Posts by Confuzzled

13

Question About Tithing

by Confuzzled in

some of you may have read my post about my lasped jw boyfriend, and his pressure on me to consider to convert eventually (i'm not going too!

) but i still would like to better understand the church and watch tower society better so i can understand this mindset he has.

he makes much to do about the lack of an offering plate, and "the 2 boxes, one for the church, the other for the needy, nobody is put on the spot to donate".

I kinda figured that. I don't understand how they can be so tolerant of perverts when it says in the Bible that if you hurt a child let it be like a millstone around your neck, but every religion has issues with people who take advantage of children, some just seem more tolerant of others...But that's besides the point of my question. I hate the fact that it seems like people who don't have 2 cents to rub together, and they expect ppl to not work on there careers and make more money for their families, and then expect them to tithe anyway.

74

I need answers to so MANY questions.....

by Confuzzled in

jw
friends

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Confuzzled

I know about the women not talking in church, it was one of the verses he had me compare and it is true, it is there. But it also says your head is supposed to be covered in church, and nothing says anything about skirts being required, but again beating a dead horse. There is something to be said for following the Bible to the letter, but the Lord isn't stupid, I don't think he cares who speaking the Gospel as long as someone is telling it.

He claims they live like the first church (He always says "they" because he doesn't feel worthy of the title JW), and I said if you want to live like the first church, I sugest you move to Lancaster, PA and become a Mennonite or Amish. He accused me of "Being down for your religion, and not Jehovah", but from what you generous people have told me it seems like the cult does exactly that, worship 9 old, filthy, rich men in Brooklyn.

74

I need answers to so MANY questions.....

by Confuzzled in

jw
friends

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Confuzzled

I'm not buying into it. I can't. I think I am far to rebellious anyway! But I've been w/this person for a year off and on but I have been his friend for six years or there abouts that explains why I haven't met Mom, we weren't exclusive until recently, he only brings "serious" women home to Mama. I think it's odd I couldn't meet her before all this, but wants to shuffle me off to KH with her. She knows about me though, has seen my pictures and I hinks I'm pretty but I suspect she was disappointed I'm white (he's Puerto Rican). I was fine not meeting her though, frankly i like it, I don't have to win her over, ect. But that's besides the point. I know he feels guilty and like a hypocrite. i.e., celebrates all holidays, boozing, whoring, ect. lol. As I have mentioned, this has come up before, but I think he gets distracted and falls off the guilt wagon.

Why do they always want you to talk to someone else? I thought maybe in his case it was because simply didn't have the answers, and I know this is true because he really doesn't, but it seems ike every potential new convert gets shuffled along to somebody else.

74

I need answers to so MANY questions.....

by Confuzzled in

jw
friends

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Confuzzled

No he hasn't, but he claims the system of beliefs has brought him a level of peace. He is a police officer (YES! I did point out your not supposed to be! He claims they changed things for cops to get baptized), and his hectic life, doing things in the past he is not proud of, evidently the system brings him peace. He says he loves the peaceful people (but it doesn't seem peaceful at all), and that it has kept him from doing wrong. He does put others before himself, often at a cost to himself personally and finacially. He has one brother who is baptized and I believe his mother is. He wants to throw his life into it. That's why, he claims, he can't answer any questions I ask, because he simply doesn't know.

13

Question About Tithing

by Confuzzled in

some of you may have read my post about my lasped jw boyfriend, and his pressure on me to consider to convert eventually (i'm not going too!

) but i still would like to better understand the church and watch tower society better so i can understand this mindset he has.

he makes much to do about the lack of an offering plate, and "the 2 boxes, one for the church, the other for the needy, nobody is put on the spot to donate".

Confuzzled

Some of you may have read my post about my lasped JW boyfriend, and his pressure on me to consider to convert eventually (I'm not going too!) but I still would like to better understand the church and Watch Tower Society better so I can understand this mindset he has. He makes much to do about the lack of an offering plate, and "The 2 boxes, one for the church, the other for the needy, nobody is put on the spot to donate". But I drive past Kingdom Hall and it's neatly manicured and landscaped property, and I know they give away lots of material that needs to be paid for somehow, and the pictures I have seen of Bethel facilites, I'll even admit they look like a resorts. I know due to my research , that JW are in a lot of impoverished areas, but somebody is paying for all this.

74

I need answers to so MANY questions.....

by Confuzzled in

jw
friends

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Confuzzled

Text messages after hang up:

Me: Quit tryin 2court me in2 this, it isnt goin 2work

Him: Im not but I jus really wish u would talk 2some1 who can answer ur ?

