Posts by Quendi

35

Marry Only in the Lord

by compound complex in

jw
friends

misgivings, to be sure, .

another pursued her .

with real intent, a burning zeal.

I learned just how fanatical some JWs are on this point in a discussion I had with an elder some years ago. He condemned his mother for "marrying out of the truth" when she knew what the Society taught. I asked him was his mother happy with the man she had married. He said the marriage had been a good one. Then, to my utter amazement, he went on to say that the "worldly" man his mother had married was his father!

I told him that I didn't see what his complaint was since that marriage led directly to his conception and birth and that he wouldn't be alive otherwise. But that didn't matter to this fanatic. His mother was dead wrong and had deliberately disobeyed Jehovah by marrying an "unbeliever". That conversation showed the power this cult has over its adherents. This man would rather never have been born and his mother yoked to a man who might not have loved her as much as his own father did. Unbelievable!!

As for CoCo's poem, I can only sadly shake my head in agreement. I have seen many Witness women married to men who were absolutely worthless. These men clearly viewed their wives as bedwarmers, cooks and housekeepers. They had no common interests to share with their wives and they weren't even good friends. The organization gets its followers to believe that being Witnesses is enough to make a good marriage. Many go along with this specious reasoning and wind up in marriages that are loveless and abusive. And since there are more Witness women than men, I don't doubt we'll continue to see more of these kinds of unions.

Quendi

18

C.T. Russell and 1914

by Quendi in

i'm sure there are those on this board who can help me with some research questions.

they concern charles taze russell and his infatuation with 1914 and were posed to me by a member of my own small group.

we call ourselves jwa for jehovah's witnesses anonymous.

Quendi

My thanks and gratitude to both Doug Mason and Leolaia for their help and research on my questions. Doug, thanks for the hyperlinks which I will certainly check out. Leolaia, you're absolutely amazing! I'll go to Barbara Anderson's Watchtower Documents website to learn what I can about Maria Russell. I know my small group will be very happy to study the findings both of you have provided.

Quendi

35

So-and-so is no longer one of Jehovah's Witnesses

by wannabefree in

with all of the legal mumbo jumbo and technicalties that the organization uses (recently brought to light in the australian case), i couldn't help but wonder what power the "no longer one of jehovah's witnesses" really has or even means from a technical standpoint, since the organization is so technical.

we know what it means when the announcement is made, but in reality, so-and-so never really belonged to any of the groups in the first place.

the law says that association or membership is voluntary, therefore the organization has the right to expel and shun someone for not following the guidelines expected of members.. what are the rank and file members of?.

Quendi

Getting back to the thread's topic, when I was disfellowshipped the announcement simply stated: "[Quendi] is no longer one of Jehovah's Witnesses." I took that to mean that I was to be completely shunned. I was also told that I had to be in the Kingdom Hall the night the annoucement was made as an indication that I was submitting myself to Jehovah's discipline. Failure to attend that meeting would definitely be held against me in any effort to get reinstated.

However, I started to question the real meaning of the announcement. By saying that I was "no longer one of Jehovah's Witnesses", did this mean that my dedication to God was now invalid and I would have to rededicate myself? The elders said my dedication was still valid. But if that were so, in what way was I now no longer one of Jehovah's Witnesses? Nobody could or would answer that question for me.

On the night the announcement was made, I was crushed. All I wanted to do was to crawl into a hole and pull it in behind me. It was only after some years had passed before I realized that the night of that announcement was my own personal Emancipation Proclamation.

Quendi

18

C.T. Russell and 1914

by Quendi in

i'm sure there are those on this board who can help me with some research questions.

they concern charles taze russell and his infatuation with 1914 and were posed to me by a member of my own small group.

we call ourselves jwa for jehovah's witnesses anonymous.

Quendi

I'm sure there are those on this board who can help me with some research questions. They concern Charles Taze Russell and his infatuation with 1914 and were posed to me by a member of my own small group. We call ourselves JWA for Jehovah's Witnesses Anonymous.

We know that Charles Taze Russell wasn't the only religious personality who taught that 1914 would be a significant year that would fulfill Bible prophecy. We also know that he had two methods for determining the significance of that date. One was using the measurements of the Great Pyramid at Giza, Egypt. The other was calculating the length of the "Gentile Times" of Luke 21:24 and tying that in with the tree-dream of Nebuchadnezzar and Daniel's interpretation of that dream in Daniel chapter 4.

The questions I was given is these: Which came first, the pyramid measurements or the "Gentile Times" calculation? When were both of these teachings first put forward? And if the pyramid teaching was indeed first, as I believe, when was it dropped in favor of counting the "Gentile Times"? Furthermore, what role, if any, did Maria Russell play in developing Charles Taze Russell's theology? I believe she had significant input on his 1914 fixations as well as other teachings he advanced. Thanks in advance for all of your help and counsel on this.

