"Men of galilee, they said, why do you stand here looking looking into the sky? This same Jesus who has been taken from you into heaven will come back the same way you have "seen" him go into heaven." Considering that JW's believe that Jesus has taken kingdom power in 1914, hope I said that right, what would be their response to an Orthodox Christian belief that the return of Jesus would be visible and not invisible who those with discerning eyes could only see. I'm sure there has to be one. While we're at it what about Matthew 28:18 Then Jesus approached and said to them, "All power in heaven and earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and The Holy Spirit, teaching them all I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age." What would their response be to to the Orthodox Christian belief that Christ has been reigning for 2000 years. We all know they're wrong about 1914, but they believe it obviously so I'm sure there are responses to these. Please take a couple minutes and give me a response. Curiously waiting your responses.
marriedtoajw
JoinedPosts by marriedtoajw
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To those exjw's who still believe the bible is the word of God, as I do, tell me how would a JW respond to Acts 1:11
by marriedtoajw in"men of galilee, they said, why do you stand here looking looking into the sky?
this same jesus who has been taken from you into heaven will come back the same way you have "seen" him go into heaven.
" considering that jw's believe that jesus has taken kingdom power in 1914, hope i said that right, what would be their response to an orthodox christian belief that the return of jesus would be visible and not invisible who those with discerning eyes could only see.
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Son returned home nad full speed ahead with all the jw stuff...
by marriedtoajw inas i stated in my last post, my son, age 21 visited his jw grandparents and aunt and uncle in another state.
when he left, about 2 months ago, he wasn't sure if he wanted to come back at all or just stay and live with them.
right before leaving, he quit his part time job, dropped out of school, mid quarter and left to go to a comic book convention with his jw uncle.
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marriedtoajw
No biblestudent i have yet to read any of steve hassans stuff although it has been recomended to me before. I would like to ask anyone who has read his books how they helped.
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Son returned home nad full speed ahead with all the jw stuff...
by marriedtoajw inas i stated in my last post, my son, age 21 visited his jw grandparents and aunt and uncle in another state.
when he left, about 2 months ago, he wasn't sure if he wanted to come back at all or just stay and live with them.
right before leaving, he quit his part time job, dropped out of school, mid quarter and left to go to a comic book convention with his jw uncle.
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marriedtoajw
As I stated in my last post, my son, age 21 visited his jw grandparents and aunt and uncle in another state. When he left, about 2 months ago, he wasn't sure if he wanted to come back at all or just stay and live with them. Right before leaving, he quit his part time job, dropped out of school, mid quarter and left to go to a comic book convention with his jw uncle. Doesn't make sence to me to make these rash decisions for a comic book convention... had to be more to it but no on tells me anything. When he was out of state for those 2 months he called me only once to ask for money to pay for his plane ticket home but talked to mom at least once a week.
I have two other sons ages 12 and 15 and a daughter thats 8. Since my son turned 21 a few months ago, he's been going to every meeting. The love bombing is really working on him by people in my wife congregation and from my wifes family. I can't even talk to him as he has tuned me out and has already probably been warned that I may become more hostile about him going to every meeting since he knows how I feel about this religion. My 8 year old daughter adhores my son and goes to the meetings with him and mom once in a while but not always. My 12 and 15 year old sons never go to meetings.
You may be getting the picture as I describe my situation. Honestly, I think my wife has already decided that she is going to push as hard as she can to have my son and my daughter be jw's while not trying so hard for my other two sons, leaving that job up to my oldest son while putting me on the spot to be confrontational, so she can teach my son about persecution, or emasculate me further as I do allow these things to keep peace. Here is my issue... All the JW's in my wife's family seem screwed up in one way or another. Broken families or living at the poverty level on government cheese. Those who were never baptised, as far as I know, are shunned cuz they're either in jail or on drugs. My son has yet to put it together that the religion may have something to do with that.
Now, I know alot of people are hurting right now financially with the economy as it is but ever since my father in law decided to cave in on being reinstated with he jw's about 12 years ago, everything went down him for them financially. He left a great paying job to put more time in his ministry and everything, financially, hit the fan. None of my wifes family have regular jobs, they are being kept afloat by odd jobs given to them by people in their congregation and living in homes owned by jw's who charge them reduced rent. My son sees me working hard every day for years, sacrificing my own time to support us, while my wife sits around, doing laundry, washing dishes, doing laundry and washing dishes, doing laundry and wahing dishes... that's literally all she does. I know those things need to get done too but she doesn't look for work, could care less if the bills get paid or not.
