jehovah's witnesses have had to revise their chronology and various doctrinal interpretations due to events and scholarly corrections.
but the one teaching where they have been consistently ahead of the curve is the importance of jehovah's name.. .
i'm going to run through a (necessarily selective) timeline of jw events and scholarly publications that demonstrate the phenomenal success of this teaching in the last days.
"3 non-JW scholars have arrived at the same conclusion"
Slim
So three scholars is your support. That kind of support is even worse than the scientists who believe that climate change is not induced by human activity.
Three out of what... three thousands?, more perhaps
i have also attended spanish congregations.
this has helped me to understand and respect totally different perspectives and narratives on race.
please be respectful during this discussion.
I can't speak for white people because I am not. But certainly Hispanic congregations don't fit the lack of fun and love that are often described here by some posters. The Hispanic JW's are sincere, very friendly and loving. They love music and dancing. They laugh easily. Also, Hispanics are not very good at observing shunning rules either, especially with close relatives. So, to some degree, I confirm the opening comment
So what may be the difference between white and non-white. White seems more cold and rational, non-white seems more warm and emotional. Where do I fit?: the cold and rational, but brown.
is it possible to keep a somewhat relationship with your family if they are witnesses and have a "worldly" girlfriend?
i just posted a post, and found this site to be very helpful.
sorry to repost but my other thread brought up some other questions.
Let me go on a limb here. If you two are young and had had a sexual relationship, then you have to be cautious about him. Men at a young age, especially men who have been in sexually repressive cults, could say anything to get laid. So he is fooling himself and you if he claims that he doesn't believe in the religion, but knows nothing bad about it in extensive detail as most of us here do. In this case, when the "honey moon is over" he will revert to the cult mode.
The only way you can be sure that he is out of the religion is if you confirm that he has read the most important anti-JW books (at least three or four) and can tell you everything bad about the religion. You will get this confirmation when you can see that he is genuinely very upset, possibly enraged by his newly acquired knowledge. Then and only then will I start believing he is mentally out.
is it possible to keep a somewhat relationship with your family if they are witnesses and have a "worldly" girlfriend?
i just posted a post, and found this site to be very helpful.
sorry to repost but my other thread brought up some other questions.
How about you see the cult first hand. Do some preliminary research, propose to your boyfriend to accompany him, attend that convention. See with your own eyes how it works. Watch the manipulative soap operas they use to control the sheep through guilt trips at every turn. You may even like it, or maybe not.
If your boyfriend refuses to take you to the convention, then that could mean he is embarrassed by the religion or he actually is hiding that he is still mentally in. Either way, knowing all the facts about your "enemy" will help you deal with it in the best possible way. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Determine where you boyfriend is, with you or with them? Sorry to put it so harshly, but that's how cult members are. It's all black and white. We versus them. Either with Satan or with God. No gray areas.
i have been dating my boyfriend for almost a year now.
when i met him i had no idea that he was a jehovah witness.
we took a vacation and he lied to his parents about who he was with, and they ended up finding out not only that he way lying, but who i was.
Just for emphasis I have to repeat what's been said before.
Before you allow any hopes of a good lasting relationship, make sure that your boyfriend is in solid grounds. This means that he is 100%, absolutely and unquestionably out of the cult, physically and mentally. You and he must learn everything that is bad about this religion. There's mountains of information out there. Just type the word(s) and you will be overwhelmed.
i have been dating my boyfriend for almost a year now.
when i met him i had no idea that he was a jehovah witness.
we took a vacation and he lied to his parents about who he was with, and they ended up finding out not only that he way lying, but who i was.
Go very slow, you are stepping into cult territory. If you are an open minded person, you will be shocked how powerful and harmful cults can be. You will get plenty of warning and advice soon. Just take it very slow. No marriage, no pregnancies, no legal contracts yet.
the second half of 1 corinthians 7:39 reads "...she is free to be married to whomever she wants, only in the lord.".
so we all know that scripture for being doctrine for witnesses when they select a marriage mate and how they are strictly encouraged to marry amongst themselves and look down upon or marked if they marry an outsider.
i have a friend who met a worldly man and when it came to light, her father gave her the option to end the relationship or to marry him, and she chose the latter.
my wife has been there. A month before we married a speaker was called to give a speech especially for her, about marrying in the Lord. She was called during the speech a "stained" in the congregation.
Fast forward 23 years later. She is happily married, well provided for, house paid off, secured retirement, two exemplary children going to university, while most of her cousins who married in the lord around the same time are divorced with children switching between mom and dad, no studies beyond high school anywhere, living in rental housing.
I know I sound like I am bragging. But it's all true
well i have to give credit where credit is due.
it was the part of today's symposium - build a house that will endure.
the part i was most impressed with was 'safeguard your children from "what is evil".
"It is entitled Letter from Watchtower Australia to All Bodies of Elders regarding Protecting Minors From Abuse"
If the Watchtower cared one iota about children over money, they would implement the same policies and send the same letter to all countries, not just Australia. But the Watchtower will do everything to protect money over everything else.
well i have to give credit where credit is due.
it was the part of today's symposium - build a house that will endure.
the part i was most impressed with was 'safeguard your children from "what is evil".
"Credit where credit is due" Really?
Even if they get rid of the two witness rule, there's no credit there. They would do it under pressure, after a calculated analysis of losses and gains.
Giving credit for that talk is like giving credit to the serial killer for swerving his car to avoid hitting a dog on the road for fear of damaging the bumper of his own car. That's the purpose of the Watchtower, save face to minimize financial losses. No sense of justice or care for anything else.
i have my meeting tomorrow and i dont know if i should act like im having a good time or not.. from akid48 .
read my last post i made to know whats going on in my life.
Make friends at school. Participate in clubs, sports. Be a straight A student. Show great interest in healthy non-JW activities. This can be both, your cover and your way out. JW's will be disappointed at you, but not enough to shun you. Also, these tactics will prepare you for the next stage of your life when you are out of the JW control. And lastly, it will be a lot more fun. Besides, not all JW's discourage secular learning. My own JW brother has pushed his own children to pursue higher education so they can be self sufficient as adults.
Be a bit rebellious, be a spiritually weak JW, but a great human. JW's are not that stupid. They just feel forced to go along with the leadership and feel obligated to repeat the religious dogma spewed at conventions and kingdom halls..
