hello, first let me apologixe for both my spelling and my grammer in advance, both are not my strong points.. i'll keep this short.
since i've been a child my mother has studied on and off with jw's ( i'm now 34) so i've been around it most of my life, i studied on and off myself for around 10 years.
thank's to this site and jwfacts i'll never study or step foot inside a kingdom hall again.
Welcome from another non-jw, Chrisuk!
Now all I've got to do is help my mom see this religion for what it is.
Wish you all success with that, but please go carefully. If the Borg can't capture you the next objective will be to drive a wedge between your mom and bad, worldly associations. I speak from experience.
all the best, Retro
i have thought a lot about what to say when i am approached.
it will kill my fade, but oh well.. "after the new light i had to test my faith and i couldn't prove to myself that the slave was limited to the governing body.".
if cornered by an elder...."can you prove to me from the scriptures that matt.
Welcome This_suit_doesnt_fit!
Dont worry about the contradiction in saying you are ill or depressed and acting positive & upbeat, they will not notice. They arent really paying any attention to you
That's a very good obersevation,and I look forward to more of your posts. Perhaps you could start a new topic and tell a bit about your circumstances?
Retro
"it is interesting to contrast the deliberate elimination of prayers andsongs at witness meetings in mexico with the action of the watchtower society in the united states, where they were willing to fightcase after case all the way up to the supreme court of the countryrather than give up certain practices, such as offering literature fromdoor to door without a license and without having to register withthe police, the right to use sound cars, distribute literature on streetcorners, and many other such practices which are covered byconstitutional rights.
the organization did not want to relinquish anyof these things.
it fought to hold on to them, even though theseparticular practices are certainly not things that were done by earlychristians in the first century and hence cannot be counted as amongprimary christian practices.".
Hi Losingit, you might like to check out the threads on Mr Unthank's battle with the WT in Australia.
Here is a good start.
To summarise, in Victoria we have a legal requirement that all whose work may involve children, paid or voluntary, must carry a current card to show that their record is clear of molestation and related offences. Of course, jws may well engage with children in their "ministry", but very few if any carry the WWT card.
In its defence the wt claimed
1. the "faithful and discreet slave is not a legal entity"
2. The "ministry" is a personal and voluntary choice by the individual
Surely only an organisation focused on profit can be so blatently dishonest.
Retro
did you get baptized without being dedicated?.
why did you allow men to come between you and jehovah?.
why were you serving jehovah at all?
A Watcher, good on you for staying with this thread and not doing a runner :)
Retro, what has the GB taught me that I couldn't have learned from the Bible?
Well, the first thing that comes to mind are the prophecies of Revelation: the great tribulation, the wild beasts, Babylon the Great, Har-Magedon, the millenium.
I would have never understood these things if the GB had not explained them to me.
Can I ask, why are you sure you understand them now? If the GB changes it's collective mind about Revelation next week, will you also "understand" the new explanation? Has any real thing substantiated the interpretation of the GB (past or present), or are you just comfortable with it?
Retro
did you get baptized without being dedicated?.
why did you allow men to come between you and jehovah?.
why were you serving jehovah at all?
I don't feel like the GB are coming between Jehovah and I.
In fact, if it weren't for the GB, I wouldn't even know who Jehovah is.
I will be forever grateful for the opportunity to be Jehovah's friend.
A Watcher, thank you for your reply. Can you please tell me what the GB taught you, that you couldn't have learned from the Bible?
did you get baptized without being dedicated?.
why did you allow men to come between you and jehovah?.
why were you serving jehovah at all?
A Watcher, post 169 in reply to Cofty:
"Who gave you authority to change the message?"
I don't know. That's between Jehovah and the GB. The GB decided long ago to emphasize the Kingdom:
The Watchtower...Announcing Jehovah's Kingdom.
I just go with it.
A Watcher in the OP if this thread:
Why did you allow men to come between you and Jehovah?
Well, A Watcher, the GB are men, arn't they ?
so why did you let them come between you and your God?
Retro
ok, i have been in and out of here lately due to schedules.
each time i log in there is a new member on the board.
when i go to see who they are...usually there is nothing and everyone is doing great and jumping right into conversation...but i for one would like to know your stories...anyone care to share or just introduce themselves to everyone?.
Welcome, HarryMac!
What a story, and well done for turning your life around! Look forward to reading more post from you!
Retro
ok i feel almost embarrassed coming to this board and asking advice about something that my common sence has already answered for me, but i hesitate because of possible fall out unique to jw issues.
most of my posts on this board lately have been about my 21 year old son's involvment with the jw's encouraged by jw mom, both knowing i'm against what they teach.
i've gotten some good advice on this board by some of you who answered a previous post of mine related to my concern of me being an enabler to my 21 year old son.
Don't give him a cent.
my wife and i were discussing this and thought of a few examples of words that the wt society changes meanings on in order to accomplish their own self serving agenda .
the term - generation - definition in webster's new world dictionary : " generation - a single stage or degree in the succession of natural descent ( father, son, and grandson are three generations ) .
the average period ( about thirty years ) between the birth of one generation and that of the next .
"Honest hearted". We have one definition of honesty - the wt redefines this as "believing everything the wt says".
Also "Open minded"; my jw ex-SIL always said that if only I were open minded I would be able to see "The Truth".
Retro
i was informed by a witness that there was a "wonderful talk" at the sad this week.
it was about a clear conscience as opposed to a clean conscience.
a clear conscience is no proof of god's approval because one my not feel condemned by thier actions due to a faulty perspective.
A CLEAR conscience is no proof of God's approval because one my not feel condemned by thier actions due to a faulty perspective.
Another "don't rely on your own conscience/principles/logic; just obey". I was initially shocked when my jw SIL told me a conscience was of no value unless it was "bible-trained", which I now understand to be wt-trained.
Cult
Retro
