last nite i picked up an old watchtower mag just to have a browse through it.the watchtower is entitled: true teachings,where can you find them?
(july 15,2005).the article on page 4 caught my eye.this is what it says in the first two paragraphs:.
"for earth's inhabitants to know what teaching are true and pleasing to god,he must reveal his thoughts to humans.he must also make that revelation available to all.how else could mankind know what god approves of in the way of doctrine,worship,and conduct?has god supplied such information?if so,in what form?.
I would bet the article goes on to say you need an organization to teach you how to understand that permanent written record,
yep, I I was thinking the very same thing. I wish I had a nickel for every time I heard that at a meeting or read it in a watchtower.
plm
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anything in particular?
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Mainly field service, and the constant feelings of inadequacy.
dittos except for the inadequacy. I just felt plain stupid.
the thread title is a reference to how i hope this thread will evolve, rather than my own pretentious aspirations.. for many of us, perhaps especially if we were raised as jws, the whole world was pretty black and white.
we knew what we were doing, why we were here, where we were going, in the midst of a chaotic world we had a stability that others envied - or so we thought.... for most of us reading this site our eyes have likely at some point been opened to realise that many of our previous strongly-held beliefs were dust.
if we have left the wts or been forcibly ejected then we have also experienced shunning.
LT
We knew what we were doing, why we were here, where we were going,
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For me that is the true definition of what a jw really is. Regardless of what the beliefs and doctrines are, it is that very way of thinking and believing that kept/keeps us there, when that is crushed, many of the doctrines begin to take on “new light” and just fizzle away.
Knowing exactly where you’re going and why is a very powerful tool to pull people with. Where else can anyone find that level of certainty about life? The doctrines are secondary. Isn’t it that very idea, knowing what’s in store for the future that is used in field service?
I took up oil painting. It became a wonderful escape/exercise in my battles with depression. I loved it. I should start again.
plum
i have a question.
i was recently talking to some jw acquaintances and was told that the king james version, niv all the other translations i was mentioning are just "versions " of the bible whereas the nwt is a translation.
i was stunned and could not come back with an inteligent and scholarly reply(well aint that the pot calling the kettle black did not sound neither inteligent nor scholarly).
whereas the NWT is a translation.
They probably believe this because as we all know it IS the closest most accurate translation of the bible known. I've heard the same type of comment over the years. edited to insert rolling eyes
"i heard from ones that had gone to the convention that our time before tribulation is miniscule.
i am scared.
i know it must be true.
No it ain't
2000 years from 33 CE (33 CE the beginning of the end)
33 CE + 2000 years = 2033 CE
2033 CE = Armageddon
so there
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i wonder how many are still drawn to the beliefs but just don't believe the wtbts is jehovah's representative on earth and the only hope for mankind?.
of course we know some are not correct like 607 bc and 1914 and 1975 etc.. breeze
Hi breeze
I find them very annoying. Not the witnesses as individuals but the "GB". They frost my ass.
I, for a long time...years, felt drawn to the teachings in many ways but just couldn't bring myself to forking over my life to the wtbts.
Like jwfacts said: they make up a convenient doctrine and then find a few scriptures to support it.
I'm not sure why I continued to be drawn to the religion other then I was born into it and I think that has a lot to do with how difficult it may be to just forget about it completely. Where I live now it is difficult to maintain a respectable opinion in the eyes of the community without belonging to a church of some kind. I now live in the Bible belt and pretty much keep to myself. Everyone wants to convert me and question the reasons why I just don't want to go to church and get saved.
As for the doctrines in general, I just sent my brother a happy birthday email. I have celebrated Xmas several times but can take it or leave it. I do not believe that Xmas is a celebration of our savior anymore then I buy into it being something that will cause me to go to hell if I decorate a tree.
The blood issue, I understand why the organization started that rule but due to science I believe that rule should change. Not eating raw blood is fine by me but this is the 21 st century. The last time I discussed the blood issue with a pioneer sister I use to study with back in 1997 or so, her personal understanding of why jws do not accept blood, now, was because it represented ones very soul/person. Blah blah blah.
I believe the blood thing was appropriate for the period it was addressing, not this century.
As for living forever on this earth, I haven’t the foggiest idea.
I’m sure I could find several doctrines that I still believe in but I would have to really think about them all, there’s soooo many now and that might hurt my head.
I still believe no-trinity no hellfireditto End of this system of things? The only thing I am sure about with regard to that is all the systems throughout history have ended. We are just another that will end as well. spell check sucks i'n not editing anymore. plm
i wondered, since the jws claim that jesus is their teacher, what evidence do they have of jesus shunning "bad associations"?
it seems to me, from reading the bible, that the religious people of his day really gave him a hard time, because he actually spent the majority of his time with "bad associates", rather than shunning them.
thomas, though he followed jesus, wasn't totally convinced.
SirNose586
Russel was a kook but at least he had a better sense of what common decency was then did his successors.
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this just in for your reading displeasure......enjoy
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OH MY GOD A GRIZZLY !!!!! AAAAAaaa......
lol
i wondered, since the jws claim that jesus is their teacher, what evidence do they have of jesus shunning "bad associations"?
it seems to me, from reading the bible, that the religious people of his day really gave him a hard time, because he actually spent the majority of his time with "bad associates", rather than shunning them.
thomas, though he followed jesus, wasn't totally convinced.
leolaia posted this (Russel) in a thread about disfellowshipping practices and I just thought it would be good to read hear as well.
But in respect to others, who “walk disorderly,” the regulation is very different. Such an excluded brother or sister should not be treated as an enemy, nor thought of as such; but as an erring brother, as the Apostle says further on in this same epistle, “If any man obey not our word by this epistle [if he be disorderly, unwilling to submit himself to sound reasoning and loving, generous rules of order] note that man, and have no company with him, to the end that he may be ashamed; yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.” (2 Thess. 3:14,15) Such a case as this would imply some open, public opposition on the part of the brother to the rules of order laid down by the Apostle, as the Lord’s mouthpiece; and such a public opposition to right principles should be rebuked by the congregation, should they decide that the brother is so out of order that he needs admonishing; and if he does not consent to the form of sound words, sent us by our Lord through the Apostle, he should be considered as so out of accord as to make it no longer proper that he should have the fellowship of the brethren until he would consent to these reasonable requirements. He should not be passed by on the street unnoticed by the brethren, but be treated courteously. The exclusion should be merely from the privileges of the assembly and from any special brotherly associations, etc., peculiar to the faithful. This is implied also in our Lord’s words, “Let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.” Our Lord did not mean that we should do injury to a heathen man or a publican, nor treat either in any manner unkindly; but merely that we should not fellowship such as brethren, nor seek their confidences, nor as New Creatures give them ours. The household of faith is to be cemented and bound together with mutual love and sympathy, and expressions of these in various ways. It is from the lack of these privileges and blessings that the excluded brother is caused to suffer, until he feels that he must reform his ways and return to the family gathering.
a few weeks ago, someone made a comment that the disfellowhipping policy had changed considerably throughout the society's history, with the early organization showing a much gentler attitude toward disfellowshipping.
it was stated the the society has even used the same scriptures to justify different attitudes toward disfellowshipping.
has anyone researched this?
When I was about 10 years old or so (mid/late 60’s) there was a sister in our congregation that almost died from hepatitis after receiving a blood transfusion. She was not disfellowshipped but I do not remember why. I think her husband at that time was not baptized and ordered/signed for the transfusion. I do remember my mother taking care of her when she returned from the hospital. She was very ill. I also remember the wispers from brothers and sisters about it.
plm
