Posts by tornapart

23

Did you ever buy into 1975?

by tornapart in

for those of you that can remember.... did you really believe that armageddon was going to come in 1975?

i was a child of the 60s, in my teens in the 70s and can honestly say that i never bought into it.

i saw brothers and sisters selling their homes and moving into rented property.

For those of you that can remember.... did you really believe that Armageddon was going to come in 1975? I was a child of the 60s, in my teens in the 70s and can honestly say that I never bought into it. I saw brothers and sisters selling their homes and moving into rented property. Going pioneering etc. Fortunately my parents didn't sell up. I did go pioneering after school but it wasn't because I believed the end was near, it was just something I thought I should do. When 1975 came and went I was actually pleased nothing happened. Though it did start me wondering what else they had got wrong. When I look back, I realise there was a lot of things I didn't buy into but you don't really think at the time that it's because it's a cult and they've got your mind trapped. For me, the key to the lock was Raymond Franz's book CoC. It opened the door to my mind and everything came tumbling out that I'd had stored in there for years. I think 1975 coming and going was probably one of the first things that I had stored in that cupboard....

16

I have enjoyed the shunning in the past. But why not now?

by sinboi in

i am prepared for shunning when i send in my da letter.

my dad was furious when he comes back from overseas and find out that i have da myself.

yes, i do regret not talking to him first before i da...i also know that my mom is crying in her room.. but they didn't chase me out of the house.

tornapart

Doing something kind for your mum obviously moved her. Behaving in the best way possible, doing things to please your parents (rather than going out drinking and smoking), is the best way to go. Don't give them any reason to want to carry on shunning. They are hurt and upset that you have Da'ed yourself. They feel they must follow the cult rules to be pleasing to God, that hurts them too. That's why your mum cries. She cries because she loves you and feels as though she's lost you. Their minds are controlled by the indoctrination and they don't or can't see that what they are doing is cruel and unloving. They think that treating you this way will make you come 'back to Jehovah'. Try and rise above that if you can, see it for what it is. It doesn't stop you being a loving son and by treating them kindly they may just come round to talking to you again. Don't give up!

28

If You Question The Governing Body, You're Like Korah

by pale.emperor in

anyone who questions the governing bodys authority is labelled as an apostate and almost always they bring up the story of korah and his revolt against moses.. watchtower august 1st, 2002, the article loyally submit to godly authority paragraphs 8-15.. https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/2002563.

in not so subtle hint, the gb likens themselves to moses, and those who disagree with the gb are korah.. paragraph 15 is actually quite damaging to the gb's argument though:.

it was so unnecessary for all those people to lose their lives.

tornapart

The thing is, they've got it all wrong....back to front! Is the GB themselves to be compared with Moses? Isn't Jesus supposed to be the 'Greater Moses'? Didn't he condemn the Pharisees for 'sitting in the seat of Moses? So if Jesus is to be compared with Moses then who is it that should be compared with Korah? It certainly isn't the R&F!!

27

An honest question for those who were "born-in"

by stuckinarut2 in

just wanted to ask a question of those who were born in as i was.. how did you feel to have been "privileged to have been born into the only true faith - the truth"?.

did this make you feel confident, or proud - or perhaps arrogant?.

how did you reconcile the fact that 99% of the earth's population was not born "into the truth"?.

tornapart

I never felt 'privileged' but thought about my 'fortune' of having been born into it, my mother and father both having been converted a few years before they met and married (they were both in their teens). I often wondered to myself how I would have reacted if someone had knocked on my door. As an introvert and hating people knocking on my door for whatever reason I think I'd have sent them a way with a 'sorry, not interested'.

I never felt totally confident that I had 'the truth', some things niggled away at me at times but i would put them aside and I would do the usual talking to myself that it must be the truth, because of all the reasons spouted in the WT literature and from the platform.

I never believed that God would destroy 99% of the earth's population, just because they weren't JWs, it never sat well with me. I would tell myself that God knows hearts and he'd never do something like that. That it would only be the truly wicked and evil ones that would be dealt with.

I questioned things a lot. I'd sit in the meetings and get side tracked by the bible (from the time I could read at 5). I always loved books and the bible was a way to entertain myself at the meetings (they always bored me). I was fascinated by the stories and gained a good knowledge at quite a young age. As I got older some things just didn't add up but I would tell myself maybe I had got it wrong... after all this was 'God's Organisation'..... wasn't it????

61

Saying hello for first time

by pimojw in

i have been sneakily looking at this forum, almost every day, ever since it began!

it has taken me till now to actually register and contribute.

