Posts by tjlibre

122

Stayed up all night, see it is a cult now.

by gutted in

i really needed to find a place to write this as i don't believe i can talk with anyone else about my account, perhaps it is similar to a lot of yours.. last night for whatever reason i said i would go online and look up information on jws.

i have been raised as a jw all my life and baptized the last few years.

i looked at www.freeminds.org and www.sixscreensofthewatchtower.com and couldn't believe how easily the whole of my lifes teachings were refuted.. i can't stop my brain from running, bs just in regards to theology alone (1914, paradise earth, celebrations etc.

tjlibre

Gutted,

Welcome to the board. As you can see, there are thousands of JW and Ex-JW that have experienced what you are now going through.

The advices are great, but I’ll reinforce that you need to, above everything…take it slow…don’t rush, and please please DON’T TRUST ANYONE & DON’T TALK TO ANYONE!!

Come here, talk here, grieve here, let your frustration come out here!

I also recommend you buying the book “Crisis of Conscience” and Steve Hassan’s “Combating Cult Mind control”

I recommend you getting the PDF version of Crisis of Conscience and saved it on a usb drive that only YOU have control of. This will help you keep the book in ‘secret’.

My friend, fasten your seatbelt…you’re in for a wonderful ride!

A comrade,

TJLibre

1

This is what the SEC is doing

by is there help out there in

jw
friends

.

http://news.yahoo.com/video/politics-15749652/19290002.

tjlibre

WOW! at work? Why....Why? some people just don't think.

37

PARADISE EARTH OR HEAVEN? OR BOTH?

by exjw2814 in

the jw's teach about the hope we have for living on a paradise earth.

is that what jesus taught when he came to the earth ?

the last time i checked he was referring to heaven, not earth.

tjlibre

I read this a while ago...click on the link for more.

Eternal Life On Earth? You mentioned questions regarding life on earth. As for the manner of the resurrection and all the details, I don’t see reason for dogmatism. Likewise as regards life on earth. I am perfectly happy to wait to see what the eternal destiny of people will be according to God’s disposition, and I feel we are wise not to pretend to be so certain that we know all there is to know on the subject. When people write about this I usually respond that as to one’s hope, I can only urge that it be tempered with a willingness to recognize that our understanding is rarely something beyond adjustment or increase. When a promise is clearly and definitely stated in Scripture, we can not only hope for its fulfillment but have conviction of it, faith in it. That is true of the hope of forgiveness of sins, of the resurrection, of the hope of life everlasting. These hopes are spelled out clearly and extensively, even repeatedly, in the Christian Scriptures. Read more at http://www.commentarypress.net/cpn-essays/English/E604D794-E67E-42C0-BBE9-3DB26C420F6C.html

37

PARADISE EARTH OR HEAVEN? OR BOTH?

by exjw2814 in

the jw's teach about the hope we have for living on a paradise earth.

is that what jesus taught when he came to the earth ?

the last time i checked he was referring to heaven, not earth.

tjlibre

This is a very interesting topic. As a matter of fact, it is one that I’d like to do more research on in the future. You have all brought up man thought provoking comments. (Man!…this is a lot better than a WT study at KH).

I share “angus” ideas regarding the afterlife. I don’t want to be overly concern with the place where that afterlife will be (unless there really is a place of everlasting torment. Yikee!). I rather hold on to the promise that there will be a resurrection, that I’ll be reunited with my loved ones, where there’ll be no more suffering, death, sorrow, etc. But above all, that regardless of the location…that dwelling place will be in the presence of God.

One thing I do know for sure…there is more to life than this.

TJLibre

6

Lets have some fun.

by tjlibre in

lets find and post pictures/cartoons that depicts the wts/gb, their teachings, culture...anything.... .

i got this idea from the last post on the generation change thread.

http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/watchtower/bible/187399/1/new-generation-defined-april-15-2010-watchtower.

tjlibre

Let’s find and post pictures/cartoons that depicts the WTS/GB, their teachings, culture…anything…

I got this idea from the last post on the “Generation” change thread.

http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/watchtower/bible/187399/1/NEW-GENERATION-DEFINED-April-15-2010-Watchtower

I go first....

for some...even if you don't want the "carrot" they want to force you to chase i!

