for me it was the belief that all people who refuse to become jws are intrinsically bad.
if someone doesn't accept the "truth", naturally it's because "satan-the-devil" has hardened their hearts.
when you're a dub, you tend to ignore the ramifications of this.
That they are "God's Org" and they are the only true belief, and of course that goes right habd in habd with your statement. Funny how they didn't knnow they were chosen as his FDS until about 6 years after they were chosen, if h e had been in contact withthem as they always claim, youu would think they would have known right away. Oh but I imagine, maybe, Jesus and Jehovah didn't have their phonelines set up yet, and it took 6 years for AT&T to get the connection to heaven set up.
Seedy
years ago my husband and i were publicly reproved.
we had gone out with some "worldly friends" from work and went dancing and had a few drinks too many.
well someone must have been around to see us and told the elders.
I was never publically reproved, I really don't recall ever being talked to by the elders except for when I started drifting away, they would show up and make it a point to invite me back to the meetings and the whole speal. They finally just DF'd me quite a few years later, after I had not even attended a meeting in over 4 years. But that I really think was on insistence of my then exwife so she could get remarried. My exwife however had been Publically reproved, DF'd 4 times, and privitly reproved many other times
Seedy
having left 18 months ago .
i still feel a spiritual need in the way that i do beleive there is a creator and after having done a lot of research on bible arecheaology i beleive the bible is correct.
however we have been taught so much dogma amongst christianity have any of you got to the point yet of going to any other religious meeting.
When I met my wife, I had not been to a church or KH in many years, She is not a real religious person, but still has a strong beleif in God, and so feel it important to go to church on special holidays, so I have been to a few at times, but just to make her happy. She has not really pushed the issue in a few years now, but I know if we go back to visit her family in PA again I will be told I have to go to an Assembly of God church at least once while I'm there.
I have been to a few Pagan circles, and met with a few pagans and did some rituals, but inthe end I found it had too much "God/Goddess in it for me, I follow more of a pantiestic viewpoint and so therefore have no beleif in any personage of a god/dess.
Seedy
"the bible is the inspired word of god.
"holy spirit came upon men who then wrote the various books that make up the bible.
what was the criteria for determining if a given piece of writing, such as the books matthew, mark, luke, john and acts, or letters, such as the ones written by paul, were inspired?
Irenious and Paypheus had the most influence on what should and should not be in the bible, Eusebus also had an input, being he was the Church Historian, but during the council of Nicea, Constintine, contrary to popular beleif did not follow the trinitarian way until the council had got under way. See he was influenced much by Eusebus who was not originally a trinitarian, but to save face he switched sides to save influence and his power in the church. after this time he (Constintien) became more influenced by Irenious who was a trinitarian. It was said that just prior to his death, Constintine switched back to the arian view.
Seedy
i was speaking with my neighbor who is from guam...she was telling stories about dwindies and tontamoanies...i'm sure i've spelled that wrong...anyone got any good stories about the little people and the spirits?
she and her whole family believe in this stuff throughly.
even the one fromer jw family member does...interesting stuff.
Yerusalym,
I have really not made up my mind about the Deundes, I hear stories about them, and there is a lot of fear of parents for their young children because of them. Many Catholic parents will not take their children out at night, until they have been Christened in the church, but as I mentioned I have not seen them nor have I heard anyone I know that has, they only have related stories of others they know, sort of a friend of a friend story.
The taotaomunas, do at times befriend people, not necessarally just elderly, my 14 yo son had one as a protector, my wife chewed him out one time and woke up late that night to see the form of a man standing in our bedroom doorway, that looked like the description that he gave us for his taotaomuna. She took that sighting as a message that the spirit didn't agree with her actions during the day in dealing with my son. I also have a woman that works for me that has one that follows her almost everywhere. Some of the spirits can seem to move around freely from village to village, but most seem to only travel with in the village areas, and if you leave the village they cannot follow.
Yes large rock out croppings is also another place that they are said to inhabit, during road construction if a huge rock has to be moved, many locals will not touch it and have to get someone else to do it. There are some roads that are rerouted around the banyon trees or rock outcrops to avoid disturbing them out of respect of the taotaomunas. It's strange to see a small road split to avoid a tree.
Seedy
when people hear the name jehovah, they automatically think jehovah witnesses.
i know that in old catholic bibles, the word jehovah might be found or jahweh.
is it the jw's who came out with that name first or did other religions use it before the jw's?
I think the JDubs feel they have the market on the name but it is not really so, the Mormans, Iglesia ni Christos, and many smaller sects/cults use it on a fairly regular basis, many mainstream religions know of it and use it sparingly, however the JW's almost take to an abuse of the name.
Seedy
my inactive jw hubby said he thought that babies/children too young to choose their beliefs would be brought back after armageddon in the jw belief system.
i have read the opposite on this board.
my husband hasn't been to a meeting in quite awhile and i don't think he paid too much attention when he was there ... lol ... so i thought i'd ask.
My understanding from my Mother and Father, that the babies would not come back or survive. Thier reasoning was there would be too many to take care of. The same seemed to be their beliefs on infant deaths of non-beleivers as well, who's parents died at armegeddon. If that was an opnion or WT doctrine I do not know.
Seedy
our winter this year has been very strange.
it was very warm originally, then lots of snow... we had a really nice spell here, and now wham!
we're right in the middle of winter hell in the mountains, lol!
It has been tough here, the temps have been dropping into the mid 70's f and only reaching the mid 80's f during the day
i was wondering if anyone can relate to the following: i was led to seriously doubt the jw organization and the uniqueness/infallibility of the bible upon learning that many of the beliefs and doctrines of the judeo-christian tradition were predated by a persian religion by the name of zoroastrianism.
for example, according to many if not most scholars, the concepts of monotheism (one god), satan, angels, resurrection, baptism, paradise on earth or in heaven, etcetera..., weren't clearly mentioned/emphasized in the hebrew scriptures or espoused by the israelites until after they were exiled in babylon - circa 6th century b.c.
one example i would like to cite, which many a witness can probably relate to, is that no clear mention of a resurrection/afterlife is made in the hebrew scriptures, i.e., we all end up in sheol (non-existence).
Many of the beliefs of the Judeo/Christians hod are yes based in Zorastorian beleifs. But they do not really stop there. Much of the early hebrew beleifs are based in Canaanite and Egyption religions even the name of the Almighty of the hebrews is Canaanite, some of the ideals of law and such, like the 10 commandments are egyption. One of the sections of Psalms in fact are a direct copy from a poem/song that Achanaten (spelling??) wrote and has been found in egyption tombs and writings much older then the hebrew writings. The largest effect that Zoroaster had on the hebrew belief was two items, a single almighty and a savour, as well as a god of evil (devil), prior to that time satan was not really a god of evil, he was more an agent of God to test mankind.
Christians also have many of their beliefs that are based in other early religions as well such as Baccus/Mithras (not to be confused with Mithra) Baal ect.
Seedy
i was wondering if anyone has seen any kind of data related to the highest educational levels attained by jws... don't they ask for religion and education on the census?
i seem to remember my mom mentioning something about a study awhile back that listed the percentage of each religion's followers that had college degrees - only at the time, we were looking for info on a different religion, so i didn't take note of the jw level.
anyone have any ideas?.
Someone had posted some info or a link or something on this board about the education status of religions, and the JW's were close to the bottom if not on the bottom of the list. It broke it down too in different ways. I'll try to find it, I'm sure it was on this board I saw it a while back.
Seedy
