Posts by Brother Jeramy

59

'Anointeds' Do you know any and if so what are they like ?

by Introvert 2 in

would like to hear about any experiences anyone has had with the so called ' anointed ' .

Brother Jeramy

Thank you Introvert 2. And glad we can encourage one another.

There are many who have left their congregations for several different reasons. Some leave because of abusive elder bodies. Others leave because of doubts about the Watchtower Society. Some leave for both reasons. Others fade and exist quietly on the edges in order to maintain family cohesion. All of it is understandable. When there is an injustice, it is natural to want to flee from it.

But while there are systemic issues mainly linked to false teachings by the Watchtower Society, this doesn't blanket the entire Family as "bad." And again, just as the religious leaders in Jesus' day didn't get it all wrong, the WTS similarly doesn't get it all wrong. But that nonetheless does not make either of them virtuous or qualified to be shepherds of "Christ's flock." Such is the complex nature and resulting tensions that attend human imperfection.

The Truth remains the Truth, which is not the property of the WTS but is sourced in Jesus Christ the Son of God. And part of the Truth includes teachings (such as the Kingdom, the Oneness of Jehovah, the resurrection to life on Earth, the transformation of the world, etc.) and behaviors (such as love, kindness, joy, etc.) that, by and large, I have found adhered to with remarkable dedication and unity by the vast majority of Witnesses.

59

'Anointeds' Do you know any and if so what are they like ?

by Introvert 2 in

would like to hear about any experiences anyone has had with the so called ' anointed ' .

Brother Jeramy

notsurewheretogo, you asked . . .

So why are you engaging in the preaching work and still an "active" WT if you know it's all wrong.

For starters, the preaching work is a commission from Christ, not the Watchtower Society.

Secondly, I'm not an active "WT," by which I mean that while I am a Christian witness of Jehovah, I am not an advocate of the Watchtower Society that has unrightfully imposed itself as an authority over the Family of my brothers and sisters.

Thirdly, it's not all wrong.

When Jesus was on Earth he preached to the nation of Israel, which had been poisoned by the hypocrisy and bad practices of some (though not all) of the religious leaders. And many of the people were misled, which is why John the Baptizer gathered them to repentance in preparation for Jesus. Yet poisoned as Israel was, it was not "all wrong."

And so in a similar way I have chosen to remain with my brothers and sisters, in spite of the poison of the "religious leaders" (i.e., the Watchtower Society and the elders who bow to it).

33

I wonder if you can be spiritual and religious at the same time??

by Deltawave in

ok again i would like to apologise as i did come across preachy.

i am not going to debate whether or not i am a bk as you have your opinions either way.

what i was trying to write though was my thoughts and feelings which i hope don't offend anyone on this forum.

Brother Jeramy

I've always thought of spirituality as being akin to gardening, whereas religion is akin to farming. Different yet at the same time related. Can one be spiritual and religious at the same time? Sure. Why not.

59

'Anointeds' Do you know any and if so what are they like ?

by Introvert 2 in

would like to hear about any experiences anyone has had with the so called ' anointed ' .

Brother Jeramy

truthseeker 100, you asked . . .

Brother Jeramy you said on another post that you are still an active witness. Do you still go in field service? And if you do aren't you afraid of indoctrinating others with certain aspects of the JW religion that you don't agree with? I ask respectively?

Yes, I still engage in the preaching work. As for being afraid of "indoctrinating others with certain aspects of the JW religion," I would say no. For starters, I trust Jehovah and Christ, and the guidance of the holy spirit. Also, I keep my method of witnessing and sharing the Good News very simple. I do not offer literature that advances the doctrines of the Watchtower Society, however when moments arise where literature offerings cannot be avoided I make sure to quickly return to Scripture after showing a householder any literature, at which point I always point out the passages that encourage readers to "test the inspired statements" and "examine the Scriptures" carefully to make sure that what they are hearing from us is true. In all of this, I make sure to always tell the Good News of God's Kingdom.

62

Well, I asked a question and his answer blew me away

by Lost his mind in

first time, been lurking for years, but i asked my husband who has been studying for 20 plus years if he has ever questioned those that were "teaching" him.

blew my mind.

i ask him all the questions that you have asked yourself, but he will not ask them.

Brother Jeramy

Giordano, you wrote . . .

She's on here venting and the only thing you can contribute is that maybe her husband isn't the only source of their problems.........How insightful. Indeed there may be other issues however it is not up to us to speculate we can only deal with what she has told us.

Yes. And indeed indeed. And exactly. We can only deal with what she told us on this open discussion forum. But let the fact not be lost on us that her husband, whom Lost his mind has openly castigated here for no other expressed reason than that he remains unquestioning of Watchtower Society doctrine (very problematic, to be sure), isn't here to defend himself. She posted a "rant," as she put it, and offered several complaints. It was in light of those complaints, and their tone, that I offered my own comments free of anger, animosity, or contempt (which is far more than can be said of others here who have responded to my comments, including the latest from Lost his mind).

You further wrote . . .

You are not a trusted person on this site and what Flipper and Outlaw are telling you is that you are going to be vocally blocked, chastised and criticizes trying to justify the JW unenlightened view point about marriage and submissiveness.

I see. So basically I've been "marked," and you, flipper, and OUTLAW are the "judicial committee" who not only have the pulse on every member's trust meter, but are also self-appointed to guard against my "unenlightened viewpoint" (read: apostasy) about whatever it is I decide to discuss here as if there is only one type of opinion permitted in this forum, according to you. Does all that sound just a tad familiar?

(By the way, not a single thing I wrote had anything even remotely to do with "marriage and submissiveness." Not by a long shot. I can absolutely guarantee you that if it had been a man stating the exact same things as Lost his mind stated, my remarks would have been identical to those I gave to her.)

