“i still can not find any other option that comes as close to all the bible as jws do.”-- from the profile of formerbrother.. this is lengthy, but it should help you, formerbrother.
the problem is not in your search for this "option" but that you are searching according the criteria set out by the jehovah’s witnesses (and likely following the reasoning set out by their claims).. before proceeding, understand clearly (as there will always be someone reading this that will skip this point that i make) that i am not writing to advance any particular religious view.
though raised and baptized as a jehovah’s witness in my late teen years, i am jewish.
I believe that the early Christians started to put Jesus' teaching in writing because people had started to pervert that teaching ( such as Gnostics ) .
To counter that they probably felt it important to get the core teaching and beliefs of the church down on paper. Then when all those who had actually been with Jesus had died their testimonies couldn't be subverted.
Jan from Tam
let's start the ball rolling with two connected claims.. the religion of jehovah’s witnesses is the one true religion.
all other religions are satanic, including all the churches of christendom..
Magnum, how do you feel people can be qualified to preach ?
It's to your credit that you wanted to use the Bible in your preaching , however during my door step conversations with JW l found that they only knew the parts of the Bible that they had been directed to by the GB .
I understand that JWs are discouraged from reading and studying the Bible by themselves. Maybe to stop them from realising that many of the verses used to back up the teaching had been cherry picked and taken out of context.
I wonder if you had gone rogue and started using Scripture when talking to people you may have been surprised by the conversation.
Saying that , most people are pretty ignorant of Scripture but maybe there is always the danger ( in the GB's minds ) of a brother or sister talking to someone who actually does know Scripture.
Jan from Tam
how often do you hear the lord's prayer at the meetings or in jw homes?.
i don't know if they revised their stance with the new leaders in america, but i don't recall it having much weight when i were a wee'un.. i think the nwt said, 'pray then, this way....'.
so, jesus gave instructions on how to pray, as in actual words to say.......so the jws don't?
Hi Punky , nice to have you back .
Also we are taught to pray
" give us this day our daily bread "
Obviously not the Lord's job anymore , the GB have taken over that role because they do it much better.
Jan from Tam
https://jwtalk.net/topic/60143-sighjust-another-lesson-in-humility-for-tim.
if you can stomach reading this brother's experience via this link, please let me know your views.
for one thing, i'm absolutely dumbfounded that this website jwtalk even exists considering all the warnings the governing body have given the org on not creating their own websites.
Well to play devil's advocate here it is unwise to get into the middle of a marital dispute without knowing all the facts . These things can end up coming back and biting you . The point about ultimately being responsible for the outcome is valid .
However l am really not sure about automatically sending someone off to talk to Elders . How qualified are they in giving marital advice, especially knowing how they misinterpret Scripture.
I would have thought that if the situation between husband and wife was that bad then marriage counselling was appropriate. That's never going to happen though because a Witness would never talk to a " worldly " person about marriage, or anything else.
Jan from Tam
i swear, you can't make this shit up!
for years and years growing up in this cult, i had to constantly hear from my parents, from the stage, in the literature, about "keeping your eye simple", not being "materialistic", not "having a showy display of one's wealth.
" of course, this never seemed to apply to the wealthy business owning elduhzzzz who ran and lorded it out over the congregations, but i digress.
They have a woman on the GB ?
Jan from Tam
https://youtu.be/ro6q_osgkns?si=hyxualluhruwvjnb.
—colossians 1:15 from the nwt says it plain as day: “he is the image of the invisible god, the firstborn of all creation.” that’s not vague; it’s got a punch.
“firstborn” and “creation” sit side by side, and in greek, that second word is “ktisis,” which means the physical stuff—trees, stars, you name it.
Journeyman you make some good points . Yes many Christians do try to score points and win arguments. I probably did when l was younger, especially when talking to JWs . Usually if they came to my door to convert me , so to some extent they did invite debate. However just trading points is unproductive.
I have often wondered if it's fair to try and talk JWs out of the Truth as it often means losing family and friends and if they are older having their whole life's foundation shattered .
Then you read on here if how unhappy many are , how alcohol and antidepressants are common props and suicide is not uncommon .
To be honest I came on here to learn more about WT teaching and how to engage with Witnesses. However what l have learnt about people in general is that they have to want to listen and be receptive to new ways of thinking .
So Raymond Franz is not a Trinitarian? For some reason l just assumed that he is 🤷♀️.
I am reading a book about Christian Apologetics by Alister McGrath ( not a page turner l must admit ) . In it he states that the art of Apologetics is NOT about winning arguments.
Jan from Tam
https://youtu.be/ro6q_osgkns?si=hyxualluhruwvjnb.
—colossians 1:15 from the nwt says it plain as day: “he is the image of the invisible god, the firstborn of all creation.” that’s not vague; it’s got a punch.
“firstborn” and “creation” sit side by side, and in greek, that second word is “ktisis,” which means the physical stuff—trees, stars, you name it.
John seems in no doubt about Jesus .
Verses 1- 5
" In the beginning was the Word , and the Word was with God and the Word was God . He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made ; without him nothing was made that has been made . In him was life , and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it "
Verse 14
" The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us . We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son , who came from the Father , full of grace and truth . "
I understand that the WT inserts the Word ' other ' into the first part in order to change the meaning .
Jan from Tam
i know most people here are totally out and that’s fine.. many these days are staying physically in for the social life and that is also fine.. i feel being fully mentally in is dangerous as it could be such a shock mentally if or should i say when the tower collapsed.. im sitting in the fence like so many others here.
mentally agnostic if god exists or not and if the bible is his word.. when i talk to people who are physically and mentally still in i can tell that they so need it to be true.
i’m worried for them when they wake up to the fact that they have been lied to 1914 wasn’t true 1975 wasn’t true 1999 wasn’t true and now here we are 2025 it’s all not true.
KerryKing what Christian religions are you familiar with ? So often on here l read descriptions of religion that l just don't recognise.
In order to love your neighbour as you love yourself firstly you have to love yourself . My religion tells me to be kind , to take care of the widows and orphans , to strive for justice and peace .
Which is just as it should be.
Jan from Tam
to dig deep into what has taken place in ukraine both pro and con.
i tasked a.i.
with a pro vs con proposition.
Blotty, why only over half ?
Jan from Tam
https://youtu.be/qzpj3kzgidi?si=x1xazpqmed1zq5h2.
ah, yes, another shining example of the watchtower’s *unmatched* commitment to rational thought.
forget logic, science, or even basic common sense—just blame that suspiciously cursed handbag for all your troubles!
NotFormer so like the people in the parables the Christian man / woman are not actually real people. They are being used to illustrate a principal or to explain how something works .
So the the WT really thinks that people need to be warned about the dangers of buying second hand handbags?
Jan from Tam
