Posts by matt2414

40

I Used To Hate Gays!

by DubR in

i remember i use to have a lot of hate in my heart when i was a jw.

i remember i used to hate gay people a lot!

when news reports came in about gays getting jumped in parks at night or killed.i would always smile inside.

I used to hate gays when I was a JW too. That was until I realized I was gay also. As a regular pioneer I actually used to spout the Governing Body's lies about how God disapproved of gays and how they were similar to alcoholics and could change. The fact that I could be gay and be anti-gay at the same time just proves how effective the JW's mind control techniques can be. Now I'm no longer a Witness, I'm proud to be gay and have a clearer understanding of scripture than the GB does. I'm also more accepting and welcoming of all peoples, unlike I was as a JW.

16

Simple, yet telling explanation of why the Governing Body view themselves as ultimate. (With their own words)

by MC RubberMallet in

in 1 corinthians 7, paul continuously makes plain that he was speaking his own opinion:.

(1corinthians7:12-16)12 but to the others i say, yes, i, not the lord: if any brother has an unbelieving wife, and yet she is agreeable to dwelling with him, let him not leave her; 13 and a woman who has an unbelieving husband, and yet he is agreeable to dwelling with her, let her not leave her husband.

14 for the unbelieving husband is sanctified in relation to [his] wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified in relation to the brother; otherwise, your children would really be unclean, but now they are holy.

matt2414

Paul gave his personal opinion as a spirit-filled apostle. His counsel, however, was “God-breathed” and so came to form part of the Sacred Scriptures, having equal authority with the rest of those Scriptures.

The Governing Body really stuck their foot into a huge pile of s*&t with their not very well thought out made-up doctrine in the Insight book. If Paul was "spirit-filled" and said he was giving his opinion, shouldn't we take him at his word? If he was saying that his thoughts were his own because there were no scriptures that he was basing them on, wouldn't he be going beyond what is written, thus making him a hypocrite for warning others about doing the same thing? If they were really God's thoughts but Paul was calling them his own "opinion," wouldn't he be taking credit for something that really belongs to God? If "all scripture is inspired by God," wouldn't Paul's statement that he was stating his opinion have been made under inspiration?

So basically the Governing Body is calling Paul a liar, while at the same time saying we should believe everything he writes. Wow! No wonder they are so clueless when it comes to understanding scripture. They've demonstrated that with their latest explanation of the faithful and discreet slave. They claim that God has been directing their understanding of the Bible, yet for more than 100 years they didn't even know that they exclusively are the faithful and discreet slave, if that new iteration can be believed. Just claiming that the Almighty is directing them makes their god seem so weak and impotent.

15

Isn't it hypocritical for the Governing Body to feature a biochemist in Awake! magazine but at the same time condemn higher education?

by matt2414 in

the january awake!

has an entire article about a woman, a molecular biochemist, who became a witness, and yet the watchtower leaders condemn and blacklist any of their members who get a college education.

i couldn't stop thinking about this as i read the article.

matt2414

The January Awake! has an entire article about a woman, a molecular biochemist, who became a Witness, and yet the Watchtower leaders condemn and blacklist any of their members who get a college education. I couldn't stop thinking about this as I read the article. The biochemist not only has a doctorate degree -- she's referred to as Dr. Paola Chiozzi in the article -- she apparently still works at a university and has done so for more than 20 years! The GB doesn't even allow Witnesses who go to college to have privileges in the congregation, so why would they feature and praise one in their journals? To be consistent with their man-made policies, shouldn't the Governing Body insist she give up her career in higher education and go into janitorial? Shouldn't she be pioneering instead of seeking riches?

For that matter, if the Governing Body really does have faith in God as they claim, shouldn't ALL the college-educated lawyers, doctors, nurses, architects, engineers, accountants, etc., at Bethel renounce their education and be sent out into the field as pioneers, while the uneducated members of the GB in Bethel rely on God to direct them through all their legal, medical and accounting problems? Of course, they would only do this if they didn't want to appear two-faced.

7

How does the WT explain Luke 10:7?

by WildeLover in

looking thur wt cd i dont see any "decent" explanation of luke 10:7?.

(luke 10:1-7) 10 after these things the lord designated seventy others and sent them forth by twos in advance of him into every city and place to which he himself was going to come.

2 then he began to say to them: the harvest, indeed, is great, but the workers are few.

matt2414

The JWs explain that it means the early followers of Christ were to rely on the hospitality of their Jewish neighbors while preaching. At that time, Jews customarily welcomed their blood brethren, who were traveling, into their homes, offering them food and lodging. So the disciples didn't need to become distracted by carrying a lot of personal belongings with them because those items wouldn't be needed. And because some of their visits would be more than a day's journey from their respective homes, they would have to stay the night. However, they were told to accept the offers of lodging gratefully and not to be transferring to other homes if they should receive what could be perceived as a "better offer" in larger or more opulent accommodations. Later on, as persecution of Christians increased, Jesus counseled his disciples to begin carrying a purse and food pouch because their neighbors would no longer be as hospitable toward them. As mentioned, this is how I've always heard the JWs explain these verses.