Quendi

11

This Is why So Many Leave The WTBTS

by Hairyhegoat in

jw
friends

the watchtower, november 1, 1987, pp.

awake!, november 22, 1970, pp.

14, 29; the watchtower, august 15, 1987, p. 20; the watchtower, april 15, 1986, p. 28-30 .

Quendi

Thanks for the information and collating it in one place, HairyHeGoat. I will certanily reference it in the future.

Quendi

20

Beards and Overstepping the Commandment of God

by Darth Rutherford in

jw
friends

why is it you also overstep the commandment of god because of your tradition?

like the pharisees, the watchtower is overstepping the commandment of god because of tradition.

(psalm 118:9; 146:3) yet, where does jehovah, through his word, command a christian not to grow a beard at all?

Quendi

Welcome, Darth Rutherford! My thinking on this is if beards are a 'matter of conscience', then why is it that it would be up to the local body of elders to impose rules at all? But like so many other things WTS-related, the Society speaks with a forked tongue and wears two faces under one hat.

As CoCo has stated, this is a holdover from the halcyon days of Joseph Rutherford, but it has been seized upon by the present-day leadership as a means of exercising control and dominance over rank and file Witness males. I believe that is why there is an inconsistent enforcement. Some elders couldn't care less about beards where others use the rule to show who's boss. But the bottom line is as you have stated, the Bible is silent on the matter and so should everyone else be.

The beard question is just another example of how unloving the organization really is. The love that Christ said would be the identifying mark of his true disciples and which would manifest itself plainly is absent. True, Witnesses have a uniformity of thought and doctrine which they say is the proof that the organization is spirit-directed, but it is interesting that Christ did not say this. But as long as rank and file Witnesses blindly obey whatever the WTS and/or its representatives tell them, nothing will change. The status will remain quo.

Quendi

21

Reached Out Only To Be Rejected

by Quendi in

jw
friends

last month i got word that a witness i had known had died suddenly.

i hadn't spoken to her since my disfellowshipping six years ago, but we had been good friends.

upon learning of her death, i wrote a letter of sympathy to her fleshly brother, also a witness, who had been a good friend of mine as well.

Quendi

I want to thank one and all for your thoughts on this matter. I deeply appreciate them. Perhaps I have been overhasty in judging my friend and his family. A death in the family is always traumatic, and they may all still be grieving and suffering too much right now to acknowledge the many expressions of sorrow and sympathy they have undoubtedly received. That is something I should keep in mind.

At the same time, I am glad I did write to them to let them know that I still cared about them and loved them. I know that was the right thing to do whether I ever get a response or not. I know that in some way I have contributed to their healing and recovery and it makes me glad to know this. We live in a world where normal thoughtfulness sometimes gets misplaced because of so many competing demands and emotional pressures.

I also want to remember that the WTS may also have played a role in my non-response. It does teach its members to regard those of us who have left to be lower than animals, utterly lacking in human decency. Whether this teaching and attitude had a direct role in my friend's thinking is something I cannot say. But regardless of that, what I want to do is follow the law of Christ in this regard. In the Sermon on the Mount, he reminded us that his Father makes his sun shine upon the good and wicked, and that he gives rain to the righteous and the unrighteous. So I want to continue to do likewise in my own small way. But once again, my friends, please accept my gratitude for all your support for me in this situation.

Quendi

15

Critique of the NOVEMBER 1 Watchtower article"When Was Ancient Jerusalem Destroyed?"

by Doug Mason in

this critique of the chronology article appearing in the watchtower of november 1, 2011 is in two parts:.

part a discusses points raised by the article;.

part b provides supporting evidences and additional material.. download both parts.

Quendi

I want to commend Doug Mason and Carl Jonsson for sharing their expertise with us. I have distributed their critiques to my small circle of inactive and former Witnesses, all of whom have told me how grateful they are to receive this priceless information. I have encouraged them to contact Doug and Carl directly to express their appreciation.

Doug, I want to thank you personally not only for your critiques, but also for the profound effects they are having on the WTS leadership. For it is clear to me that they grossly underestimated the power of the Internet and its impact upon the Witness rank and file. As long as it held a monopoly on the availability of its own past writings and discussion of the organization's history, it could keep all Witnesses in the dark. That monopoly has now been broken, and like waters through a breached dam, the real truth is gushing out with devastating effect. The leadership is attempting countermeasures, but I hope and pray those are too little, too late. The Internet has made this possible, and men like you have led the way in exploiting its advantages to enlighten the rest of us.

