Posts by scratchme1010

24

Why do Jehovah's Witnesses always answer questions through the bible?

by MarieChii in

hi.. recently i've been researching jehovah's witnesses and their beliefs and found out that they don't believe in blood transfusions.

so, i've asked one of my friends who is a jw as to what is the reason for this, and so far, they had always directed me to a bible verse that is in their bible.. clearly, i wasn't getting anywhere and so far, it's pretty much frustrating to even make my friend give me reasonable reason.

when i was getting somewhere, even a smidgen, they would answer with a question.

scratchme1010

So, why do Jehovah's Witnesses always answer questions through the bible?

It's what they claim they base all their believes on. They aren't the only religion who believe that everything they preach comes from the bible.

It doesn't at all, however. They have gazillions of publications and meeting to discuss and interpret the bible, hence, it's merely interpretations like other religion that uses the bible as their official guide.

... I'm trying to get people (the friend stated above is one of them) I know who are JWs that their religion is surely not what it seems to be.

First, why on Earth do you want to intervene in people's private life decisions without their permission to change their religious believes? What exactly is your intention? And who are you to get into people's matters like that?

I can't care less about the WT and their believes, but that doesn't entitle me to intervene in other people's decisions.

Furthermore, the first thing you should know about your friends, before anything related to doctrine and the bible is WHY DID THEY JOIN? You don't think that they entered that organization knowing all that bible nonsense, right? Then there have to be reasons for them to join. That's what you should look for if you have a real interest in their well being.

Good friends love their friends unconditionally and respect boundaries and their decisions, and love them anyway. Just sayin'.

31

We are giving too much power to the watchtower

by sinboi in

i am just 17. many of you here are much older than me.. i do feel that offering advice here is like teaching my father how to fuck.

but seriously, i do see the problem here.

we are focusing more on the problem than the solution.. i have been reading mind power books for quite some time.

scratchme1010

Over here, I find that we have given too much power to the watchtower. We are reinforcing the idea that we are victims of the watchtower. In this way, we are like saying we cannot do anything about it.

Hello. I agree with you. HOWEVER, please understand that the WT has been a good thing that happened to some people (or at least seemed like it). Some people have been convinced that their lives were saved because of it, just to later find out about what they really do to people. That's not an easy thing for some people to accept and just move on from.

There are many more who don't give such power to the WT. However,

People who are in that place, many times just leave the forum and move on. A place like this becomes redundant.
Some feel that they need to leave the forum in order to move on since they feel pulled back to the JW mindset by reading and participating in this or other places for ex-JWs

Some people are just not ready to peel of the layers and layers of indoctrination, and are in that place where they are figuring things out.

I too share with you that some people refuse to let go. In fact, some people ended being JWs precisely because they do not want to take a close look at themselves and their lives, hence, it's a lot easier to spend their time talking about other things, including all these hypothetical situations that are never going to become a reality. It's a great entertainment against their own reality.

As for being "victims" of the WT, I do believe that we are. However, remaining victimized is a different thing. Learning about better choices, looking for ways of minimizing their influence, and striving for getting to a point where none of what they say or do matters to you, those are the healthier ways of removing the victim.

Not every person is ready for that; some never will.

Thank you for sharing.

15

An honest look at the situation

by Formerbrother in

i was brought up in the truth.

i saw a lot unchristian things going on in my local body of elders, my dad was an elder and waiting outside elders meetings to go home with my mum and other wives, we sometimes heard raised voices in the 2nd school.

the other mums would raise their voices as well thinking of something to say to hide the elders 'private' arguments.. my dad hated it all, i think he hated having to keep things secret from my mum and me.. anyway, i got baptised, and as we did back then didnt think about further education but instead pioneered.

scratchme1010

I have huge regrets wasting the first part of my life, working for free all those years, geting kicked out with nothing to show for the best part of my life given up.

