well, i told my parent that i didn't want to be a jw (having not gone to meetings for many years) and it went pretty well.
i even disproved watchtower doctrines, but of course i was the one who was mistaken.. i aslo said that i would be going to other churches... i didn't specify because i didn't want to see the reaction to catholic.
i also signed up to start the process to become catholic (unlike the jw's you can just learn about the faith without any obligation or harrassment) i went down to st. francis de sales church and i signed up for the rcia program.
mizpah
The differences between the Roman Catholic and the Orthodox are many...but in the Orthodox we have the synodic system that does not allow one person to have control over the Church. We have an Archibishop and he is acting just like James did in Acts 15.
well, i told my parent that i didn't want to be a jw (having not gone to meetings for many years) and it went pretty well.
i even disproved watchtower doctrines, but of course i was the one who was mistaken.. i aslo said that i would be going to other churches... i didn't specify because i didn't want to see the reaction to catholic.
i also signed up to start the process to become catholic (unlike the jw's you can just learn about the faith without any obligation or harrassment) i went down to st. francis de sales church and i signed up for the rcia program.
It was a very good decision that you had to make. I'm very happy for you and for the people on this board who took this kind of decisions. You will get supprise how do other religions(not cults) are acting with their members...
When I decided to go through the teachings ad dogmas of the Greek Orthodox Church I was very suprised to see how different was and that the WT really was telling us half truths. But what make me accept the Orthodox Church was the Apostolic beging of the Church and the succesion of the Apostoles. The New Testament was written in greek and I was happy to read the original writtings with the no need for someone to explain it (or even make a bad translation like the NWT)to me and tell what should I believe. The WT it is really the one who brake familiew and friendships.
Now I'm running a web side helping Greek JW's to come back to the Church that our Lord Christ has established 2000 years ago.
in my experience with elders in the past i was counseled for many things, most trivial and stupid, but some were serious issues.
one thing i noticed was that the elders always seemed to approach issues with some preconceived ideas, or they would try to read between the lines rather than actually listen to what i was saying.
others i know have had similar experiences.
Most of the elders are doing cleaning work or similar jobs...For the WT elders are parts of their machine called WATCHTOWER, and their main job is :
Keep the rank and file on line
Send away the apostates
if you were to tell a witness that they were "brainwashed" or that they were "under mind control", they certainly would not rationally accept it.the reason is because witnesses cannot distinguish between mind control and "obeying the faithful and discreet slave".
it is only after a person stops exposing himself to the subtle mind controlling tactics of the watchtower that a person can see how thoroughly duped they are in their beliefs.
how might you be able to tell that you are no longer your own person, able to make your own decisions in your life?
J.W's are Masters in Mind Control. I agree most of the postings above and also I would like to add another one thing:
They also use SUBLIMINAL SATANIC IMAGES in their puplications (remember the Live for Ever Book, and the Watchtower)to control the minds of their SLAVES...
how long did it take you to adjust to the real world ???
and make real friends, who didn't care about religion.
did you suffer from lonliness and depression after leaving ???.
I HAVEN'T ADJUST YET, I'M STILL TRYING...
there is one thought, which if spoken , even privately to yourself, instantly.
transforms you into an ex-witness.. it is:.
"what the hell was i thinking?".
ARMAGEDDON
I just hated that idea that a loving God will KILL the human race even the small children in order that the: MOST KIND, PERFECT, GOOD LOOKING, LOYAL TO GOD, HIGH MORAL STANDARTS, THE BEST PEOPLE EVER LIVED ON EARTH, CLEAN JW'S INHERIT THE EARTH!!!
well, it is district convention time again.
my mother is an active jw and faithfully attends these long, brainwashing sessions.
she and i have fairly close contact and, over the past few years, i have noticed a definite pattern in her behavior after she attends the district conventions.
They are ALL acting like this...
It is like a having a drug overdose...this is what is hapening...the perfect brain wash of the WATCHTOWER...???? ???D to do this in order to keep their followers blind...
Carl Marx said that RELIGION is the OPUIM of the people...and so does the WT follows the Marx principle by keeping witnesses STONED!!!
i've only learned the truth about this society over the last 5 months or so, so i'm not sure what the difference is to say - 2 years ago.
do you think the society will now get even more cultish in it's methods of teaching and more heavy handed if they feel things are slipping?
i don't feel i'm being over the top here because i've experienced very heavy handed talks at the assemblies and kingdom hall in the past that are just plain scare tactics but this just makes people ask more questions ??
With their usual war tacticts...DEMONISED EVERYTHING
i have been reading quite a few of these threads and post and through it i feel as though i have come to know some of you and your behaviors.. i notice that there are many of you who are still associated with the hall, and have not left yet... yet, bring up very "strong" points on the board.. i have a question for all of you who fit this description.... why dont you just 'effin leave already?
whats holding you back?
if you feel soooo strongly that this is "wrong" are you too chicken to state your opinion to a family member?
The only reason I stay in the W.T. it is my family...Having an old dad in his late 70's it would be devasting for him to see his son going in to the "world" and die in Armageddon.
That is my main reason, and I have never talk to him regarding my doubts...He spend all of his life from 1954 went to Gilead, serve as an C.O. and Elder until now, believing that Armagedon is coming...
But what really hurts me is that while he spend 34 years in the Orthodox Church, he was deceived by a banch of False Prophets Made in U.S.A...
This decision had a bad result for my life... I spend also lot of time as pioneer preaching the WT Fasle gospel in my country, and I have never looked for my future...
I only wait and when the time will come I will sure fight the WT and try to get my wife and kids away from this untichrist religion...no other reason to stay....
So I keep a very "nice' suprise for the WT false prophets...
i was recently asked about my opinion re: hell.. as a born-and-raised jw i obviously never believed in hell-fire torment.
actually, i refuse to believe in such a thing.
for many years my favorite response to the idea was "i would rather burn in hell than worship a god who would create such a place.".
Hell is a place Away from God that all. God does not torture anyone.
The ones who choose to live away from God they are Tortured because they desided to stay way from the Eternal Light.
In Revelation it is clear at the last verses that outside are the liars and the fornicators from the Gods Kindom were is dark.
Jesus is the Light, and been away from Him it is a TORTURE
