Posts by not a captive

3

When you were an active JW what did you really think about Orthodox Christians?

by SAHARA in

jw
friends

i know that many of you here on this forum are atheists or agnostics and so maybe your opinion hasn't changed.

even if that is the case, i would still like to know from all of you, how did you look at or think about other professed christians who are not jw's?

did you consider them to be inferior?

not a captive

I started out as a cradle Catholic and my dad showed me what damage Orhtodoxy can do to a bright, faithful, and educated man.

I learned to be sympathetic on that account. And I had to be sympathetic to myself, because in trying to serve God as a Catholic I fell into some pretty deep spiritual hole and didn't know how to get out. The last thing I needed was someone to come in and deride my little personal faith and cut down the only access to God that I knew.

That never left me as a Witness. I probably helped me find my way out.

29

Book sealed to the learned but not to the unlearned.

by hoj in

isa 29:11-12 and the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, read this, i pray thee: and he saith, i cannot; for it is sealed: and the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, read this, i pray thee: and he saith, i am not learned.. another way of saying this is that the book is sealed to the one who has been taught, but not to the one who hasnt been taught.

the one who hasnt been taught just needs to be taught.. the things that we have been taught can keep us from understanding the bible.

any error in doctrines can keep us in error.

not a captive

When I say, Bible believers, I mean Christians who are not Bible believers. Well they are but they are not. If you understand.

Gladiator-- I AM following the Bible when you see me as a Bible "waffler".

How often did Jesus say or suggest "are you yet without understanding?"to an audience, those who were pedantically scouring the scriptures. He had various questions posed to him by the "People of the Book"who were greatly angered at his exposition of his Father. Jesus used the scriptures but he frequently made distinctions between what was written and what God is really wanting to express. Matt. 19 is only one instance of his critics trying to catch him waffling on the word.

If "the servant is not above his master" then I will have to take the same criticism from you, Gladiator. And I freely admit to ineptitude in understanding God, and I welcome your gladius for splitting bone and marrow in the arena of thought.

Maeve

76

Jesus disses corporation-led religion??

by not a captive in

we were told that the right corporate "doctrine" makes the right group activity.

but words attributed to jesus at matthew 7 make me wonder if jesus wasn't discouraging that.

a small sample--.

not a captive

Dear PSac--It is hard to express this stuff isn't it? Don't get discouraged. It is true that Jesus had barriers to communicating too. "Have I been with you so long...?"

I enjoy following your posts.

Maeve

28

How Long Did It Actually Take You To Leave The Organization?

by minimus in

jw
friends

i started reading "apostate" books when i was a teen at the library.

it was more curiousity than anything else.

at home, i used to read all the old publications and i'd notice how beliefs had changed.. with ray franz's books that i read clandestinely, i started to realize the truth about "the truth".

not a captive

Hey, Min, I guess I should amend my post from "It took me just over a year." to "I got in over 21 years ago and it has taken 21 years to get out"

14

JWs Worship of GB vs exJWs worship of Ray Franz

by Broken Promises in

jw
friends

as jws, we would have seen the adolation the governing body received.

even as far away as australia, we thought and spoke of them with reverence.

after all, they were figuratively at gods right hand, with the prospect of one day being in heaven with him.

not a captive

When there are not rigid forms for religion , what Ray did shows me what Jesus has in mind for the greatest being the servant of all. "Remember those who are taking the lead among you, who have spoken the word of God to you, and as you contemplate how their conduct turns out, imitate their faith."

He exemplified how faith builds the Body of Christ. But he didn't expect obedience or honor. That was for each to give to God.

28

How Long Did It Actually Take You To Leave The Organization?

by minimus in

jw
friends

i started reading "apostate" books when i was a teen at the library.

it was more curiousity than anything else.

at home, i used to read all the old publications and i'd notice how beliefs had changed.. with ray franz's books that i read clandestinely, i started to realize the truth about "the truth".

not a captive

I wrote a letter raising a concern of mine with a matter in the literature. The warm brotherhood morphed into... the Organization.

That was Feb.2009. I wrote my letter of DA March 10 2010.

In between there was a sort of judicial review of the matter, some remarks by our new C.O., there were a few shepherding meetings before I presented the issue to the Branch. Another 3 months ,a letter, another meeting to see if and then I DA'd.

They had told me from the begining that I could not even mention the matter with fellow Witnesses. I quit going to the meetings more than a year ago.

The process was a revelation of how little the Organization works for the "joy"of fellow Christians or for Jehovah. The long quiet while things sort of processed through let me try to understand how a faithful sister could get in the situation that I was in.

It took me just over a year.

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