Posts by elm

50

A Short Introduction............

by Night Owl in

i am a former ms and have been active and inactive since i stepped down about 20 years ago.

i am currently inactive.

i may attend a meeting or two a month, sometimes none.. i have no feelings of animosity towards the organization, or anyone in it.

elm

Welcome.......

Hi I'm also very new to this site, I'm now an ex JW, I have to agree with you that holding on to resentment can harm you on the inside.

But to have resentment is to show anger and anger may be unjustified or justified, was not Jesus justified when he drove out those who were defiling God's temple and overturned the tables.

Sometimes anger can be allayed or satisfied only when justice is fully carried out. Ecc 3:1-8 "for everything there is an appointed time, and even a time for every affair under the heavens"........."a time to love and a time to hate"

I don't hate the JW'S my parents are still in the organization, but I do feel justified at feeling anger towords the GB for the harm it has brought to the faithfull followers of them. ( the teaching on not having blood one example)

I have read hundreds of threads on here and would like to thank all who have clearly spent a lot of time and effort posting some of their researched material, it has actualy stoped me from turning to alcohol and a box of pills.

I have read many times over and over again how people have been spirituality and physically abused by the organization and I for one am glad for this site so that these people can vent their feelings and start to heal and know they are not alone meens so much to anyone.

166

2010 district convention badge

by thundarr in

jw
friends

hi all.

do anyone a scan of the badge card.

i move and it convention time ths weekend an need to replace my family card before friday.

elm

Sorry I know this is changing the thread again.........

But after reading the whole thread I felt I had to say thank-you to Bane.

I have believed that the JW were the "truth" for over 25 years, (ex pioneer) and 9 weeks ago started to have doubts. It was only the information in the watchtowers that made me start to doubt.

This site has done nothing but help me in some question I needed answer's too.

Bane by the information that you have given on this site and by your expressions, have left me in no doubt that the JW'S are no longer the "truth"

Bane -you say you count your time on here, but as an ex pioneer myself you have never once (only in your mind) given an affective witness.

Bane you have called these people "scum" may I share a scripture in Matt 12:37 " For by your words you will be declared righteous, and by your words you will be condemned"

So again I want to Thank-you Bane for your affective witness and attitude that being a JW is not being in the "Truth"

270

WHO ARE THE FALSE PROPHETS TODAY?

by Dogpatch in

jw
friends

who are the false prophets today.

by barbara anderson.

in 1991, one of the watch tower societys senior writers, colin quackenbush, told me in the privacy of his office about letters which the society had received from prominent and credible elders, not apostates (thats exactly what he said), who were concerned about the increase in accusations saying that jehovahs witnesses were false prophets.

elm

Hi Designs,

"If they had a new idea or a new way of looking at a verse or passage it must have come from God" sounds to me that going by their past and also now, their "new light " doctrines, old failed prophecies and new ones.......... it comes from non other than saten himself. Is'nt that what they teach over and over again about other religions.

270

WHO ARE THE FALSE PROPHETS TODAY?

by Dogpatch in

jw
friends

who are the false prophets today.

by barbara anderson.

in 1991, one of the watch tower societys senior writers, colin quackenbush, told me in the privacy of his office about letters which the society had received from prominent and credible elders, not apostates (thats exactly what he said), who were concerned about the increase in accusations saying that jehovahs witnesses were false prophets.

elm

Debator says...."Read what? massively old publications from our very early days when we were still searching for basic bible truths"

So you are saying that the early bible truths were wrong or lets get this right "mens mistakes"

If they were wrong because of the "new light".........it can not have been a bible truth, because the truth is the truth and not a lie, you would'nt need to ever change the truth unless it was a lie to begin with.

worse of all to even teach a date or a doctrine and base it on the Bible, without knowing it was right in the first place is misleading to those who faithfully follow it.

Dont forget some of these "new light" doctrines have ment life or death to the GB followers. What I can never get over is when the JW say it's a new understanding that Jehovah has revealed to us.

So why did Jehovah not reveal the "new light" in the first place would have saved a lot of deaths with the "new light" on blood.

JW'S have always said and are still saying that the organization is Jehovah's channel of cummunication ........ How? and why if anybody would it be them.

21

My 'cross to bear' so to speak

by Aussie Oz in

jw
friends

nothing in life is free... not even freedom.

it's the weekend for my kids to come down and it seems dear old dad just aint that important anymore.... son who now has his licence has left school to work (i found out on facebook) and seems to be too busy, daughter has a party (with j dubs) she wants to go to saturday night.

of course the mother is delighted by this...as they are a two hour drive away it just stuffs up the whole weekend really.

elm

Hi Aussie,

You will always be important to your children because you are their Dad. Sometimes it feels like they are growing away from you but they are just growing up. Letting them grow up is hard ( I have 3 girls) but to keep them I had to let them go (hope that makes sense)

My youngest daughter she is now 14 her Dad died of a heartattack 8 weeks before she was born he was 39 years old. I had no choice but to bring them up on my own, we had our fun times and lots of laughter, but we've also had hard times, and letting them go was the hard'est.

