jwundubbed , sorry l only just saw this . I am sure that all of us hope that us sharing our experiences have helped you to have a better understanding of how to reach out to anyone who suffers the loss of a child , of any age .
Jan
my father married b when both her children and his children were grown adults.
b had two children, a son d and a daughter m. my sister db, my brother rh, and myself got along well with m but not at all with d, who was a very christian person but not a jw.
my siblings and i do not have much to do with our stepmother though we are civil and we don't have any hard feelings between us.
jwundubbed , sorry l only just saw this . I am sure that all of us hope that us sharing our experiences have helped you to have a better understanding of how to reach out to anyone who suffers the loss of a child , of any age .
Jan
i think back on the 30+ years of bs as well as my fading almost a decade and even now being low key in person to hopefully save my nieces from the wt.
i'm a wreck in some ways.
i'm other days i'm stable however when it comes to theism i depart quickly and with anger!
Blues , though I'm a never JW because of being on here l do know quite a lot about the real WT stuff that the average person doesn't know.
I have used that knowledge when chatting to JWs on the doorstep but it has never helped. One incident that really sticks out is when l talked about 1975 . I pointed out to the lady that the time had come and gone without anything happening . I then quoted the verse about false prophets and how the Lord didn't look kindly on them . Hence the WT was a false prophet and not in God's favour .
She literary ran from my door in tears . She just couldn't cope mentally with that accusation. She must have realised that it was correct but couldn't admit it.
I found out a few days later that she had shared the encounter with some other JW ladies , one of whom l chatted to at the school gates. She wasn't at all pleased with me and as far as l know it made no difference whatever, l just felt awful .
Jan
jehovah's witnesses used to state other christian denominations go to war and in fact that their religious leaders bless such wars.
they see this as one reason why all other christian denominations are not true christians since they kill one another at war and therefore they don't love one another as stated by jesus in john 13: 34,35.. for example when a roman catholic go to war, he/she is bound to kill a fellow roman catholic in the cause of the war.
therefore roman catholic can't be true christians since its member don't love one another and kill one another at war and as such god cannot be in support of such wars where his worshippers kill one another.. the question that comes for consideration is, has jehovah ever supported wars between his own worshippers?.
The post above is part of a commentary by Matthew Henry who has commented on all of the Bible
It gives a different side of the debate . All of the tribes knew about the meeting but Benjamin seemed to decide not to attend . This would at least suggest that they were protecting the guilty parties .
Also because it's not good to take a few verses out of context l read ch 19 . The Benjaminites did not offer hospitality to the Levite, verse 18 . Only one old man offered to take him and his party in for the night. That was considered a real not sin exactly but totally against all Eastern etiquette .
Jan
jehovah's witnesses used to state other christian denominations go to war and in fact that their religious leaders bless such wars.
they see this as one reason why all other christian denominations are not true christians since they kill one another at war and therefore they don't love one another as stated by jesus in john 13: 34,35.. for example when a roman catholic go to war, he/she is bound to kill a fellow roman catholic in the cause of the war.
therefore roman catholic can't be true christians since its member don't love one another and kill one another at war and as such god cannot be in support of such wars where his worshippers kill one another.. the question that comes for consideration is, has jehovah ever supported wars between his own worshippers?.
if it is a non-jw who did this as a result of their pandemic campaign (letter-writing and telephone calls), jehovah’s witnesses really need to check themselves.
they have been directed by their new york headquarters (since last year shortly after the start of the pandemic) to send letters to only people they know.
people don’t like receiving unwanted, unrequested, unsolicited letters and phone calls, especially from jehovah’s witnesses.. if it is a former member who received a letter as a result letter-writing pandemic campaign- most former members do not like being harassed by active jehovah’s witnesses and have been directed by their new york headquarters to send letters to and call only people they know.. .
If they have been told to only write to people they know then I'm not sure that they are sticking to that. I do know a few JWs but not the lady who wrote to me . That isn't their normal style is it ? The family who live 3 doors down from me are Witnesses but they nor any other of the local JWs canvas this area when they are door knocking. They seem to deliberately target areas where they don't live . I suppose because it would be awkward to live cheek by jowel with someone who has told you to " go forth and multiply " . Or worse living close by someone who has managed to put doubts into your mind . The elders wouldn't like that would they ?
Jan
i think back on the 30+ years of bs as well as my fading almost a decade and even now being low key in person to hopefully save my nieces from the wt.
i'm a wreck in some ways.
i'm other days i'm stable however when it comes to theism i depart quickly and with anger!
Great minds , Shot , great minds .
Jan
i think back on the 30+ years of bs as well as my fading almost a decade and even now being low key in person to hopefully save my nieces from the wt.
i'm a wreck in some ways.
i'm other days i'm stable however when it comes to theism i depart quickly and with anger!
I think that PeacefulPete's post on his thread " Sound familiar " supports some of what l was saying .
Jan
i think back on the 30+ years of bs as well as my fading almost a decade and even now being low key in person to hopefully save my nieces from the wt.
i'm a wreck in some ways.
i'm other days i'm stable however when it comes to theism i depart quickly and with anger!
Yes , l did read the title but honestly if you see ' don't read this ' don't you just have to ? : )
You are right that l do not belong to a high control group and if l choose to not go to church on Sunday l ain't in trouble . I am free to choose my level of involvement . Many Anglicans are hatchers , matchers and dispatchers , attending only christenings , weddings and funerals .
I take your point about the high control groups but l would say that having control over other people isn't something unique to religious groups . Communism and Fascism are political ideologies that are based on control .
The desire for power by control is a human condition . Even in a workplace situation bosses will feel " good " if they have complete control over their underlings.
In schools there are teachers who like the feeling of total control over their pupils .
Some see control as a necessity for the greater good , as in Communism , or just feel better about themselves as individuals if they can instill fear in others.
Control by one human being over another isn't love and l agree it has no place in Christianity but unfortunately human beings are faulty and don't act as they should , in all areas of life .
Jan
i think back on the 30+ years of bs as well as my fading almost a decade and even now being low key in person to hopefully save my nieces from the wt.
i'm a wreck in some ways.
i'm other days i'm stable however when it comes to theism i depart quickly and with anger!
I agree with dubstepped you do need to get some help with your anger issues . Holding onto all that rage can't be good for you mentally or physically.
Jan
i think back on the 30+ years of bs as well as my fading almost a decade and even now being low key in person to hopefully save my nieces from the wt.
i'm a wreck in some ways.
i'm other days i'm stable however when it comes to theism i depart quickly and with anger!
I am a theist , not a JW , and l have tried to talk to JWs . They DON'T listen , l get the cover my ears and sing la la la reaction . You know that anyone who is not a JW is viewed with suspicion .
Also not all faith groups are the same but you aren't listening to that are you ?
Sorry to be so blunt , it's not my usual style , but you said that you wished that someone had been blunt with you years ago . I don't think that it would have worked , would it ?
Jan