Posts by Searching

66

Since leaving the JW Organization, who is believing?

by Issa in

jw
friends

i left the jw organization last year during summer.

maybe some of you can relate.

who of you are agnostic or an atheist?

Searching

I've become a non-denominational Christian I guess if you wanna get super technical I'm a Evolutionary Creationist, can't really find one church to go to that I'd feel comfortable with. My views about things the bible have changed since leaving the Org. It's flawed, written by men & of course not infallible, the stories in the Old Testament are mostly that, stories - a way for the writer to show who God is, and how he differed from the Gods & Goddesses worshiped at the time. There (probably) was no actual Adam or Eve, nor a Garden of Eden, nor an Original Sin. We evolved, as all things did, as things on other planets are probably doing.

I've reached a place where I'm content at the intersection of science and faith, they can coexist just fine; I'm always excited to here new fossil discoveries, or our next attempt at searching for life among the stars, in my eyes it doesn't diminish God in the slightest. Sure there's a lot of things that confuse me still, there's always going to be those big philosophical questions that we ask ourselves, but I'm feel much more peace now then I ever did when I was a JW, and I think at the end of the day that's all we are looking for after leaving the ORG, truth and peace.

29

Anointed Delusions of Grandeur

by Kohanic in

so here is something i've been wondering about.

how do the 'anointed' come to the conclusion that they are chosen?

is it some weird collective delusion of grandeur and how is it manifested in such ones?.

Searching

I asked my mother quite a number of times about this, each time she answered a little bit differently. She's say things like "They were filled with the Holy Spirit" to "The Holy Spirit gave them a dream of it" and then finally "They just know"

I never did get a straight answer, and oddly enough I was always a bit upset that my grandfather was never chosen as an anointed for how devout he was/is. Looking back on it I'm glad, it would have made leaving & having my eyes opened a lot harder.

18

New Light

by Lost in the fog in

am i the only one who can't reconcile new light with the light gets brighter?

if it matters at all.

i bring a candle into my house and light it.

Searching

If there is one thing that never ceases to frustrate me about the WTS it is the way they love to twist scripture to suite their needs. The "Light getting brighter has always been one such verse that made me wrinkle my nose and shake my head.

When reading the verse in-context, it's obvious that the intend of the scripture has absolutely nothing to do with revealing or refining truths as the end draws near.

The path of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining ever brighter till the full light of day.
But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble. (Prov. 4:18-19) (NIV)

I firmly believe that if more people read through their cherry picked scriptures in their entirety, there would be more seeds of doubt planted in the minds of those still in.

27

It's hard being bisexual and being a jw

by Sally fields in

i've been bi for a long time but i know it's wrong if you want to be a jw... .

Searching

Hello, and welcome to the forums!

I can relate to your feelings very well. I spent a very long time struggling with my sexuality and gender identity. It took me about five years to actually come to terms with who I am, it took another year to realize that God loves me, not just regardless of it, but because of it.

The WTS is vehement in its disapproval of the LGBTQ+ community. They aren't the only Christian denomination to have such narrow-minded views, however adding to the heap of other dangerous ideologies the Society comes along with, I would advise you to steer clear, even if your family are JW's, that doesn't mean that you have to be.

There is nothing wrong with your feelings, your sexuality nor does it conflict with a relationship with God should you choose to have one.

8

Watchtower Writings vs Christian Philosophers

by Boredposter in

watchtower writings used to have some meat to them.

they have been increasingly watered down and simplified.

i think we all recognize that.

Searching

While not a book per say, I do highly recommend the website Biologos which was actually founded by Francis Collins (The leader of the Human Genome Project). There are a wealth of articles from various writers, such as "Genesis and the Flood: The Importance of Genre" & "Why the Church Needs Multiple Theories of Original Sin"

Reading through the articles and picking up some of the books from a few of the more prominent writers (such as N.T Wright) totally changed my view on a lot of things, the bible specially.

It's honestly a wonder how the Watchtower can still fling around its tracts and act like this is the most ground-breaking and satisfying ~spiritual food~ that anyone has to offer, when they never even attempt to challenge themselves and their teachings. Half of what they teach are simple basic teachings, and the other half wind up being just straight up wrong.

4

Concerned about my mother.

by Searching in

i'm sure the date january 2018 + 'message of judgement' has been kicking around the exjw's various forums for a while now, and the more i think about it, the more i get worried.

not for myself really, but for my mother especially.

i guess you could consider her to be pomi (physically out, mentally in) she's faded in the sense that she doesn't go to meetings, doesn't really live by many of the rules any longer, is in a relationship with a worldly man, etc etc etc, however, she still considers herself to be a witness, and will defend the org if need be.

Searching

I suppose a little of both. Although for the most part I'm most concerned about something like Jonestown happening again, or that my family who is still within the Org may, when all is said and done, not be able to cope with the reality that what they were taught has all been a lie. I know I was in a pretty dark place for a few months after waking up. I'm worry about my mothers mental health in response to all of this.

I guess I don't really expect the GB to make them all "drink the kool-aid" but I worry they'll encourage people to become even more secluded; another 1975 except this time with more spotlight on it thanks to the internet.

