How would you respond to your family?
Forgive and forget.
imagine that the cult decided to stop shunning family members on the proviso that the dfd person was not actively trying to attack the cult.. (please don't debate whether or not this is likely - it's hypothetical).
how would you respond to your family?.
personally i think i would be less than cooperative.
How would you respond to your family?
Forgive and forget.
the latest watchtower certainly indicates that the org thinks they are!!
why keep in expectation?
watchtower august 15 par.
Matthew 24:44 - "On this account, you too prove yourselves ready, because the Son of man is coming at an hour that you do not think to be it."
Since Jesus said that Christians would not know, this means that anyone claiming to know, cannot be a Christian!
When my parents became Jehovah's Witnesses the belief was, and when I was a child, that the tribulation had started in 1914 and been cut short. At least I think that's what it was.
I don't think my father was the gullible sort. I also think that maybe their view of this scripture related to being in the presence already.
i just remembered this thing this morning:.
sharing the same faith with the king of pop made me feel important for belonging to this religion, even if he was never baptised.
we were not in america or anywhere close by.
allow me to begin with a clarification: when i say i am one of jehovah's witnesses, i don't mean that i am an advocate of the watchtower society or a devotee of some of its more controversial false teachings.
i mean that i am a christian, a disciple of jesus christ dedicated to jehovah god, and who remains in union with my brothers and sisters who make up the family of faith that globally refers to itself as jehovah's witnesses.
some totally understand the distinction between the family of brothers and sisters and the corporate organization known as the watchtower society (wts).
Some totally understand the distinction between the Family of brothers and sisters and the corporate organization known as the Watchtower Society (WTS).
Brother Jeramy I don't understand the distinction. I thought that supposedly the two witnesses mentioned in Revelation 11 were Christ's brothers and when the Watchtower Society's President and several other members of the Society were imprisoned in 1918 it was as though the preaching work was dead (the two witnesses). Which seems to me to tie the Society to Christ's brothers who are part of the 'Family of brothers and sisters'?
all that i can say is....what a shame!
i've noted active, devoted jw's state the above.. and, it's not a problem for me to remain trusting of god, i just don't trust religions or men.. recently, a member of this forum stated that he remains an active jw, in the family of god's people, wanting to encourage and do good - whilst recognising that the pastoral leaders (the gb) have shipwrecked the faith of many, being unsound scripturally etc, etc.. stop and think about this - the bible says to not follow after those who lie and hurt the faith of "little ones".. the pharisees were accused of traversing over lands and expending much energy to make a single convert - only for that convert to end up worse of than he started off with.. it's one thing to not believe this is the 'truth' and feeling the awful pressure of managing ones life, trying not to lose ones family.. it's quite another thing to declare oneself to be a christian believer of god's jw household, and somehow believe the god of love would use corrupt liars to parade as jesus' brothers in the urgency of last days.
really?
and, to then visibly promote faith in corrupt men, and try to bring converts into a place where the rulership is wrong.. some of us are dying from hurt here.......give me a break..
with all the negativity here i was wondering if i am the only one here that's a witness.
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the topic pretty much says everything..
i was reading through this list and was struck by how accurately it describes the watchtower royalty class.
not exactly a professional doing the writing but i think he captures it pretty well.. http://frankpowell.me/12-signs-you-are-modern-day-pharisee.
for those who cannot access the link:.
i have a friend who is still in.
this friend is a partaker, but has serious doubts about the org.
this friend wants to stand up as a man, and wants to call wtbts hq.
So....no "real" JW will put faith in anything said by a cowardly "closet" partaker.
My view.
I always felt if I was to partake it would be joining the body, part of the FDS class as they were identified at the time and would therefore be responsible for any things that are taught as I believed the FDS class were responsible for the spiritual food. I felt similar regarding the elder body and the decisions they came to.
I would think the Governing Body give a lot of consideration to their decisions and would not think that there was anything one might add that they hadn't considered and if I believed that they were directed in some way by the holy spirit I think my money may be wasted on the phone call.
i find it hard to believe that adults on this forum make such a big deal about not celebrating birthdays, x-mas, easter, halloween, etc, etc, etc.
i grew up as a jw kid and it actually made me feel good, being different from the other kids in school.
we went to meetings.
Maybe your childhood would have been different if your father was an elder in the congregation. Magwitch mentions and I quote 'Watching Hockey would never, ever have been allowed in my JW home growing up.' My father was very similar. When I was young we never watched sports particularly football, American or soccer. I wasn't particularly good at football but my brother was but wasn't allowed to play for the school, bad association and it might impinge on theocratic activities. My parents were strong witnesses we never missed meetings or field service. We were raised with pioneering in mind and we did. We done pioneer days. I witnessed at school and work and some came to the meetings. As a child it was one long round of meetings field service study and assemblies. My parents didn't believe in vacations from theocratic activities either. We studied, Your Will Be Done On Earth on a Monday night as a family and the Babylon the Great has Fallen Gods Kingdom rules, on Tuesday night at the meeting these were deep books and I had little interest in them at the age of 8 but my parents expected me to have an interest in them. There was no young people at our book study meeting. We had no friends of our own age there was very few young people in the congregation.We had a two hour Thursday night meeting Saturday and Sunday field service this was when I was in primary school. I also remember when I was about 7 my brother explaining to me how Armageddon could start at any time which was based on the belief that the tribulation had started in 1914 and soon we would be in a paradise earth which was better than Christmas and Birthdays but it wasn't true.
I think my child hood as a witness was probably quite different from yours.