leaving_quietly

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Posts by leaving_quietly

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  46

  War over preparing for WT study

  by cookiemaster in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  i know that title sounds weird but so is this situation.

  with the following information i'm about to desconspire myself a little bit, but i don't really care since i will simply deny it if any of my elders are lurking here.

  anyway the situation is the following.

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  leaving_quietly

  DID THESE ELDERS NOT GET THE POINT OF THE LESSONS!!!!!!! (Yes, I'm shouting)

  NOT TO LORD IT OVER THE FLOCK!!!!!
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  20

  Has anyone used this question on a JW? How might they respond?

  by BU2B in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  as i was laying in bed i thought of a question to ask my wife.

  "when the wt has an article on the next change in teaching or new light, just guessing, what do you think it might be?".

  it does not need to be phrased just like that, but i thought it might be a powerful question since it would make the jw subconsciously question all of the current teachings, something they are not taught to do.

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  leaving_quietly

  We were in the bible section at a bookstore and an NIV bible had footnotes. My wife asked me "how do you know they get this information from reputable sources?" I looked at her a little bewildered, and responded, "how do you know the Society does?" Getting them to *think* is REALLY hard.
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  8

  NEED Help before Monday

  by Crazyguy in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i noticed in a thread a day or 2 ago that someone mentioned a wt dated back in 1981 i believe where it stated that the policy of the jw's were that if anyone even thought a doubt about the jw's that they were infact apostates!!!

  i downloaded the article in the 1980 8/1 pp17-22 and that was not the article.

  can't find the thread, help anyone please!!!!!

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  leaving_quietly

  @Crazyguy, you had the right article. Maybe you downloaded the wrong year or wrong pages?

  The article is w80 8/1 pp. 17-22, Remain "Solid in the Faith". Particularly paragraphs 10 and 11:

  10 Among the various causes of apostasy, one of the foremost is unquestionably a lack of faith through doubt. (Heb. 3:12) Interestingly, The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology supplies the following information on the Greek verb that is often translated by “to doubt”: “Diakrinō, make a distinction, judge, . . . ; doubt, waver. . . . In some [New Testament] passages doubt appears as a lack of faith and thus as sin (Rom. 14:23). . . . In Rom. 4:20f. doubt comes close to disbelief. . . . Doubt is thus a lack of trust in the act of God which he has still to perform and which men are to await. . . . In the NT the doubter sins against God and his promises, because he judges God falsely.”

  11 Thus the one who doubts to the point of becoming an apostate sets himself up as a judge. He thinks he knows better than his fellow Christians, better also than the “faithful and discreet slave,” through whom he has learned the best part, if not all that he knows about Jehovah God and his purposes. He develops a spirit of independence, and becomes “proud in heart . . . something detestable to Jehovah.” (Prov. 16:5) Some apostates even think they know better than God, as regards his ordering of events in the outworking of his purposes. Two other causes of apostasy are therefore ingratitude and presumption.—2 Pet. 2:10b-13a.
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  61

  How did you tell your spouse you want out of the JW religion?

  by leaving_quietly in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  what did you imagine would happen?

  did they react the way you expected?

  how did you bring it up?.

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  leaving_quietly

  @thedog1, I identify with your where you're at. The brothers in the cong where I attend are also very loving and trusting the org. I told my wife a week or so ago that my main beef is the "do more, do more, do more" mantra, that Christ said HIS load was light, that I don't feel that the organization makes our load light. We have an international convention coming up where I live, and there's a LOT of work to do to prepare for all the delegates. I told my wife that I really feel the whole thing is a major expensive burden on the local congregations in the area, and that it is unnecessary and adds nothing to our worship of God or the preaching of the good news. It's yet another "load" they put on us.

  I have other doctrinal issues and organizational issues, such as the teaching that Christ is only the mediator between God and the 144,000, that the New Covenant does not apply to all who wish to be part of it, that partaking is limited to just a few, that Christ is not to be honored the same as God (yes this is in print, though the Bible says otherwise). There's more, but I'll stop there.

  I started reaching In Search of Christian Freedom, and found one good point right up front: why does one want to leave the JW organization (or any other religion for that matter. It's a good self-examination question. I haven't come to a solid conclusion about that one myself. I just know it does not have the truth. But, it is my belief that neither does any other religion. I think that's my biggest issue. JWs claim to have the truth and teach the truth, but it does not take long to peek under the surface to find out that it does not. Am I willing to lose my family over it? It's a really, really hard decision. Christ said, "A man's enemies will be persons of his own household."
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  61

  How did you tell your spouse you want out of the JW religion?

  by leaving_quietly in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  what did you imagine would happen?

  did they react the way you expected?

  how did you bring it up?.

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  leaving_quietly

  Thanks again for your responses. Would love to hear more if anyone wants to post.

  Welcome, TableForOne!
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  24

  Regarding the permission of certain blood fractions, what is the biblical basis?

  by I_love_Jeff in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  with regard to the permission of certain blood fractions, what biblical basis is the watchtower's selection of approved and non-approved components or fractions made?.

  two key words here: biblical basis.

  one answer by a jw caught my attention: .