4

Concerned about my mother.

by Searching in

i'm sure the date january 2018 + 'message of judgement' has been kicking around the exjw's various forums for a while now, and the more i think about it, the more i get worried.

not for myself really, but for my mother especially.

i guess you could consider her to be pomi (physically out, mentally in) she's faded in the sense that she doesn't go to meetings, doesn't really live by many of the rules any longer, is in a relationship with a worldly man, etc etc etc, however, she still considers herself to be a witness, and will defend the org if need be.

Searching

I'm sure the date January 2018 + 'Message of Judgement' has been kicking around the ExJW's various forums for a while now, and the more I think about it, the more I get worried. Not for myself really, but for my mother especially. I guess you could consider her to be POMI (Physically Out, Mentally In) she's faded in the sense that she doesn't go to meetings, doesn't really live by many of the rules any longer, is in a relationship with a worldly man, etc etc etc, however, she still considers herself to be a Witness, and will defend the Org if need be.

My grandparents are Uber Witnesses as I've mentioned before, my grandfather is an Elder and I just worry they'll call my mom, and she will get into a huge panic, in turn of course urging us and my brothers back to the meetings. My older brother is an atheist, my younger brother doesn't speak of religion at all so I"m not sure what his belief is, but I'm positive he doesn't believe the Watchtower is "the truth" and I am a non-denominational Christian. None of us believe any longer, and I am terrified of if/when that day comes when finally our mom will have to choose between us and returning. She said she would never shun us, but even so, if she were to go back to the meetings alone, I would be besides myself with worry. I guess the anniversary of the Jonestown Massacre got me pretty shaken up.

I don't know, I guess this has just been on my mind for a while now. I'm praying that whatever happens, its not enough to make my worst fears come true.

16

Scientific, Credible Discovery - Earthquakes are set to increase in 2018

by ILoveTTATT2 in

jw
friends

it has already been published and presented in a geology conference:it has been discovered that the earth´s rotation slows down a few milliseconds every so often, and when it slows down, about 5 years later there is a 5-year period where the frequency of large earthquakes around magnitude 7 or greater increases about 20-30%.so according to scientists, in 2018, around the tropical areas, we should expect around 20 major earthquakes, compared to the 15 average on a normal year.jw´s are likely to jump on this as "evidence" of the time of the end, and will probably be misquoted in a watchtower publication sometime soon.here are some news organizations covering the story:https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/nov/18/2018-set-to-be-year-of-big-earthquakeshttps://qz.com/1133304/as-earths-rotation-slows-2018-could-see-a-spike-in-large-earthquakes/.

https://www.express.co.uk/news/science/881536/earthquake-prediction-mexico-richter-scale-ring-of-firehttps://www.thesun.co.uk/news/4946729/earthquake-increase-earth-rotation-roger-bilham-tropical-region-2018/.

etc etc...here is the scientific paper (which i can´t read but if someone has access to the pdf, could you please share)?http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/2017gl074934/epdf?referrer_access_token=vbjkmgywttzofhkv3apupu4keas67k9qmdwultwmo8osvaslebfxhkk77yb6sfsjhcerrw6swpzkusqjvujli_iu4gpw3lhc8e988dzdvec-5e-nim3hd0bi_0wog1sqonpw4hesqbrwop_lp7uqignbyksopgnvatka48pyb2lonanvz5ehpaiaha2fika5y95lacwwxr1brsy2kk1m282ispv2uju5qsssy2kdzun57jytp1h56-wbice9ov6ipd93rnykjxybd3ykm7bjpa%3d%3dhere is the presentation to the geological society of america:.

Searching

I think it's wonderful that they've managed to figure this out. This will no doubt help in terms of disaster prevention & relief efforts, if we know when years will be particularly bad, and the regions that will be most affected.

You are probably right that Watchtower will try to twist this, despite the fact that they've simply discovered a pattern, one that has been happening every what was it? Every 32 years or so?

9

Sun Rise

by Been there in

jw
friends

good morning everyone,.

if anyone remembers, sunrises, and sunsets are my time with god.

i wish i had a scanner (that worked) to show you the most unique sunrise i have seen in my life.

Searching

Funnily enough, I feel the same way about sunrises!

I feel as though that is the most peaceful and serene time of day, when the light hits my room just right, it illuminates the entire room in pink or purple or orange, whichever color is most prominent that day. Walking down to my kitchen in total silence, just enjoying the look of the sky while I get a cup of coffee and beginning my daily mediation is truly the closest I feel to God during my day. When the sky seemingly changes colors before your very eyes and the world starts to come awake - you hear the birds and the sounds of people starting to get up and get ready for the day.

22

Which Bible Translation

by moreconfusedthanever in

i have seen a few comments about the nwt being an altered version of the bible and i must admit that when they released the new one it did not sit right with me.. i want to read the bible but not the nwt.

i also do not want to read one that has the thee and thou and ye etc because that will do my head in.. what translations do you recommend?.

Searching

I use the New King James Version (NKJV) but thats just a personal preference, since it was the Bible we used to own before getting the NWT.