Thanks very much for the lovely welcome Wobble! I'm the same as you really, a born-in and now in my 50s. I can't say too much as I am still 'in', at least physically. For years I've felt 'something' was wrong but like most JWs just shelved it, 'waiting on Jehovah'. But something moved me to read Ray Franz's books a couple of months ago and it was like opening a Pandora's Box. Well.. all those things just can't be put back! The resulting feelings are hard to describe, but 'torn apart' fits well. It feels as if things are getting better on that side but meetings and FS are very difficult and I do as little as possible. However I still love Jehovah and Jesus and love reading my bible and I am finding out so many wonderful things without the WT glasses on!!
tornapart
JoinedPosts by tornapart
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what is the history of this site?
by tornapart inhi, i just wanted to know as i came here believing it is an 'anti-jw' site.
or at least one where former jws can meet together (or ones struggling within the wt).
yet looking at some early posts it seems it was originally for active jws.
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what is the history of this site?
by tornapart inhi, i just wanted to know as i came here believing it is an 'anti-jw' site.
or at least one where former jws can meet together (or ones struggling within the wt).
yet looking at some early posts it seems it was originally for active jws.
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tornapart
Well, I have seen some ridiculous threads (like the 'Moses Solomon' one today ), some are confrontational, some very funny (like Sd-7's today ). Most I would say in general are very interesting and a lot are very helpful. What stands out to me is that there are various stages of those 'in' and those 'out', but almost all have had the same experience of learning TTATT. It helps a lot to share those experiences and not feel so alone with it.
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Please Post Reasons For Not Believing The Witnesses Have The "Truth" Anymore
by minimus ini see a few want to believe in the watchtower's view of bible prophecy, scriptural understandings and the view that the "anointed remnant" dispense the "spiritual food at the proper time".. how would you refute those views?.
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tornapart
The final straw for me was about 2 years ago at a convention when they brought out the 'new light' on the 'overlapping generation'.. I thought WHAT?? Surely they can't be serious??!! After that I realised just how much hinges on 1914. So if 1914 isn't true then everything else just comes tumbling down. They are trying to prop up a doctrine that is just plain false. Once realising that doctrine was false it was easy to see the GB for what it really is.. a false prophet.
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Elder father sent me an email about Feb 2012 WT - my resposne
by TheStumbler ini'm not sure if any of you will remember but i posted on here six months ago about a correspondence i was having with my dad, an elder, about who would die in armageddon.
i was asking some tough questions about children being killed in armageddon and i could tell he uncomfortable with the answers he was giving.. i drafted an email in resposne to his email but in the end i decided not to send it in the interest of maintaining friendly relations.. .
last week, out of the blue, my dad sent an email link to the february 2012 watchtower article about armageddon and said it would answer some of my questions.. here is my response which is a critique of the feb 2012 wt article and some of the broader ethics concerning 'armageddon'.
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tornapart
I would agree with Oz about this. But I don't believe it's just 'some' JWs that feel this way. Most friends (die-hards) I have discussed this with will say personally they feel uncomfortable about the thought of God killing billions of good people just because they are not JWs. The doctrine is only really there to keep JWs under control and working hard to 'save' people. The ideas presented to the public makes it look good, that God is going to destroy millions (of genuinely wicked people) and save billions of good people. Once they're in they hooked and under control. It's working on that natural human compassion that we have inbuilt in us that will get others to see it. When they say God sees into peoples hearts, what they are really saying is they don't for one minute believe God is going to kill billions and that's the time to say maybe JWs aren't the only ones to be saved then. It makes them ask themselves the question.
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what is the history of this site?
by tornapart inhi, i just wanted to know as i came here believing it is an 'anti-jw' site.
or at least one where former jws can meet together (or ones struggling within the wt).
yet looking at some early posts it seems it was originally for active jws.
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tornapart
Thanks very much everyone!
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13
what is the history of this site?
by tornapart inhi, i just wanted to know as i came here believing it is an 'anti-jw' site.
or at least one where former jws can meet together (or ones struggling within the wt).
yet looking at some early posts it seems it was originally for active jws.
