Posts by truth_b

14

Do Not Let Your Opponent Define You...

by truth_b_known in

jw
friends

i recently went to a class offered by my local chamber of commerce that teaches people how to run an election campaign.

i did this because a good friend of mine asked me to assist him in getting elected to a local county office.

i'm highly involved in politics, now, and thought it would be something fun to do.. one point that really struck a chord with me went something like this:.

truth_b_known

I recently went to a class offered by my local Chamber of Commerce that teaches people how to run an election campaign. I did this because a good friend of mine asked me to assist him in getting elected to a local county office. I'm highly involved in politics, now, and thought it would be something fun to do.

One point that really struck a chord with me went something like this:

"Do not let your opponent define you. You define your opponent. Never name your opponent by name. That's just free advertising for your opponent and distracts voters from you."

So, I began to think about this in regards to where I am at in life in regards to religion. I was born to parents who were and still are diehard members of the evil empire. It wasn't until my late 20's/early 30's that things started to change.

I made contact with an old friend I had not seen or heard from in about 7 years. He would ask: What's your Jehovah's Witness status? We had a wide spectrum of terms to answer that. It went from "Inactive with plans to get back" to "full-on apostate".

With that being said, I have recently come to the thinking that I will refuse to allow the evil empire to label me with it's terminology. I will define myself and I will define the evil empire. If I do not, then I am still part of it.

With that being said....

I am not an "inactive publisher".

I am not an "apostate".

I am not part of "The Christian Congegation of Jehovah's Witnesses" nor do I prescribe to their beliefs as published in the works of the Watchtower Bible & Tract Society.

I am, however:

A highly-educated man with two college degrees that loves life, my fellow man, and being of service to them.

15

Question for previous elders...very important.

by diana netherton in

jw
friends

does a criminal conviction, say for fraud, render one disfellowshipped?.

just had some rather disturbing news about a so-called jw relative.... .

thanks!.

truth_b_known

A congregation I belonged to included about 40 publishers who were prisoners in two state prisons in our territory. A number of elders would go to the prisons to conduct the book study and the Watchtower study there. These convicted murderers, robbers, rapists, and child molesters who were "brothers" would report their field service time and it would be included in our congregation's monthly report.

The elders who would go out to the prisons could never stop talking about it. Every talk, every comment from the platform, every comment they made as a member of the audience would be tied in to the prison. Now, if you become a police officer you'll lose all your privileges, but if you get convicted of child molestation and go to prison you can still be an exemplary publisher.

One day a brother I knew had an emotional breakdown and robbed a local bank. He was arrested about 1 block from the bank. Elders in his congregation contacted him at the county jail and told him that he was being disfellowshipped. Go directly to shunned. Do not have a judicial committee.

92

The Faithful and Discreet Slave - A JW Myth

by 00DAD in

jw
friends

probably this topic has been dealt with before, but i'm relatively new here, so perhaps y'all will be willing to indulge me in my pursuit for clarity.

regarding the anointed, the gb recently said this: .

"we thus have no way of knowing the exact number of anointed ones on earth; nor do we need to know.

truth_b_known

My father professes to be of the annointed. He was disfellowshipped, for still unknown reasons, because at his judicial committee he stated that he was part of the Faithful and Discreet Slave. It lasted for about a year. The Presiding Overseer looked into it and told the committee to get their act together.

That was 20 years ago. He's been dealing with being persecuted by the local BOE and various appointed agents of the evil empire for nearly 30 years. He went from being an elder, presiding overseer, having parts on the Circuit and District level to being wrongfully shunned simply due to moving from one state to another. It breaks my heart and the worst part is that his still faithful to the evil empire. He still tries to convince me to come back.

4

When Does the Governing Body Believe the End Will Be - BLOG

by passwordprotected in

i've taken a look at what the watch tower society has implied regarding its building plans in upstate new york and compared that with the governing body's beliefs regarding when the end will be.. when does the governing body believe the end will be?.

