stuckinamovement

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Posts by stuckinamovement

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  123

  An Open letter to the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses (Elders/ Ex-Elders)

  by stuckinamovement in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  if you are an elder or an ex-elder please add a comment.

  i hope that the governing body will see this.

  it is too bad it has to be on an anonymous forum.

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  stuckinamovement

  Juan- you have a PM
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  9

  Unity and Jehovah's Witnesses

  by stuckinamovement in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  faithful people will tell you that unity worldwide is one of the identifying marks of the true religion.

  jehovahs witnesses will especially point to the unity of belief no matter where you go as proof that they are gods organization.

  as i sat listening to the service meeting part last night about our unified organization it hit me........... the largest group of unified people is within an army.

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  stuckinamovement

  @ Leavingwt - Great Point
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  9

  Unity and Jehovah's Witnesses

  by stuckinamovement in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  faithful people will tell you that unity worldwide is one of the identifying marks of the true religion.

  jehovahs witnesses will especially point to the unity of belief no matter where you go as proof that they are gods organization.

  as i sat listening to the service meeting part last night about our unified organization it hit me........... the largest group of unified people is within an army.

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  stuckinamovement

  Faithful people will tell you that unity worldwide is one of the identifying marks of the true religion. Jehovah’s Witnesses will especially point to the unity of belief “no matter where you go” as proof that they are God’s organization.

  As I sat listening to the service meeting part last night about our “unified organization” it hit me…........ The largest group of unified people is within an Army. They speak the same language with unique terms, They are instructed to read the same books and manuals. They have the same educational programs, they have specific exercises or drills that are performed, and they look to a central command of senior officers for direction. They all have the same objective no matter what age, race or religion they are. Groups of Soldiers in an army are broken into smaller groups and sub groups, much like districts, circuits, congregations, field service groups. Each soldier serves oftentimes because he or she believes that they are part of something worth living or dying for.

  If you decide to leave the army before your term is up you are called a deserter and marked as a traitor, if you choose to question procedure or policy you are punished, sometimes by members of your own unit. If you talk back too much you kill any chances of advancement. Many soldiers will comply because they know what the consequences are if they don’t. To put it very simply there is unity within an army, because it is mandated and enforced.

  As Jehovah’s Witnesses we are taught that we are a “large army”. It is true. We serve with a higher power in mind and feel that we are part of something worth living or dying for. We are unified because there is only one place where we are allowed get our instructions, or our education and that is from senior management in Brooklyn/ Patterson. If you ask questions too much you will not advance, if you leave the “army” you will be punished and be accused of being a disloyal traitor.

  Unity is present within the organization because it is enforced, it is not an organic spontaneous process from learning the truth about God.

  SIAM
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  55

  Greetings to All, No Longer Lurking

  by Franklin Massey in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  claustrophobic.

  that's the simplest way for me to express how i feel in the wt org.

  like many here, my eyes were slowly opened over the years as i did more earnest research, trying to reconcile some long standing spiritual quandaries.

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  stuckinamovement

  Welcome Franklin,

  I look forward to hearing some of your insights. The school really did a number on the elders. What are your thoughts about the new book?

  Again its good to have you here.

  SIAM
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  123

  An Open letter to the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses (Elders/ Ex-Elders)

  by stuckinamovement in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  if you are an elder or an ex-elder please add a comment.

  i hope that the governing body will see this.

  it is too bad it has to be on an anonymous forum.

