* 'Truth' - A type of food manufactured in Brooklyn, dished out by elders, swallowed by the congregation, and excreted into the neighbourhood.
NewWay
JoinedPosts by NewWay
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Alternative Definitions To WTS-Related Terms
by NewWay inalternative definitions to wts-related words and terms .
* 'great crowd' - a large group of people who turned up too late to catch the bus to heaven.. .
* 'prophetic date' - a type of fruit that may look good on the outside, but which some people find leaves a bitter after-taste, and others find too hard to swallow.. .
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Why I Stopped Apologising For The WTS
by NewWay inwhy i stopped apologising for the watchtower society - part 1. .
in response to requests for information on why i stopped being an apologist for the organisation, i have decided to write the following article.
what is written is not meant to attack the beliefs of jws, but rather to show why i personally came to the conclusion that i could no longer support the organisation.
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NewWay
Lisa, I'm not that old!
Seriously, there is always hope, don't give up! If I had known even one year ago that I would be here happily writing these things, I would have been shocked, but as you will see by reading my experiences, gradually my thinking changed.
Kind regards. -
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Why I Stopped Apologising For The WTS
by NewWay inwhy i stopped apologising for the watchtower society - part 1. .
in response to requests for information on why i stopped being an apologist for the organisation, i have decided to write the following article.
what is written is not meant to attack the beliefs of jws, but rather to show why i personally came to the conclusion that i could no longer support the organisation.
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NewWay
WHY I STOPPED APOLOGISING FOR THE WATCHTOWER SOCIETY - PART 6
Although the NT gives some information about the way early Christians lived, I reached a point where I wanted to know more about them. From time to time, articles would appear in Watchtower and Awake! magazines that quoted or dealt with the writings of men known as 'Church Fathers'. Even though what these men wrote was not regarded by the society as inspired of God, those writing the articles obviously felt that the 'Church Fathers' had a contribution to make in understanding early Christian thought and practice. Many of the early 'Church Fathers' were elders and other mature Christian men who were respected for their wisdom and understanding of spiritual matters. I thought that learning more about what these men wrote would be valuable in getting to know the early Christians better. Unfortunately, I found no books available locally that dealt specifically with the 'Church Fathers'. However, I did find a small book that presented its material in the form of a series of meetings of a fictitious modern-day study group, which I read and found quite enlightening. Some time later I was in a bookstore and thought about taking a look in the section labelled 'Christianity'. As with my first Internet excursion into 'apostate-land', I felt a bit nervous in case any JW I knew should turn up and see me amongst the books of 'Christendom'! I'm glad I did pluck up courage to examine the contents of the shelves because I came across a book entitled 'The Ante-Nicene Fathers - Volume III Tertullian Parts I-III'. This volume was part of a large set originally published by T&T Clark of Edinburgh. At first I was in two minds as to whether I wanted to pay 25 for a book that might not provide the sort of insight I was looking for, but I took a gamble and added it to my home library. Getting To Know The Early ChristiansTertullian, a second century writer, proved to be quite a scholar. It was strange to hear a voice from so far off in the past come off the pages with such intellect and wit. Certainly the humour of the man - albeit sarcastic - helped to create a very interesting read. Much of what he had written was to do with Christian doctrine, so I gleaned very little information about Christianity in action, but what I read impressed upon me the struggles that the early Christians had as they fought a plague of strange ideas which threatened the internal spiritual cohesion of the brotherhood.
It seemed to me that even Tertullian had not escaped the temptation to introduce his own ideas. Now and again I sensed an emerging proto-Trinity concept, although his own arguments against the 'heretic' Marcion contradicted such a belief. It became clear to me (along with later reading from other 'Church Fathers') that in the second century Christianity was in danger of moving into the hands of so-called 'intellectuals' who had more interest in debating theological issues than promoting the simple easy-to-understand teachings of Jesus Christ.