.

truth_b_known

Here's the ultimate Catch-22 for the evil empire:

Unless it is in print (i.e. Watchtower magazine, letter from the Governing Body, etc.) it's not true. Witnesses are only to believe what is in print from the WTB&TS and then only if it's the newest version (i.e. "New Light"). We are also told that the Great Tribulation begins with the "Wild Beast" destroying "Babylon the Great".

I envisioned that governments would seize all assets/property of all religous organizations, including the WTB&TS. Yes, thousands of Bethelites world-wide would be kicked to the corner and be homeless. All printing presses seized and liquidated. All Kingdom Halls/Assembly Halls seized and liquidated. All bank accounts seized.

So, for the first time in over a century, there is no WTB&TS to tell Johovah's Witnesses what to do or believe. Would this then mean that if a JW believed it was the begining of of the Great Tribulation he would be an apostate because the GB has not told anyone this?

15

If it's OK to save a life by killing someone in self-defense, why isn't it acceptable to break the law on blood to save

by NVR2L8 in

truth_b_known

I never supported the evil empire's stance on self-defense. I remember one ridiculous article written stated that true christians should avoid violent encounters at all costs. It stated you should attempt to runaway. Then they painted themselves in a corner by writing something like "and if you can't runaway you should do something else." WHAT? Something else? Do you mean like click your heals 3 times and say,"There's no place like home"?

The commandment "Thou shall not kill" is also translated "Thou shall not murder". There's a big difference! Murder is the unlawful killing of a human by another. If killing were wrong then why did the Mosaic law tell the Israelites in Exodus 22: 2

"If a thief should be found in the act of breaking in and he does get struck and die, there is no bloodguilt for him."

This just brings up one of the many logic fails of the evil empire. The above law is from Jehovah and his law is perfect. He never changes his mind or his stance.

The bottomline is this: If you use force/violence to defend yourself or someone else and it is an appropriate level of force, you have violated no scripture.

82

What really ended the book study in private homes?

by Alfred in

it's been over 3 years since the book study in private homes was discontinued and some jws are still scratching their heads over it.

although a letter was read to all congregations explaining that "book study night" would now be "family worship night", there was still much speculation among jws as to the real reason behind this decision (the great tribulation was about to start, jehovah was simplifying the lives of jws, to lessen the burden of poor jws who had no money for gas, etc.)...

but as we all know, decisions like these from the gb invariably have some ulterior motive behind it... and discussion boards such as this one usually finds a way to dig up the truth for all to see... but after reading several threads on this subject, i'm really not sure we've uncovered all the facts yet.... so i have to ask... what do you believe really ended the book study in private homes?

truth_b_known

What struck a chord with me, and isn't 100% on topic, is that the number of meetings was reduced. I was already inactive before the change and I heard that a change was coming. I fully expected there to be another meeting added.

I remember Hebrews 10:24, 25 being harped on as the "meeting scripture". It supposedly shows that we need to meet more as we behold the end drawing near. Wow! So, be deduction, less meetings = the end is further away than previously thought. However, "The End is Nigh" drum is still being beat on.

41

If You Never Were A Witness Do You Think You Would've Had A Vastly Different Life?

by minimus in

jw
friends

would you have gone to college?.

would you have gone to jail?.

would you have been wealthy?.

truth_b_known

I came close to doing this when I graduated from high school. My family was in severe financial distress. It was so bad we were even homeless for a month. I considered enlisting in the military to get away from it all. However, I wanted to join the military, regardless.

If I had just gone and done my own thing I would be a lot further in life than I am now. I would have joined the military, which I really resent for not doing. I would have attended the police academy over a decade earlier. I would probably be the Chief of Police somewhere and be looking to run for my first political office.

I feel my purpose in life is to serve my fellow man and the best way for me to do that is either as a soldier or a police officer. A really big eye-opener for me was when I was in the police academy and we were studying the use of deadly force. Our instructor handed out copies of Romans 13:1-7. The instructor said he spoke with clergy from 4 different denomiations of christianity and they all called that Romans chapter 13 the "Police Officer scripture". So, all those years of denying myself the rewarding career I wanted where I could do some real good for my fellow man only to find out that Police Officers are considered God's "ministers".

