something happened this week to make me think about this again.. it feels like all bets are off and i really don't know what a good person is anymore.. when i left the jws i was so sure i knew what it meant to be a good person.. this has been revised many times since.. i tend to favour the utilitarian approach, the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people.. sometimes you have to stick your neck out and say this is not good for me no matter what others may feel they need from me.. no idea where i'm going with this maybe this is a breakthrough in my life or maybe that glass of wine was stronger than i thought!.
any thoughts?.
According to both Psychology and the Bible we are all dysfunctional (fall short of a perfect standard).
Just to varying degrees.
The "Good News" especially according to Paul is that a right and clean standing is imputed as a free gift by grace.
This opens our heart up to the transforming power of love.
We are gradually regenerated, and naturally become "good" or at least better than before.
not sure of the point of telling my story, but just got off the phone with my grandma and i am so angry, stressed and i don't know what else...i guess i just wanted to hear from someone other than my husband that i'm not crazy for my reaction to family interaction.. my condensed story gramatical errors and all :).
father was a born in jw, mother was a convert.
i was born the last of 3 siblings and shortly after my birth in 1981 my parents divorced.
Welcome Pattytheperfect1!
Congratulations on standing up and saying this is wrong - calling them out on their hypocrisy.
I believe what you are now (finally) doing will be very cathartic, empowering and healing for you:
They are very wrong.
You are absolutely right.
While the Watchtower does not care for scriptures in their own Bible that do not suit them, many here on JWN do:
(Proverbs 17:15) . . .Anyone pronouncing the wicked one righteous and anyone pronouncing the righteous one wicked—even both of them are something detestable to Jehovah.
Greetings
Fernando
PS - My wife's situation is very similar.
been wanting to talk about this for a while... three years ago on this forum my friend cedars brought this up.
let's do it!.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sykaxxpyos.
What a fabulous idea, and brilliant suggestions.
As above: do it already!
okay, i like to hang out with these twelve other guys a lot, but recently one of them---i call him josh--(to help protect his identity) as started being a bit of a jerk.
he just decided that he was the leader of the group, and i'm not 100% comfortable with that.
and he expects us to treat him like he was god or something.
Had me fooled.
i'm not i like the "happy clappy" bits and pieces in church (c of e).
it's just not me.
the local school choir came in today and did 2 songs and one was a rap song about easter.... that's so not me.. i like serious but not hellfire preaching.. any ideas where to next?
How to Explain Simple Organic Church in 2 Minutes on a Napkin
i'm not i like the "happy clappy" bits and pieces in church (c of e).
it's just not me.
the local school choir came in today and did 2 songs and one was a rap song about easter.... that's so not me.. i like serious but not hellfire preaching.. any ideas where to next?
Have you looked into house church or simple church?
Every member functioning.
Spiritually active, not passive.
No hierarchy.
No denominationalism.
No sectarianism.
Was your nephew a JW before?
Hey Terry, I've a feeling this is some sort of setup...
A bit like writing to bethel imagining they'll answer...
Anyways I'd happily take an answer from either or both of you:
"What is it about the liberating, egalitarian and healing gospel message that the Watchtower fears so rabidly?"
"Is it true that more than half the Bible's references to 'good news' are by Paul?"
"Why are followers of the Watchtower so universally ignorant of the 'Good News' according to Paul (2 Cor 4:4)?"
when i first began studying in order to "make the truth my own", there were a set of scriptures that perplexed me and motivated me to dig deeper.. the scriptures are regarding the resurrection of the inhabitants of sodom & gomorrah.. see jesus words here - matthew 10:15 - "truly i say to you, it will be more endurable for the land of sodom and gomorrah on judgment day than for that city.
" (ezekiel 16:48 / matthew 11:23 / matthew 11:24 / luke 10:12 ).
any time that i brought these scriptures up to jw friends and family they would reply like this "jesus was speaking in hyperbole.. that is why he said it would be more endurable".. i would clarify and show them that it says "will be".
objectivetruth, I'm delighted for you, your journey, and your passion for the Good News.
Greetings and blessings
Fernando
hi i am new here thank you for letting me join.
i first of all want to say i am not here to bash the religion.
there are good people in the congregation but also bad ones.
BTW in (Freudian and Jungian) Psychology there is a concept whereby we humans sometimes project the bad in ourselves onto others and then punish them for it.
Presumably this happens when we have strong unresolved fear, shame or guilt.
These feelings are often caused or used by religion (reframing our mistakes) as methods of control.
Who knows...?
Just putting it out there...
