This is my own experience so I'll share it in that it might help others. This may not work for others but it seems to be working for me.
A little background...I'm happily married and 3 years ago I was an elder and my wife was a pioneer, we have 3 kids. 3 years ago after a year of being "mentally out" after much research I confessed to this and then I faded.
We are still happy and my wife accepted it.
Over the last 3 years we have had little discussions on it as it can cause tension but in the little conversations we have had I have drip fed little bits of info. That, it seems, came to fruition just recently.
I'm a logically person...I see things a lot in black and white which can be good and bad. 1 + 1 = 2 and that's it thus this logically approach helped me deconstruct in my brain that the GB are not being directed by God and once I clocked that then the whole belief system they propose came tumbling down.
The key for me was to prove that the GB can be in no way appointed to represent God and that is easy what with jwfacts.com, Cedars Blog and especially Don Cameron's excellent book Captives to a Concept.
But to help my wife realize this is not so easy, you can't force logical points down someones throat and make them see that the GB cannot be in God's hands.
So here is the logic I used. My wife is not overly smart intellectually but not dumb either, she is not overly logical but is not overly emotional and just this week she grasped this point and this is the point I want to share that may help others.
When the GB release a directive/prophecy/explanation/counsel either one of two things must be true. That God is the author of it or he allows the GB to suggest it and if it needs correcting Jehovah will do so.
If the first point is true, that Jehovah is the author of all the points the GB release and that the GB are simply mouthpieces then why has their been a lot of things that need revising or have been wrong? God is a god of truth not of falsehood and nowhere in the bible does God teach a wrong teaching and then correct it later when he is the author.
If this point is considered true then I want nothing to do with that God. We understand God may progressively reveal things but never ever would He get things wrong and then correct it.
If the second point is true and God allows the GB to suggest things and then God later corrects it if it is wrong then why did it take God 12 years to correct the disfellowshipping of Organ Transplants (banned in 1969...allowed in 1981) when that 12 years of wrong teaching cost lives? Ditto for blood fractions which only were allowed in the early 2000's. If this point is true and this is the way the GB works, that they suggest what Jehovah means and if they need correcting He will then how can the GB ever ask us to be 100% loyal to them and do what the 15th of November 2013 Watchtower asks us to do and I quote: "All of us must be ready to obey any instructions we may receive, whether these appear sound from a strategic or human standpoint or not."
The GB cannot ask that if they are getting things wrong and Jehovah needs to correct them. If this point is considered true then in reality we are following men and the bible warns to not put your trust in princes or the son of man (Psalms 146:3).
So either God is the author and is teaching us wrong things and then corrects it or the men teach wrong things and Jehovah corrects it. Either way...I cannot trust my life with either of those options.
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As I say my still-in wife has started to doubt, she mentioned the above point is grating on her mind to the point she is questioning it. Whilst very exciting for me I thought that I would share that this simple two-fold scenario points out that in no way can anyone follow or trust what the GB say.
I'm open to comments and suggestions.
notsurewheretogo
JoinedPosts by notsurewheretogo
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17
My Experience In Getting A Loved One Out
by notsurewheretogo inthis is my own experience so i'll share it in that it might help others.
this may not work for others but it seems to be working for me.. .
a little background...i'm happily married and 3 years ago i was an elder and my wife was a pioneer, we have 3 kids.
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notsurewheretogo
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37
"It's the intent that counts and not the result."
by donny in"it's the intent that counts not the result.".
i have been out of the jw organization for some 22 years now and i sometimes get a reminding jolt out the hoops that some will jump through to make their religion make sense to them.
the first line in this post is what a jw on the street here in salinas told me on saturday when trying to justify the society's history of false prophecies.
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notsurewheretogo
In Don Cameron's book Captives to a Concept he points to a section in the Proclaimers book that talks about why Jesus selected the little group of anointed followers back in 1919.
The Proclaimers books admits that other religions were doing the same as Russell in leaving the Church doctrines behind etc and some were even more highly motivated that the then JW's but the point Don Cameron makes in his book is the society says in the Proclaimers book that INTENT or MOTIVATION doesn't count...it's accurate knowledge that is more important and it is that what Jesus took into consideration when selecting the dubs in 1919.
So the JW on this stand is wrong, the societies view is INTENT counts as diddly squat, it is accurate knowledge that is important.
And hey-ho that is where donny wins this conversation.
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notsurewheretogo
I wonder if we in Scotland would get a zone visit would our kilts be too tight? Or my sporran? And I'm certainly not wearing any "spanx" under it that's for sure! :)
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18
WHAT TOMO III ACTUALLY SAID!!
by DATA-DOG infirst off, i am so happy that " tomo iii" is catching.
i dont know who said it first, but it's awesome.. i want to see him at a rc and say, " yo!!
tomo!!