I'm getting burnt out in more ways than one. Physically, psychologically and every which way I can get burnt out. I think my marriage is over unless I cave and convert. Everyone who knows me knows I'd be doing it to save my family as my extended family, almost all Catholic, know my situation and are waiting for me to cave. They can't stand my wife anymore cuz they see what she's doing but I think my wife think's my family is so much in darkness, they wouldn't know spiritual warfare if it slapped them in the face. I guess I'm just looking for sympathy and support here guys cuz sometimes I wounder if I'm doing the right thing hedging all the jw stuff. I can see why some marriages break up or the non jw spouse converts. This is sooooo draining and it's been going on for tooooo long.... :(
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How has the JW religion affected you moving on spiritually when kids are involved?
by marriedtoajw inalmost all of you have been affected by this religion in one way or another.
if you left the religion i know you really have been affected or if you have family in but never were a jw, you are affected.
when there are kids involved, the entire experience of leaving or trying to deal with the situation with close family in, the emotional, phsychological and spiritual effects are magnified.
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marriedtoajw
Almost all of you have been affected by this religion in one way or another. If you left the religion I know you really have been affected or if you have family in but never were a JW, you are affected. When there are kids involved, the entire experience of leaving or trying to deal with the situation with close family in, the emotional, phsychological and spiritual effects are magnified. Dealing with my JW wife and hedging the JW stuff with the kids is draining. How have you delt with your personal situation when you have kids? What has happened to your kids spiritually if you left the religion or are married to JW? I have floundered spiritually for years just trying to keep peace in my house. How have you delt with it with your kids? Personal experiences are what I'm looking to learn from, not so much opinions. I have enough of those, thanks...
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I'm beginning to lose it!!! Update on my situation
by marriedtoajw ini've posted on here at times in moments of dispair and anguish over what is happening in my life being married to a jw.
i've everperienced countless moments of depression, anxiety and even entertained suicidal thoughts.
suicidal thoughts at one time to me was unthinkable and a sure sign of desperation.
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marriedtoajw
ruderedhead said - Please continue to keep your younger ones occupied with non-jw activities, and, if possible, find a church you like and begin attending, insisting that the children go with you every other time. Exert your headship status when your wife objects. It sounds like you have been very complacent during your entire marriage, so this will be a shock to her.
I will continue to have my kids in activities. Finding a Church is difficult for me which has made what you rightly point out, my complacency even more difficult. I was a nominal Catholic for many of my early years of marriage. I questioned the validity of the Catholic Church's teachings regarding the sacraments. I've blamed the sacraments as being a crutch whcih caused nominalism. Catholics I knew felt right with God because they were baptized and had their sacraments but who were lving immoral lives and rarely went to Church or even understood what the Church's teachings were. Yet I also believe that sola scriptura is untenable. If I were to list my current beliefs, I would have to say that no denomination I know of would line up to them. That doesn't mean that I might be wrong on this or that, and I'm sure many of you would say it's all wrong. The kneelers on statues in the Catholic Church bother me too and the ideas of idolatry creep in. Yet there are scriptures that talk about obeying the leaders of the Church. Be obedient to those who are taking the lead among you and be submissive, for they are keeping watch over your souls as those who will render an account; that they may do this with joy and not with sighing, for this would be damaging to you. (Hebrews 13:17. Now I know there are other scripture used to illustrate that man is not to follow blindly, etc, just don't need to get into that kind of discussion now but I do beleive that a visible authority other than the scriptures is absolutely necessary, otherwise verses like this quoted have no basis. It would mean, "well I'll be obedient as long as they teach what I think the scriptures say". It makes everyone an authority unto themselves. Anyhow, thank you for your comments so far.
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I'm beginning to lose it!!! Update on my situation
by marriedtoajw ini've posted on here at times in moments of dispair and anguish over what is happening in my life being married to a jw.
i've everperienced countless moments of depression, anxiety and even entertained suicidal thoughts.
suicidal thoughts at one time to me was unthinkable and a sure sign of desperation.
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marriedtoajw
Vanderhoven7 said
Were you baptized into the religion? -- No, only attended 4 meetings in 20 years, I let my wife know early this was a joke...
Are you currently attending some meetings? No...
Does your wife love/respect you and consider your feelings as important -- She use to, not so much anymore...
Do your children relate well to you? -- My other kids do relate very much to me, more so than my wife..
Lastly, do you have any religious convictions? -- Bingo... I was raised Catholic and I did have very strong convictions in the beginning of our marriage. I wanted to take it seriously. Many in my family are devout, some not but I wanted to be. Many of you think Catholicism is as silly as the WT, but I've struggled for years in some of teachings of the Church but can relate better to it than the WT, but I have always had trouble commiting to anything without my wife.
