Posts by leaving

26

Service Meeting Part about Sisters Wearing Head Coverings

by TTATTelder in

this week's service meeting had another part about women wearing head coverings.there's already been a post about it, but i would like some thoughts from the forum on the scripture referenced.

11: 3-10. i want to focus on verses 4-6. it says this (nnwt):.

"4)every man who prays or prophesies with something on his head shames his head; 5) but every woman who prays or prophesies+ with her head uncovered shames her head, for it is one and the same as if she were a woman with a shaved head.

leaving_quietly

The WTS believes that "prophesying" is preaching and teaching, not predicting the future.

Classic WTS: we are NOT prophets... no, we ARE prophets! <facepalm>

21

Planning your RETIREMENT. Can anyone remember Watch Tower encouraging, in anyway, it's members to plan ahead for this eventual reality?

by LoisLane looking for Superman in

i cannot think of one article written for jehovah's witnesses that deals with this important issue.. your retirement.. .

the governing body makes sure everyone looks after the gb's needs.

the gb will be moving to their new lakeside estate in 3 years.. what about everyone else below the 8 gb and their wives???.

leaving_quietly

w75 11/8 p. 18 - article entitled "How to Make Retirement Rewarding"

This is the only article on planning for retirement that doesn't say preach, preach, preach every other word. It's actually somewhat practical. Dated, but practical. Here's the subheading on Planning Financially.

Planning Financially

Planning for retirement involves a number of factors. To begin with, there is the matter of income. Today most persons living in developed countries can expect to receive some form of “Social Security.” This may be enough to live on even though it may amount to only half of what you had been earning. Can you exact a pension? That will help. Planning ahead may also mean having savings in a bank, investing in insurance and in stocks or bonds or real estate. All such aids are in keeping with the Biblical injunction to consider the ant, which makes provision during summer and harvesttime for the winter ahead.—Prov. 6:6-8.

Planning and preparing for retirement also mean conditioning yourself to getting accustomed to more modest circumstances. Prepare yourself to spend less on food, clothing, shelter and recreation. Take an inventory and determine what is more important to you and what is less. Here also the old saying applies, “It is never this AND that, but this OR that.” Should you find that you will need added income, explore the possibilities. There are many of them, your kind being determined by your abilities, your resourcefulness and where you happen to be living. You might be able to start a small business, such as raising herbs or growing mushrooms, or you might be able to start a modest cleaning service, even as others have done.

Have you a hobby that upon retiring can be turned into a profitable business? For example, there was a railroad engineer who used to make violins as a hobby—he coming from a violin-making family. Now as a retiree he makes violins full time to his heart’s content. One retired woman makes rag dolls and sells them; a pair of retired oldsters make wooden models of old-time stage coaches and sell them. If you are an American farmer, you might consider the “Green Thumb” projects, as thousands of other retired farmers have done. Three days a week they plant grass and trees, clean out lakes and ponds and build picnic tables and fireplaces, for which they receive some $40 a week.

Truly many are the avenues open to you for solving the problem of income upon retirement if you will but realistically plan and prepare.

97

First post

by thedog1 in

jw
friends

this is a very strange thing for me to do.

i have been an active witness for over 25 years.

i currently serve as an elder and i conduct the watchtower study.

leaving_quietly

I must say that it is mainly doctrinal issues that are pushing me to question my dedication to the truth

I assume you mean the JW version of the truth. Which is not THE truth. Read John 14:6. The truth is not a what, it's a who. Also, John 8:31, 36.

So we recognise that people outside the cong are not 'evil.'

That's a good thing. After all, 2 Pet 3:10.

32

Im not sure how much longer i can take this

by DS211 in

jw
friends

i kind of snapped at my wife today...for no reason really.

and in my frustration ive been contemplating just spilling the beans...i know its not the best idea but i do t know how much longer i can lead a double life and hide the truth.

as i still believe in god i feel like a hypocrite.

leaving_quietly

Hang in there. I'm was at this point a few months ago. Now, I've come to accept that JWs are not "the truth" and simply go through the motions . . . for now.

2

David Miscavige vs. the Faithful and Discreet Slave

by DS211 in

ooooooook.

so scientology gas, at the "helm" a single himan named dave miscav...how do i spell it?....miscavige.

scientologys growth has been exponential in the last few years, opening churches and bringing 2.6 percent growth each year on average.

leaving_quietly

Look at the Pope and catholic church.....hes one dude with a bunch of bishops etc etc etc....Church still growing.

Just as we here often blame the JW grown on children, the Catholic church has somewhat more exponential growth because of baptism of infants. Numbers don't prove a thing, as you noted.

WT says "well they dont ALL serve in preaching work!".

