There are plenty of ways to study any topic. Whatever topic you're interested in, you have the responsibility to check the credibility of the people teaching you. If you planned to study a topic at a university, you would check the credentials of the school. I feel confident that any accredited university would welcome critical thinking, clearly expressing questions, doubts, and also new discoveries. This is different from what a person experiences in the JW environment.
InterestedOne
JoinedPosts by InterestedOne
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52
I ended my bible study today
by still thinking ini have officially stopped my bible study today.
i have been trying to for weeks (after 10 years of on/off studying).
it got to the stage where i was asking too many of those questions that made everyone feel uncomfortable.
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Is "Lying for the Truth" a real expression among JW's or just something apostates or worldlies made up?
by InterestedOne inalthough i've read some of the "theocratic war strategy" articles, etc., i have heard some on here use the expression "lying for the truth.
" is that an expression jw's say among themselves?
also, does it appear in an article anywhere?.
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InterestedOne
Black Sheep - I realize each situation is different, and I am slowly developing a sense of what is going on when I interact with these people, but is there anything you can recommend I can say that will invoke this behavior from them? I want to see them do it. Not call them out on it. I just want to see it.
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The big bad "worldly" person
by roxanesophia inconsidering this looks to be mostly a ex-jw site, you're probably thinking "coming into it?
run.
" but i have friends in it who have persuaded me to have a bible study and attend meetings, and well, hey... it isn't doing me much harm.
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InterestedOne
Is your study conductor one of your friends, or is it someone else?
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Watchtower stance in Australia - a few thoughts to ponder
by James_Slash in"we don't typically work with children....so [any mandatory child protection] law doesn't apply to us" - watchtower spokesman.. if this is the case, then how have so many children been abused?.
also, in james 1:27 it instructs 'elders' to "look after orphans and widows" - how can they do this when they "do not specifically work with children"?.
thoughts anyone?.
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InterestedOne
Do you have a recording or newspaper/magazine article where that spokesman's quote appears?
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Is "Lying for the Truth" a real expression among JW's or just something apostates or worldlies made up?
by InterestedOne inalthough i've read some of the "theocratic war strategy" articles, etc., i have heard some on here use the expression "lying for the truth.
" is that an expression jw's say among themselves?
also, does it appear in an article anywhere?.
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InterestedOne
Although I've read some of the "theocratic war strategy" articles, etc., I have heard some on here use the expression "Lying for the Truth." Is that an expression JW's say among themselves? Also, does it appear in an article anywhere?
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My Study Conductor Jumped Ship - Any Possible Explanations?
by InterestedOne inmy study conductor has informed me that he & his wife are switching to a foreign language congregation that is far away from the territory they live in (it will involve a lot of driving back & forth).
because he is switching congregations, he said he will not have the energy to devote to my study and recommended another brother who could take over, and i have met him.
however, this change happened simultaneously with a decision i have made.
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InterestedOne
Yeah, I probably shouldn't read anything more into it. I was just curious if his congregation switch could be a sign of something in JW culture I might not know about. Our discussions would sometimes go in a direction where it looked to me as though he was reaching/stretching to try to make the WT ideas appear rational. I wonder what effect these discussions had on him, but I have no way of knowing because our relationship was not conducive to sharing feelings. It could be that it all seems perfectly rational to him, and as MLE implied, he might think I'm stupid, slow, a waste of time, and is generally sick of me. nice.
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My Study Conductor Jumped Ship - Any Possible Explanations?
by InterestedOne inmy study conductor has informed me that he & his wife are switching to a foreign language congregation that is far away from the territory they live in (it will involve a lot of driving back & forth).
because he is switching congregations, he said he will not have the energy to devote to my study and recommended another brother who could take over, and i have met him.
however, this change happened simultaneously with a decision i have made.
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InterestedOne
They're switching to a Russian language congregation. He is hispanic, and I'm not sure what ethnicity his wife is. He speaks Spanish & English but no Russian. They are both born-ins Also, his wife's father is an elder in another state. Before they were married, his wife spent some time in a Russian language congregation in another state because she thought it was interesting, although she is not Russian. Maybe it's as Danabug said - they could be just looking for something more exciting with more responsive people. If I may generalize, they look to me like the quintessential modern-day young-couple JW's. They look just like the pictures in the magazines. He has an iphone, uses the internet, and his email responses have a similar style to the things I have read by JW apologists online.
