Posts by neverendingjourney

101

I've been studying with JW's for a few months..

by MichaelM in

jw
friends

i've been studying with the jw's for a few months and i've attended a few meetings but things are feeling somewhat strange...i don't quite get the jist of things but i feel that i'm learning more of what the watchtower teachers and less of what the bible actually says.. i never open my bible.. i'm always reading the watchtower pamphlets.

i really like the people i've met in the congregation and the guy thats been doing the studies with me has been an awesome friend.. .

but i'm just having some issues.. i mean.. they translated their own bible to suit their own doctrines it seems.

neverendingjourney

big question though.. If God/Jesus/Holy spirit isnt a trinity, then why do most mainstream bibles have John 1:1 say they are?

In the spirit of full disclosure, I no longer believe that the Bible is the literal inspired word of God. My opinion reflects that belief. There are clearly passages in the Bible that show Jesus as an inferior being to God the Father. There are other passages such as John 1:1 that seem to indicate the Father and the son are one in the same. This has to do with the fact that various different people wrote the various books of the Bible, including the gospels. They were not led by holy spirit to transcribe God's own words. They interjected their own opinions and beliefs. That's why there are so many religions. You can argue both sides of most doctrinal issues using the Bible. There is seldom a clear, definite answer. If there was, there'd be far fewer denominations around.

Also, even Christians admit that the gospels were written down decades after Jesus' death. The earliest of these gospels tend to show Jesus in a more human light. The Gospel of John, which is believed to be the last one written, shows a more divine side to Jesus. Hence, the John 1:1 scripture you were talking about. It was a custom at the time to deify a great leader after his death as word of mouth increasingly exaggerated his feats and accomplishments. Just some food for thought.

Good luck to you on your journey. I wish you the best regardless of which path you choose.

124

Disgusting comment re: education from Tacoma 2007 District Convention

by Justitia Themis in

this is from saturday afternoon program.

the speaker first starts with what he called the "alphabet soup" of degrees....a.a., b.a., m.a., ph.d., etc.

; he said they were nothing more than "sheepskins on the wall.

neverendingjourney

The society is allowed to plan ahead as if Armageddon isn't really around the corner by planning construction projects years into the future. Rank and file members are not allowed to plan ahead as if Armageddon might be years into the future by getting a college education. That's just H.Y.P.O.C.R.I.T.I.C.A.L.

16

Jehovah Witness confusing doctrine about abstaining from blood

by Blindbutnowisee in

why do jehovah witnesses say they abstain from using blood when they are now allowing their members to use certain blood fractions.

the answer i always get "if their concious allows them its ok it not for us to judge".

if that is the case, whole blood should also be allowed if their concious allows them to.

neverendingjourney

Wasn't Fred Franz behind the blood doctrine? I thought Rutherford didn't buy into Franz's pet doctrine, but that Knorr let Franz run wild with it. Can somebody please clarify this for me?

124

Disgusting comment re: education from Tacoma 2007 District Convention

by Justitia Themis in

this is from saturday afternoon program.

the speaker first starts with what he called the "alphabet soup" of degrees....a.a., b.a., m.a., ph.d., etc.

; he said they were nothing more than "sheepskins on the wall.

neverendingjourney

An A.A. is an associate's of arts degree. In the States, two year degrees are typically called associates degrees. There are also A.S. (associate of science) and A.A.S. (associate of applied science, typically two year trades) degrees.

49

Why label it a cult?

by rebel8 in

jw
friends

what purpose does it serve?

it just seems to polarize people and ostracize those who aren't ready or willing to label it a cult.

anyone can look up the dictionary definition of a cult (or experts' definitions).

neverendingjourney

I agree with you, Rebel. The word "cult" can mean many things to many different people. It's a conversation stopper. I prefer the term "high-control group" or "high-control religion." It's very hard to argue that JWs aren't that. Calling it a cult seems to be therapeutic for those of us who have been hurt by the religion, but it does nothing to help people understand what the religion is all about. By using the word "cult," people that are on the fence might tune you ought because they think you are clearly biased. A lot of people reserve the term for groups like the branched davidians and the Jim Jones cult. They don't believe JWs are in the same group, so they dismiss the claims of people that call JWs a cult.

