Posts by Quendi

41

Is this Watchtower comment about the Slave a lie?

by jwfacts in

in the question from readers, watchtower 2011 8/15 p. 22 it made the following comment:.

"we thus have no way of knowing the exact number of anointed ones on earth; nor do we need to know.

the governing body does not keep a list of all partakers, for it does not maintain a global network of anointed ones.".

Quendi

Thanks, discreet slave, for giving us the text of The Watchtower article I referenced. I thought it was published in November of 2009, but now I recall that we studied it in November of that year when the actual publication date was, as you correctly cited, 15 June 2009. In any case, the last five paragraphs contain the basic thrust of the Governing Body's position. It also says something else. It empowers the elders to make judicial decisions when the Scriptures plainly say it is the congregation which should do so. We see how subtly the WTS corrupts what the Bible plainly says to maintain its own theology. But that is nothing new. Jesus' religious opponents did the same and with such skill that even he marveled, saying to them: "Adroitly you set aside the commandment of God in order to retain your tradition....and thus you make the word of God invalid by your tradition which you handed down. And many things similar to this you do." --Mark 7:10, 13

Quendi

87

Watchtower STUDY EDITION - Vehicle for Vitriol and REALLY crazy statements?

by punkofnice in

is it me or do i notice that all the weird and hateful cultish statements are now appearing in the 'study edition' washtowels?.

anointed are nuts - august 15, 2011 watchtower (the study edition) pg 22 qfr: memorial partakers.

this is the number.

Quendi

I'll give Teary Oblivion this much: at least he doesn't suffer from the verbal diarrhea that his brother-in-Christ, djeggnogg has. Besides that, there is no difference in the substance of their offerings even if the style isn't the same.

The decision to publish two versions of The Watchtower did this much for me and other observers. We didn't have to pull the sheep's covering off these false prophets. They did that themselves. Anyone who is impartial can see the WTS and its leaders as the ravenous wolves they truly are. Jesus went on to say about such false teachers that they couldn't bear good fruit and would eventually get cut down and thrown into the fire. Teary Oblivion and others of like mind should reflect on that. The WTS has used ad hominem attacks, specious reasoning and deception for decades to mislead others. But at last people are beginning to free themselves in pursuit of the real life. It is no wonder that WTS reaction has been so strong and hateful language is appearing in its publications.

Quendi

41

Is this Watchtower comment about the Slave a lie?

by jwfacts in

in the question from readers, watchtower 2011 8/15 p. 22 it made the following comment:.

"we thus have no way of knowing the exact number of anointed ones on earth; nor do we need to know.

the governing body does not keep a list of all partakers, for it does not maintain a global network of anointed ones.".

Quendi

I don't have much to contribute to this discussion except to make this one point: the 15 November 2009 issue of The Watchtower made the Governing Body's attitude toward any and all who professed to be anointed besides themselves crystal clear. That magazine contained the study article "The 'Faithful Steward' and its Governing Body" in which the role of any anointed ones in the organization was discussed. Basically, the writer of the article made the outrageous claim that just as only a handful of Christians in the first century were used to write the inspired books and letters of the New Testament, so in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries only a relatively few number would be used to dispense "spiritual food".

At that time I told friends that the reason for the article was plain to me. It wasn't just the fact that the number of those professing to have the heavenly calling was rising that the WTS ruling clique found alarming. They were also annoyed and angered by these newly-minted anointed ones saying that their status made them members of the "faithful steward" class and thus entitled to have a say in forming doctrine and determining acceptable practice in the organization. I think they were demanding a big role in running the organization.

Back in the early 1970s Nathan Knorr and Fred Franz faced a similar revolt from the upper echelon managers of the Society. They forced Knorr to relinquish much of his executive powers over the organization and to allow the newly created Governing Body to make policy. Faced with similar demands from those outside the ruling clique, the Governing Body decided to react swiftly, harshly and decisively. The result was that 2009 study article.

The message in the 15 August 2011 Watchtower is both a reminder and reinforcing statement. I think the Governing Body is still hearing calls for power sharing and now has taken the additional step of telling other anointed ones that they are superflous and that their views are neither wanted nor welcome. The other reasons which posters have mentioned are equally valid. But I think this is all part of an ongoing chess game the Governing Body has been playing with its internal rivals ever since the number of Memorial partakers started rising and that was around 2005 or 2006.

