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leavingwt
JoinedPosts by leavingwt
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31
HELLO, I'M NEW AND.........
by billie jean ini never believed a word of any of it !.
raised a j.w from birth, i'd sit in the meetings and at conventions wondering what the hell it was all about and that it was all one big joke and imagine that they''d all suddenly turn around laughing and pointing at me !!
saying something like "haha the joke's on you".
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leavingwt
Wonderful! I was wondering when you'd product another excellent video. Keep 'em coming.
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20
Conversation with an elder today!
by Maddie ini was at work today and low and behold an elder from the kh i used to go to came in.
i never got to know him very well but he always struck me as pleasant and mild mannered.
the thing is i stopped going to meetings over a year ago and am now, as i have already shared, being shunned by my jw son and his wife and can't see my beautiful little grand daughter any more.. i haven't officially dissassociated and not met with any elders but don't care what action they take as they can't do any more damage to me now.
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leavingwt
It never ceases to amaze me how JWs dismiss anything contrary to the official teaching as "lies", having never examined it. The mind control is truly amazing.
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9
Are You Idealistic?
by choosing life inin the past, i was pretty idealistic.
i believe this is what attracted me to the witnesses' idea of a perfect paradise on earth.
i was a teenager when i first was contacted by them and quite disillusioned with life.
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leavingwt
"If a young man is not a liberal, he has no heart. If an old man is not a conservative, he has no head."
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17
Is it true that 95% of JWs still believe the door was closed in 1935?
by 1914BS ini get that kind of feedback when i talk to dubs that i know .
how about your experiences.
do the jws you talk to really keep up with the tidal wave of wt doctrine changes?
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leavingwt
I shared the 'new light' with my Book Study group, back in December or so. Evidently, ALL of them had completely missed the new light in the May 1, 2007 QFR, which effectively 'opened the door' to Heaven.
They looked at me as if I was crazy when I told them the Heavenly hope was now available to them. Even when they read the magazine article, it was as if they couldn't understand it. The conductor was a little irritated, and said to me: "I don't have to worry about that. I know I'm not anointed!" I then told him that he probably never really even entertained the idea, as he was baptized in the 1990's, which means his Bible study conductor would not have presented the Heavenly hope as a choice for him.
On this topic, I also shared with them what the 1952 Watchtower (below) had to say on the subject. Notice that it talks about DECIDING what hope you have and CULTIVATING that hope. This really blew their minds. The one CLEAR thing you can draw from this 1952 Watchtower article is this, in my opinion: It's not as if you're struck by lightning and wake up anointed. This article talks about a hope that is cultivated.
So, had the Heavenly hope been presented to all of us an OPTION when we first became JWs, surely some of us, having read Jesus' and Paul's words, would have claimed to have a Heavenly hope.
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w521/15pp.63-64QuestionsFromReaders***?
Howcanonedeterminewhetherheisoftheanointedclass,andhenceshouldpartakeoftheMemorialemblems?—E.B.,California.After Pentecost in the first century any who had the spirit of God, as evidenced by his having one or more gifts of the spirit, would have no difficulty deciding whether he was of the anointed class, for that was a time set aside exclusively for begetting heavenly heirs. On this firm foundation he would entertain heavenly hopes. Today the circumstances are altered. One may have dedicated himself to doing God’s will, symbolized that dedication, and demonstrated that he has the spirit of God by doing Jehovah’s will, doing it in the love of God and trying to imitate him and his dear Son; but how would he know that his having the spirit of God was assurance that he was going to heaven? The spirit of God is also on the "other sheep", and not just on the anointed remnant. So how can we determine the matter today?
It seems from the Scriptures that God was specially taking out the spiritual class up until 1931, in a general way, and this does have some bearing on the matter. However, it is not conclusive. Since 1931 there are those who have entered the service and who give evidence of being begotten by the spirit and who have their hopes set upon being of the heavenly heirs. So there is evidence of some coming into the heavenly class since 1931; though not on a general scale, but only individuals here and there who are taken in to fill up the places of some who may turn unfaithful.
You would have to examine yourself on this basis: "Have I dedicated my life to God through Jesus Christ to do his will forevermore? Do I have the spirit of God? Is God dealing with me? Yes, I have the evidence that God is dealing with me; he is using me in his service. He is providing for me. He is giving me a place in connection with his organization, and I am realizing many blessings, and am growing in the understanding of his Word. I have all of these indications that I have his spirit, and I am trying to act as a real Christian and follower of Christ Jesus would in displaying the spirit of the Lord in that way." This examination with the above-outlined results would indicate one had the spirit of the Lord, whether of the anointed class or of the "other sheep".
Then, what is the thing that draws the line of demarcation between the two classes and puts you either on the side of the "great crowd" or on the side of the anointed remnant? As you examine yourself you have to determine what your hope is, because God is dealing with you and is cultivating in you some sort of a hope. In Romans chapter 8 Paul discusses how "the spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are God’s children" called to be joint heirs with Christ in the heavenly kingdom, and adds: "For we were saved in this hope; but hope that is seen is not hope, for when a man sees a thing, does he hope for it?"—Rom. 8:16, 24, NW.