Welcome to the forum, and thank you so very much for your sharing. I think that it helps many people in this forum, and also lurkers.

I'd say that there's no way to know that your life would have been better as a non-JW. The best thing is that you can change and create a better story for yourself from this point forward.

4

A Pasta C

by Not_Culty in

.

scratchme1010

Love it!

9

Yes, its true. God can give us happiness in paradise!

by sinboi in

happiness, sorrow and anger are just our emotions.. god can easily give us happiness by taking away from us the emotions of sorrow and anger.. that will happen immediately after the big a.. when you see your loved ones killed at a, you will be happy.

you no longer has the emotion of sorrow.. no one will scold you as noboby has the emotion of anger.. you will always be happy and smiling.. this is what being perfect means .

you do not label anything as good or bad.. if you are interested, register at your nearest kingdom hall.

scratchme1010

Yes, its true. God can give us happiness in paradise!

Sure. And the Earth is flat.

14

non jehovah witness dinner

by whatisthis12 in

so almost two weeks ago, my boyfriend(who was disfellowshiped) went to the memorial.

he hasn’t spoken to his parents, friends, or siblings for over a year because of it.

the only person he keeps in contact with is his grandma, which is who he went along with.

scratchme1010

...after i explained to him that it hurt my feelings he didn’t take me along... ...he told me his parents want to meet me. i can’t help but feel there is a catch. is this a good idea?

There may or may not be a catch, but more importantly is, DID HE ADDRESS WHAT YOU TOLD HIM? I think that the disjoint between what you say to him and moving along without him addressing any of it is what's making you grow insecure. He might not even notice that he's doing that.

One of the things that I have learned about a LOT of ex-JWs is that they refuse vehemently to think, acknowledge, leave alone talk about feelings. Talking about how any of you feel might be challenging for him. Him wanting to introduce you to his family seems like a sign of good commitment, but I have the feeling that letting things unanswered may start creating insecurities, then resentments, then other escalations.

That said, please keep in mind that what I posted is my guessing on a relationship between two people I don't know.

I wish things between the two of you grow well enough so you don't feel the need to inquire outside.

Best wishes.

23

Christ's sacrifice

by dogisgod in

so, i am having lunch with a group of women with varying backgrounds.

i asked the circle how many believed in the story of adam and eve and the snake.

no one believed it literally.

scratchme1010

So Ransom is a JW thing?

As others have said, Christianity and being a Christian doesn't mean that they believe, read, interpret and/or understand the events in the bible stories the same way.

I wonder if it would have been interesting to push further and inquire about what relationship does any of it has with the values that Christianity teaches.

6

Detroit the movie on Netflix anybody seen it ?

by smiddy3 in

a movie about the riots in the seventies in the city of detroit but especially with the reason for the riots and the attitude of police and how the nation treated people of colour.

and how they treated them and how the justice system failed them .. based on a true story.

i found it very confronting yet compelling to watch.. humans have a tendency to lump everybody together in the same basket ,however we are not all the same, their is good and bad in every race and culture whether they are black, white or brindle .. anybody seen it and like to comment ?.

scratchme1010

Anybody seen it and like to comment ?

I did a while ago, but to be honest, I also saw the documentary about the race riots in Newark, NJ in the 60s and 70s, and I can't remember which is which. It was a while ago, and all I remember is that i liked them.

29

Life during the 1,000 reign???

by Joliette in

jw
friends

me and my brother recently got into a discussion about the 1,000 reign.

i told him that even after armageddon, you know that you still have to work for your salvation??

he says yes, that he is prepared to work for jehovah (wth), and that it will be a wonderful time.

scratchme1010

...but he's not a big reader. He only goes off what the brothers have said from the stage.

Hence your conversation. I had been able tho get through people who seem like they are very simplistic in their approach to going about being a JW. Use the same approach that got him there. Redirect him.

15

Which post has he just read, and what's he thinking?

by Fay Dehr in

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