Posts by SuspiciousMinds

87

I was a False Prophet

by IWillBeDubbedNoMore in

jw
friends

i was a false prophet.

i would spend many a waking hour proclaiming to others that i had special knowledge that i was willing to share so that they could survive the impeding doom that was shortly coming upon mankind.

i proclaimed to the world, or at least anyone i came in contact with, that the world would end within a generations time from 1914. i spoke this vile falsehood for years without any remorse.. i falsely spoke telling them that i was participating in a special separating work being done all over the world.

SuspiciousMinds

Sorry to encourage Reniaa's hijacking, but I thought these verses were appropriate:

(Deuteronomy 18:20-22) 20 “‘However, the prophet who presumes to speak in my name a word that I have not commanded him to speak or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet must die. 21 And in case you should say in your heart: “How shall we know the word that Jehovah has not spoken?” 22 when the prophet speaks in the name of Jehovah and the word does not occur or come true, that is the word that Jehovah did not speak. With presumptuousness the prophet spoke it. You must not get frightened at him.’

How many times has the WTS spoken in God's name, only to have the prophecy unfulfilled?

87

I was a False Prophet

by IWillBeDubbedNoMore in

jw
friends

i was a false prophet.

i would spend many a waking hour proclaiming to others that i had special knowledge that i was willing to share so that they could survive the impeding doom that was shortly coming upon mankind.

i proclaimed to the world, or at least anyone i came in contact with, that the world would end within a generations time from 1914. i spoke this vile falsehood for years without any remorse.. i falsely spoke telling them that i was participating in a special separating work being done all over the world.

SuspiciousMinds

Thank you - I really enjoyed reading that. When my wife gets home from work, I'm sure she'll enjoy it too. You expressed the thoughts of many of us here, but in such an interesting way.

Thank you,

SM

19

1995 Generation change - Awake! Masthead change

by SuspiciousMinds in

this is regarding the change in the wording of the awake!

masthead regarding "the creator's promise" to restore paradise.

i believe the change happened between the octbober 22 and november 8 issues.

SuspiciousMinds

Thanks for the comments, everyone.

Thank you especially to Black Sheep for the scans. It makes me mad that the WT study article where the change was made was done so in a vague, drawn-out explanation. Most JWs at the time probably just assumed this was too deep for them to fully understand, they were just pleased that "new light" was a sign of them having God's direction. Heck, most probably didn't understand the WTS interpretation of Matt 24:34 just as most today have no clue. If the wording in the WT study article was as clear as this statement in the Awake!, I'm sure more people would have noticed.

I was too young in 1995 to understand the change, but I don't remember any one making an issue of it, even my super dub parents.

19

1995 Generation change - Awake! Masthead change

by SuspiciousMinds in

this is regarding the change in the wording of the awake!

masthead regarding "the creator's promise" to restore paradise.

i believe the change happened between the octbober 22 and november 8 issues.

SuspiciousMinds

This is regarding the change in the wording of the Awake! masthead regarding "the Creator's promise" to restore paradise. I believe the change happened between the Octbober 22 and November 8 issues. First of all, if anyone has a hard copy of the Awake! before and after this change (preferrably within a few months of the actual change), I would be very interested in purchasing these from you. Of course, I will send you Paypal for the shipping costs and your time. As I am not DF or DA yet, I would prefer to deal with a well known member so as not to compromise my identity.

If I am not able to acquire the issues, my other option is to acquire the 1995 Awake! bound volume. Does anyone know if the wording in the bound volume remained true to its original print, or did they edit each issue to remove the 1914 bit altogether?

Thanks in advance for your help!

SM

42

DNCall Unmasked - Part 5 of 5

by DNCall in

jw
friends

startfragment.

during the appeal period of one week we sent the following letter to approximately 22 of our oldest and closest friends.

im including it here because it conveys how we feel at present, looking back over the half-century of our lives.. dear ____,.

SuspiciousMinds

Frank,

Thank you so much for sharing your story. My wife and I read all 5 parts in one sitting last night, and we both enjoyed it immensely. It's given us courage as we embark on our exit out of the WTS.

58

My JW parents met my wife, but would not see me...

by Confession in

so it was time for the 25 year reunion of tawas area high school's class of '84.

because i was class president, i've been responsible for throwing all the reunions we've held.

while i come to michigan on business a few times per year, i don't usually make it all the way up to the little, northeast, lake huron tourist town where they live.

SuspiciousMinds

Wow, I feel so bad for you that you have to endure this type of treatment, all in the name of Watchtower. I'm amazed how well you handled yourself.

When my parents find out about our status, I'm afraid they will treat me the same way. If you can send me links to any stories you posted in the past regarding how you handled family and friends on your way out, I would really appreciate it.

43

Why do I still feel guilty?

by JWinprotest in

yesterday as our family entered the parking lot of our kh, we realized it was not our congregation entering.

soon afterward we remembered that this week was our co visit and we had missed the tuesday night meeting.

i think it's the first time in over 20 years that i missed a meeting with the co. tonight is our bookstudy/co talk, i wonder if anyone will ask where we were (not likely, everyone is so over us).. it's weird though because a large part of me could care less, and we were laughing about it all the way home.

SuspiciousMinds

Perfectly normal. We went through the same feelings for several months, but 2 weeks ago we missed the entire CO visit for the first time and we barely even noticed. Now a Tuesday night passes and we don't even think about the meeting. Same with sleeping in Saturday and Sunday!

However, missing the Memorial and DC next year may be different because they're both such important events in JW land.

41

A "possible suicide" results in no JW support

by donny in

a co-worker of mine whose, wife and daughters are jehovahs witnesses, told me about situation that his oldest daughter finds abhorrent.

he said that a close friend of his daughter was found dead in a car the other day.

she was in her early 30's and had been a lifelong jw.

SuspiciousMinds

I haven't experienced this situation, but this is another proof of how wicked the WTS is. And this from a religion that points to the "lack of natural affection" in the world as a sign that we're living in the last days. I've seen no other organization promote such a sick hatred for family members.

48

Out of the Closet

by darkl1ght3r in

hi everyone... you might remember me from the username 'darklighter' ... if you don't, no big.

i used to post on here about a year ago.

i was stuck inside the watchtower corporation, with everone around me still believing.

SuspiciousMinds

Congrats on your new-found freedom. I hope that will be me some day.

Sorry about losing your wife over this. Your situation sounds similar to ours, as my wife's non-jw extended family who we previously had almost no contact with have welcomed us with open arms and have shown unconditional love.

We should celebrate as the WTS has lost another of its top performers.

22

Friend said they're really emphasizing "Family Worship Evening" at the Convention - why did they get rid of the book study then?

by truthseeker in

jw
friends

i just had a chat with a friend i haven't seen for a while.

he knows we're inactive.

he was trying to encourage us by relating what he heard at the convention, saying "the end is near" and then proceeded to tell me that what stood out the most was how many times the society emphasized "family worship" night at the convention.. it got me thinking, why did they get rid of the book study arrangement in private homes if they're so keen on forcing people to have family worship night?

SuspiciousMinds

Most of the JWs we know haven't even considered actually having the "Family Worship Evening". Since it's not actively enforced most dubs will just do what any other normal people would do with a free evening. I don't know how the WT could have expected otherwise.

Of course, if asked on a shepherding visit if they were having their FWE, they would say they are.