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  stuckinamovement

  @ Anon, I can't say too much for fear of openly outing myself. Those are the reasons that caused me to step down. (Too bad we are forced to hide behind anonimity.) @prodigal, thanks I must have been typing too fast. Yes #5 is talking about the pedophile problem. Looking at Misery's thread about KM school I can tell that there were many of us that had the same impression of the school and the tone of the talks. In my experience there are many honest hearted elders who truly love the flock. I feel that those will be the ones who step down in the coming years because they cannot support the irrational authoritarian slant the Governing Body has recently taken. As the years pass by, any thinking person will start to wonder "why if this is God's spirit directed organization how come the end has stretched on for 130+ years?" The more that you repeat the assertion that the "end is near" the more hollow it sounds. Jesus taught us how to treat people with love. It is clear to me that the Organization is slipping into the practices and habits of the Pharisees. The leaders either can't see it or refuse to see it. The only hope that I have, is that there is someone at Bethel who sees this themselves and has the courage and internal honesty to stand up for what is right. If you are or were an elder and agree with the sentiments in the above posts, please comment. SIAM
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  123

  An Open letter to the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses (Elders/ Ex-Elders)

  by stuckinamovement in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  if you are an elder or an ex-elder please add a comment.

  i hope that the governing body will see this.

  it is too bad it has to be on an anonymous forum.

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  stuckinamovement

  If you are an elder or an ex-elder please add a comment. I hope that the Governing Body will see this. It is too bad it has to be on an anonymous forum. Is there anyone honest in Brooklyn??

  Open Letter to the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses

  Dear Brothers,

  I served for 7 years as an Elder in the Christian Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses. I recently relinquished this privilege for the following reasons:

  1. My whole life I was taught that Armageddon is going to be here any moment and is imminent. The direction from the Holy spirit said that the end was going to come in 1914, 1925,1975, Before the end of the twentieth century, and you would never grow old or fulfill any career. It didn't happen. "Imminent" and "soon" has stretched on for over 100 years. These interpretations of bible prophecy have proven to be false yet you continue to pretend that they were directed by Jehovah.

  2. I was taught that there would be few anointed left when the end came and that the number will decrease as the end drew near. The number of anointed is increasing.

  3. I was told that field service is a life saving work that must be performed with a sense of urgency. So far not one persons life has been saved, and even though it is "urgent" the antiquated method of calling on empty houses is used as the primary way of trying to reach people. Television, internet, email, postal service, social networking are not used even though the effectiveness of these methods are proven. I doubt that you feel that this is a lifesaving work yourself.

  4. We are taught as an organization that the light gets brighter as Jehovah blesses his servants with Holy Spirit and increased understanding. Is Jehovah responsible for flip flopping doctrines such as the generation of Matt. 24:34, organ transplants, Blood transfusions, the superior authorities etc. or is it men who claim to be inspired? Despite these changes each time credit/blame is given to Jehovah. If the Faithful and Discreet slave were actually inspired, faithful, or discreet, these teachings would have never changed.

  5. We are taught that we live in a spiritual paradise and associate with the safest group of people on earth. As Elders we were given instructions in some cases not to tell the authorities or to warn the congregation. The organization has tried in the past to sweep the problem under the rug, and continues to do so in the misguided effort to protect its reputation.

  6. Disfellowshipping as practiced within the organization, cannot be found in the scriptures. Would Jesus have treated sinners the way that we as Witnesses treat sinners?

  7. I was taught that the United Nations organization is the wild beast described in Revelation and is one of the organizations controlled by Satan. Despite this, the Watchtower Society was partners of the UN for a number of years as a Non-Governmental Organization. This is the height of hypocrisy.

  8. Even though the "truth" changes, if you believe something other than what is published as the latest light (right or wrong) you can be disfellowshipped. I have seen this personally happen and remain anonymous because of fear that this will happen to me.

  9. 1914 cannot be proved by scripture as the end of the Gentile times. No one other than the Witnesses believes that Jerusalem was destroyed in 607 BCE. Brother Russell used the Great Pyramid of Giza's measurements to corroborate 1914 as the end of the Gentile times. The calculation arbitrarily uses a lunar year of 360 days to come to a date based on a solar year of 365.25 days.

  10.Even though I have been told repeatedly that world conditions are deteriorating in fulfillment of Matt. 24 Earthquakes are not increasing in frequency according to the USGS. Crime rates have dropped dramatically according to the Department of Justice. The life span of mankind has risen dramatically since 1914 as pestilence is treated, controlled, or eradicated according to the Department of Health. Food shortages are decreasing. Wars are not increasing.