(actually i did register with a different name in the beginning but never commented).. i am a pimo elder with a fairly long history of senior "positions" in the organization.

tornapart

Hi pimojw, I don't often comment on here anymore though I still read quite a bit but just felt I had to say hi as your words touched a cord with me. I too have struggled with many thoughts and teachings , trying to get my head round everything. Once you lose your faith in the WT it's so easy to lose faith in everything else too. I'm still unsure what to make of everything so I have just decided to enjoy the present, discard the WT teachings and try and live a good life. I still believe in God and still pray but not sure how much of the bible to still believe. I too love reading meletivivlon's website and it does help me to keep my faith somewhat, even though I still have lots of questions. I've had a little dabble with buddhist teachings too and like some of them very much. I found a good book to read called 'without buddha I could not be a christian' by Paul F Knitter. His wife is buddhist and he found a lot of ways to consider buddhist teachings and incorporate them into his christianity. It made a lot of sense to me. Hope you can find your way!

48

US Republican congressman, others injured by shooter in Washington DC

by sir82 in

jw
friends

tragic occurrence:.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/steve-scalise-shot-in-virginia-aide-also-hit/ar-bbcfakv?li=bbnb7kz.

i saw another report indicating that the gunman may have targetting gop members.

tornapart

Just had to login to give Outlaw's post a like! Only someone with hate in their heart and a screw loose in their head goes around shooting people!

In the UK guns are not so easily come by, so they pick up a cheap bread knife from the local supermarket. If their hatred makes them want to kill they'll do it with whatever they have at hand.

26

Disfellowshipped Brother Gives Public Talk in Kingdom Hall

by The Searcher in

jw
friends

absolutely beautiful!.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vbmfx4isku.

tornapart

Brilliant! I wonder if this made a few in the audience think a bit!

6

Christian agnosticism

by tornapart in

i never realised there was such a thing as 'christian agnosticism' until recently.

i've been wondering for a long time where my beliefs where at.

i still believe in god and still believe in jesus but not sure exactly what else.

tornapart

Yes, it does seem like a misnomer which is why I was surprised the term even existed. Being a follower of Christ doesn't necessarily mean believing in a talking snake. What if it was a metaphor for something else? A legend or a parable for some kind of rebellion? Were Adam and Eve real people? Or did they represent 1)Man of the earth- mankind 2)Mother of humankind- womankind. This is the thing... we don't know, we weren't there. A believer is someone who believes and has faith in something that cannot be explained. That's why it's called 'faith'. So I actually think 'christian agnostic' is quite a good term for someone like me, who has faith that God exists and that Jesus exists but isn't too sure about what to believe about them, other than the writings of Bible, which can be very confusing at times.

6

Christian agnosticism

by tornapart in

i never realised there was such a thing as 'christian agnosticism' until recently.

i've been wondering for a long time where my beliefs where at.

i still believe in god and still believe in jesus but not sure exactly what else.

tornapart

I never realised there was such a thing as 'Christian agnosticism' until recently. I've been wondering for a long time where my beliefs where at. I still believe in God and still believe in Jesus but not sure exactly what else. So I have just discovered that this is what a 'christian agnostic' is. I've been reading about others who think the same way and it's quite comforting. After having been with an organisation for decades that 'had all the answers', I had found myself not sure what to believe anymore, even wondering if God really exists and while I obviously have no proof that he does exist, I can't completely reject his existence. I have come to the conclusion that evolution is a process set in motion by God and the bible was written by men who had their own idea of who and what God is and what he wants. Some may be right, some may be wrong. I have felt very uncomfortable for a long time, floundering almost. I don't ever want to have anything to do with any kind of organised religion ever again and that is freeing. My family have come to accept my decision, including my elder husband. If I go to a meeting, it's as an onlooker, an outsider. A hello to old friends and nothing more. I feel a lot happier now. It really doesn't matter what I believe or don't believe anymore. Maybe 'christian agnosticism' is just a label but it sums up quite well where I'm at right now.

What stage in your beliefs (or non-beliefs) are you at right now?

14

Disfellowshipped 2x adultry divorce remarried getting divorce to write my wrong

by IDontKnowMe77 in

this is bit hard for me but im lost and don't know what to do.. 2010-married to a disfellowship person after only knowing him 3 months i began studying baptized few months later and he was reinstated same year.. i committed adultry 3-4 times in first 2 years of marriage he forgave me.

he was a recovering alcoholic and fell off wagon hard when i tried to fix my wrong it was way out of hand he moved in drug addicts in the home we fought constantly i tried to get personal studies with a sister to keep going but i failed at that and left my husband i left for another man 2 in half years later im looking to divorce because well what goes around comes around and he committed adultery on me .

i got what was coming for thinking i would live happy ever after.

tornapart

It seems to me that you are not ready for a monogamous relationship. Maybe it's best to be on your own for a while, find out who you are, what you want out of life without relationships getting in the way. you are just hurting yourself and hurting the ones you love. Forget religion, it hasn't done you any good. If you want God in your life, do it for yourself personally without anyone else or an organisation to control it for you. I see your username is 'I don't know me'... well... find yourself, without anyone else to confuse you. You will be happier.