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My Study Conductor Jumped Ship - Any Possible Explanations?
by InterestedOne inmy study conductor has informed me that he & his wife are switching to a foreign language congregation that is far away from the territory they live in (it will involve a lot of driving back & forth).
because he is switching congregations, he said he will not have the energy to devote to my study and recommended another brother who could take over, and i have met him.
however, this change happened simultaneously with a decision i have made.
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InterestedOne
My study conductor has informed me that he & his wife are switching to a foreign language congregation that is far away from the territory they live in (it will involve a lot of driving back & forth). Because he is switching congregations, he said he will not have the energy to devote to my study and recommended another brother who could take over, and I have met him. However, this change happened simultaneously with a decision I have made. Since I have been reading up on critical thinking and analyzing arguments, I have decided that I would like to evaluate the Bible Teach book from the very beginning testing for sound or unsound argumentation. I have also decided that I would rather discuss it over email instead of meeting in person every week, so I can do it at my own pace. I asked the brother who was supposed to take over my study if he would do it with me over email. He seemed uncomfortable about the idea of email and said he has 4 other studies and may not be able to accommodate me. He also said he would need to discuss it with my former conductor. My former conductor got back to me and simply said "there is no arrangement for email Bible studies." I got back to him and said, "what do you mean there is no arrangement? I have a Bible and email, and I can make an arrangement." He responded more specifically saying, "We do not offer Bible studies via email."
At this point I am wondering something. We were in ch 9 of the Bible Teach book, and I wanted to maintain the line of thought from the end of ch 8 where the book claims there is evidence to confirm the WT beliefs about 1914. As we examined what the book was presenting as evidence in ch 9, I said that I did not understand why it would count as evidence. He told me I was being too scientific and read me 1 Cor 2:14 which says "But a physical man does not receive the things of the spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot get to know [them], because they are examined spiritually." Could it be that his switch might have anything to do with my study being difficult for him, or is it more likely to just be coincidence & his switch determined by other factors unrelated to my study? Is there anything in JW culture & switching congregations that I might not be aware of that might have any bearing on what might be going on with him? Is it possible I reflected badly on him in his local congregation since I wasn't showing progress after 9 months of study? Could he be having doubts & switching to a far away congregation as a way to fade? Is that something JW's do to fade to avoid scrutiny by their local congregation? I'm curious what those of you with more JW experience think about the situation.
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Is it the only True religion?
by cupcakekourtney88 inlike the question is jehovah witness the true religion?
is all others false, what do yall think?.
i am confuse and just wanting to know others thoughts??
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InterestedOne
OTWO, to add a thought to what you said about infinite time and 2 possible choices, if I understand correctly, if there is the slightest probability that the second choice could occur, it will eventually occur assuming infinite time. The only way the second choice would not eventually occur is if it has zero probability (zero probability meaning it cannot occur and is not a possible choice at all).
This seems like a strange result though. It is saying that if you can make the other choice, given infinite time you will eventually make it. Seems weird, so maybe I'm missing something.
I have to go away for the weekend, so I can't respond, but I just wanted to share.
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A Religious Sub-Culture That Many Americans Have Never Heard Of, Yet Which Has Thousands Of Churches Across The Country, Churches That Critics Claim Can Foster Physical And Sexual Abuse, On ABC NEWS' "20/20"
by whereami insounds like it's worth watching.. .
elizabeth vargas' yearlong investigation into the independent fundamental baptist church airs friday, april 8. .
try to imagine the pain and humiliation of a teenage girl, just 15 years old, who says she was forced to stand in front of a new hampshire church congregation and confess her "sin" of being pregnant.
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InterestedOne
The IFB go door to door like the JW's. I had some IFB people come to my door a couple of weeks ago. I told them about how the JW's shun people. I said "you don't do that do you?" He didn't give me a straight answer at first, and as I asked him some more questions, I got the impression that they do shun. I asked him if I were a member of their church and started committing sin without changing my ways, would they still allow me to come through the doors of the church building to sit and listen anyway. He said no.