Posts by Greenpalmtreestillmine

60

I Am a Christian

by Greenpalmtreestillmine in

jw
friends

i am a former jw just as many here are.

i have left the watchtower just as many here also have.

i also died as many here have.. i died, i cried, i died again.

Greenpalmtreestillmine

Dave,

I posted my religious opinion on a religious thread. I have not posted as far as I can remember a "preachy" comment. If I have then it was most unintentional.

I have refrained from posting on religious threads because to argue religion is in my opinion not productive. The "Born Again?" thread was however a subject which I thougt was not only interesting but important so I posted.

If my post was preachy in some way then I apologize but if it was just an expression of my opinion why was I vilified for it? I understand that religion has caused much hurt but Dave, I myself have not caused that hurt. I am just a person who seeks to understand and who loves God. If someone like me is not welcome to post their views without malicious expressions towards their beliefs being thrown at them then we have not moved too far from the place we have come from.

I am not an enemy though I am a Christian. Neither am I a dog to be spat upon.

Sabrina

60

I Am a Christian

by Greenpalmtreestillmine in

jw
friends

i am a former jw just as many here are.

i have left the watchtower just as many here also have.

i also died as many here have.. i died, i cried, i died again.

Greenpalmtreestillmine

I am a former JW just as many here are. I have left the Watchtower just as many here also have. I also died as many here have.

I died, I cried, I died again. I cling to my God now.

Is it really so bad that I continue to be a Christian? Is it really so bad that I continue to believe?

I have no one but you people yet it has been shown to me on the "Born Again?" thread that I am not really welcome here because I am a Christian. Both JT and Dave have degraded my beliefs. They have made great assumptions but without knowledge of my beliefs.

I have never degraded atheists or agnostics. I have never degraded people of other faiths why is it then that my religious beliefs are degraded?

Sabrina

61

Born Again?

by IT Support in

to those who consider themselves christian.... is it possible to be a christian without being 'born again'?.

did you get baptised again after leaving jws?.

confused.... ken.

Greenpalmtreestillmine

JT,

You have no idea what I believe yet you proceed to not only demean my unstated beliefs but also to speak about me in the third person.

If I have offended you in some way then please accept my apologies. I am not here to argue in fact that was one of things that caused me to hesitate posting here in the first place. If you had asked me why I said what I did I would have been more than happy to answer. It seems though you have your own beliefs as to what my beliefs are so there is no point in discussing it is there?

I hope you had a good Christmas.

Goodnight.

Sabrina

61

Born Again?

by IT Support in

to those who consider themselves christian.... is it possible to be a christian without being 'born again'?.

did you get baptised again after leaving jws?.

confused.... ken.

Greenpalmtreestillmine

JT,

What the Watchtower taught is not what Jesus taught. I'm a Johannine Christian which means that I accept the testimony of the Gospel known as the Gospel of John as the closest to what the Christ taught.

In the Gospel of John Christ taught inclusion not exclusion. So I agree with you that God will not destroy people simply because they are not born again Christians or because they are not Christians at all. It is a person's heart that matters and not their outside religious or non-religious garb.

Sabrina

12

what happened to 'leaving' the congregation?

by Pleasuredome in

the last time i read 'do you shun former members?

' at http://www.jw-media.org/beliefs/beliefsfaq.htm i'm sure it said that people could 'simply leave without being shunned' or something along them lines.

am i wrong or has this been changed recently?

Greenpalmtreestillmine

Yes many times a careful fader does avoid shunning. It means though choosing between your family and friends and your freedom to live your life as you would like.

It's not an easy thing to do either way.

Sabrina

61

Born Again?

by IT Support in

to those who consider themselves christian.... is it possible to be a christian without being 'born again'?.

did you get baptised again after leaving jws?.

confused.... ken.

Greenpalmtreestillmine

To those who consider themselves Christian...
Is it possible to be a Christian without being 'born again'?
Did you get baptised again after leaving JWs?
Confused...
Ken

Hi Ken,

I was born again while still an active Witness. I myself though did not get rebaptized after I left the Witnesses. I suppose it depends on the individual and what their conscience or God's spirit directs them to do.

As for your question whether it's possible to be a Christian without being born again, this I cannot say for others but for myself anyone who loves Jehovah and the Christ is a Christian regardless if they feel they are born again or not. But that's just my opinion.

Nice to meet you,

Sabrina

35

3 Jehovah's Witnesses Found Murdered

by Kenneson in

jw
friends

in orange city, volusia county florida, 3 members of the negron family were found murdered in their home in a quiet neighborhood, unknown for any violence.

they were active jws, even hosting meetings in their home.

the witness community is in disbelief.. http://www.orlandosentinel.com/ .

Greenpalmtreestillmine

The article said there had been an assault reported there. Their photos look more like mugshots of drug dealers.

These people were murdered. Why poke fun at the dead?

What kind of person does that?

Sabrina

25

Do you think the governing body sincerely believe what they teach?

by AJN in

i haven't had a chance to read crisis of conscience yet, it's a 2 month wait here unfortunately for delivery and i feel it will probably answer some of my questions regarding the gb but it occurs to me - i wonder if they *really* believe what they teach, if they *really* believe it's the truth or are they really manipulating money makers operating a dysfunctional mlm scheme that ruins people's lives.

or perhaps somewhere in the middle lol.. oh yeah, and if anyone knows how the 'new light' is supposedly delivered i'd love to hear about it.. what do you think?

if anyone has read coc and has any quotes that might be useful please post :)

Greenpalmtreestillmine

I think the Governing Body members may not have full trust in everything they teach but they have enough belief in the general teachings of the Society to continue on. Raymond Franz did not indicate that these men were outright liars just misled, followers of followers.

Unfortunately they forgot they were supposed to be followers of only the Christ and not men.

83

The absolute stupidity of Christianity

by logansrun in

so often people here confuse just what the real evil is.

we think it is the theology and practices of the watchtower.

neigh!

Greenpalmtreestillmine

Gee, I don't know what to say. But this I will throw out for whoever may read this: To compare "Christianity" with the words of Jesus Christ is not too dissimilar from comparing the U.S. Declaration of of Independence and the U.S. Constitution to the goings on in Washington D.C today. One is not necessarily a true representation of the other.

Many decry the actions of Congress and of the President because they fall far short of the words in those two documents. It is the same with Christianity, it falls far short of the words of Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ has little to do with Christianity today and those who decry Christianity should not equate him with the thing they decry. Jesus preached love of neighbor. He also preached that any who did not follow him were wrong. Surely it is not too hard to see that any who do not have some love for their neighbor or their fellow will eventually go the wrong way totally.

What exactly are the teachings of Jesus that so many here disagree with?

31

Help - it's drawing me in again

by AJN in

hmm, not sure how to write this - here goes:.

i left the jw's about 15 years ago however my 18 year old son is a witness.

we haven't seen each other for many years and the only contact we have is via the telephone occasionally (all this is cool btw).

Greenpalmtreestillmine

AJN,

May I suggest that you e-mail Raymond Franz at his Commentary Press site and express your concerns to him. He is very capable and loving and will I am sure give the best advice he can.

Sabrina