Not long after finishing this volume, I bought the first book in the series entitled 'Apostolic Fathers, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus'. This provided me with a lot of information concerning Christianity as a living religion. Because the lives of many of the writers overlapped that of the apostles the information was valuable in getting a snapshot of what the early Christians were like and how they went about their spiritual lives. What struck me more than anything else was - notwithstanding internal problems with some congregations - the affection and concern that they appeared to have for one another. It was obvious to me that they were a closely-knit community of individuals who saw it their duty to look after each other, with special emphasis on the poor, and those orphaned or widowed (compare with James 1:27).
I looked for evidence of door-to-door witnessing, but nothing. In fact very little was actually said about preaching, and what was said (and what was not said) led me to the conclusion that any witnessing was probably done informally or by means of publicised talks or discussions (see Acts 19:8-10), so any going from door-to-door would be as a result of interest already shown as a result of these methods. Another thing that caught my attention was the great courage and humility shown by these Christians and the ever present danger of being condemned to die for simply bearing the name of Christ. To me, these things tallied well with the NT teachings of Jesus and the Bible's depiction of Christianity. On the other hand, there were some writers who seemed very interested in reminding the sheep of the importance of their 'bishops' (elders) and the respect that was due them. After reading other 'Church' history books, I saw that in a short period of time the original arrangement of a small group of humble people sharing equal status had been replaced by a system whereby the majority (laity) came under the authority of a minority (clergy), and that discussion on matters of doctrine and the appointment of 'leaders' were taken right out of the hands of individual congregations and put into the hands of a centralised body of men. As we know churches and huge religious buildings started to be built (belonging of course to the central body) which replaced the humble home gatherings of the first Christians. Something sounded familiar!
The forerunners of JWs (known as Bible Students) used to meet in each other's homes for spiritual edification. Although C. T. Russell was instrumental in bringing about the Bible Students Association, originally each congregation was autonomous, which meant there was no central body to dictate what each congregation must do in matters of a spiritual nature - presumably if the members of one congregation felt that the members of another were not keeping to the 'true' faith then they could simply refuse to associate with them. From what I had read about the Bible Students of this time there was a real sense of love and a concern for each other's well-being. However, as we know things changed dramatically within a very short period of time. It seemed to me that history had repeated itself and that the relatively benign word 'organise' had been used to cover up the real intent of those opportunists who really wanted to 'control'. (To Be Continued...) -
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Why I Stopped Apologising For The WTS
by NewWay inwhy i stopped apologising for the watchtower society - part 1. .
in response to requests for information on why i stopped being an apologist for the organisation, i have decided to write the following article.
what is written is not meant to attack the beliefs of jws, but rather to show why i personally came to the conclusion that i could no longer support the organisation.
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NewWay
Kjell, thank you very much for the encouragement!
(((((((((((Kjell and Family))))))))))
Here is the next instalment: -
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Alternative Definitions To WTS-Related Terms
by NewWay inalternative definitions to wts-related words and terms .
* 'great crowd' - a large group of people who turned up too late to catch the bus to heaven.. .
* 'prophetic date' - a type of fruit that may look good on the outside, but which some people find leaves a bitter after-taste, and others find too hard to swallow.. .
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NewWay
ALTERNATIVE DEFINITIONS TO WTS-RELATED WORDS AND TERMS
* 'Great Crowd' - A large group of people who turned up too late to catch the bus to heaven.
* 'Prophetic Date' - A type of fruit that may look good on the outside, but which some people find leaves a bitter after-taste, and others find too hard to swallow.
* 'Theocratic Ministry School Talk' - A speaking assignment which when given by a female requires ignoring the audience and talking to someone else.
* 'Shepherding Call' - A very rare meeting designed specially for those who think that five meetings a week is a bit much.
* 'Bible Study' - A course of instruction that requires very little creativity due to the fact that each study book comes complete with all the right conclusions.
* 'Assembly' - Romantic hunting ground for young people.
* 'Beard' - Something worn by male JWs to prevent being lumbered with 'theocratic privileges'.
Please add your own alternative definitions below! -
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My Life
by Paradiselost inmy experiences, i'm sure, are not unique among the posters of this forum.
i am 19 years old and was born into the religion.
my family although devout, avid witnesses are on the liberal side.