Quendi

66

The Impact of Leaving

by leavingwt in

jw
friends

i would like to share the information below with newer members and lurkers.

we're not insensitive to what you're now going through.

many of us have been in your position.

Quendi

I want to say that I have been deeply moved by what I have read here. The experiences that flipper and 00DAD have had are indeed heart breaking and I want both of you to know that you are in my thoughts and prayers. I especially appreciated what 00DAD said about getting in touch with our "pre-cult personality". That is what I have done and it has opened possibilities and avenues in my life I never would have considered had I remained "in the box". As for those who are born-in, let me suggest that they make a diligent search for their true selves. It is there despite a lifetime of WTS indoctrination that made us feel we would be unworthy of Jehovah if we sought out these other things.

All of us reflect God's image and likeness. That is an important belief for me and has allowed me to move forward again. To me that means that we all have qualities, traits, and abilities that our Creator has and we should discover them and use them to make ourselves and those around us happy and fulfilled. The WTS put us in a strait-jacket where our freedom was severely restricted and we felt there was no way we could live a satisfying and purposeful life outside its narrow vision.

I think of the concluding words to Tennyson's poem Ulysses in which he writes:

Though much is taken, much abides; and though
We are not now that strength which in the old days
Moved earth and heaven; that which we are, we are,
One equal-temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.

I have often meditated on those words as I move along in my own spiritual journey. I may have lost friends and family to the WTS and have suffered great pain and loss. Also, my youth and the vigor that went with it is gone, but there is still so much to live for. My life now is better than it was as a Witness as I'm sure it is for all of you who have posted to this thread. My friends, let us never forget that and look to the future with confidence.

Quendi

16

Taking Back the Holidays

by Quendi in

jw
friends

with canada having observed its own thanksgiving day, i am reminded that the holidays are approaching beginning with halloween and terminating with twelfth night on 5 january.

this will be an interesting holiday season for me.

when i became one of jehovah's witnesses, i gave them all up of course.

Quendi

I wish you a happy holiday season, ocd, and I'm sure your non-Witness family will be very happy to see you have a full share in their celebrations. My own relatives live in the Deep South whereas I live in Colorado. Nevertheless, I have a large extended family of non-Witnesses here and they have always extended invitations to have holiday dinner with them. I am especially looking forward to this year's merrymaking.

I'm sorry, ziddina, that your husband isn't more helpful to help you prepare for the holidays. It is a lot of work to send cards, invitations, put up decorations, etc. Let me suggest that you consult with others about how you can get him involved. You may have done so in the past and the advice you were given didn't work, but don't give up!

Quendi

66

The Impact of Leaving

by leavingwt in

jw
friends

i would like to share the information below with newer members and lurkers.

we're not insensitive to what you're now going through.

many of us have been in your position.

Quendi

Thank you so much, leavingwt, for posting this list. I will be sharing the URL of this thread with my own small support group here in Colorado. One member's husband calls us JWA for "Jehovah's Witnesses Anonymous" and while we do not have a formal twelve-step program, the symptons listed have afflicted all of us to varying degrees and our support group has been a lifeline for us.

I had my first contact with Jehovah's Witnesses back in 1968 while spending a summer with Witness relatives. I renewed that contact in 1971 and then had a formal study after I left home for college in 1974. I got baptized in January 1976. So this religion consumed more than half my life, and while I had many good times and met some wonderful people, it was only after I was disfellowshipped and subsequently decided never to return that I could look back and see how badly damaged and abused I was.

I am now in what I call my "detoxification stage" and am beginning to realize, like sizemik, that the process is ongoing and will take some years to complete. This forum has been a wonderful resource for me, and I have discovered other places in cyberspace that have been very helpful also. I want to encourage those who are just beginning to question or have already decided to leave the organization to take advantage of all that is available to them to aid in their journey. It is well worth it because life outside the organization is far better than what it was inside.