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I'm beginning to lose it!!! Update on my situation
by marriedtoajw ini've posted on here at times in moments of dispair and anguish over what is happening in my life being married to a jw.
i've everperienced countless moments of depression, anxiety and even entertained suicidal thoughts.
suicidal thoughts at one time to me was unthinkable and a sure sign of desperation.
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marriedtoajw
I've posted on here at times in moments of dispair and anguish over what is happening in my life being married to a JW. I've everperienced countless moments of depression, anxiety and even entertained suicidal thoughts. Suicidal thoughts at one time to me was unthinkable and a sure sign of desperation. Now being the man and the husband and father of 4, technically the spiritual authority and welfare of my children s mine... Yet because of my theological ignorance and lack of understanding of JW tactics early in my marriage, I dug a very very very deep whole for myself in not practicing my faith for fear of a serious spiritual division and upst in my home. Educating myself into all things theological, well as much as possible, nothing has done any good. Why??? Because my children are the most important people in my world and a divided spiritual family was never an option in my mind.
So when my wife began studying with the JW's off and on just two years after our marriage, I became spiritually stagnant. I've spent years hedging against the JW mindset, encourageing education, extra cirricular activities, etc. My 21 year old son was a second year college student, although at a community college, played in little league and was a high school basketball mvp. I encouraged it and didn't make him get a part time job during high school so he could have time to persue his basketball dream. Since his graduation 3 years ago he was never able to find a job, although he was very picky in that regard. Once he turned 21 all the pretences dropped and his room became filled with WT stuff and attending every meeting with his mother.
Then just 3 days ago, he got a call back for a job he applied for and then got it. The problem was that he had planned, unknown to me, to go to Arizona this weekend to visit his JW grandparents and aunt and uncle, my wifes family, to attend a comic book convention with his uncle, whom I was refered to as a childless 35 year old going on 22. He struggled with the decision of taking this job, because it interfered with his school schedule but because we have had such a hard time financially, I advised him to dump school for now until he can reschedule his classes in the spring to accomadate work. His first day of work was the next day Friday. He went to work and came home and talked about how the job was ok but he was upset that he would miss the Arizona trip because of this job.
So he decides not to take the job and instead told me that he might want to move to Arizona but he's not sure. He wanted to move out there and take it week to week while living with his grandparents. I feel like this was all a set up. How could my own family who'm I sacraficed so much for and worked so hard for decieve me in this way. I know most people might have either converted years ago or ended the marriage by now but I can't. My kids mean everything to me and I feel as if I've failed so miserabley. I can not discribe to you just how I felt but I wasn't completely shocked. I predicted this would happen a couple of years ago but had hoped and hoped I would be wrong. I was hoping he would see the light about this religion but the few times we discussed it, he listened but brushed it off. I've read some study notes in his room and Watchtower mags and publications with underlines in it. I know he's been studying for a while, even though I told my wife how I objected to it 3 years ago. I work 50 - 60 hours a week and have been for years with little to no help from my wife so it has been hard keeping up with what's going on in his head.
I literally have no money so my wifes sister paid for a train ticket and he left to go out there Friday night. MY SON IS GONE!!! I cried like a baby that night as if I don't know when I will see him again. My wife is acting hurt as if she didn't really want him to go either but with Theocratic Warfare and all, what am I to believe??? All my fears are coming true and I still don't know how to stand up to all of this without wrecking my family. I've conseded almost everything to keep peace. I know that things can still change but I just don't think so. Too much time has gone by, too much has been invested by my wife and her family, too much manipulation taken place. My marriage is over if I don't convert because I know I can't keep going on like this.
I drink too much, I got a dui last year because it got out of control. My wife was sitting in the car with me when I got pulled over and can you believe that she even clapped. I couldn't believe my eyes and ears. When I asked her why she clapped, she said that she meant it as a "Wow, what else can go wrong for us". Huh??? My youngest boy, 11 years old, plays little league winter baseball and his games are always on Sunday. My wife goes to the meetings and misses his games and because baseball is all my idea, I take him. I feel like all is lost and I"ve just been out played in a mind manipulation game that I didn't even know I was playing in until the score was probably already out of reach. My wife and her family love this religion. How do I let it go on.
I think that even talking about doctrines and such is not even useful at this point. Christians, please pray for me and Athiests just wish me well but any and all advise is helpful...
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Illuminati and the Watchtower
by marriedtoajw innow i know this forum has already touched on this topic many times but i'm coming at this from a personal angle.
as i've said on this forum before, my wife is an active jw and has been getting more and more active while trying to indoctrinate my 21 year old son, who still lives at home and is not working but is going to a community college.
my wife takes him and my 7 years old daughter to some meetings and conventions.
