Posts by Quendi

12

A Shot Out to the Vid That Got Me Out!

by Diest in

i had not been to meetings in a long time, but i still had lingering guilt over what happens if the big a comes when i am out.

i found this video on youtube, which put the first nail in the coffin for the wt.

the posters on this site put in the final 32 nails and put the wt in hades for me.

my brother who attends meetings was at the hall when they were explaining the "generation" new lite.. he said he was stunned when a rumble went through the congo which he said sounded like "oh here we go again" and then laughing.. the brother sittig next to him said 'what next" and after the meeting a lot of people were mad that instead of leaving what they do not know they re-invented it.. elders were being surrounded by people asking them to explain it.. this happened a few weeks ago but there is also alot of anger at the "mentally diseased " comment made by the gb as people view it as an outright attack on family members.

i think i smell trouble.. he is not one who shuns and told the elders that until they show him where jesus said shun then he will continue to talk to me.. one elder told him that if he persists in talking to me then he could be brought before a committe to which he told him "it would be your funeral".

so me thinks they are truly in a panic!.

Quendi

Sadly, although I was well educated and considered myself to be independent-minded, I swallowed WTS teaching hook, line, and sinker. I was so certain that it was God's organization, and that if there were problems, Jehovah would straighten them out in his due time. I needed to be patient and loyal. If I was, then Jehovah would bless me. If not, then I would suffer the penalty of everlasting death. That kept me in line for many years.

Some of you might say, "Quendi, it wasn't entirely your fault. You were brainwashed into thinking that way." Maybe so, but it is still a source of shame for me. Now that I'm out, I am determined never to surrender my God-given free will and power of reason to any person or organization again. I suppose I should be grateful to have at least made that determination in my life.

Like ihadnoidea, I have noticed a ratcheting up of the pressure being put on the rank-and-file to conform to the WTS way or else. The study articles that I last read banged that drum rather loudly. Witnesses believe it because a corollary is added to the 'conform or else' dictates. That is "Where else will we go if we leave 'the Truth'?" Many are not frightened simply by the idea of losing their friends and family, they also fear life on the outside of the organization. Leaving it would open a vacuum in their lives that would be difficult to fill and they don't want to face that.

Fortunately, there are resources available now that were undreamed of some years ago. The Internet has opened up entirely new vistas and presented viable options for those wishing to leave Jehovah's Witnesses behind. This forum is certainly one of them and I am grateful to have found it and the contributors to it that have given me much to think about. I want to thank everyone here for that. And I continue to hope that our friends and families still in the cult will find their way out.

Quendi

13

Heavenly Hope

by Quendi in

here are some questions i want to pose to our friends here.

does a person have to be baptized to go to heaven and if one must get baptized, how is this to be arranged and by whom?.

the reason i ask this is many here have professed their belief that they are part of the body of christ, should partake of the emblems whenever they celebrate the lord's supper, and will go to heaven after they die if they have been faithful.

Quendi

Hello All. Sorry it has taken me so long to return to this thread. I notice that another thread with the same subject is being discussed elsewhere on this board, and some of you may want to contribute your thoughts to it.

I suppose I am what can be called a "modern preterist". There is a wonderful website on preterism that explains much about it if you want to learn more. You can access it at http://www.preteristarchive.com/. At any rate, let me briefly put forward my thinking about the heavenly hope. I believe it is limited to a comparatively small number of Christians. I think the number 144,000 is a symbolic one and should not be taken literally. No, I do not consider myself to be one of the called and chosen to serve as a king and priest with Christ in heaven. Instead, I hold that if I receive everlasting life, it will be here on Earth in a physical body. That is because I believe that everlasting life on Earth was God's original purpose and design for humanity and that he has not abandoned that purpose. The resurrection of a limited number of humans to heavenly life is to facilitate the fulfillment of that purpose. It is one of the few points in common I still hold with Jehovah's Witnesses.

That also means that I do not celebrate the Lord's Supper either alone or with others. I do not partake of the emblems. And I have never felt the promptings of the holy spirit to partake or declare myself a spiritual son of God.

Now, with respect to the beliefs others have shared in this space, I certainly respect them. Do I believe baptism is necessary for salvation? No, I do not. But I believe it is necessary for one to be anointed with the heavenly calling. John 3:3 is one scripture that I think supports this, and there are others as well. But I do not think that baptism itself is a sine qua non for salvation whereas belief in Jesus' ransom sacrifice is. I have a firm faith in that sacrifice.

