, though he followed jesus, wasn't totally convinced.
Hello, Gunshy. I am pretty new here too. But I have read a few posts from some that would defend the position of Jehovah's Witnesses on this forum. Number one, if you think disfellowshipping is scriptural and right, why not go into the back room with a few elders and fess up to them that you have been not only reading but actively participating in an apostate site? This after the convention in which all were to swear that they would not go to "chat rooms" such as this? You have been a BAD BOY!!!! You may be able to find out for yourself how loving an arrangement of disfellowshipping is!!!
I would like to tell you from my experience the problem I have with disfellowshipping. My teenage child was taken into a back room where men tried to force her for two and one-half hours to admit to fornication. This after telling my husband that there was no accusation against her of it. They made her read a scripture from Revelation that she was filth in God's eyes and would burn in the lake of fire with the devil and his angels.
Try explaining to me-or better yet-show me a scripture that says that elders have the right to harshly condemn everlastingly a young person.
I think if you read some of the stories on this forum you will find that treatment such as this is not an isolated case. Men whose purpose is to heal and counsel in love have set themselves up over others as those who would crush them.
Your writing reveals you to be a youngish person without a lot of personal experience or feelings for others. You should do well in this organization--that is, if you don't reveal to them that you've already been involved in a disfellowshipping event.
Everyone-am I right?
i'll introduce myself:
i'm a person who'd like to remain anonymous.
i'm 16, and recently confessed to my mother my disbelief in her religion (jehovah's witnesses, obviously so).
Welcome to the forum. The others have given good advice. I will just say that I was a troubled teen, although not a JW. I gave my parents fits. I was rebellious, so it is not confined to the JW religion, but is part of wanting independence as a teen.
I do appreciate that you have been honest with your Uncle and Mom. You do not want to be a JW. Please do NOT get baptized to please anyone. You will create many problems for yourself down the road. Telling your Uncle and the elders that you do not agree with the WT teachings is the right thing to do. So is sitting at the Hall in a respectful way until you are 18 because your Mom says you should. You can take the time that you are there to read the Bible. The Bible is a respected piece of literature. You can formulate your own beliefs from it if you do not agree with the Witnesses, but this way you will be armed with information to formulate a belief.
Please think of your future. Get the best education you can. Learn to love learning. Yes-make the Library your hangout. You can learn so much about the world around you.
Perhaps you could get a job-maybe in a fast food restaurant-that might take some pressure off Mom and make your relationship better. She is probably under such tremendous depressing pressure that you could not understand until you have a child of your own and are faced with the responsibility of providing for it.
http://www.caymannetnews.com/cgi-script/csarticles/articles/000041/004145.htm .
letter to the editor .
no such thing as 'watchtower' teachings .
While I agree that the witnesses beleive that Jesus is God's son and not God himself, after being in the Organization-or whatever part of it I was in because now I'm confused- I remember the first meeting I went to. It was in 1973, and the speaker was introduced as a "REPRESENTATIVE OF THE WATCHTOWER SOCIETY."
I remember that my husband and I were really impressed. Wow-a representative of the W.T. Society! Of course it is for legal reasons that they no longer are allowed to introduce themselves in this manner. However, where do they get the outline for their talks? My husband was an elder for many years. He was not to deviate from the outline. At the District Conventions, as well as the Circuit level, many of the talks are manuscripts. You must deviate even a word!
All these titles for different parts of this organization that has been fragmented into different corporations is so that the Society as a whole cannot be sued.
Yes, I am confused, as I am sure many in the whatever they are still in are. Who IS the Watchtower Society? Who speaks for it?
yesterday something happened that really pissed me off.
i was walking out of a store that has two doors you have to walk through... the inner door and the outer door.
basically a small foyer.. as i'm going through the inner door i notice a woman is behind be so i go on through and hold the door for her... she went right on through without a word and then went through the outer door, pushed it open and then let it fly back into my face.
I am glad when someone holds open a door for me. I hold open doors for others. I beleive Jesus said, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Always held this as good advice. Unfortunately, many have never been raised with manners or see the need to show basic human kindness to others. I will not let them affect me. I want to sleep at night.
if the watchtowers involvement in the un was an honorable cause and they were duped into joining as they claim, why doesn't the rank and file know about it.
i mean, couldn't the watchtower have published all the details for all to consider.
firehawk at "profindsearch" seems to think they were duped into joining.
