i was thinking about this question recently after being at the meeting when new pioneers were announced for the 2013 service year.. we have a dozen or so pioneers in the congregation, and most are in their 20's.
some absolutely love the things they are taught and can't wait to spread the good news.. others in the congregation are going through the motions, tired of hearing the same old same old but have no way to change things now.
then there are a couple like me.
I look at the publishers in my cong and want to weep - they are so completely under control.
I was talking about this yesterday with someone. I'm so thankful for everyone here; JWN was the push I needed. Had to be very open-minded. I woke up this summer at age 19.
the book of daniel was almost certainly written in the 2nd century bce, probably based on some historical accounts mixed with jewish folklore.
with that in mind, and given that there isn't any evidence that nebuchadnezzar went insane for seven 'times', is there any other period from which the reference to "seven times" at daniel 4:13-17 may be derived?.
i continued beholding in the visions of my head upon my bed, and, look!
I agree with you and was referring to the Watchtower's way of interpreting scriptures, but none of that matters to me because I don't believe in the Bible. The epic of gilgamesh comes to mind.
the book of daniel was almost certainly written in the 2nd century bce, probably based on some historical accounts mixed with jewish folklore.
with that in mind, and given that there isn't any evidence that nebuchadnezzar went insane for seven 'times', is there any other period from which the reference to "seven times" at daniel 4:13-17 may be derived?.
i continued beholding in the visions of my head upon my bed, and, look!
She did not mean to insult you, IMO. I thought your interpretation was very WT-like too, but I'm not insinuating you still think like a JW. I don't believe in 'sola scriptura'.
I appreciate Leolaia because of the time and effort she puts into her posts, and for free.
my elder buddy and i would frequent strip clubs when we wanted to.. a few friends knew i enjoyed clubbing and music concerts and i seldom ever spoke of my private social life to others.. i know many jws, including elders, that drank excessively but that wasn't considered too big a deal..
Damn... did all of this happen before or after learning TTATT? The only bad things I remember doing are lying on my time slip (I would forget to write down my hours, and never thought it was scriptural or stealing from Jehovah) and going to college (still going). I'm still a good person and have never been to any bar or strip club. I do admit to drinking wine, (I'm still underage) but only for the health benefits and I've never gotten nor will ever get drunk. R-rated movies? Very seldomly, and only if it was just violence with limited or no sexual content. Nothing satanic because I didn't want demunz bothering me at night.
My learning TTATT and disbelief in the Bible have not given me a license to do whatever I want. But who knows, maybe later the dark side will appeal to me. I heard they have cookies.
when i was having doubts about being a jehovah's witness, i was terrified to talk about them to anyone.
i knew that having a different opinion than the watchtower was 'wrong'.. i wrote about my experience here - http://www.jehovahswitnessblog.com/real-life-experiences/fear-discussing-doubts/.
please share your experiences too!.
My new friends can't understand the dynamics of the JW family and the conditional love. I can say things but they don't understand the fear associated with having an opinion. The fear of shunning is a concept that others cannot understand especially when it involves parents and children. They don't think it actually happens and try to downplay the possibility that one can lose their family forever over having differing religious perspectives.
Joyfulfader- yes! Exactly the same replies I get from my new friends. I had to show them WT magazines (study editions) to prove that I wasn't making things up, and one of them wanted to cry. I even got offered a place to stay in case I get kicked out.
I used the WT magazines that refer to us [people who no longer agree with the religion] as "mentally diseased", the one where there's a picture of parents crying because their son is leaving "the truth", the one describing the cruel shunning of a boy? who was DF'd for 10 years, the ones talking bad about higher education, and the Selma one.
I think I did a fairly good job of vaccinating them from the cancer.
Printed out pics of WT. articles showing the horror of Armageddon for all who didn't live up to the standards of being a JW.
Leslie- I also showed them pics of Armageddon and told them about the JW belief that only they will survive. The new deceptive FAQs on jw.org also helped prove my point. Most of my friends are Catholics and they weren't too fond of the Revelation—It's Grand Climax! book.
just ran upon this info:.
candace conti beats the watchtower society!submitted by teeny on august 27, 2012 - 9:22 pm .
http://www.jehovahswitnessblog.com/jw-lawsuits/candace-conti-beats-the-watchtower-society/?fb_action_ids=348543075229733&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_source=aggregation&fb_aggregation_id=246965925417366.
This made my day!
i am spending time with family, but the real thrill for me this weekend is that college football starts..
Panhandlegirl- I sent you a PM.
i am spending time with family, but the real thrill for me this weekend is that college football starts..
I spent the weekend pounding the books. School started for me two weeks ago.
i know some of the fuss about the newly revamped jw.org has died down, but i wanted to write a blog article by way of a "review" all the same.
i felt it was important to highlight the dishonesty and evasiveness of the information on the new website, particularly in the "faqs" section.
hopefully, if people decide to research "jw.org" on google, eventually my article might rise to the top and give people a more balanced perspective.. here is the link.... http://jwsurvey.org/cedars-blog/the-new-jw-org-watchtowers-attempt-to-tame-the-internet.
A video emphasizing the relief work that was launched to help Witnesses who were effected by the Japanese tsunami.
It should be "affected".
Anyway, thank you so much for your article! My new friends at school (most of them Catholic) have a hard time believing what I tell them about JWs beliefs, especially shunning. I tell them it's like being excommunicated, but the difference is that you can no longer have ties with any member. I'm looking for the April Watchtower right now. They told me that even if someone were excommunicated from the Catholic church, you can still talk to him/her. What a stark contrast!
I want to show them how deceitful the WT$ is in their FAQs, should they ever look at them.
They're in for a surprise when I show them the Revelation book.
Prevention is the best cure!
Edit- I found the April WT and the one with Selma and Steve! Too bad I don't have the one were they call us "mentally diseased". I was in when I read it and thought it was silly because mental illness isn't contagious.
why not to forsake your christian heritage.
there is a large percentage of former jehovahs witnesses who came from evangelical or pentecostal backgrounds, before joining the witnesses.
for those who consider that a bad experience, i always suggest ending its control over your life, and take a vacation from religion.
If I were to join a church it would be for the sense of community.