So, you see that you have to be saved in a certain hope. Now God deals with you and he must by his dealings with you and his revelations of truth to you cultivate in you some hope. If he cultivates in you the hope of going to heaven, that becomes a firm confidence of yours, and you are just swallowed up in that hope, so that you are talking as one who has the hope of going to heaven, you are counting on that, you are thinking that, you offer prayers to God in expression of that hope. You are setting that as your goal. It permeates your whole being. You cannot get it out of your system. It is the hope that engrosses you. Then it must be that God has aroused that hope and caused it to come to life in you, for it is not a natural hope for earthly man to entertain.
If you are one of the Jonadabs or one of the "great crowd" of good-will persons you will not be consumed by this heavenly hope. Some of the Jonadabs are very prominent in the Lord’s work and have an important part in it, but they do not have that hope when you talk to them. Their desires and hopes gravitate to the earthly things. They talk about the beautiful forests, how they would love to be a forester at the present time and have that as their continual surroundings, and they like to mingle with the animals and have dominion over them, and also the birds of the air and fish of the sea and everything that creeps over the face of the earth. That is what they love, and they are looking forward to enjoying those things. Oh, they understand their Bible. They have a very advanced comprehension of the doctrines and truths of the Bible. But when you talk to them, that is the way they express themselves. They have no desire for the heavenly things at all. They do not want to be like an angel, or even see God face to face, beholding him in his supernal glory. That would be wonderful, they admit, more so than any possible earthly blessings; but they just do not have such desires or hopes in them.
So, it seems that after you have inspected the matter of time, the possession of God’s spirit, his dealings with you, then you have to take into consideration, "What are my real, sincere, heartfelt hopes in this matter?" Then you decide your position; no one else can decide for you. Decide whether you have the consuming spiritual aspirations. If so, then follow through with those. That is in your system and you cannot get it out, so act accordingly. Participate in the Memorial emblems. Whereas, if you do not have that hope, if you are divided and uncertain, then it appears that you are of the earthly class, and hence should not partake of the emblems at Memorial time.
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51
My Guarantee........................
by Warlock ini guarantee you, if everyone in the united states were allowed to carry a gun on their hip, people would treat each other with alot more respect.. warlock .
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leavingwt
I once read somewhere that our homes have one of two (implied) signs on them:
Sign #1 - "We are unarmed and defenseless. Please don't hurt us."
or
Sign #2 - "We are armed and will defend ourselves. Please don't make us hurt you."
I saw a bumper sticker last week, that read: "Ted Kennedy's car has killed more people than my gun." Another one reads, "If guns kill people, then forks made Rosie O'Donnell fat."
In all seriousness, however, when I was a JW, I didn't own a gun. (I do know quite a few JWs that own rifles and shotguns for home defense. There is a stigma attached to handguns.) I once believed that I had angelic protection. What's more, I believed that if I should die at the hands of a criminal, I would instantly awake into a Paradise earth. Well, needless to say, I've thrown away some of the previous foolish beliefs. I also now have two small children. Were I ever to be in a situation in which having a weapon (and the necessary training to effectively use it) would save the life of a family member, it will have all been worth it. I own a gun because criminals exist and I could be a victim. The gun in no way gives me a false sense of security. The most powerful weapon that we all have is our brain. It's best to see trouble coming and avoid it or flee the scene. Having a gun does not change that. However, there are circumstances, such as changing a flat tire on a remote road, in which you can literally be a 'sitting duck' for a potential attacker. (Yes, I live in a very rural area.) So, what I'm trying to say is this: in a limited number of scenarios, having a weapon and the skills to use it, could very well save your life. A firearm is a tool. It does not imply that the bearer is an agressor or looking for trouble.
Human life is special. I hope I never have to fire my weapon at a human being. Moreover, I've taken practical steps to avoid confrontation. I live in a good neighborhood and I don't travel into the nearby large city after dark. Here is the thing, though. Should a human LOWER himself to the status of wild animal, by attacking me or my family, putting me in bodily danger, I will put him DOWN just like I would an attacking wild animal. (Refer to Sign #2 above.)
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51
My Guarantee........................
by Warlock ini guarantee you, if everyone in the united states were allowed to carry a gun on their hip, people would treat each other with alot more respect.. warlock .
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leavingwt
If you haven't seen this episode of the TV '30 Days', you might enjoy it. An anti-gun activist moves in with a gun fanatic for 30 days. During this time, she receives weapons training and works at a local gun shop. She also meets a family that was the victim of a violent intruder. Overall, the show presents many of the issues in a very balanced manner. It's about 30 minutes long or so.
http://www.hulu.com/watch/25712/30-days-gun-nation#s-p1-so-i0
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51
My Guarantee........................
by Warlock ini guarantee you, if everyone in the united states were allowed to carry a gun on their hip, people would treat each other with alot more respect.. warlock .
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leavingwt
"An armed society is a polite society. Manners are good when one may have to back up his acts with his life." -- Robert A. Heinlein
I have a carry permit and regularly exercise my right. I do not, however, 'open' carry. I keep my weapon concealed, so as not to attract attention. I've never had to use it, and I hope I never will.
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132
What Is Your Present Status In The Organization?
by minimus inare you disfellowshipped?
disassociated?
a fader?
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leavingwt
I DA'd myself in April of this year.
I'll take the real truth over the comfort of lie. However, everyone has a different set of circumstances. I will never criticize those that fade, or keep going without believing, etc.
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30
Breaking: Mother is going back to the Watchtower
by What-A-Coincidence ineven though she knows it's hypocritical.
she felt 'loved' there.
she misses that.
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leavingwt
It will be interesting to see if she is treated well. Also, what will they say about her husband and son?