Fisherman what do you mean
2. Should a person be allowed to "mutilate" his body and why?
1.there are times when a doctor decides that the only life saving medical treatment -short of a miracle- is a blood transfusion.
in such a case, what should be done when a person refuses treatment on religious grounds and why?.
2. should a person be allowed to "mutilate" his body and why?.
Fisherman what do you mean
2. Should a person be allowed to "mutilate" his body and why?
"what man among you with 100 sheep, on losing one of them, will not leave the 99 behind in the wilderness and go after the lost one until he finds it?
" - luke 15:4. disclaimer: by posting the following observations i am not complaining.
i am happy to be left alone.
Since my wife stopped attending meetings (over 20 years ago) she told me no one has ever spoken to her regarding it . Not an elder or their wives or her friends.
She was in the congregation for 30 years and long before me. A regular publisher with occasional pioneering. She also attended some meetings after I stopped and I was ok with this continuing.
When the elders came to visit me after I requested the visit and it took 7 months for the visit to take place they did ask me if my wife would be joining us but she didn't wish to as she was busy.
Maybe they will
publication, that is?.
i just found all scripture is inspired of god and beneficial in storage.
i enjoyed studying it, as well as make sure of all things, hold fast to what is fine.. our thinking has changed, of course, but, back then, did you have a wt publication you especially liked?.
The publications bored me to the point of almost making me feel sick.
So many meetings and assemblies and studying the Watchtower as a family when I grew up, why would I want to read more about it.
I never read any of them cover to cover when I was a witness or the bible. I've read Genesis a few times but seldom got past that.
I'm not really a reader.
I'm reading a theological book now about a page every day or two. I enjoy reading it and need to think about what he's saying so that takes time. Some nights I just read a sentence.
I read Ray Franz books rather quickly cover to cover and I read Carl Olof Jonssons The Gentile Times Reconsidered almost as quick. I enjoyed Ray's books and found Carl's interesting. I read them after I left the witnesses.
I think so many meetings and study, hours and hours of it as a child killed any interest in the publications for me. At one point I bought quite a few old publications at book fairs. I never read any of them. I just liked that they were old books.
publication, that is?.
i just found all scripture is inspired of god and beneficial in storage.
i enjoyed studying it, as well as make sure of all things, hold fast to what is fine.. our thinking has changed, of course, but, back then, did you have a wt publication you especially liked?.
no
is it true, as bro jackson testified to the australian royal commission, that people can leave the religion freely?.
in my own case, yes.
i just stopped going and was never announced as ''no longer one of jw's''.
I left and I always speak to the witnesses if I see them in the area and a few I stay in contact with. Some are more friendly than others. Some seem not to see me until I say hello. I haven't been invited to any social gatherings tho.
I spoke to the elders when I left, at my request. It took them 7 months from the initial request and several phone calls to them until they were able to find the time to come round. We discussed my concerns and I asked them if they wanted to disfellowship me and they said no. In the 7 months whilst waiting I stopped attending the meetings.
Since then I have had two elders call on me. One came round quite regularly and we discussed lots of different points, he changed my view of the trinity. Strange.
I don't think that it would be the same for everyone but I could be wrong.
apart, of course, from the obvious example of believing the evidence-free assertion of the governing body to be god's representatives on earth.
not to side-step that issue, but i wonder if it might be interesting to relate that huge mistake to other things i've been wrong about and how they compare and contrast with the big one.
a couple of examples of things i was wrong about:.
I believed i was quite clever
i don’t remember having any invisible friends when i was a really little boy, i don’t know if such a thing actually exists, i’ve only ever seen it in movies?
of course it might have looked to others like i was talking to someone on occasions, but i’m sure it would have just been me talking to myself.
the thing is though, i got introduced to an invisible friend in my pre-teens, and i kept the relationship going well into adulthood.
I have two in my life.
in my case; 27 years.
7 of which were as a ministerial serpent ... sorry, i mean 'servant' ;).
I don't think that I wasted any years in or out of the org. I made some bad decisions based an false beliefs, but I had a purpose of serving God to the best of my ability. I still do.
I was baptised at 13 and prior to this my parents had raised me as a witness and I had witnessed to school mates and teachers and done pioneer days. I left the org over 25 years later.
i don’t remember having any invisible friends when i was a really little boy, i don’t know if such a thing actually exists, i’ve only ever seen it in movies?
of course it might have looked to others like i was talking to someone on occasions, but i’m sure it would have just been me talking to myself.
the thing is though, i got introduced to an invisible friend in my pre-teens, and i kept the relationship going well into adulthood.
I’ve always considered myself a very mature person, I was very serious and driven, even as a teenager. But I’m just now realising that one doesn't fully grow up until one says goodbye to their invisible friend!
I pray.
I pray that I always appreciate prayer and God has always answered my prayer.
I believe I read on a previous post that you were an elder. When I was a witness I believe some thought I was not spiritually mature as I was not an elder.
I think that a large proportion of the world's population pray
i was raised in the religion and for the most part believed that my religion was truth.
i recognized some mistakes were occasionally made but felt that nobody is perfect.
then i smartened up and realized how dumb so many of the beliefs are....was there ever a time that you truly believed you had the "truth"?.
Was there ever a time that you truly believed you had the "truth"
Yes. Otherwise I wouldn't have joined in preaching something that I didn't believe