one of the main things i am trying to wrap my head around after waking up to the nonsense of jw.org is the deity of christ.. jws go out of their way to ignore him, it seems to me.
they make him out to be an angel or something.
yet, if one simply reads the scriptures, you get an entirely different picture.. doing some bible reading this morning i accidentally (long story) read the latter part of 1 john 5 and it's good stuff.. after reading it in the niv i read it in nwt and it is still pretty amazing even in that abomination of a translation.. it says.... 13 i write you these things so that you may know that you have life everlasting, you who put your faith in the name of the son of god.
Hi Nikl, yep you've got it Jesus is Lord, not some secondary being to God and definitely not an Angel. Pop along to any Baptist or evangelical church and they will explain it to you. Also look up Nicky Gumbel's book ' who is Jesus" where he puts 3 hypothesis, that Jesus is either a madman, a good man or who he says he is.
Once you move away from theridiculous knotts the WT ties you in you will be struck by the simplicity of the true gospel if you want to go down that path.
http://www.wireservice.ca/index.php?module=news&func=display&sid=21781.
"media release: canadian constitution foundation granted intervener status in supreme court freedom of association case.
today, the supreme court of canada granted the ccf's motion to intervene in a case that will have profound implications for all private civil society organizations, and particularly religious congregations... .
when you were an active member in the jwland, did you expect to receive any kind of help from a brother/sister, but they did not help you?
when i was in the jwland, i expected and was my belief that any brother/sister will help you in time of need, distress or trouble, because we were part of a "lovely organization".
but countless of times when i needed and asked for help, nobody from the org helped me.
Joe 134_ hate to state the %###** obvious but they ARE a charity!!!
we all know the rate of suicide is high among jw's.
my question is this- was there some subliminal messages that encourage this.
i was a born in and my entire life i would have these thoughts that could come out of nowhere,"kill yourself.
Whilst mental illness of itself would not warrant a disc offence you have to look at the impact of a persons symptomology on their JW life. Think about the pressure to attend every meeting, to face public in field circus when you are barely able to leave the house. You can't just tumble out of bed to a meet you are expected to be suited booted bright eyed and bushy tailed fully participating in every study. Absolutely no allowances are made short of death. If you don't measurement up you could face a potential disciplinary. Also MH is a wild and woolly world especially psychosis. Eternal themes abound, lots of believing to hear from/ be God which will start the good old demonic meddling rumour mill.
So what I'm saying I guess is that the rules of the Jdub club indirectly preclude those with Mental illness so chances are you wouldn't join if you did you wouldn't last long. In a similar vein suicide rate chances are higher rates are among those who have left or want too. The pressure coupled with lack of protective factors would increase the incidence for those in it and happy probably not an issue
if you've been following my posts here, i am physically in and mentally out.
it's so hard because i wish that my family could wake up just as easily as i did.
the other day i had a conversation with a relative regarding whether they have come to terms with their own mortality and they replied that they try not to think about it too much but also said that it's possible that armageddon would even happen long after they are gone, which i thought was a very interesting thought.. maybe it's just me, but i feel like what made me wake up easily was that i've always had little doubts here and there but this was stuff like me being unable to grasp the concept of how one could be anointed and how would you know if you were.
I so relate to what you say I'm 100 per cent born again Christian so 110 per cent out. I left decades ago because it just didn't make sense. My family are still in. My parents are now well into old age and will probably die having spent almost their entire lives in it. I ever between what a total waste of life why can they not see it however if they ever did it would rock their life upside down. I dont know if I could handle waking up at 80 and realising I'd been living a lie.
when you were an active member in the jwland, did you expect to receive any kind of help from a brother/sister, but they did not help you?
when i was in the jwland, i expected and was my belief that any brother/sister will help you in time of need, distress or trouble, because we were part of a "lovely organization".
but countless of times when i needed and asked for help, nobody from the org helped me.