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-
tornapart
Hi, I just wanted to know as I came here believing it is an 'anti-JW' site. Or at least one where former JWs can meet together (or ones struggling within the WT). Yet looking at some early posts it seems it was originally for active JWs. What happened over the years? Has anyone been here long enough to see the changes?
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97
Elder father sent me an email about Feb 2012 WT - my resposne
by TheStumbler ini'm not sure if any of you will remember but i posted on here six months ago about a correspondence i was having with my dad, an elder, about who would die in armageddon.
i was asking some tough questions about children being killed in armageddon and i could tell he uncomfortable with the answers he was giving.. i drafted an email in resposne to his email but in the end i decided not to send it in the interest of maintaining friendly relations.. .
last week, out of the blue, my dad sent an email link to the february 2012 watchtower article about armageddon and said it would answer some of my questions.. here is my response which is a critique of the feb 2012 wt article and some of the broader ethics concerning 'armageddon'.
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tornapart
I think your dad doesn't believe that God will destroy innocent babies, or 7,000,000 people. Many JWs find this hard to digest.
As for God having done it in the past. On the occasion of the flood he used a natural disaster but offered protection for anyone who wanted it in the ark. He had to destroy that world at the time because of the violent and cruel halfbreed giants and their demon fathers. As for another natural disaster he brought about that rained fire and sulfur on the cities of Sodom and Gomorah, he promised Abraham that even if there were only 10 good people he would not bring it about. Any innnocent children that die as a result of natural disasters brought about either by God himself or not, will have a resurrection. After all God himself says he doesn't desire any to be destroyed. What God says and what the WT says are two different things.
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Hi - I'm new here!
by Flicka ini have been lurking on this site for the past 2 months.
for the past few years i have been going to the meetings and doing fieldservice out of guilt.. my husband (twisty) told me regularly i only do it out of guilt but i denied it and said it i want to do these things because i love jehovah and it is the right thing to do, but how can it be the right thing if you don't feel welcome and it feels like everyone is judging you the moment you walk into the kingdom hall.. it has taken a few years and a lot of tears to open my eyes.. over the past few years twisty spoke to me about the various things he didn't agree with but it just went over my head.
a few months ago we were lying in bed and he brought up his concerns again, and i'm not sure what was different this time but i understood and agreed with the points he was making.
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tornapart
Hi Flicka, I'm very new too but unlike you I feel I have to stay in unfortunately. I'm a born-in, my parents, husband and children are all in. But I have found I can be mentally detached even if physically still there. I have read Crises of Conscience, Search for Christian Freedom and Captives of a Concept, they are all excellent books.
I've found that through personal bible reading and prayer I can stay close to God and Christ, having my own personal relationship with them without the organisation. It is liberating. Keep an open mind and keep reading and researching. A wonderful site I found is www.jwstruggle.com where there are many topics of interest to keep you thinking and likeminded friends who are stuggling either still as JWs or as exJWs.
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SPECIAL INTERVIEW with Jehovah!
by Terry inyou live; you die.
r: but, why give us a bible.
why send jesus to die for us if everything is "meaningless" for us?.
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tornapart
Interesting.. It sounds a little like the coversation God had with Job!
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question for older ex-elders
by scooterspank ini have only just begun to talk to my father about why he left the truth.
i know why he stepped down as an elder many years ago but we have just scratched the surface about why he "faded" in his 60's i would say (he is now 74).
i just wonder how much leaving the "truth" that much later in life has an effect on depression, anxiety, anger (he joined in his 30's)?
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tornapart
I'm neither an elder nor male but I sympathise deeply. I'm a born in and in my 50's and still 'active'. But I can understand the depression and the anger. For me it's not so much wasted years because I have wonderful friends and family. It's all the things I've felt since learning the truth about the 'truth'. The realisation that the 'FDS', 'GB', Organisation is no more real than the Wizard of Oz. That they stand as mediator between me and God. Jesus is their mediator not ours. That salvation comes through them and not through Jesus. The depression for me comes from the feeling that I have believed a lie for all those years. The feeling of having to 'pretend' all the time that all is ok when I know it's not. Now somehow I have to rebuild from scratch a relationship with God and Christ on my own without anyone else involved. I'm afraid to leave because of my family. Your father is very lucky he has you, you sound very compassionate.