You further wrote . . .

When you reach a point when you can be totally honest with us about your motives for being here you may gain a little credibility.

Again, thanks for pointing out that you've appointed yourself this site's arbiter of trustworthiness and credibility, and for thereby appointing me to a probationary status akin to "unbaptized publisher." As for my motives for being here, they are my own and they shall remain my own. In fact, this site per its actual administrator(s) welcomes, invites, and ensures anonymity as a matter of course. Allow me to refresh your memory from the introduction on the front page of jehovahs-witness.com . . .

We're an independent community site offering support for both current and former Jehovah's Witnesses and anyone else who has been affected by the beliefs, doctrines and practices of the Jehovah's Witness religion as governed by the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society (WTB&TS).

We are not affiliated with the WTB&TS in any way and we take your privacy and security very seriously doing our utmost to protect your identity and provide a friendly, tolerant and informative environment where you can ask questions, share information and make new friends. Membership is completely free and anonymous so why not join today! (emphasis mine)

On that note . . .

Blessings.

BROTHER JERAMY

59

'Anointeds' Do you know any and if so what are they like ?

by Introvert 2 in

would like to hear about any experiences anyone has had with the so called ' anointed ' .

Brother Jeramy

I've personally known two who've laid claim to WTS "anointedness." Like everyone else, they were ordinary folks, decent people, loved Jehovah, loved the brothers and sisters. One, a much older woman who died some years ago, comes to mind as particularly quirky. Very sweet, great sense of humor, we all loved her dearly. But quirky. All in all, though, regular people.

62

Well, I asked a question and his answer blew me away

by Lost his mind in

first time, been lurking for years, but i asked my husband who has been studying for 20 plus years if he has ever questioned those that were "teaching" him.

blew my mind.

i ask him all the questions that you have asked yourself, but he will not ask them.

Brother Jeramy

OUTLAW, you conveniently left out the last paragraph of my original comment where I stated that perhaps her husband isn't the only source of their problems.

62

Well, I asked a question and his answer blew me away

by Lost his mind in

first time, been lurking for years, but i asked my husband who has been studying for 20 plus years if he has ever questioned those that were "teaching" him.

blew my mind.

i ask him all the questions that you have asked yourself, but he will not ask them.

Brother Jeramy

flipper, you wrote . . .

Translation : She may be the source of his problems - THAT is what you're insinuating.

No, that's actually not what I was insinuating at all. Re-read what I wrote. I encouraged her to look into her own attitude and behavior, rather than just her husband's, as contributing factors to the problems she and her husband are experiencing together. I never said, nor insinuated, that she was the "source of his problems."

Again, I'd encourage you to go back and re-read what I actually wrote. Because you're misconstruing my words and are attempting to make it appear that I'm saying something that, in fact, I am not at all saying.

62

Well, I asked a question and his answer blew me away

by Lost his mind in

first time, been lurking for years, but i asked my husband who has been studying for 20 plus years if he has ever questioned those that were "teaching" him.

blew my mind.

i ask him all the questions that you have asked yourself, but he will not ask them.

Brother Jeramy

flipper (as Mrs. Flipper) wrote . . .

Brother J. seemed to be talking to you the way a lot of JW men talk to women. And where the majority of posters here will offer support, the apologists are usually trying to convince everyone, including themselves, to stick to the old cult beliefs.

That's a convenient broadstroke to make, and quite in line with the typically seething anti-JW rhetoric that often gets thrown around here. It's also evident of the peculiarly perverse negativity in which that same rhetoric is baptized, to say nothing of the double-standard it employs. A great number of the anti-JWs on here exhibit the same mentality they themselves accuse Jehovah's Witnesses of possessing. The irony is painfully obvious.

And as I've already made abundantly clear several times, I'm certainly not a Watchtower Society apologist by any stretch of the imagination. Exactly the opposite, in fact. People may not like the fact that I remain active with Jehovah's Witnesses (as distinct from the Watchtower Society), nor understand or approve of why and under what circumstances I remain. But a Watchtower apologist I am not.

I do, though, love my fellow brothers and sisters.

As for my words to Lost his mind, they were honest and forthright (which I thought everyone likes on here, considering they hate the so-called "lies" of Jehovah's Witnesses), and spoken to an adult who, by making a choice to post such details on an open forum, invited open discussion. You may not have liked what I wrote, but such is the nature of this forum's environment. Frankly I could've written my words in the form of the most flowery poetry, and you still would not have approved. Such as it is. But overall, my words, forthright as they were, were nonetheless delivered with due respect.

Finally, it seems to be a pattern on here that people can freely hurl all manner of sharp criticisms and unrestrained ridicule against Jehovah's Witnesses and the Watchtower Society (whether deserved or undeserved), and yet those same people vehemently object when even the slightest criticism is presented back at them from those of us who remain "in" and active, and who love our fellow Jehovah's Witness brothers and sisters. If this clear evidence of your double standard is lost on you -- a double standard, by the way, that many here accuse Jehovah's Witnesses and the Watchtower Society of employing -- then you've got bigger problems than your disproportionate hatred for JWs and the WTS.

62

Well, I asked a question and his answer blew me away

by Lost his mind in

first time, been lurking for years, but i asked my husband who has been studying for 20 plus years if he has ever questioned those that were "teaching" him.

blew my mind.

i ask him all the questions that you have asked yourself, but he will not ask them.

Brother Jeramy

OUTLAW . . .

I agree with you. It is a lie for the Watchtower Society to claim that "Jesus Christ is not the Mediator between Jehovah God and all mankind." 1 Timothy 2:5, 6 makes it clear: Jesus is our mediator.