Keep up the good work, my friend. You are changing lives for the better. As one of my correspondents said to me on Sunday, what has amazed her is how your critiques have exposed the downright lies and distortions the WTS has engaged in to promote its 607 BC doctrine. She had no idea of the depth of its dishonesty, not the lengths it would go to protect this cornerstone teaching. What started out as a publishing concern in 1884 has metamorphosed into a corrupt and self-serving organization whose tyranny over its adherents grows more oppressive by the day. Thanks to people like you, Ann O'Maly, Carl Jonsson and others, we may finally see its overthrow.

God bless you!

Quendi

21

Reached Out Only To Be Rejected

by Quendi in

jw
friends

last month i got word that a witness i had known had died suddenly.

i hadn't spoken to her since my disfellowshipping six years ago, but we had been good friends.

upon learning of her death, i wrote a letter of sympathy to her fleshly brother, also a witness, who had been a good friend of mine as well.

Quendi

Last month I got word that a Witness I had known had died suddenly. I hadn't spoken to her since my disfellowshipping six years ago, but we had been good friends. Upon learning of her death, I wrote a letter of sympathy to her fleshly brother, also a Witness, who had been a good friend of mine as well. I expressed sorrow for his sister's death and mentioned the hope of the resurrection which I still believe.

When I sent the letter, I did not put my name on the envelope but did have my return address on it. I did identify myself in the letter, however so that the recipients would know its sender. That was only right and proper. After expressing my sorrow and praising the deceased as a warm and wonderful person whose friendship I had prized for twenty years I then mentioned the resurrection hope. I concluded with telling this man that I wished all the best for him and his family.

I did not attend the memorial service because I had no intention of putting myself through the shunning routine I knew I would face and also because I wasn't sure how the family would react to my presence. In addition, I have no desire to ever set foot inside a Kingdom Hall again, not even for a funeral for a friend. But at the very least I thought I would do the decent thing and express my sympathies.

That was a month ago. I have never received an acknowledgment of my letter nor any other expression of thanks for sending it or a shred of appreciation for the thoughtfulness I showed. I'm not hurt or wounded, but it is fair to say that I am disappointed. After all, common courtesy and simple decency would have prompted almost everyone else to respond. It shows the warped and twisted thinking that Jehovah's Witnesses have that they can't exhibit the love they claim is the major feature of their religion and personality.

I had hoped that my letter wou0ld also show this man and his family that Witnesses aren't the only people who can do things out of love and altruism. All humans are made in God's image and reflect his qualities. That is something their religion denies. The literature, platform talks, and experiences related in both are quite chauvinistic in this regard. Only Witnesses are really "happy", only Witnesses can express love, kindness, generosity, and other positive qualities to a large degree. But when put to a simple test as this case was, they fail miserably and don't even notice. My being disfellowshipped should have had no bearing on whether I should have received a response to my letter. And I have to wonder how many "worldly" people attended the funeral and expressed sympathies to whom this man returned thanks. This experience has made me all the happier to say that I am no longer one of Jehovah's Witnesses.

Quendi

12

The Local Gay Friendly Church!

by TimothyT in

so in my continuing quest to find a church which accepts me and provides me some spiritual encouragement every sunday, i decided to drop the baptists and search elsewhere.

i went on the internet and searched for gay friendly churches.

we found a methodist church in nottingham and we decided to go today.. when we entered, everyone was so welcoming.

Quendi

I appreciated reading your experience TimothyT and want to encourage you to keep on searching. I think troubled mind and Band On The Run both had some good thoughts and suggestions for you and Jack to follow.

My experiences at the Metropolitan Community Church of the Rockies continue to be positive. The entire service lasts for an hour and while there is singing and praying the pastor's "message" (as they like to call the sermon) is definitely Bible-based. Two passages are the theme texts on which the sermon is based. Yesterday the selected passages were Isaiah 45:1-7 and Matthew 22:15-21. I like the fact that all of the Bible is considered at MCCR and not the New Testament only. I am now working on getting to know people and make friends there but I'm sure I will succeed. I'd invite you and Jack to come worship with us, but you might find the trip from Nottinghamshire to Colorado difficult to negotiate on a Sunday!

At least you both were given a warm welcome and that means a lot, but obviously you want more. You are seeking to fill a spiritual need and that is equally important in my view. I have to believe there is a church near you that can be warm, loving, accepting and Bible-based which will give you what you want if this church does not. But give the Nottingham church a little longer. Also, speak to the pastors about your concerns and see what they say about the church's philosophy in addressing them. Move on if things can't be worked out.

Quendi