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notsurewheretogo
TOMO III rules! He will single-handedly bring down this cult or cause a massive shakeup by getting booted out and being classes as the evil slave class...he is so power mad and looney it is so fun to watch!
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36
"Jehovah's spirit is being blocked in the congregation"
by stuckinarut2 inso, how many times have we heard this expression (or a variation of it):.
"jehovah's spirit seems to be blocked here in the congregation...perhaps he is bringing something to light...etc".
it seems that the org often uses this expression, and links it with the "fact" that god wont bless a cong as much,(or at all) if there is "stuff" or "sins" being carried out.. so, why is it then that the cong i am in is experiencing its best years of activity in all aspects?
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notsurewheretogo
I was an active elder for a few years whilst out mentally and was getting drunk, gambling etc and yet I carried on for a while as an elder...Holy Spirit never removed me and no-one knew a thing...cong was doing well...that to me was further proof it's all pie in the sky!
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443
Zone Visit: An Announcement That Will "Test Your Faith"
by breakfast of champions inthis is the scuttlebutt in one of the "bethel congregations" by us.. no details as to exactly what this "faith-testing" announcement might be.. anyone else hear any of this pre-zone visit hype?.
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notsurewheretogo
Reintroduction of temple prostitutes?
Hands up how many are thinking about going back now....
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443
Zone Visit: An Announcement That Will "Test Your Faith"
by breakfast of champions inthis is the scuttlebutt in one of the "bethel congregations" by us.. no details as to exactly what this "faith-testing" announcement might be.. anyone else hear any of this pre-zone visit hype?.
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More pyramid nonsense
by FadeToBlack injoseph t. "judge" rutherford, a leader of the early jehovah's witness movement, was determined to put an end to the "christian pyramidology" espoused by his predecessor, charles taze russell.. rutherford wrote a two-part articleappearing in the november 15 and december 1, 1928 editions of the watch towertitled, "the altar in egypt," wherein he declared:.
it is certain that the pyramid of gizeh was not built by jehovah god; nor was it built at his command.
it is more reasonable to conclude that the great pyramid of gizeh, as well as the other pyramids thereabout, also the sphinx, were built by the rulers of egypt and under the direction of satan the devil.
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notsurewheretogo
Thanks to Judgy Rutherford to clear that up...he could then concentrate on the earthly princes being resurrected in 1925...because that was not a waste of his time...or money...oh wait...hang on...
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The Present Truth is the Truth and the Old Truth is the Truth, even if they contradict.
by garyneal inthat is the conclusion you must accept if you are a jehovah's witness as my wife tries to explain to me that even if what they are teaching today contradicts what they were previously teaching, they had the truth then and they have the truth now.
the difference is, they (the witnesses and the governing body) simply believed that what they were teaching at the time was the truth but when they discovered new information they adjusted their thinking.
so since they formerly believed it to be the truth, they were in the truth.. an example she gave involved people who once believed the earth was flat.
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notsurewheretogo
When a doctrine is released who is the author?
Jehoover? If so then he is a god of falsehood since he teaches lies...
If doctrines are from men and Jehoover then approves or refines them then dubs are following men and they shouldn't trust them.
Either way, whatever answer, god cannot be directing them.
Whilst the members of the GB are imperfect men, when they come together and IF Holy Spirit is directing them then they can never ever be wrong unless a) the Holy Spirit is wrong or b) the Holy Spirit* is not directing them.
You can't have your cake and eat it, the GB cannot say they are being directed by god if they get things wrong unless everyone accepts the premesis that god teaches wrong things.
* The holy spirit doesn't exist, nor does god, satan, angels or any of this nonsense but for purposes to reason with a dub I include it... :)
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5
morning-after drug - any members with thoughts?
by berrygerry ininternally, being a father of many children, and being present for ultrasounds and other testing, etc., i appreciate the value of life.. as i understand it, the after-morning pill essentially terminates a 1 or 2 day old conception.. are there any thoughts about this?.
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notsurewheretogo
In the UK no it doesn't...
My still-in wife and me out for 3 years have 3 kids...and twice in the last few months we have had "accidents" which required the morning after pill.
In the UK, at the pharmacy, you have a little interview to make sure you know the score and my wife clarified with them that it doesn't allow fertilisation. The morning after pill in the UK does two things....stops an egg being released and if an egg is already present it won't allow the sperm to fertilise it.
Not sure about other countries or different types of morning after pill but in the UK it is safe for the dubs...