Posts by timetochange

41

The Bible Says that Jesus is God - Definately

by Sirona in

i am not a bible believer.

i have a question for those of you who are bible believers.

if you believe that jesus is not god, how do you justify the following:.

timetochange

Sirona,

My thoughts on this:

In Exodus 4:16 and 7:1 God Almighty tells Moses that he, Moses, would be "as God" to Aaron and to Pharoah. Moses had the authority of God when he spoke to both Aaron and Pharoah but he was obviously not the God Almighty.

The OT speaks of a greater Moses that was to come this one is identified by Peter as the Christ, the Son of God, Acts 3:22. Jesus though spoke with the authority of God not as a mere man as Moses was but rather as a Son, one who is the exact representation of the Father. His name, Immanuel, signifies that very well because to see the Son was to see the Father. But never did the Son say he was equal to the Father. Everything God is the Son is also but one, God himself!

If Jesus were God equal to the Father one would have to jump hoops to explain not only 1 Corinthians 15:28 (quoted below) but also all the many NT statements that clearly position the Father above the Son both during his lifetime and after his resurrection. The OT and NT use of the word "God" is much more sophisticated than the way it is used today. Religious fundamentalists try to make everything black and white, God on the other hand has made a world, spiritual and physical, of endless color and shade. He wants us to use our reasoning minds. Jesus is not God and yet Jesus is God for to see him and to know him is to see God and to know God.

1 Corinthians 15:28, "When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to him, so that God may be all in all." nasb

46

Why did they not try to 'Save' me?

by AK - Jeff in

i have pondered this question on many occasions.

when i began to have 'doubts' and began to 'question' some doctrine, and particularly the lack of christian love, very little effort was made to 'snatch me out of the fire' as elders are admonished to do.

i have always wondered why we as jw's would spend countless hours trying to start bible studies with 'wordly' people, while at the same time ignoring those who are moving away from dead center of the organization.

timetochange

Why didn't they try to save you? F..E..A..R!

They've been taught to fear any who appear to be going contrary to what the GB directs.

This lesson is learned by rote and remembered.

Ed.

22

Come, worship a god who wants parents to stone their children to death!

by jambon1 in

no thanks.. disgusting!.

timetochange

Oops, sorry! I thought this was a Bush bashing thread. I was ready to comment on his murder of American children.

Ed.

7

May 1st Watchtower- A Call for Younger Anointed?

by timetochange in

jw
friends

is the may 1st watchtower a call for the younger anointed to put their lamps in order?

a call not from the gb but from the christ?.

ed.

timetochange

Is the May 1st Watchtower a call for the Younger Anointed to put their lamps in order? A call not from the GB but from the Christ?

Ed.

2

Ray Franz' opinion on the 1935 change?

by timetochange in

jw
friends

has anyone here spoken to him about it?

.

ed.

timetochange

Has anyone here spoken to him about it?

Ed.

152

Does Knowing the Truth Make you a Happier person?

by gumby in

many of us who were once jehovah's witnesses had a measure of happiness in our lives.

for me, i had a hope in the future, i had answers as to why we are all here, i believed in a loving god who looked after me and cared about me, i had answers to all of lifes big questions.. when i found out the truth about the witnesses, i was lost in a great big world and now had no answers other than the fact that what i once believed was "the truth" in actuality wasn't the truth.i now had to start all over in my search for truth.

for me, it wasn't long before i found what i thought was the truth since i always believed in the bible.

timetochange

Gumby,

I didn't take the time to read all the replies so forgive me if this has already been said: LIVE YOUR LIFE AS YOU SEE FIT!!!

If it serves you to go back just to be with your family, go for it! DO WHAT SERVES YOU.

Don't be fooled by the prevailing winds whether they're JW or exJW. I know many an a exJW family that is down in the dregs dealing with the heartache that comes from leaving when their kids were too old to adjust to life outside but too young to deal with it. Unwanted pregnancy, alcoholism, STDs, etc. are what some exJW parents I know are dealing with when it comes to their teen and young adult kids.

Many exJWs are in a box, just as JWs are in theirs. We all live in a matrix of sorts, if you feel your family is more important to you than living what some feel is truth (though no one really has this so called "truth") go for it because in the end it's family that matters and "truth" will come and go as it pleases.

Ed.

24

Did the JWs conceal crucial info before your baptism

by greendawn in

for those that became jws but weren't born in the cult, do you feel that before baptism the dubs withheld from you information that should have been revealed, things that if you were aware of you wouldn't become a jw in the first place, such as the heartless dfing policy.

perhaps focusing on the promise of paradise earth and eternal life makes us forget to search out possible negative issues and that's part of their trickery.

timetochange

Entering the JWs is like most other ventures, we get what we put in. There are those who ask all sorts of questions, read the material, attend the meetings and study the Watchtower. When they get baptized they pretty much know the score including disfellowshipping etc. Then there are those who just trust their teachers, do little study and ask very few questions, these are likely to get baptized while remaining blind as bats.

Ed.

7

Question for Elders - Still Active but open to all - Could you help a Fader

by rassillon in

jw
friends

i can't say that i have gotten to this point where i would want to do this, yet.. but for those of you who are elders and former elders can you answer this question, not this one the one i am about to ask?.

would you be willing to request a publishers card from his current congregation and then give it to him so that he could disappear easier?.

also, in this situation, does the congregation send all records ( besides any in ny ) with the card, do they keep copies?.

timetochange

rassillon,

When I was in the Org. (not too long ago) the Congregation Secretary would forward a letter of "introduction" to a publisher's new Congregation. I presume this procedure is still in place. It's stated purpose was to prevent abusive publishers from moving to one congregation then another in order to continue in their abusive mode. The Congregation Secretary of your old congregation will expect the address of the congregation you are moving to or will on his own find out the address of your "new" congregation and send his letter according to procedure. It's been a long time since only publisher cards were forwarded from one congregation to another.

Ed.

28

Should I Stay or should I go?

by Tyrone van leyen in

i have been pondering a dilema.

it is one which has repeated itself many times over the years.

my parents have been helping me, and being very nice to me in the last couple of years.

timetochange

If you desire to continue taking your parents money then it seems prudent to do as they ask. But if you now want to stand on your own then do it and accept the consequences.

Ed.

43

Is It Impossible To Reach A Devout JW ???

by minimus in

jw
friends

i wonder.

a very typcal witness may see the obvious negatives that jws know they have.

they might acknowledge that there's often a lack of love, that the elders can be demanding, that "new light" can change long cherished beliefs in an instant.......but still they cling on and resist any sort of intellectual discussion as to why the witnesses are off soooooo many times.....what gives??

timetochange

To be fair, there are many people outside of the JWs who prefer to follow rather than lead.

Ed.