I experience much more joy saving lives as a police officer and no longer feel the shame of allegedly saving lives by knocking on doors telling people "convert or die".

9

The Garden of Eden = The Fertile Crescent? The Bible's Myths...

by TheUbermensch in

recently i've noticed a theory spreading around the scientific/philosophical world that the garden of eden was simply a myth of the fertile crescent.

it's sounds plausible when you actually think about it.

there are multiple different theories concerning it, but the most famous one is that the original hebrews were cast out of the area by a more powerful tribe, and doomed to live in the outside-non-civilized wild world.

truth_b_known

I have to call "BS" on most of the book of Genesis. I recently saw something on the History Channel that puts the fabled Garden of Eden underwater in the Persian Gulf.

36

Which Beliefs and Doctrines Helped Push You Out?

by ilikecheese in

okay, so this is my first post, but i've been lurking here for months and months.

i have to say this is a very informative and hilarious site.

you guys are great to read!

truth_b_known

Wow! Where do I begin? Well, to be specific, the thing that turned the tide for me is found in Matthew chapter 25:

41 “Then he will say, in turn, to those on his left, ‘Be on YOUR way from me, YOU who have been cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his angels.

42 For I became hungry, but YOU gave me nothing to eat, and I got thirsty, but YOU gave me nothing to drink.

43 I was a stranger, but YOU did not receive me hospitably; naked, but YOU did not clothe me; sick and in prison, but YOU did not look after me.’

44 Then they also will answer with the words, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and did not minister to you?’

45 Then he will answer them with the words, ‘Truly I say to YOU , To the extent that YOU did not do it to one of these least ones, YOU did not do it to me.’

46 And these will depart into everlasting cutting-off, but the righteous ones into everlasting life.”

I grew up in the evil empire (i.e. "The 'Truth'"). We were taught that "one of these least ones" are Jesus' earthly, spirit-annointed brothers (i.e. the remnent of the 144,000). I also grew up with a father who professed to be of the annointed.

For the last 20 years I was in the evil empire I watched my father being persecuted for professing to be of the annointed. He was even DFed for a year because of it. He even told me that others who professed to be of the annointed experienced the same and that there are Circuit Overseers who make it a hobby going around persecuting such ones.

I'm a very logical person, which does not work well in any religion. I looked at this logically. Well, logically, if Elders and C.O.'s are supposedly agents of the Governing Body, and the Governing Body is supposedly the Faithful and Discreet Slave, then the FDS is persecuting Christ's brothers. I hope everyone sees where I am going with this.

7

Why JWs Wisely Use Their Free Time

by compound complex in

asked of milton henschel: .

and what will the brothers do if we give them more free time?.

his reply:.

truth_b_known

I had a Presiding Overseer that would not allow for there to be a Saturday morning book study. His reasoning was: "It would give the brothers more time to get in trouble having another night free." Sure...whatever.

Even prior to my turning my back on the evil empire, I often shared the same thought of those in position of authority who are getting a free ride at the expense of the masses. I remember my father often counselling me in my teen years to pursue work that involved "working with your hands" as the apostle Paul recommended.

So I also began to think: "Paul has been called 'the orginal Circuit Overseer'. He made and sold tents to support his ministry. Why shouldn't these so-called 'full-time servants' do the same?" I remember the service meeting immediately following a circuit overseer visit that there would always be a letter read listing the dollar amount of the C.O.'s expenses and a vote taken on whether or not the congregation should paid it. I often felt like asking if the C.O. would be willing to mow my lawn and change the oil in my car (which was worth less than the C.O.mobile) in exchange for paying for his "expenses". After all, he and his wife got free, home cooked meals for another week. He probably ate better than I did that week.

truth_b_known

Posts by truth_b_known