Quendi

44

Some pretty blatant stuff coming up in bookstudy

by agent zero in

so i was reading ahead in the bookstudy book "bearing thorough witness" about god's kingdom, and i came upon some shockingly direct damage control on behalf of the gb in the material for the upcoming weeks.. on page 104: what a privilege it is to be instructed and molded by our patient and kind heavenly father!

the results are always good and always to our advantage.

so let us never proudly push ahead with our own ideas or react negatively to organizational changes or to adjusted explanations of certain scriptures.

Quendi

I want to elaborate on what lifeistooshort said. If we're disgusted with simply reading this stuff, how much worse would it be attending a meeting in a Kingdom Hall where not only would it be read aloud, but then we'd have to listen to all the sycophantic comments that would agree with and even amplify the original statement.

During the last year of my association, I sat in the back of a Kingdom Hall and listened sadly as the virtues of free will and the power of reason were denounced by the literature and congregation members. Naturally, the Society did not use those terms. In their places it substituted its favorite code phrase "independent thinking" in warning against any move away from the authority of the Governing Body. People of otherwise normal and even high intelligence joined the chorus of conformity the organization said was necessary to gain salvation. I found myself thinking if this wasn't the way business was conducted in some totalitarian state and how unchristian the entire meeting was.

Well, I'm now out and realizing just what human rights and freedom really means. I look back on my incarceration in the organization and realize that if I hadn't been disfellowshipped I might still be goose-stepping and marching in lock step with the others. Eternal vigilance is the price of freedom, and that is something I never want to forget.

Quendi

16

Notification Of Disfellowshipping Or Disassociation Forms

by Bangalore in

notification of disfellowshipping or disassociation forms.. .

.

bangalore.

Quendi

I want to thank Bangalore for posting this. While the British form is more comprehensive, the fact that the U.S. card has accompanying notes that spell out the details and are kept in a confidential Kingdom Hall location shows the mindset on the question of disfellowshipping is universal. This disgusting kind of bureaucratic "theocracy" is just one more piece of evidence that I did the right thing in turning my back on this religion.

Quendi

16

Taking Back the Holidays

by Quendi in

jw
friends

with canada having observed its own thanksgiving day, i am reminded that the holidays are approaching beginning with halloween and terminating with twelfth night on 5 january.

this will be an interesting holiday season for me.

when i became one of jehovah's witnesses, i gave them all up of course.

Quendi

I have really enjoyed and appreciated everyone's comments on this thread. You have reaffirmed my decision to celebrate whatever I like and enjoy the holidays with my friends and family. Samhain is one of those days I have found quite interesting. I won't be celebrating it myself, AdaMakawee, but I want to wish you a good one. If any kids stop by my house trick-or-treating, I will hand out goodies to them.

I think LongHairGal is spot on about why the organization discourages any kind of holiday observance and celebration among Jehovah's Witnesses. It really does not want Witnesses to maintain their ties and connections with any and all outside the religion. Holiday celebrations reinforce those ties, and clearly that works against the philosophy and interest this religion has. All the talk about God-dishonoring pagan roots is a smokescreen to hide its xenophobia and misanthropy. What's worse, there is no alternative put in the place of the holidays. The word "celebration" hardly fits the Memorial occasion, as much as the Society would like to think it does. Talk of the celebration or "Memorial season" is bogus because aside from the ritual the Society sanctions, nothing else is done to honor God or Christ. Neither are the Witnesses encouraged to gather together in a festive spirit to celebrate anything.

So I will be glad to sit down to a meal of "turkey and all the trimmings" on the fourth Thursday in November; drink eggnog and eat other calorie-laden foods during Christmas and New Year's; and wish my mother, siblings, and close friends a happy birthday. I'll even celebrate my own when it comes around at the end of March. It is indeed wonderful to rediscover life again and to enjoy it to the full. Celebrating holidays and special occasions is one of the ways we can do that.

Quendi

117

Is homosexuality ever justifiable? I say YES!!!

by TimothyT in

in the january 2012 awake, pages 28-29 there is another article about homosexuality.. .

the writers argue that genetics, the environment, and sexual abuse do not justify homosexuality.

the bible clearly states that homosexuality is wrong and is an abhorrent sin.

Quendi

Very well put, ohiocowboy! I couldn't have said it better.

Quendi