exodus 7. .
new king james version.
moses before pharaoh.
Even as a child this concerned me. Why would a loving God interfere and deliberately harden Pharaoh's heart just to prove a point?
If he had let things take their course, so much suffering may have been prevented
Doesn't James 1:13 say 'with evil things God cannot be tried, nor does he try anyone'?
I could see so many inconsistencies in what was being taught, sadly it took decades before I finally figured out the nonsense.
CM
if you think it works, what is your evidence outside of possible coincidence?.
There are times in my previous life as a JW when I prayed desperately and fervently. I was always very specific in what I prayed about, thinking I could then be certain if my prayers were answered, instead of forcing events to fit past vague requests.
On three separate occasions my direct requests were granted, one within an hour of praying. My prayers were during times of despair, never for selfish reasons, but I still felt guilty that God answered me, while he seemed to ignore people with far more important needs.
Of course, it could have been coincidence .... 😏
CM
we had a fancy dress up party in our congregation.
elders special pioneers and many others came, though some came as cowboys and pirates with guns and swords which was not in line with the watchtowers "beat your swords into plough sheers.
" some sisters were belly dancers....yes they exposed their stomachs.....shock horror!
@slidinfast. Sorry, pressed dislike by mistake. I have liked twice to make up for my fat fingered mistake. Apologies again
CM
hello, my elder cousin from brazil wouldn’t believe they asked for rv’s here in the us.
i’ve been out for 20 years and i’m soft shunned by my family.
now my mom got sick and they are all trying to talk me into going back(no way on earth) and they keep on telling me how close armageddon is 🤦🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️ i was watching kim and mikey and they mentioned the rv’s for lodging the ramapo workers.
I thought an RV was a return visit. I had to look it up!
Same! From fellow Brit 😂
i realize many here think that in-person meetings will return as soon as things are safe with covid.
but many acknowledge it will likely be 2022 or later when this happens.. surprisingly, many pimi jws in our congregation are not shy about saying they are fine with zoom meetings forever and do not want to go back to in-person meetings.
many speculate similar thoughts that are on this site....such as a combination of in-person and zoom meetings.
My mother has been a staunch witness for the best part of five decades. During that time she never missed a meeting unless very ill. When she had no transport she would cycle 3 miles to the kingdom hall, or walk if the weather was too bad to cycle. This was also with two young children. She has often said recently that she doesn't miss the face to face meetings and would be quite happy if she didn't go back to the hall. She has not lost her faith or her loyalty to the religion, yet I found it telling that even she prefers the convenience of zoom or a phone link to meeting in person.
i’m looking for an article, from the watchtower, where it says that we should not pray for other members from the stage.
does anyone remember an article saying this?.
I vaguely remember something along the lines of not mentioning individual witnesses' names when praying publicly on behalf of the congregation. There was a time when brothers would include the names of members who were sick, however I think they put a stop to this. I cannot imagine what scriptural precedent they came up with for this change.
walked away from the trooth years ago(over 20) my older sister sends me an invite to the memorial via zoom.
i have no interest in jwism at all.
should i ignore or respond?.
I also received the invite from my cousin. He has not been in touch with me for over 5 years, then suddenly, out of the blue, he sends an impersonal, stock WT worded message along with the memorial invite.
I was initially hurt that he would send such a cold introduction when we had once been close. No words of affection, no enquiry about me or my family.
Once my initial feelings had subsided, I felt the best option would be to entirely ignore anything related to JW. I replied how lovely it was to hear from him, briefly updated him on my and my children's life and finished by saying that we were all happier than we'd ever been.
When I first left JWs, I would feel obligated to justify my reasons. I now realise that no logical argument will have any effect on a closed mind. The best course of action for me is to sidestep any religious discussion and focus on the way my life has exponentially improved since leaving. This says far more than I ever could.
i remember knowing some jws that expressed their own personal viewpoints regarding what a scripture meant that was at odds with society teachings.
in the 60 and 70’s, that was pretty much tolerated until the great purge in 1979 and 1980. as a matter of fact, it wasn’t unusual for witnesses to get together and discuss personal questions and viewpoints they might have.
it wasn’t unusual to send letters to the society asking what was considered the right or wrong view.
I remember a brother being removed as an elder in the late '70s. He was my book study overseer and when he announced it to the group after the meeting, he said something to suggest that the reason he was removed from his position was because some people didn't like some of the things he said. I was young and didn't understand what he meant at the time. Looking back I recall people whispering about him believing certain ideas that weren't in line with the GB's teachings
He and his family remained in the congregation until one Sunday morning, a few minutes before the public talk was about to start, he had an altercation with a special pioneer and was forceably bundled out of the hall by a posse of elders.
This was a shocking incident and talked about by many for a good while.
He was never disfellowshipped, but even as a child I knew from the adults that we should have nothing to do with him or his wife and he was referred to as an apostate.
I never saw the family again.
i used to be very active on this board - 14 years ago (redpill2006...still remember blondie, barbara and many others).
then left the cult for good 10 years ago (ex-bethelite, ex-elder).
today, after so many years, i decided to come back because there is an issue that is nagging in my mind.
I spoke with my JW mother today who informed me that the congregation has been told they may have the current vaccine because there is no blood in it.
She did not mention anything about what methods were used to create the vaccine.
This is in the UK. I don't know what the stance is in other countries.
CM
came across this today and wished to share it with any that might want to hear.this happened within and over the last few months as you can tell from their references to covid-19 and the precautions they are having to take and you will hear a few dates mentioned as you listen.the first part is good but it gets even better in the second part (final).i'm really impressed with the knowledge this "apostate" has and how well he conducted himself.so much i could say but will let you see for yourself.love to see when others aren't intimidated or humiliated by the so called "loving" brothers on the committee.part 1https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bz0tm1mrbfcpart 2https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i92w4mv5gf0.
I have only listened to the first part so far but it seems to me their sole argument was to repeat "we are doing things Jehovah's way" yet they did not turn to one scripture to back up these claims that their judicial procedure is theocratic.
I am so glad that more and more JCs are being recorded and shared online. No one listening objectively could come to any conclusion other than that the elders are brain washed puppets of an organization led by cruel ego maniacs.
I feel ashamed that I was part of this organisation for so long.
CM