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NewWay
I agree with many here who think that the best way to leave is just to 'fade away'. I would especially recommend this where one has family members who are still 'loyal' JWs.
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Why I Stopped Apologising For The WTS
by NewWay inwhy i stopped apologising for the watchtower society - part 1. .
in response to requests for information on why i stopped being an apologist for the organisation, i have decided to write the following article.
what is written is not meant to attack the beliefs of jws, but rather to show why i personally came to the conclusion that i could no longer support the organisation.
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NewWay
Andi, thank you so much for your welcome and your kind remark about my writing. I have to say there are people here who have demonstrated far more fluency and command of the English language than me - I know I tend to be a bit wordy at times! Nevertheless, I'm pleased and flattered that you and others have enjoyed reading my posts, as that brings me much pleasure knowing that my efforts in sharing my experiences have been worthwhile.
Kind regards. -
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Why I Stopped Apologising For The WTS
by NewWay inwhy i stopped apologising for the watchtower society - part 1. .
in response to requests for information on why i stopped being an apologist for the organisation, i have decided to write the following article.
what is written is not meant to attack the beliefs of jws, but rather to show why i personally came to the conclusion that i could no longer support the organisation.
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NewWay
WHY I STOPPED APOLOGISING FOR THE WATCHTOWER SOCIETY - PART 5
Back in the eighties, when I was a single man in my early twenties, I decided to set up my own home. Since I was outside the territory of my existing congregation I started associating with a new one. One of the elders in this particular congregation was extremely well-known and regarded by many as a spiritual 'pillar' (Galatians 2:9). Although not brought up as a JW, he had by that time been in 'the Truth' for many years. Before the 'elder arrangement' came into force, he had held the post of 'congregation servant', which effectively put him in charge of the congregation. This man's confidence, ability to organise and persuasive manner helped to secure him not only the admiration of the other congregation members, but various responsibilities and speaking assignments connected with circuit assemblies. Many of the 'brothers' were endeared to him because of his understanding nature and willingness to be 'on call' to the flock. Nevertheless, he also acted in a way that could only be described as a 'spiritual policeman'. I had no doubt that he was sincerely trying to protect the congregation from bad influences, but at times it felt like he was the principle and the 'sheep' were the children at his school. On one occasion I had spoken with a 'sister' about my interest in learning Biblical Hebrew or Greek. Not long afterwards, this elder gave a talk in which he remarked that it really was not necessary for brothers to learn Biblical languages. I wondered what was so bad about getting aquainted with the original languages in which the 'Word of God' was written. Koine GreekEarly on in my online activities, I had made an effort to get to know a few things about New Testament (NT) Greek. The reason for this was that from time to time posters would argue about the meaning of words and phrases found in the NT. I figured that the only way to settle matters for sure, in my own mind, was to get to grips with the underlying language known as Koine (or 'common') Greek - that which was spoken by the people of the time. Like many JWs I had a copy of the society's 'Kingdom Interlinear', which gave the original Greek and a word-for-word translation for all of the NT. I was, though, well aware of the accusations of JW opposers that this publication was flawed. So I decided that the only way to counteract their arguments was to play on their own 'turf'. In order to do this, I invested quite a bit of money in relevant publications produced by non-JWs, such as the fourth revised edition of 'The Greek New Testament' (produced by the United Bible Societies), and used online resources that were obviously provided by members of 'Christendom'. Since there were no places locally for me to learn Koine Greek (KG), I bought some beginners books and started teaching myself.
As I was determined to get a good working knowledge of KG in a short time, I made sure that I studied daily. To aid me further I developed a computer program that displayed and formatted a freely-available non-JW interlinear version of the NT. Within six months or so I knew enough about the language and had enough tools (including a hefty large print version of 'The New Strong's Exhaustive Concordance Of The Bible') to be confident in making some informed online comments on a few NT verses. It was also useful to have a copy of the Septuagint Version of the Old Testament (OT), to compare with OT scriptures quoted in the NT. I found the whole thing fascinating. It was also exciting to be in a position to question how a particular scripture had been rendered into English in various Bibles, including of course the New World Translation (NWT) used by JWs.
