most witnesses never could explain exactly who the "faithful slave" was (according to the society's explanation).
the resurection of the sodomites was another bewildering thing.
were they or weren't they going to be resurrected?
Not being able to say 'bless you' upon someone sneezing (nobody thought of demons, it was simply a polite gesture)
Not being able to say 'Good luck on a test/meeting/whatever" (again, 99.9% of ppl think it's just an expression of kindness)
Not associating with 'worldly people', when Jesus would be invited and eat at their homes.
No 'huge gathering' for parties, when Israelites throughout the Bible had various celebrations that included many people.
etc, etc.
i've been reading this thread for some time and finally had the opportunity to create an account.
i am anxious to meet you all and have a support group/active audience over the next crucial months and years following.
background: long-time doubter, giving way to frustration and skepticism beginning about 10 years ago and finally to total admission that this is a cult and that atheism is the way to go.
welcome, looking forward to reading more from you.
i was a member of an english-speaking congregation in germany.
before i started fading a german "branch" of the gilead school was being set up in the german branch office.
a long time and well known do dietrich forster was assigned to our cong.
That's what wiki has on this subject:
The entire curriculum at Watchtower Bible School of Gilead is presented in English. [ 37 ] Beginning in 1980, occasional extensions to Gilead were established in Germany (called "Gilead Extension School") and in Mexico (called "Gilead Cultural School of Mexico" [ 38 ] ) to provide training to student missionaries speaking German and Spanish. [ 39 ]
i will very much appreciate help with this.. we know that the watchtower has translated the bible to many languages.
but i remember that ray franz mentions how witnesses in africa carried bibles in several african languages, and those were translations made by other christians.
is that still the case?
I can tell you of my personal experience here in Europe. Before mid'90s JW had to use another well-known translation, since the NWT wasn't available in our language. Then the NWT for Greek Scriptures was issued first, so they would still use the other Bible translation when referring to Hebrew Scriptures. Now that the entire NWT is available, they no longer use the other translation.
if the carrot and stick aspect of being jehovahs witnesses upset you how do you reclaim your desire for reward?
i'm assumng that you all agree with me that feeling rewarded is a basic human desire.
how much effort do you think we should put into trying to make our lives rewarding?
One gains back his basic rights: freedom of thought, speech and expression.
i was a member of an english-speaking congregation in germany.
before i started fading a german "branch" of the gilead school was being set up in the german branch office.
a long time and well known do dietrich forster was assigned to our cong.
I'm from Europe and I remember hearing of it (around 2000). But I can't recall any other details, except for it being like a Branch of Gilead, and instruction being in English. So i think it did exist, but i'm unsure if it's still running.
my mother was very strict about entertainment.
in school i was doing a project about teen suicide and had checked out some books on suicide and abortion.
i had alot of explaining to do for that.
We always were a liberal family when it came to entertainment and still are (renting r-movies, or watching them at the cinema, etc). But i heard once from a sister that she refused to watch American Idol because it had the word 'idol' in it, so watching it = idolatry.
yes, i don't think it's from an actual WT publication either. Although I haven't been around to read all of them.
Apart from the awful, crazy illustration, if the boy with leukemia has only a few days left and he's supposed to be left in peace in order to enjoy it; how come JW don't leave 'worldly people' alone to enjoy the few days they have left in this system?
how many here have never been one of jehovah's witnesses?
there seems to be a common denominator of former witnesses who accuse the watchtower society of being a false organization.
what they crave is acknowledgment that their way is the best way.
@ Spade
The WTBTS claims that it alone has the right to guide people to God, and has monopolized the path of salvation. After careful research anyone with an objective mind can find out that they have been spreading false doctrines, predictions, and basically keeping people in perpetual disillusion.
Even if there is no other form of organized religion that is 100% correct, I don't think that we necessarily have to pick the least of all evils. Especially when the religion in question claims to be far superior than others while failing on so many levels.
I'm still formally a JW, but i plan on leaving in the near future for this reason. I truly think that having questions that might remain unanswered is better than having all the answers but being deprived of the right to question them.
Being sincere with myself, I admit that many things such as life, our brain, the hereafter, the supernatural, death and so forth are for the most part a mystery. Scientists and religionists try to provide explanations, but does that satisfy our thirst for knowledge? Even before coming to this site when I still believed the whole JW dogma, I couldn't provide an answer to many of these things. In that aspect nothing has changed, I'm just a human being desiring to understand and learn. My question to you is: Are you able to provide an explanation to everything you see and feel, and how much of that is a direct illumination from the Watchtower?