I read the article in the Awake mag that was discussing the "exciting things going on in the U.N." It said that you should ask the ones who left the magazine with you to explain. The mag was currying the favor of the U.N. It was highlighting its accomplishments. It was totally misleading. Anyone reading the article would think that the Society was praising the United Nations to the hilt!! I forget The date of the article. Someone like Blondie could provide that, I would think.
goodmorning all and "happy saturday"!!.
i recently had a very upsetting conversation regarding my stand with my active aunt.
for 4 hours i tried to reason with her on many issues.
Lady Liberty-you told your Aunt you would send her a magazine highlighting that 1975 marked "The End" but she would not read it? Now it would make her apostate to even read a W.T.magazine? How does that happen? Also, she could just ask the P.O. at the Hall about the United Nations issue. I'll bet he's heard of it. Of course, that would put fear into her that she would be branded as apostate!!! It's like the Salem Witch Hunt --you must turn in your neighbor or you will be suspect.
if the watchtowers involvement in the un was an honorable cause and they were duped into joining as they claim, why doesn't the rank and file know about it.
i mean, couldn't the watchtower have published all the details for all to consider.
firehawk at "profindsearch" seems to think they were duped into joining.
How were they duped into providing material to prove to the U.N. that they agreed with their goals and were a large enough organization with worldwide readership and influence to promote those goals to their adherents? They had to agree to do this I believe yearly in order to retain N.G.O. status. I think maybe it's a defense mechanism to quickly uphold whatever the society has done but in the dark of night, with time to think, I'm sure it is disturbing. I felt the same uneasiness upon the announcements about the generation. It did not sit well with me, but I wanted to trust.
Your questions are quite reasonable. If there was no wrongdoing, why not announce to everyone what happened? Do they consider their adherents too stupid to reason and so must keep them in the dark? Why reprove people for asking questions about something that is true? The whole thing stinks--it is absurd--it is reprehensible. It is idiotic to think that they were duped. Why didn't they pray for guidance from the Holy Spirit before joining? Or did they?
my sister was probably one of the most loyal witnesses out there.
all her responses were pulled right from the watchtower thinking, "sorry you feel that way, but i believe jehovah's witnesses are god's people.
" well in time we came to an agreement, "you do not bring up your negative thoughts on the religion, and i will not try to get you to come back to the religion.
Twitch, Yes, I agree--you are a good son. It's also commendable that your parents do not try to shun you for leaving. Seems they are O.K. people, too!!!
to believe the watchtower story takes a high degree of arrogance.
to think you were so special that god drew you to his organization for salvation.
but 6 billion other humans deserve destruction, is placing huge value on your own importance.. if you converted to being a jw do you think you were sucked in because you did not know the full story (ignorance) or was it because you really wanted to believe you were more special than everyone else (arrogance)?
Yes, Blondie, you are right. Power corrupts. I guess I am still in the mortified stage of disbelief. When the WT Society buys or renovates property, they proudly announce it in the KM. They sought out acceptance for many years by the U.N. They actively promoted its interests. Yet, they felt that we underlings were not able to grasp their lofty reasoning, so hid the fact. If there was nothing wrong, why not announce the venture in the KM so that we would all know? And the fact that they disfellowship people when they question the Society concerning this is, well, mortifying.
It is just so hard to come to grips with. Yes, they kept us so busy, who had time to think about little nagging inconsistencies? I felt that to even think about the fact that the "governing body" was all so old, yet they always said that only the annointed could be in charge, would be tantamount to questioning Jehovah. Then they started digging up men that are annointed but in their fifties to be on the GB. How does that happen? The nethenim thing also sounded very convenient. But as has been brought out pointed out before, everyone sees the Emperer's royal robes so you don't want to be the only one. So illogical, yet so human nature.
I got to the point where I figured it was like the nation of Israel. Just accept that you are a member. Let others do the thinking. Just do what you are told. After all, you want your family to live, don't you? Just go along for the ride, and ride into the paradise!!!