7

How does the WT explain Luke 10:7?

by WildeLover in

looking thur wt cd i dont see any "decent" explanation of luke 10:7?.

(luke 10:1-7) 10 after these things the lord designated seventy others and sent them forth by twos in advance of him into every city and place to which he himself was going to come.

2 then he began to say to them: the harvest, indeed, is great, but the workers are few.

matt2414

I'm not sure what exactly is your question? How does the preaching work contradict what?

27

Birth Control

by turtleturtle in

i have never understood why, according to the wt, jws are okay (conscience matter) with birth control methods like the pill, mini-pill, depo-provera, and iuds.

i am not trying to spark an abortion debate.

but i was actually angry at the wt when i started researching how the mini-pill prevented pregnancy.

matt2414

If life begins at conception, as the JWs believe, does that mean that God is going to resurrect all the dead embryos -- whether they were aborted by accident or on purpose -- back to the earth as part of the Great Crowd? If they are "life," wouldn't God be obligated to bring them back in order to be consistent with the "life-at-conception" dogma? How would he do that since embryos can't survive outside their mothers' bodies? Would the mothers be resurrected pregnant? What if she had many embryos that were aborted? I'm just wondering.

4

When did the Governing Body leaders turn into pawns of Satan? Have they always been, or is this something recent?

by matt2414 in

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matt2414

I'm familiar enough. Even some of the Watchtower publications refer to those beliefs back then, but it makes it seem so innocuous. I guess I felt at the time that if the Society is OK with what went on during Russell's time, I should be OK with it. Those were the "early days" of the organization and Christ later cleaned his house. But did he? The beliefs and abuses have gotten worse.

10

When did the Governing Body leaders turn into pawns of Satan? Have they always been, or is this something recent?

by matt2414 in

i was wondering about this because i have been telling people i left the organization because of all the anti-christian teachings and revelations of late, such as:.

hypocritically joining the united nations even though they teach that all supporters of the u.n. will be destroyed;harboring child abusers ps.

50:16-18going beyond what is written by forbidding higher education even though such knowledge results in better use of the brains god gave uspromoting the worship of the governing body over god and christ even though that is idolatrysustained hitlerian opposition to gays in the congregation, something christ never taught, and the list goes on .... now, after reviewing the teachings from the time of russell and rutherford in the early 1900s such as the use of the cross, the celebration of holidays, helping the war effort, the mystic use of pyramids, all things that the organization now condemns, i wonder, did the witnesses ever have the so-called truth?

matt2414

I was wondering about this because I have been telling people I left the Organization because of all the anti-Christian teachings and revelations of late, such as:

Hypocritically joining the United Nations even though they teach that all supporters of the U.N. will be destroyed;
Harboring child abusers – Ps. 50:16-18
Going “beyond what is written” by forbidding higher education even though such knowledge results in better use of the brains God gave us
Promoting the worship of the Governing Body over God and Christ even though that is idolatry
Sustained Hitlerian opposition to gays in the congregation, something Christ never taught, and the list goes on ...

Now, after reviewing the teachings from the time of Russell and Rutherford in the early 1900s such as the use of the cross, the celebration of holidays, helping the war effort, the mystic use of pyramids, all things that the organization now condemns, I wonder, did the Witnesses EVER have the so-called truth? How stupid was I?

Did I go along with all these lies because I was indoctrinated as a teenager? If that's the case, it's no wonder they don't want their members going to college to develop thinking ability.

[edited so we could read it - Lady Lee]

4

When did the Governing Body leaders turn into pawns of Satan? Have they always been, or is this something recent?

by matt2414 in

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matt2414

I was wondering about this because I have been telling people I left the Organization because of all the anti-Christian teachings and revelations of late, such as:

· Hypocritically joining the United Nations even though they teach that all supporters of the U.N. will be destroyed;
· Harboring child abusers – Ps. 50:16-18
· Going “beyond what is written” by forbidding higher education even such knowledge results in better us of the brains God gave us
· Promoting the worship of the Governing Body over God and Christ even though that is idolatry
· Sustained Hitlerian opposition to gays in the congregation, something Christ never taught, et al

But after reviewing the teachings from the time of Russell and Rutherford such as the use of the cross, the celebration of holidays, helping the war effort, the mystic use of pyramids, all things that the organization now condemns, I wonder, did the Witnesses EVER have the so-called truth? How stupid was I?

Did I go along with all these lies because I was indoctrinated as a teenager? If that's the case, it's no wonder they don't want their members going to college to develop thinking ability.

27

Birth Control

by turtleturtle in

i have never understood why, according to the wt, jws are okay (conscience matter) with birth control methods like the pill, mini-pill, depo-provera, and iuds.

i am not trying to spark an abortion debate.

but i was actually angry at the wt when i started researching how the mini-pill prevented pregnancy.

matt2414

I used to be absolutely against abortion when I followed the Watchtower's party line. But after I did exhaustive research without the "aid" of Watchtower publications, I don't see any scriptures that prohibit it. That said, however, could it be that the JWs have softened their stand on abortion to be more in line with its policy on blood. For example, it's now OK to take in a little bit of blood, so maybe it's OK to have a little bit of an abortion. I'm just sayin'.