So how do I view my baptism as one of Jehovah's Witnesses? I was told that it symbolized my dedication to Jehovah God. As such, it has some validity, but I now believe it was not a necessary step for me to take. I haven't renounced it, however. I was also baptized as a Roman Catholic. Now I am no longer a member of either religion, so my baptisms into them is merely something I underwent in the past as part of my lifelong spiritual journey. They are mileposts along the way, nothing more.

Anyway, those are my thoughts on this topic. Thank you all for sharing yours and I wish all of you every success and much happiness on your individual spiritual journeys.

Quendi

51

Do you believe in an annointed class?

by irondork in

regarless of their identity - in fact, if they are really "discreet" their identity should probably remain unknown - do you believe the bible speaks of a spirit annointed class of folks, a limited number of humans that have been called to heaven to serve with jesus?.

.

Quendi

I am a firm believer in a separate "anointed" class of Christians. Furthermore, I believe that while the number 144,000 is symbolic, there is a limited number of those called to serve with Jesus as kings and priests in heaven. I subscribe to many preterist beliefs so I also think that the number was filled back in the first century. Consequently, I do not see myself as one of the "called and chosen". Thanks, irondork, for starting this thread.

Quendi

16

A new twist on the overlapping generations

by PYRAMIDSCHEME in

jw
friends

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3b5yrycmj9u&feature=share.

(this video was posted on the facebook page: towerwatch.).

in 2010 we had the new light on the overlapping generations...now there seems to be a new twist.

Quendi

I'm assuming that GOrwell made his post with his tongue firmly in cheek. If not, then let me suggest that he do an examination of the writings of "Franz and Co" so that he can see the gross inconsistencies for himself. It won't matter what topic is investigated, the inquirer will discover that the only thing consistent with WTS doctrine is its inconsistency.

It wasn't just the writings of Russell and Rutherford that Franz and CO had theological differences with. Even a cursory examination of their own writings will reveal contradictions within. Of course, this is where the "new light" doctrine is especially insidious. It has been used to explain away all kinds of wrong-headed thinking and foolish doctrines that were promoted in the past. It stands ready to do so whenever the Governing Body finds it necessary.

I don't know about Governing Body 1.0, but I am firmly convinced now that Governing Body 2.0 is well aware of the deception it is practicing on the rank-and-file. They are no more concerned with the spiritual well-being of the membership than the Man in the Moon is. But I don't think the majority of Jehovah's Witnesses really care anymore. They think that they are in a "spiritual paradise", an "ark of salvation", and as long as they stay inside, God will surely protect them. Since they are only loyal followers, they won't be held responsible for any harm the Governing Body's false teachings do to themselves or others, and that is a real shame.

Quendi

49

Inactive (i.e. not reporting) witnesses won't survive armageddon

by Mickey mouse in

did anyone else catch this in the talk at the convention 'are you behaving as kingdom citizen?'.

.

Quendi

Yes, and we all know what the New Testament has to say on the subject of facial hair! This is just one more example of the WTS "going beyond the things that are written." I knew one Witness who did not want to be considered for any congregation privileges. So to avoid even being approached about this, he grew a beard. Needless to say, the elders never spoke to him on conferring privileges. Neither did they broach the subject of his having a beard. I can only suppose that his silent but effective demonstration made his wishes abundantly clear.

Quendi

8

The Watchtower Mindset: Murder Will Solve Everything

by Eiben Scrood in

jw
friends

i was on facebook snooping on a former "friend" still stuck in the cult and he recently posted the following:.

"yeah i was looking at them [kids lighting firecrackers] out my window last night.

i was thinking, these people are so ignorant.

Quendi

Not all Witnesses feel that the death of billions is a good thing. But there can be no denying that many do. With attitudes like that, you wonder why are they participating in the door-to-door work. Supposedly the motive for doing so is love of God and neighbor. Obviously, many Witnesses possess neither. That is very sad indeed.

But much of the blame for this attitude can be laid at the door of the WTS itself. The insistence on maintaining records, turning in reports, rules for the kind of dress and grooming one must have to participate, and other Pharisaical regulations take any joy many would have out of the whole thing. The "evangelizing work" for many Witnesses is very difficult to participate in, and the organization does very little to address the burdens they are imposing on the rank-and-file.

