Posts by Brother Jeramy

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.

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 . . .

It's her own damned personal life and who the hell do you think YOU are to tell her to leave or NOT to leave just because you feel she should not challenge her husbands beliefs or her JW relatives beliefs ? It's really none of your damned business or place to be telling this newer board member what to do or HOW she should feel.

I agree, it's her life. It's also obvious that she volunteered her information on this open discussion board. I suppose she did this, oh I don't know, for discussion purposes perhaps? (Just a wild guess.)

You also wrote . . .

Telling a new board member who has experienced difficulties from her studying JW husband and fanatic JW relatives that if she leaves she is, " very controlling " - is VERY controlling of you to tell her this.

A vicious little circle, isn't it? This can only mean that -- wait for it, wait for it -- you're also being very controlling because you're telling me I'm being controlling for inferring that another person is being controlling for acting exactly like an organization she says is . . . controlling.

So I guess your formula is: non-JW can criticize JW and it is perfectly acceptable, but JW criticizes non-JW and it is controlling.

I see.

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

Lost his mind . . .

As an active Witness for over thirty years, and one who continues to be happily active, I have never once discouraged anyone from asking questions, nor have I criticized anyone for having doubts, no matter if they are doubts about Scripture, teachings, the Watchtower Society, etc. Questions are good. Doubts are healthy. When one asks questions stemming from doubt, it's evidence that they are loving God "with their whole mind" rather than with a suspended intellect. (see Mark 12:30)

Now, as far as your husband is concerned, I obviously don't know the entire story, and for that matter it's none of my business. From the very little you've written about the situation and the manner in which you write about your husband, my impression is that there has already been some friction existing in the marriage for some time (though this is not to infer you have a bad marriage by any means) and that perhaps the differences you and your husband have about Jehovah's Witnesses are a symptom of that friction rather than the cause. Again, all I can go by is the little you've written.

But in all honesty I did notice something curious in some of the things you've stated.

By your account, Jehovah's Witnesses are a controlling entity, a cult, a manipulative organization that threatens expelling any brother or sister who doesn't "toe the line" of Watchtower doctrine or doesn't bow mindlessly to the Governing Body's will.

Yet I noticed the following in what you wrote:

I have told him that if he gets baptized I will leave. I have a hard enough time dealing with him now, I have no idea what it would be like in full blown cult mode. They will not come to the house anymore because I ask to me questions and told them they were liars the last time they were here. I asked them who their mediator was and they said Jesus and I said they were either lying or not reading their own literature. The elder called me a hateful woman and said he would not be back. I said that would be glorious. Unfortunately, my nephew was with the elder, and the hubby backs up the hateful woman comment.

I have managed to keep him away from meetings for 2 years but he still reads their crap daily.

Threatening to leave your husband if he gets baptized sounds very controlling. Is this not the same kind of controlling behavior that you accuse the Watchtower Society of engaging in? Cutting ties if a member engages in activities that don't sit well with Watchtower preference?

Even though you directly asked two Witnesses about their belief, and even though they directly answered you that Jesus is our mediator (which is, in fact, true; Jesus is our mediator; 1 Timothy 2:5, 6), you nonetheless called them liars. Is that not what people accuse the Watchtower Society of doing, calling people liars?

You were called hateful by an elder who also happens to be your nephew (which, again, suggests family-related friction over and above any doctrinal or theological disagreements), and then expressed that your "hubby" agreed with your nephew. By doing this you're negatively categorizing your husband and your nephew based on the fact that they oppose your position and manner. Is this not what people accuse the Watchtower Society of doing, negatively categorizing people who oppose its position?

Finally you mention that you've "managed to keep your husband away" from meetings for two years, but that he continues to read Watchtower literature. This sounds, again, very controlling. Matched with your threat of divorce, it comes off as extremely manipulative. Isn't manipulation exactly what people accuse the Watchtower Society of engaging in?

Control. Negative categorizing. Manipulation. Threats of cutting ties.

Whether done by an organization or by an individual, it's all the same.

Again, none of us knows the entire story of you and your husband's issues (and clearly we don't have your husband's side of the story), and it's none of our business. But based only on the little you've chosen to reveal thus far, perhaps you may wish to consider the possibility that your husband (with his pro-JW stance) isn't the only source of the problems you're experiencing.