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  leaving_quietly

  I can't think of a BIBLICAL BASIS. However, this topic does beg the question: is this a COMMAND or a PRINCIPLE? See, a COMMAND has repercussions. Let's see:

  1 Cor 5:9-11: In my letter I wrote YOU to quit mixing in company with fornicators, 10 not [meaning] entirely with the fornicators of this world or the greedy persons and extortioners or idolaters. Otherwise, YOU would actually have to get out of the world. 11 But now I am writing YOU to quit mixing in company with anyone called a brother that is a fornicator or a greedy person or an idolater or a reviler or a drunkard or an extortioner, not even eating with such a man.

  Hmm. Nothing about blood there.

  1 Cor 6:9, 10: Do not be misled. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men kept for unnatural purposes, nor men who lie with men, 10 nor thieves, nor greedy persons, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit God’s kingdom.
  
  Nothing about blood there, either.

  Gal 5:19-21: Now the works of the flesh are manifest, and they are fornication, uncleanness, loose conduct, 20 idolatry, practice of spiritism, enmities, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, contentions, divisions, sects, 21 envies, drunken bouts, revelries, and things like these. As to these things I am forewarning YOU, the same way as I did forewarn YOU, that those who practice such things will not inherit God’s kingdom.

  Not there, either.

  Rev 22:15: Outside are the dogs and those who practice spiritism and the fornicators and the murderers and the idolaters and everyone liking and carrying on a lie.’

  And not there, either.

  What gives WTS the right to DF or view as DA'd anyone who takes a blood transfusion? Right or wrong is completely arguable. However, the authority to throw someone out over this is just not given in the scriptures.
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  46

  War over preparing for WT study

  by cookiemaster in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  i know that title sounds weird but so is this situation.

  with the following information i'm about to desconspire myself a little bit, but i don't really care since i will simply deny it if any of my elders are lurking here.

  anyway the situation is the following.

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  leaving_quietly

  You could simply tell the elders that your home is no longer available to use for the WT study.
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  61

  How did you tell your spouse you want out of the JW religion?

  by leaving_quietly in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  what did you imagine would happen?

  did they react the way you expected?

  how did you bring it up?.

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  3. 
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  leaving_quietly

  Thanks everyone. Useful info. Keep it coming. I don't know how I'll end up doing it quite yet.
• 
  61

  How did you tell your spouse you want out of the JW religion?

  by leaving_quietly in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  what did you imagine would happen?

  did they react the way you expected?

  how did you bring it up?.

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  leaving_quietly

  What did you imagine would happen? Did they react the way you expected? What did you say? How did you bring it up?
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  22

  Get out of her My People.. Jeremiah 51:45 / Revelation 18:4

  by objectivetruth in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  for any christians, i'd like to get your opinion.. i believe that all organized religions are a part of babylon the great.

  this includes the jw organization, in my opinion.. what do you feel is required to "get out of her"?would disasociation / disfellowshipment be appropriate?if one chose not to dissasociate himself, would it be wrong to still attend meetings with the hope of turning some to the bible?when jesus speaks of the scribes & pharisees do you feel that these could be compared to the elders or the gb?if the scribes and pharisees are among the religions of babylon the great, what would be the signifigance of jesus words at matther 23:2,3?

  " "2the scribes and the pharisees sit on moses seat, 3so practice and observe whatever they tell youbut not what they do.

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  leaving_quietly

  @objectivetruth, if I'm reading between the lines correctly, your question could be viewed as you being at a crossroads. If that is true, I'm right there with you. I am still an active JW. Still going to meetings. Still participating in the field ministry. And the only reason I do it is because of family. If I were to boil it down the main things as to why I personally feel JWs are not the true religion, it would be these:

  1. They say Jesus is only a mediator between God and the 144,000. That makes him not a mediator between me and God, and thus I could never come to the Father through him.

  2. They say only the 144,000 are part of the New Covenant. This is similar to point #1. I completely disagree with this, and I have scriptural reasons for doing so.

  3. Jesus said at Luke 21:8, "Look out that YOU are not misled; for many will come on the basis of my name, saying, ‘I am he,’ and, ‘The due time has approached.’ Do not go after them." The words, "the due time has approached," is almost word-for-word what JWs have said. Notice this quote:

  "Another way we can "sleep on" is by ignoring the fact that Jehovah's time to destroy the ungodly has approached." - w12 3/15 p. 11 par. 4

  It's too eerily similar. It's easy to detect when someone claims to be Christ. It's quite another when someone is saying, 'the due time has approached' in a variety of forms, as JWs have been doing for over 100 years. The Society rarely comments on this portion of Luke 21:8, which is why, until the past year or two, this was unknown to me.
  
  I cannot ignore these things. Yet, I am stuck in at the moment, at a big crossroads. Am I prepared to possibly, and in all probability, lose my family? I am reminded of the words of the Christ:

  He that has greater affection for father or mother than for me is not worthy of me; and he that has greater affection for son or daughter than for me is not worthy of me.  And whoever does not accept his torture stake and follow after me is not worthy of me. - Matt 10:37,38

  Not that I'm telling you or even advising you what to do. I cannot do that. I am simply pointing out where I am and what I am personally thinking about all of this. This is my crossroads, too.