  11.Even though I pray through Jesus to Jehovah, I am taught and am expected to teach that Jesus is not our mediator. This is despite what the Bible says at 1 Tim. 2:5,6.

  Brothers, these are some of the reasons that caused me to resign serving as an Elder. I cannot with a good conscience support an organization that pretends to be something that it is not, just as I cannot pretend to be something or someone that I am not.

  I ask that you consider the large number of appointed men resigning as a symptom to a larger problem within the organization. The problem is the Governing Body assumes an arrogant and authoritarian position in that it acts as God’s sole channel here on earth today. I can see it, many others have seen it and are quitting because of it. The vast majorities that resign are not doing so because they want to live an immoral life without Godly principles, they resign because they are men of principle.

  You cannot control people’s thoughts and intentions, even as much as you would like to. Jehovah created each of us with a sense of fairness and honesty, and most importantly free will.

  Members of the Governing Body, I ask you to act as men of principle yourself. Allow people to have the freedom to choose for themselves whether they want to be a part of your organization or not, and if they choose to leave, allow them to do so without sanctions. Honestly admit it if you are not sure of a scriptural interpretation, do not force people to believe something that you are not convinced of yourself. Do not allow past mistakes in policy or doctrine to continue to morph into future mistakes that may cost people their families or even their lives. Lastly, protect the people under your spiritual care not through secrecy, but through transparency, with the foremost quality of love in mind.

  Your Brother,

  SIAM
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  139

  Some observations from the KM Elder School I wanted to share with you.

  by miseryloveselders in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  my school was a couple weeks back, and it was interesting to a degree.

  to be honest with you, it reminded me of a police crime scene investigation with yellow tape.

  what i mean is, in one respect it was business as usual.

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  stuckinamovement

  Great post Misery,

  It is incredible to see how out of touch the Organization is. It is pretty clear to me that they are desperately trying to control a situation that is incontrollable. As the years pass on, and the end does not come, there will be exponentially more and more publishers who see that there is something critically wrong. How long does Brooklyn and the impotent self appointed Governing Body think that they can continue playing this game? The desperation is reaching epic levels.

  As has been posted here many times, the internet will be the straw that breaks the camels back. I can easily imagine that if there were one or two high profile Bethel brothers who publicly resign based on principle that it would embolden others. Especially if it were publicized on the internet and TV. Bethel Lurkers you have a tremendous opportunity.

  SIAM
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  37

  Favorite quote from 2011 School for Ministerial Servants

  by iamwhoiam in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  "let's see a show of hands of those who know that the end is very close (everyone raises thier hands while looking around at each other).

  excellent!...we know this because we have a whole-hearted faith in the faithful and discreet slave don't we?".

  no explanation needed .

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  stuckinamovement

  I'd bet that it was true. I have seen something like it on a small scale. The kids these days commuicate in a whole different way. Like Gayle said there is a deep lack of respect for the elders. It has got to be frustrating for the local elders, co's and Branch when they have a judicial case and suddenly everyones story is exactly the same! No wonder they hate the Book face.

  SIAM
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  37

  Favorite quote from 2011 School for Ministerial Servants

  by iamwhoiam in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  "let's see a show of hands of those who know that the end is very close (everyone raises thier hands while looking around at each other).

  excellent!...we know this because we have a whole-hearted faith in the faithful and discreet slave don't we?".

  no explanation needed .

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  stuckinamovement

  don't place literature,

  I heard the same experience in the Elder School.

  SIAM
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  23

  Governing Body photo

  by besty in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  does anyone with phostoshop skillz care to amend this photo to make it more accurate?

  25% of these dudes are dead already..... .

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  stuckinamovement

  Foodalls, Why don't you post the proof for everyone here on JWN instead of having them email you??

  SIAM