Still, that is no excuse for wishing death on people who do not share the Witness point of view. I'd love to see the world change for the better too. There is much about it that I do not like. But I don't want such changes to come about if that means the deaths of innocent people. Ah, well! When you have a religion that has no real grasp on the meaning of Christian love, what else can we expect from its adherents? The WTS reminds me of Gandhi's words to Lord Mountbatten: "I love Christ, but hate Christians because they do not practice what Christ taught." Those Witnesses who have cultivated a genuine love for their fellow men have done so in spite and not because of the WTS.

Quendi

16

A new twist on the overlapping generations

by PYRAMIDSCHEME in

jw
friends

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3b5yrycmj9u&feature=share.

(this video was posted on the facebook page: towerwatch.).

in 2010 we had the new light on the overlapping generations...now there seems to be a new twist.

Quendi

bookmark

72

What is difference between Black Congregations and White Congregations

by Pitchess Co-Gen in

i'm from south los angeles and been to black congregations all my life, but i moved 70-75 miles north from where i grew up.

i just want to know the difference ..

Quendi

For my first seven years' association with Jehovah's Witnesses, I was part of black congregations in Tuscaloosa and Birmingham, Alabama. I am black. In the South, there was a noticeable difference in atmosphere between black and white congregations. White Witnesses were more reserved, and their congregations seemed cooler and more formal than the black ones I was part of.

Then I moved away from Birmingham, Alabama to Boulder, Colorado where I currently live. The congregations in Boulder are predominantly white with the exception of the Spanish-language congregation. That one started out as a group of interested persons but has grown into a full-fledged congregation now that is overwhelmingly brown and Latino. I have never attended its meetings although I knew one or two people there.

The Boulder congregations welcomed me with open arms when I arrived thirty years ago. The formality and coolness I had known in white congregations in the Deep South were noticeably absent. Witnesses helped me find a job, a home, and made me an integral part of the Witness community in Boulder. My Alabama family, who are not Witnesses, was stunned that any white folks would help a black man out, particularly in a part of the country where black faces are scarce. (Colorado's blacks make up only 4% of the state's population.) The only Witnesses my Alabama family knew were all black.

After I moved to Colorado, one or two Witnesses whom I knew here actually made contact with my Alabama family. They were white, but my family gladly welcomed them and later told me how impressed they were with their friendliness and warmth. I was very happy to hear that. Coming from an area where almost all social questions are cast in terms of race and moving to one where such an outlook was rare was a big surprise for me. I quickly adjusted to it. Finally, when one of my fleshly brothers visited me in Colorado and saw that practically all my friends and associates here were white and very friendly, he was completely overwhelmed. He lives in Atlanta, and Boulder's friendliness and openness were unbelievable to him. The attitude the general population has in Colorado had definitely shaped the outlook Witness congregations have here.

So I would say that any differences between black and white congregations are a reflection of the area they are located in. If racial and ethnic tensions exist in an area, I think it is possible there will be differences in the way a congregation gets along. Black families have their problems, to be sure, but black congregations have a long tradition of warmth and openness. I think much of that has to do with the appeal the Witness religion has for many black Americans. They want to live in a world free from bigotry and racism, and a religion which espouses that will draw many of them to it. Plus, since many black Witnesses have come into the religion via some other church, they are used to the strong community spirit their former churches promoted. It would only be natural for them to foster that same spirit in any congregation where they are a majority.

And we can't deny the role that culture plays in the spirit a congregation will manifest. White people are hardly monolithic, and I daresay that a congregation made up of people who are predominantly of northern European extraction will be somewhat different from a congregation whose makeup is primarily Mediterranean. So differences between black and white congregations might also have to take that into account.

Quendi

29

"In this system of things"

by Sour Grapes in

it just drives me freakin crazy when my wife and.

her friends say things like "well, in this system of things.

we will never be caught up in our work at home.

Quendi

Hi Blondie,

I know a smattering of koine Greek and studied Latin for three years. I translated Virgil, Caesar, Cicero and other writers. So when I encountered the NWT rendering of the Greek aion as "system of things" and noted that Jerome had rendered the same word by its Latin equivalent saeculum, I was stunned. I knew that both the Greek and Latin words meant "age". So what made the NWT committee choose "system of things"? That is an expression that isn't even remotely close to the basic meaning of the original language word or other ancient translations of it. But like a good Witness, I let it go, choosing to believe that these "spirit-directed" men had access to manuscripts and information I did not. I know better now.

Quendi