During this period of time I also spent a good many hours setting up my own web site. The intention was to provide those with little or no knowledge of the Bible with a series of articles that would act as stepping stones through the scriptures. The result was what could be called a resume of the Bible. I had no intention of 'going ahead of the society', but felt that it could be beneficial to some people who would otherwise not take notice of the Bible from literature that had 'JW' stamped on it. It was while preparing one of these articles that Hebrews 13:17 came to my attention. Since the article was discussing Christlike 'leadership', I wondered how being 'obedient' and 'submissive' fitted in with being led by example.
So, 'tools' at hand, I examined the KG text for that scripture. I looked up the word translated as 'obedient' (KG = 'peith-esthe' - root 'peitho') in my various lexicons and found that it actually meant to be 'persuaded'! Interestingly, in the very next verse (18) where it says 'For we trust we have an honest conscience' (NWT), the word translated as 'trust' (KG = 'peith-ometha' - root 'peitho') is identical to the word rendered 'obedient' in the previous verse, only with a different ending due to KG grammatical rules. I went through the same procedure with the word translated as 'submissive' (KG = 'hupeikete'), and found that it meant to be 'yielding'. Thus, there would be no contradiction with the 'leadership' Jesus spoke of. It was obvious to me that congregation members were being encouraged to put trust in those 'leading' them, 'yielding' through cooperation if they would prefer a different way of doing things. I also found out that the word rendered 'taking the lead' (KG = 'hegoumenois'), meant one who acted as a guide.
So, instead of elders being authoritarian figures who told the sheep what to do, they were to act like guides who knew the terrain well and would not only be able to help point to the right pathways but would also warn of known pitfalls. If people decided not to follow the advice of the guide, he would have no authority over them to force them to take his advice, nor to punish them in some way for disagreeing. It struck me that not just the WTS, but also 'Christendom' in general had purposefully used words in translation that would help maintain authority over the 'sheep'. (To Be Continued...) -
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Top STUPID criticisms of the WTS
by JanH inthere are certainly enough valid criticisms of the wts and the jw religion, but a significant number of often-repeated criticisms of the religion are, imnsho, just ludicruous and serves to take attention away from the real issues.
significant problems with the wts includes, but are not limited to, the shunning policy, the blood issue and of course the corporate policy of hiding child molestors.. here is a list of criticisms of the wts that i find particularly annoying to see:.
russell was a freemason (or, even worse, the wts is part of some other large-scale conspiracy like the illuminati).
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NewWay
julien:
I accept that the GB could be classed as a 'thing' for worship and I understand your point of view. As many folk here are from the U.S.A. I thought they might be interested, for the reason of comparison, to see what a well-known British dictionary gave as a definition. Unfortunately, people don't necessarily understand a word to have the 'official' definition. Language in everyday use of course is ever-changing, and even from county to county (state to state) words can have a different shade of meaning. So I think it is good to be aware that words can mean different things to different people, so there will be disagreements on the 'correct' definition.
More important to me than 'correct' definition is the motivation in using the word, and if it is fair to use it based on one's audience's the current understanding of the word. Some people don't really care what others think about what they say and the way they say it, so any amount of pleading in this way will fall on deaf ears. But, it is obvious from many of the comments here that more than a few members here do care, and they feel that the use of certain words (apt though they may appear to be) will not win hearts and minds. Kicking a man when he is down then expecting him to cheerfully get up is not very reasonable, methinks!
Farkel: You don't happen to be a friend of David Icke do you?(!!!) If so, you forgot to mention the V-style lizard connection. -
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Why I Stopped Apologising For The WTS
by NewWay inwhy i stopped apologising for the watchtower society - part 1. .
in response to requests for information on why i stopped being an apologist for the organisation, i have decided to write the following article.
what is written is not meant to attack the beliefs of jws, but rather to show why i personally came to the conclusion that i could no longer support the organisation.
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NewWay
Thanks Hillary_Step - if that is your real name ;0) I got your email and will definitely keep in touch. BTW, thanks for explaining the name; another piece of information to file away so that I can look good in a conversation!