30

If still "in", how do you feel when praying in front of a group despite being in doubt of your beliefs?

by Crisis of Conscience in

jw
friends

it happened to me this weekend.

i'm curently "active" and had some long time friends from a different congregation over for dinner.. we went through the formality of praying before the meal.

normally or rather lately i've been passing it off to someone else.

tjlibre

It was a little hard for me at the bigining. Subconsciously, I was still equating God to the “Organization”. I then learned to keep my prayers simple; for example, I don’t thank for the “food provided by the FDS” instead I thank God for allowing us to have his Word for our spiritual edification. Instead of asking for help for the JWs alone, I ask for the end of all the suffering that Humanity is going through, etc…and instead of using the phrase “your organization”, I say “your people”, “your faithful servants”, “those that do your will”, etc.

Something that’s helping me improve my non-GB/WT “worshiping prayers”, is listening to the sermons/prayers by pastors from other denominations at sermonaudio.com. I’ve learned that there is another dimension to prayers that is more heartfelt, natural, real and meaningful. (I’ve enjoyed listening to some sermons/prayers by John Piper, Paul Washer and Dr. Alan Cairns).

29

I am speechless - a rarity indeed. Please read.

by AK - Jeff in

http://www.zenmoments.org/the-cab-ride-ill-never-forget/.

.

tjlibre

Thanks sharing AK-J. It was a very refreshing and thought provoking story.

44

New Here!! And finally I can post.

by Crisis of Conscience in

jw
friends

i've been lurking for quite a while but i finally gave in to my "apostate" heart and joined!

i'm so excited!.

tjlibre

CoC you have a PM.

64

Did leaving the WT build greater appreciation for or kill your reading of the Bible?

by lepermessiah in

jw
friends

i am really on the fence on this issue right now and would love some opinions.. i find that i dont sit down and read the bible for long periods since becoming inactive, but on the other hand, individual scriptures mean much more to me now.. i will sit down and look up some favorite passages from time to time and feel like its the first time i really "got it" - without the jw goggles on.

i love matthew chapter 23, since i think it describes to a tee the situation in jw congregations.

i think if jesus returned today, he would blast the elders and "leaders" of the borg in a similar fashion (along with most religious leaders) .matthew 24 is actually more interesting to me now, simply because my whole life was waiting for the 1914 generation to end sometime during the reagan era!

tjlibre

leperM,

I gained more appreciation for it. I got the KJ, the NIV translation and a Matthew Henry commentary. I fund that my reading became more enjoyable when I stop trying to replace the WT thinking with new ones. I decided to start reading the NT with an open mind as if I’ve never read the Bible before…having another translation helped in letting the scriptures speak to me in another tone.

Another book that helped me in appreciating the reliability of the NT was “Reinventing Jesus”. I highly recommended. Here is a comment from a book reviewer:

"Reinventing Jesus cuts through the rhetoric of extreme doubt to reveal the profound credibility of historic Christianity. Meticulously researched yet eminently readable, this book invites a wide audience to take a firsthand look at the primary evidence for Christianity's origins.Reinventing Jesus shows believers that it's okay to think hard about Christianity, and shows hard thinkers that it's okay to believe . While there are other books being written to defend the historical Jesus of the New Testament, and the authenticity and trustworthiness of the New Testament writings, Reinventing Jesus is one of the better ones read by this reviewer. The authors cover such a breath of material that it is hard to find one of similar value in terms of thoroughness and argumentation. I highly recommend this work." (Ray Hammond ChristianBookPreviews.com 20060619)

9

Do you feel that most on this forum/board have "acedia"?

by StoneWall in

jw
friends

it's a word that you may not hear very often so i want to add the definition as it appears in my webster's dictionary.. .

acedia- "1. an onset of distaste for and boredom with all religious practices 2.spiritual sloth or apathy,esp.

that resulting.

tjlibre

“If the Christian church has made too much of the vice of pride, which seduces us into thinking too highly of ourselves, it has not made enough of sloth, which allows us to settle for being less than we can be, both as individuals and a society.”

I can relate to this. Being in a religion that praises visible works and adulate those in position of service “authority”, it was easy for me to believe that I knew all that there was to know about the Creator, and that I was a righteous person. For many years I “settle[d] for being less than” I could be when it came to my spirituality, faith, communion with God…and the use of my critical thinking faculties.

I find myself in “acedia”, from time to time; partially due to the aversion I’ve developed towards religious righteousness and legalism.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” -Matthew 5:3 (NIV)