I had at times felt like you that I was no longer important to them, that they did not need me anymore. I was of course wrong, this was just how I was feeling not them. Being teenager's is a new stage in their life, they are starting to grow their wings so to speak, and while their wings are unfolding they are going to sometimes get things right and sometimes make mistakes,and if we leave the door open for them they are going to keep walking through it... but giving teenager's to many rules and laying the law down too much shuts that door.

Being a teenager as a JW is even worse, your wings are clipped and not allowed to unfold, too many rules and strict guiedlines, infact I felt I could'nt be a child or a teenager but a mini adult, so just be there for them with the door open and they will walk through

all the best Liz

406

ex-jw-uk

by bigmac in

jw
friends

i'm quite new to this site, & have realised some members have a union jack symbol under their avatar.

i don't.. could we have a "show of hands" from any uk members?

i've already found several by reading older posts..

elm

Hi I live in cornwall

35

YOU KNOW IT'S THE TRUTH BECAUSE, THE WATCHTOWER TELLS YOU IT IS

by elm in

the study editionof the watchtower for september 15th 2010, p13 states "similarly today, a governing body composed of spirit-anointed christians contributes to the unity of the worldwide congregation.

the governing body publishes spiritually encouraging literature in many languages.

this spiritual food is based on god's word.

elm

Hi everyone, Thanks again for the welcome and kind words.

I'm still in shock to be honest. I still can not believe that I believed everything the GB told us. I did not think to question any of their doctrines, I just went along with it all and was blind to everything.

The only thing I can say was when ever I attended meetings I always felt guilty, because I never felt uplifted, I always came away feeling I was'nt doing enough. The smile I had at the meetings did not reflect what I was feeling inside. How many other JW feel like this I wonder?

Now of course I can not express how free I feel and I'm so much happier and I no longer feel guilty. Now I understand what Jesus ment when he said "the Truth will set you free"

I'm hoping to tape the whole event with the elder so I will post the outcome on here.

46

Pagan Origins

by brotherdan in

so all of us that grew up as witnesses never did certain things because of them having pagan origins.

why don't we celebrate christmas?

pagan origins.

elm

Isnt Baptism also of Pagan origin. By the time of Jesus purifaction with water baptism was already an ancient pagen sacrement.

Even according to the watchtower 1/1/93 p4 "Baptism preceded the Christian faith. It was used in Greece, Babylon,and ancient Egypt"

If pagan holidays is displeasing to Jehovah, how can this be if the pagan practice of Baptism is not ?

Jesus would already know of the origins of Baptism, and submitted to this pagan practice, because to Jesus it was showing Christians it was now a Baptism of repentance, a confession of sin, a symbol of forgiveness and of moral purity.

Pagan origins had no impact in pleasing or displeasing God, it was how these pagan practices were used by Christians that would please or displease God.

35

YOU KNOW IT'S THE TRUTH BECAUSE, THE WATCHTOWER TELLS YOU IT IS

by elm in

the study editionof the watchtower for september 15th 2010, p13 states "similarly today, a governing body composed of spirit-anointed christians contributes to the unity of the worldwide congregation.

the governing body publishes spiritually encouraging literature in many languages.

this spiritual food is based on god's word.

elm

Thank you Heaven,

I agree "spiritually encouraging" I think what they mean is "spiritually Guilty" not enough hours! not enough personal study! dont read the Bible without the Watchtower you will never understand it! dont ever think for yourself,because Saten will creep in! dont forget the end is round the corner!dont mix with the word their in Saten's hands!

Dont you just feel uplifted now...

35

YOU KNOW IT'S THE TRUTH BECAUSE, THE WATCHTOWER TELLS YOU IT IS

by elm in

the study editionof the watchtower for september 15th 2010, p13 states "similarly today, a governing body composed of spirit-anointed christians contributes to the unity of the worldwide congregation.

the governing body publishes spiritually encouraging literature in many languages.

this spiritual food is based on god's word.

elm

Hi everyone, Thanks for the welcome.

A little bit about me....... I became a JW in the 80's I've been attending meetings since I was 13 along with my parents (who are still JW). I'm an ex pioneer.

I have'nt been to any meetings for about 20 years, but still believed it was the so called "Truth" my parents every so often would give me the so called loving talk "you better hurry up and come back the end is not long, you dont want your children to die do you"

Eight weeks ago I thought that's it I'm coming back, I had an visit from an Elder who told me to start reading the Watchtowers again and start coming back to the meetings. The Elder left me some old Watchtowers he had on him.

One of the watchtowers he left was about the blood and the new thinking ie.. that JW can have fractions of blood. Of course I could'nt believe it. When I bcame a JW in the 80's No Blood ment- No Blood I tried to find the scripture in the Watchtower that said No Blood in Acts 15:29 ment fractions. But of course it's not there.

This got me thinking (I know... we are not allowed to) if the GB can change the meaning of a life and death doctrine what others ones have they changed.Well you all know what happend next I found the "new light" that is the Watchtower and other publications are not based on God's word but the word of the GB, it is only man's made up doctrines that can change, because their thinking is but of men. If the doctrines were from Jehovah and Jesus there would be no need to change them, because they would be the "Truth"

The elder is coming to visit me soon and boy do I have some questions that I know he can not answer well not from the Bible anyway.