Of course not. That wasn't a command given to everyone. Want proof?

1 John 3:21-24:

Beloved ones, if [our] hearts do not condemn [us], we have freeness of speech toward God; 22 and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we are observing his commandments and are doing the things that are pleasing in his eyes. 23 Indeed, this is his commandment, that we have faith in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and be loving one another, just as he gave us commandment. 24 Moreover, he who observes his commandments remains in union with him, and he in union with such one; and by this we gain the knowledge that he is remaining in union with us, owing to the spirit which he gave us.

No mention of preaching. You'd think if that was a command meant for everyone, it would be listed here. Preaching is a gift of the spirit (mentioned in at least two places as such).

97

First post

by thedog1 in

jw
friends

this is a very strange thing for me to do.

i have been an active witness for over 25 years.

i currently serve as an elder and i conduct the watchtower study.

leaving_quietly

First, welcome!

Second, I too, am a JW for over 25 years, and served as an elder. Once I woke up to teachings I could not personally support, I stepped aside as an elder, remembering that James 3:1 says: "Not many of YOU should become teachers, my brothers, knowing that we shall receive heavier judgment."

If you cannot step aside, or do not want to, try to plan to be away for the weekend that particular article is studied and have another elder substitute for you.

There are many things I have to say to you, but I don't think you could bear them at present. Yes, these are the same words Christ used, and for good reason. He likely understood the nature of cognitive dissonance.

I posted this in for another here on this forum a few months back, but I feel it bears repeating:

Here's what happened to me when learning TTATT. Just preparing you for what may come for you:

1. Cognitive dissonance - learning that things that you believed deeply are not all true.

2. Could it really be? - The verification process. Claims made by others you must verify for yourself. This means LOTS of research. But, in my experience, when you never had time for it before, you actually make time for it now. It becomes almost a compulsion, an obsession. You have to re-prove "the truth" to yourself, and when you find out you can't, then...

3. Anger, dismay

4. Wanting to tell your closest associates (but can't because you'd be outed)

5. Dreams (oh, the dreams... they get really strange)

6. Then you think... oh, wait... I'm leaving out the most important thing... prayer! So you pray. Hard. Like never before.

7. You're mentally left in a kind of in-between state (between being a JW and not being one). At meetings, you quickly pick up on the wrong teachings. You quickly see misapplication of scriptures. You quickly recognize everything wrong. And it becomes really hard to hide your reaction.

8. At some point, acceptance. You accept that JWs are wrong. You accept JWs do not have "the truth". You keep up appearances for friends and family sake, but you know deeply that this cannot continue for the rest of your life, so you start planning your fade.

I'm at #8. Fading is the hardest thing to do when all your family is IN.

People leave for different reasons. Some because of how they were treated by elders. Some over the blood issue. Some over policies on child abuse. For me it was over teachings and Pharisaic attitudes encouraged organizationally.

All the best to you. Welcome to the board!

26

Service Meeting Part about Sisters Wearing Head Coverings

by TTATTelder in

this week's service meeting had another part about women wearing head coverings.there's already been a post about it, but i would like some thoughts from the forum on the scripture referenced.

11: 3-10. i want to focus on verses 4-6. it says this (nnwt):.

"4)every man who prays or prophesies with something on his head shames his head; 5) but every woman who prays or prophesies+ with her head uncovered shames her head, for it is one and the same as if she were a woman with a shaved head.

leaving_quietly

Hmm. "Prays or prophecies". So, conducting a Bible Study is prophecying?

35

So what if they were wrong?

by DS211 in

this is a reply ireceived from a poster on another forum.

"actually the vast majority of interpretations of prophecy are absolutely spot on.. .

people harp on over this and that that was wrong 50 years ago, but today jehovah's witnesses have all the bible's prophecies pretty much figured out in their entirety.. .

leaving_quietly

People harp on over this and that that was wrong 50 years ago, but today Jehovah's Witnesses have all the Bible's prophecies pretty much figured out in their entirety.

Oh, boy... is the original poster in for a big surprise in the Feb 2014 WT. There, they cast doubt on the application of Daniel's 70 weeks prophecy to being fulfilled with Christ.

"Could the first-century Jews have calculated the time of the Messiah’s arrival on the basis of the prophecy of the 70 weeks recorded at Daniel 9:24-27 ? While that possibility cannot be ruled out, it cannot be confirmed. The fact is that there were many conflicting interpretations of the 70 weeks in Jesus’ day, and none come close to our present understanding. "

They stick to the understanding in the Daniel's Prophecy book, but this is a first-pass attempt at unloading that. In my entire life as a JW (nearly 40 years), they've been adamant that the 70 weeks prophecy was absolutely fulfilled in Christ.

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