Posts by ph1ll1ngood

48

I want to leave but don't know how

by God_Delusion in

hi.. i have been a witness since birth (will be 30 years in june 2009).

got baptised when i was 15 (pressured into it by my parents, plus, i was promised my first home pc if i did get baptised before turning 16).. both my parents serve in the uk bethel.

i have an older brother and younger sister, both of which are witnesses.. i am married to a witness and live in cyprus (i am english).

ph1ll1ngood

"I would like to know of any stories from you who also are atheists. What did you say in your Judicial?"

I decided to DF myself from the organization at age 18. In my Judicial Hearing, the elders were shocked about my decision. They reminded me that I was removing myself from Jehovah's protection when Armageddon comes.

I told them that I wasn't sure I believed in Jehovah anymore.

They responded with "What about what the Bible says?"

I told them that I didn't believe that the Bible was God's authoritative text.

We then had a discussion about fulfilled prophecy, signs of the end, etc. I reasoned that prophecy appears to be "fulfilled" when it is applied after the fact, and that signs of current conditions "fulfilling prophecy" were just the JW perspective. (I had yet to read Hume, not that it would have mattered to them.)

Eventually it came down to a version of Pascal's Dilemma:

If I believe and I'm right, I live forever. If I believe and I'm wrong, I've wasted my life by "waiting on Jehovah."

If I don't believe and I'm right, I get the joy of LIVING my life on my terms. If I don't believe and I'm wrong, Jehovah kills me at Armageddon.

Here's a paraphrasing of what I said:

"As far as I can tell, this is the only life that I will live. I'm not any surer of this fact than I am that God doesn't exist. Ultimately, time will tell. However, I don't want to risk wasting my whole life living according to someone else's rules, only to die waiting like so many people in our congregation have.

"If I'm wrong, I'll take the issue up with God when he returns. If He doesn't find my lifestyle to fit his fancy, then I'll tell Him to do what He must. But it will be on my terms. I love you all dearly, and I wish that it didn't have to be this way. But I have the rest of my life to live, and I want to get started living it."

Hope that helps,

ph1ll1ngood

5

?about Memorial, Annointed and Armegeddon

by Guest with Questions in

jw
friends

jesus said that we are to remember him (memorial) until he comes back.

jehovah's witnesses believe that he came invisibly back in 1914. some witnesses say that he will come back again; that the memorial ceases then.

but that's not what watchtower literature says.

ph1ll1ngood

GWQ, you have raised some very good questions. Before I left the organization, I used to wonder when the selection process began for choosing the 144,000, and why it seemed that there were no new anointed members.

Regarding JWs saying that Jehovah is not the God of confusion, I believe this is an indirect argument for the organization. Here are the premises and conclusions:

Jehovah is not a God of confusion.

The WTBS is Jehovah's sole communication conduit.

Therefore, information/interpretation from the WTBS is not confusing.

In other words, if you doubt the WTBS, you are in effect doubting God.

Regarding the Jesus/Michael dilemma, this seems to be one of many inconsistencies in the Bible. That's my take on it.

What's important is that you have questions. Questions lead to knowledge, but knowledge can be one-sided have ulterior motives. I gave you my take on it, but I asked questions that ultimately led me to leave the organization. The point is not to take anyone's "Truth" on authority. Keep searching, and make sure the places you search for knowledge are diverse. This will give you a variety of information upon which you can build your personal truth, rather than have it handed to you in a package.

Best of luck to you,

P