I've noticed its all incredibly conditional so giving lifts to meetings and field service always available. Giving lifts to essential medical appointments not on your nelly. As for money help in home, giving stuff away forget it- if you have anything spare the overfed organization should get it. Also found help will 'melt away' so invariably us have to help. Most selfish bunch I've ever met. By contrast at real Christian church we do stacks community based stuff, provide free meal to families and kids once a month at messy church, free Xmas dinner for those on their own, have seen help to decorate people's flats, house removals. Most national and international charities are church based. JWs are in danger of losing their charity status because they only help other JWs_ what a surprise!
warning - vent ahead....... so, my father (still very much in jw but who has at least had the decency to still keep in contact with me and hubby and to show interest in why we aren't attending and respect where we are at) is in intensive care at a local hospital and is intubated and sedated with some serious health issues.
i'm next of kin so i get all the phone calls from the hospital.. so, the rest of the "family" has cut me off because we are inactive and because the ever-active jw gossip grapevine has rumoured with a sibilant slithy hissy voice: "apossstassssy" is the cause of our inactivity.. whatever.. but now i've had to contact said "family" with the news about my father and what is going on....... so, dad's sisters answer my calls and manage to act and conduct themselves with a degree of decorum.. my sister on the other hand - well, she doesn't deign to answer my calls and texts for most of the day.
i push the issue tonight and insist on speaking to her when my brother-in-law answers the call.
BTW apostate is a meaningless label its simply their way of mentally justifying to themselves what they are doing. Definition wise its actually incorrect don't get hung up on it
warning - vent ahead....... so, my father (still very much in jw but who has at least had the decency to still keep in contact with me and hubby and to show interest in why we aren't attending and respect where we are at) is in intensive care at a local hospital and is intubated and sedated with some serious health issues.
i'm next of kin so i get all the phone calls from the hospital.. so, the rest of the "family" has cut me off because we are inactive and because the ever-active jw gossip grapevine has rumoured with a sibilant slithy hissy voice: "apossstassssy" is the cause of our inactivity.. whatever.. but now i've had to contact said "family" with the news about my father and what is going on....... so, dad's sisters answer my calls and manage to act and conduct themselves with a degree of decorum.. my sister on the other hand - well, she doesn't deign to answer my calls and texts for most of the day.
i push the issue tonight and insist on speaking to her when my brother-in-law answers the call.
Hi unstuck, not sure what part of the world you live in but I deal with this type of thing in my professional life in UK and also had personal experience of similar a couple of years ago for different reasons.
Firstly be a visible presence on the ward, ask DRs and nurses yourself for updates and ensure they and any social workers involved have your details. Make them aware of the issues and stress you want to be involved in any case meetings. In UK you could ask for an advocate for your father to ensure his wishes are heard neutrally on the basis that you are a family in conflict. If your father has any form of dementia or similar the Hosp /social care should be holding a meeting with wider family to support best way forward. To be invited to these they need to be aware of you. Avoid speaking to awkward other relatives, deal directly with your father and medical/social team.
At the end of the day you can't force a person not to shun you. Its a bike doctrine and a bike organization try and protect your own emotions at the moment you have enough on your plate.
i think most witnesses are simple minded.many are ignorant.
there are a lot of basically "good people "in the religion but i believe many are kind of dumb, including many elders.
do you agree with my thoughts??
Just to add uneducated does not necessarily mean ignorant.
Main thing I wanted to say which is really another thread entirely is the recent and I believe very worrying trend in UK for JWs to home educate their kids.
This means children already isolated from most other children and certainly anyone who thinks differently to them will have almost no contact with diversity and normality. They are dependant on their parents usually mums who have very little education. Don't forget a few men may have slipped through the net to get a basic trade but if you are female your destination is baby maker or pioneer. Personally I don't get think home education should be allowed.
i think most witnesses are simple minded.many are ignorant.
there are a lot of basically "good people "in the religion but i believe many are kind of dumb, including many elders.
do you agree with my thoughts??
There is nothing wrong with lack of education that's to do with life chances and can be changed at any age. Many I'll educated people are remarkably spiritual and insightful. The difference with ignorance is that a lot of JWs are also unteachable, smug, arrogant and downright hateful to anyone or anything that sits outside their organizations narrow list of OKs. I bucked the trend I was a born in who did get a degree back 30 yes ago. It showed me that life outside 'the village" was not full of monsters but full of wonderful stuff as well. It wasn't the education that got me out by that stage I was desperate to leave anyway.
Ignorance is telling me what my church is like without ever going there.
Ignorance is telling me what my university was like without ever going there.
Yes people are captive however at some point they made a conscious decision to move from uneducated to ignorant and chose to take on the mantle of the WTS.