29

So..You donate your money, and then you have to pay intrest on it??!!

by Lady Liberty in

good morning everyone "happy thursday!!",.

just reading another thread, and it made me think of a question i could never answer as a jw.

how is it that when your hall wants to build, you recieve the "loan" from the society, but then you have to pay the loan back with intrest??!!.

neverendingjourney

I don't see Lett and the other GB boys driving around in mercs or sailing up the carabean on a lavish boat.

You miss the point. They are dishonest with the way they treat their members. In other words, they lie. I went to assemblies for years and I had no idea that my money was going to the society. I always thought it was going to cover the expenses for the weekend. They way they handle that shows contempt for their members. They treat them as if they are children who don't deserve to find out how things really work. They're not open about the way they deal with their finances in order to keep up an appearance that they are different from mainstream churches. In other words, so they can have something else to bash all of non-JW religions with. In reality, the way they handle money matters in not any better.

13

A BIG Thank You to You All!!

by R.F. in

jw
friends

i know i've been posting here on jwd for only a month and a half or so, but i would like to give everyone here a big thank you!!.

i know i've come here and it seems like mostly venting from me, but it means alot for you all to listen and give much advise.

it's kinda like big sister or big brother....you've been there and done that(still doing it for many of you) and your giving little brother valuable advise.. there has been so much to go on in my life in the last month or so that i've never been through, but i'd first say that i've gotten this unbelieveable strength from god, along with your helping hands along the way.

neverendingjourney

R.F, I've always enjoyed your posts. You and I seem to come from similar backgrounds, so I look forward to your updates. Best of luck.

16

My Wife Asked About My Mother-

by OnTheWayOut in

jw
friends

i use my opportunities with my wife to have mini-interventions, but i do things differently with .

my mother.

she knows that i am no longer an elder, but she hasn't asked more about what's .

neverendingjourney

Reading non-JW books was a red flag when I was an active dub. It raised all kinds of suspicions. It didn't matter what the topic was. It was just the fact that you were reading something that wasn't approved by the society. The typical thought was that we have so much assigned from the society to read and instead of reading that you are reading something from the world with worldly themes and advice. I'm glad your mother accepted it, however.

73

When DID the Jews return?

by Doug Mason in

the wts says that the key date in the jews return from babylon is tishri 1 537 bce.. the wts uses that date to arrive at its incorrect date of 607 bce for the destruction of jerusalem.

in turn, its 607 bce date is used to provide the date of october 1914 ce for christs parousia and the setting up of gods kingdom government.

the wts claims to be the sole representative upon earth of gods kingdom.. the date of the jews return is thus crucial to the watchtower societys (wts) existence and authority.

neverendingjourney

I think Scholar is very methodical with what he’s doing. He understands that the historical/chronological arguments are way over most people’s heads and that very few of them do the research for themselves. Therefore, he tries to create the illusion that there is an actual debate to be had here. He hopes that stray JWs with lingering doubts who might run across 607/537 threads will find what appears to be a debate about the issue and conclude that the question of when Jerusalem was destroyed/repopulated remains unsettled. It will be easier for them to accept the society’s interpretation if they think that no one actually has a definitive answer. Scholar isn’t interested in truth, he’s interested in creating the illusion that the 607/537 dates might be accurate.

This technique is frequently used by creationists and intelligent-design proponents. They want to create the illusion that there is some kind of real debate to be had about the legitimacy of evolution. They’ll clothe their religious propaganda with what appears to be science in order to convince religious people that the foundation for evolutionary theory is not very solid. Most churchgoers do not research the matter for themselves, but instead are comforted by thinking that their scientists are disproving evolution. The recently-opened creationist museum is a perfect example of this type of nonsense. The people leaving that place go home with reinvigorated faith thinking that science has proven the Bible right. Of course, very few, if any of them, actually bother to conduct their own investigation.

73

When DID the Jews return?

by Doug Mason in

the wts says that the key date in the jews return from babylon is tishri 1 537 bce.. the wts uses that date to arrive at its incorrect date of 607 bce for the destruction of jerusalem.

in turn, its 607 bce date is used to provide the date of october 1914 ce for christs parousia and the setting up of gods kingdom government.

the wts claims to be the sole representative upon earth of gods kingdom.. the date of the jews return is thus crucial to the watchtower societys (wts) existence and authority.

neverendingjourney

Now you're using the third person to refer to yourself. You sound even more cultish that way.