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marriedtoajw
Clarity and Chariklo - I understand what you guys are saying. Your advice seems practical and reasonable. For 20 years now, I have been dancing around this. Having children, bringing them up with Christian principles while not being overly anti-Watchtower. Even going to far as to vacation with my JW in-laws for many of those years. Though only my mil and my wife's grand mother were the only JW's when we got married. My wife assured me at that time that it wasn't for her. All that has changed in the last 10 years since as both her parents and sis and bil are all JW's although lving out of state. My 21 year old admires my bil for reasons I can't understand. My bil in 35 going on 22. No kids, has a fetish with cosmic books vand video games etc... while I'm the father of 4 with a strong work ethic, high moral standards, and looked up to by my extended family neices and nephews numbering in the teens. Yet I feel as if I have so very little influence on his spiritual direction all because of being so careful all these years. I would say I've only become very intimately aware of all their teachings in the last 5 years or so. I'm not the same person anymore. I've reinterpreted everything I've every experienced with my wife and her family since engaging in serious research. They know I know alot now but they still don't know how much I know or perhaps they don't care anymore as they have all given up trying to "get me in".
My wife did a good job in emasculating me by skipping meetings months at a time over the last few years but it seems almost from the day my son turned 21 it's been full steam ahead. Not one meeting skipped since June. I think she's been to more meetings since then than she's been to in the last 3 years. The stakes have been raised. I know that researching and trying to connect the dots of the Illuninati and the Watchtower may seem like a waste of time but I began researching it in the first place because my son was the first to mention it to me. He believes in the New World Order and has done some research on it on his own before I ever started. Trying to convince me what a waste of time it is to vote. He knows I've always kept up with politics and that I have opinions. He's become convinced it's all a waste of time as it doesn't matter who wins any election since people are powerless to change anything.
I beleive there is enough circumstantial evidence to prove that Charles Russell was influenced by Freemasonry, Pyrmidology and the Occult. The Watchtower use to use the term New World Order or New Order in it's old publications until they changed it to The New System. No stonecutter brough up the same things I've come accross and brought up some of the similar goals I was refering to. While I do agree that delving too much into this may not be the best approach, I'm not sure what else I can do. My wife has been pretty slick with indoctrinating my son behind my back while being very kissy kissy. She knows what she's doing but thinks I'm so spiritually blind that I can't see what's going on. It's only a matter of time before my other boys start to question me as my oldest son becomes more and more involved. Things seem to coming to a climax with my kids and I'm not sure what to do other than what I've always done which is to just hedge some of the JW stuff but it doesn't seem to have helped much.
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Illuminati and the Watchtower
by marriedtoajw innow i know this forum has already touched on this topic many times but i'm coming at this from a personal angle.
as i've said on this forum before, my wife is an active jw and has been getting more and more active while trying to indoctrinate my 21 year old son, who still lives at home and is not working but is going to a community college.
my wife takes him and my 7 years old daughter to some meetings and conventions.
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marriedtoajw
Now I know this forum has already touched on this topic many times but I'm coming at this from a personal angle. As I've said on this forum before, my wife is an active JW and has been getting more and more active while trying to indoctrinate my 21 year old son, who still lives at home and is not working but is going to a community college. My wife takes him and my 7 years old daughter to some meetings and conventions. My two other sone 15 and 11 do not in any way take part in these activities. They understand that I don't believe in this religion and my wife has so far respected my position by not pressing them. Yet, I beleive she has a strategy to have my older son do it for her. I work a lot to support us as my wife does not work. I have come to believe that the Watchtower Society is part of the Illuminati. Yes Yes I know many of you think this is not so but I do. I've researched it alot and I have come to believe that Charles Russell was greatly influenced by Freemasonry. Because the Illuminati is a Secret Society, there wouldn't be much documentation proving this, you just have to read between the lines. Too many similar goals between Freemasonry, Illuminati and the WTBTS to be ignored. Too many similar goals. New World Order is happening now and I believe I can see that the WTBTS is in on it. Maybe I need you guys to tell me I'm crazy, sometimes I feel like I'm getting there, other times, I know I'm right about this. It's a very scary realization to come to. Not just because there is nothing I can do about it, but more so because I beleive my wife and son are being duped. I believe in my heart that my marriage is over if things continue as they are. I can have no part in this so called religion and I can not sit bye and watch people I love being duped and sit on my hands. I've never seriously confronted my wife with what I think accept to challenge her on a few doctrines that I know stumpped her. Since I've come to a place in my heart where I have to do something here, what would any of you recommend I do. I'm aware there will be no going back. I just can't play this game anymore. I'm exhausted by it all and consumed with guilt for not coming out strong sooner. Walking on egg shells is all I do and I'm sick of it...