so yesterday afternoon i'm minding my own business when the doorbell rings.
i answer the door to find a couple of mormons.
i get into discussions with them from my agnostic viewpoint.
I am hoping my comments will post this time... I usually use my IE 9 browser, so I went to my Firefox browser to give it a try... third times a charm, or so they say!
Perhaps these two Mormons took down your address and, if not too embarrassed, will come back to visit you, giving you an opportunity to discuss this! That would be one interesting conversation!
ExpandedMind
so yesterday afternoon i'm minding my own business when the doorbell rings.
i answer the door to find a couple of mormons.
i get into discussions with them from my agnostic viewpoint.
so yesterday afternoon i'm minding my own business when the doorbell rings.
i answer the door to find a couple of mormons.
i get into discussions with them from my agnostic viewpoint.
sometimes i feel like a second class apostate...not that anyone has ever said anything to make me feel that way, i just do, you know what i mean?.
i left the jws because i just couldn't fight my flesh anymore.
the battle inside was going to kill me literally.
Hi, Aussie Oz!
I sent you a PM...
Best,
ExpandedMind
sometimes i feel like a second class apostate...not that anyone has ever said anything to make me feel that way, i just do, you know what i mean?.
i left the jws because i just couldn't fight my flesh anymore.
the battle inside was going to kill me literally.
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over the last couple of years, i have done a lot of reading, and rather than answering my questions, it has made me think even more - particularly about god and the bible.. when i was kicked out of the wtbts, it was because of my personal belief in jesus.
Hi, Paulapollos!
I also struggled with the same issues you noted in your original post. After leaving the Watchtower organization, I jumped head first into Evangelical Christianity. As I look back at that time, it is interesting to me that questions I had about the authority of the Watchtower Society surfaced and I began to ask the same questions of God, the Bible and Christianity.
As do others, I believe in God but no longer consider myself a Christian. I am a Deist. I believe that God's existence is evident through nature and all that we can know --- or need to know --- about God is revealed through nature and science. I have pondered many of the arguments of atheism, and agree with many of the arguments, but when it comes to the existence of God, the arguments against it just didn't convince me. But the thing is this: I am not longer obligated to keep my head in the sand. I can take an honest look at any and all teachings and views --- from any person or group --- without fear.
"It is error only, and not truth, that shrinks from inquiry." Thomas Paine
"The mind, once expanded to the dimensions of larger ideas, never returns to its original size." Oliver Wendell Holmes
Best,
Expanded-Mind
since i decided to leave off being a jw i have been pursuing an interest in new age/celtic religion.
i don't want anything to do with christianity any more, but don't have enough knowledge yet to completely abandon all belief in god.
i am also averse to accepting this life is all there is since i spent half of it wasting my time as a jw.. anyway, i have found a local coven that is looking for new members and is willing to train anyone who is new.
ok, so the witnesses will tell you until they are blue in the face, what they hold is the truth, and that jesus has returned already!
(supposedly in 1914, due to some bizarre calculation of theirs).
but didn't jesus say on many occasions, (several times in chapter 24 matt) that many will come about and say there is the christ!
Hi, strymeckirules!
You wrote: "c t russell said jesus had a invisible return and has been invisibly present since 1914 ruling in the midst of his enemies. they took this stand after 1914 came and went with no visible jesus. instead of russell admitting he was wrong about his "pyramid" date, he lied and said he was right, jesus returned like russell said but "invisibly". you see, if he would have admitted then that he was wrong, he would have been admitting to being a false prophet. and then he would lose all the smart people following him."
Russell actually believed that Jesus was invisibly present from 1874. He did not change this view when 1914 didn't lead right into Armaggedon. If I remember correctly, the Society taught the 1874 date for the beginning of Jesus' invisible presence for a number of years (maybe until the 1930's?). It was the Society, not the other Bible Students who followed Russell's teachings, who changed the date for the beginning of the invisible presence from 1874 to 1914.
I am not defending all of Russell's views, but it is important when we discuss these things that we have all of our facts correct --- to the best of our ability --- so that when Jehovah's Witnesses or others who may read our posts do so, they will not find fault with our presentation of the "facts" (which they might view as a misrepresentation).
There are enough facts out there that show the dangers of the Watchtower Society's teachings, etc. that we don't need to, even inadvertently, misrepresent what either Russell taught or the Society teaches. I apologize for my directness... but when I was leaving the Watchtower organization, I heard some exJWs say some really outlandish things and it actually convinced me to STAY in the organization longer... thankfully I saw past the inaccuracies and read some really solid information about the JWs and I left.
My best regards to you...
Expanded-Mind
i did.
still not finished with a degree yet but i'll get there.. how about you?.
Interesting to read all the posts... I became a Witness in the early 70's and passed on going to college (yes, Armaggedon was imminent!), even though my parents (not JWs) would have paid for it.
I am in my 50's now --- have been in school full time since June 2009 --- and am finishing my last semester of full time school toward my BA/History major (finals are next week). I have one summer course to complete to get my degree, but will start looking for a full-time job and am hopeful (keeping fingers crossed! <laugh!>).
Best of luck to all of you... and, as has been said before, its never too late to go back (or start) if that is one of your dreams!
Best,
Expanded-Mind
memorial is here, and it is the perfect time for me to make my big announcement.
i want this community to be the first to know.. i have finished writing my novel!
angels and women is the story of judge rutherford and the early history of the watchtower.
Hi!
Just wanted to extend my congratulations... I'm finishing up my undergraduate degree, majoring in history, and I know the effort it has taken to merely write my senior thesis! How long did this take you to research and write?
I thought I'd let you know that the link in your post didn't appear to work when I clicked on it, however I copied your name and googled it and found your webpage.
I am not certain if you were aware, but there doesn't appear to be an email address to contact you through your webpage (at least not that jumped out at me). There was a link to "leave a comment" however when I clicked on it, it brought me back to the home page.
And one of the PDFs wouldn't open up... not sure if that is on my end or just a bad link on the site.
Not trying to be a downer! Really! Just want everyone who wishes to contact you to be able to do so!
I am looking forward to the book... I see that you are positing your book as "fiction"... or am I just misunderstanding your use of the term? Will it be based on the facts, but with artistic license to jazz it up?
Best of luck!
Expanded-Mind