Me: M I goin 2get honest answrs

Him: ur info u got off intrnet how u know thos arnt jus rumors

Me: I don know but mayb ill look in2 talkin prof of religion 1st

Him: need talk some1 who lives the faith not some1 thinks they know

I feel like I'm beating a dead horse. I never told you guys about drunken nights and pre-martial sex, or a bunch of other private but VERY hypocritical activities. He's 10 yrs older then me and has quite a past. I think he's settling down and assessing his life. I failed to mention this has come up before, he goes to meeting for 4-6 weeks with his mother, then falls out of it, then feels guilty and goes back again. I'm actually at fault for this relapse! I made the mistake of telling him after he had a bad day of doing a lot of thankless work for a whole bunch of ungrateful relatives, that I thought the Bible said to be all things to all men, and he liked the verse. He thanked me for inspiring him to pick up the Bible again! Everynight he wants to compare a verse out of his to mine, and although a lot of the verse are nearly identical, his just sounds like poor English to me.

74

I need answers to so MANY questions.....

by Confuzzled in

jw
friends

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Confuzzled

I told him that the whole idea amounted to me going through my entire life knowing the sky is blue, and then having him come along and tell me that no it's not, it's neon pink, with zebra stripes. Or that I've known I've been white my entire life but you come along and tell me I'm really asian. I also told him that every part of me is telling me "No". His response was something along the lines of, "Almost everybody feels that way at first". Then again he suggested I talk to somebody, because "He doesn't have any answers." But then asked me to explain to him how Jesus could be God if he spoke to his father. I told him I didn't have an answer for him, I'm no Bible scolar either, it's a mystery of faith, and he's like, thats your explanation? I said I simply didn't know. We fought again, he hung up on me after I said, how do you as smart as you are, buy into this?

He has no interest in even going to Mass with me because we have female deacons and Chalice ministers and Acolytes (To which I asked him if I was going to hell because I mixed the Precious Blood and Holy Water and lit candles from ages 8-15, me a heathen woman, he says he didn't know!

I feel like I'm arguing with a rock.

15

WHY DO ELDERS LABEL THOSE EXPOSING ERROR AS APOSTATES?

by Fernando in

first topic posted - sorry if it is a bit too long.. why do elders accept this absurd teaching of demons: "anyone rejecting what is not of god, is rejecting god"???.

evidence that these elders - not their victims - are apostates (wolves, weeds, the man of lawlessness, the antichrist, practicers of spiritism).

having gone through extreme adversity and consequently deep spiritual waters our family has come to understand apostasy to fundamentally mean the following:.

Confuzzled

Wow...I come from a religion where our filthy laundry is aired in public, and debated, and discussed openly at Bible study. As an Episcopalian our "Gay Marriage" and "Ordaining Women" issues can be seen on CNN (side bar, my own Reverend has said flat he with leave the cloth if forced to grant gay marriages). Questions and debate lead to better understanding, and growth, and the the Bible specifically demands Christians seek Wisdom. I can't imagine not being able to speak my mind, or not being able to ask "Why?".

74

I need answers to so MANY questions.....

by Confuzzled in

jw
friends

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Confuzzled

Thank you all very much! I realize this system of beliefs is diametrically opposed to almost every I have always held in truth. I did a little perusing of SilentLambs.com and I know about the sexual abuse, it is no better then the Catholic situation, but I'm a she-wolf with my daughter and she is not allowed to be alone with males (i.e. I normally don't leave her alone with males, especially single males that I don't know, I have a 50 something, single, never had a real relationship with a woman, uncle who I don't allow her much contact with because I just don't know, ect.)

You all have been very helpful. The only thing that really even had me considering this was that the simple lifestyle of Bible worship and the traditional role of wmen in the family was very appealing.

All that being said, I'm pretty smart and my b*ll sh*t meter is off the charts on this one, and I have a rebellious spirit and heart. To quote my step-mother "I give you living a lie about a month before your jumping on tables calling everybody a self-righteous pompous ass, or a hypocrite. You'll be storming out of meetings, or if you don't do that, hiding your iPod up your sleeve like a kid."

74

I need answers to so MANY questions.....

by Confuzzled in

jw
friends

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Confuzzled

Oh, to Satanus, I was witha former cocaine addict for 10 years (I'm 28). he relapsed ONCE, got sick, felt like an a**, never did it again. I'd rather a coke addict!