ok i know ive been starting threads like a maniac but heres one.
where in the heck d they get the "when we survive armageddon we will probably have to start rebuilding while we resurrect ones, teach them, plant food, clean the planet, and grow to perfection"????
doesnt the scripture say that we die corrupted but raised an incorruptible body?
C.T. Russell took this 'paradise restored' notion directly from the teachings of the Adventists (140 years ago).
All Jehovah's Witnesses are now given the same picture - all the time - in the magazines, murals at assembly halls, in talks & prayers and in the calendars.
ginger
as a young teenager, i would look at "apostate" books at the city library.
i was always intrigued as to what was sooo bad and other than a few writings of some that seemed like they hated the witnesses, i would clandestinely look at literature, especially in "christian" bookstores.. it took years for me to finally disconnect.
i will say that ray franz' books enlightened me the most!.
I watched the 2002 Dateline program that featured Silent Lambs/Bill Bowen/Barbara Anderson regarding the official JW policy to not inform secular authorities about sexual abuse in congregations.
They were sincere in their motives. We were told from the platform not to watch this show. I did it anyway - and the content of the show really bothered me. Later I spoke with dozens of others and they watched the program as well - some of these folks faded out soon after.
It took ten years after seeing this 'eye opener' to finally get serious about researching my religion.
When the WT says not to view programs, read publications, visit websites or internet forums of 'apostates' because it will destroy your faith, they mean it.
Because it will destroy your faith - in the Organization and it's structure.
ginger
for those of you who are still attending meetings due to various reasons, how do you prepare yourself for each program?.
do you still read and study the wt?.
do you still read and study the okm, jeremiah, etc?.
Around three years ago I began to research in earnest the origins of our JW beliefs - the Org. encourages everyone to understand their 'spiritual heritage.'
When I realized that most of our beliefs were borrowed from other religions and religious thinkers, I really began to pay attention to the current publications. For the first time in my life as a JW (40 years) I began to study - deconstructing the reasonings and 'logic' behind the argument.
It lead me right out of the 'truth'.
ginger
there are several disturbing things that were said in the latest annual meeting.
one of the most disturbing was a comment made by david splane.
he made reference to how the clergy "howled" when the first new world bible translation committee produced the first nwt.
The WT Society's NWT uses the dynamic equivalence method of translation : not a word for word translation but an expression of the intended meanings. i.e. what the words 'really' mean. This is effective for them because words and phrases can be adjusted to fit and appear to uphold WT teachings.
Many are raving about this 'new' bible - especially among the born in youth - as a gift from God.
In the mind of the faithful, the GB becomes God.
And the truly faithful are the offspring of God and the Mother. They are spiritually fed by their Mother (the WT Organization) and saved by their father God (the Governing Body).
ginger
just wanted everyone to know that i got back today/night from my second jw funeral in less than 3 months and that both of them (2 different halls),were handled completely different than in times past.. used to be it seemed like a recruitment opportunity (as many of you have pointed out before), but these last two times it was totally different from previous times.
it didn't seem like they used the outline at all that had been posted in another thread a while back.. that was kinda interesting and refreshing at the same time to actually hear them focus more on the individual that had passed instead of only a few minutes about them and the rest all about the org.
(wt).
The funerals we've attended in the past ten years or so have been held in funeral homes - not at the KH.
This seems to give the 'minister' greater freedom with the words spoken. These funerals have been less 'funeral talk' (I've always dispised how that sounds) and more of a rememberance. Of course the deceased's activity as a JW is highlighted and usually mixed with a couple of experiences - often times humorous.
ginger
hi!.
hey, did anyone here ever get disfellowshipped after years of fading, because of having been discovered online saying crap about the wts and/or the gb?.
just wondering... you know they are following these sites....
dozy's comment is correct.
If you fade and appear to still lead a 'clean life', you'll avoid a JC meeting. But....if anyone gets word that an inactive person is doing things that warrant disfellowshipping, the elders will investigate - even years after they left.
As one smart a$$ elder once told me "in the congregation there is no 'statute of limitations.' "
I've come to realize that if you choose to be inactive but don't relocate or you have family members that are card carrying JW's and want to be yourself, it's almost impossible to avoid elder trouble.
You can't have your cake and eat it too...
ginger
i have an oppertuinity to try ttatt on an elders wife who is a pioneer who showed up today.
she is willing to meet me one on one to discuss how pedofiles are protected, the blood issue, the flip flpos, how they teach theocratical warfare and hate.
i agreed to only use watchtower and awake publications.
In my experience as a JW (over 40 years ), elders wives are the most power hungry, deceptive and potentially dangerous people in the congregation.
Don't be a fool. You are about to walk into a spider's web.
More people are disfellowshipped as a result of 'confiding' to an elder's wife or pioneer sister than you might imagine!
ginger
i know this is old news, but as i sit here, and ponder the upcoming agm, i can't help but think, " what happened?!!
" i actually awoke an hour before my alarm went off, just thinking of everything that is bothering me about the wtbts.
approach this list as a born-in, someone who was told that you were different from everyone else.
Look at the community page "Jehovah's Kingdom Proclaimers" on Facebook.
You'll get a nice snapshot of the mentality of JW's from around the world.
ginger
so an elder just dropped by my job, completely out of the blue.
recepitionist called me over and there he was.
he told about annual meerting and grey bible....etc.
All congregations now have 'service groups' with an elder and assistant responsible for getting information to the publishers. These subsets of the congregation are intended to act like the old book study arrangement. The group leaders call and text.
Currently the information shared is about changes in meeting/service times or locations, hall cleaning and outside maintenance & reminders to turn in service time.
When we were semi-regular, we received communications. Now it seems they just don't bother.
ginger
Restoration of 1st century Christianity ( "true worship" ) by the Second Adventists/Bible Students/Jehovah's Witnesses is a historical misunderstanding promoted by them from the pulpit and publications for 150 years.
PLEASE research the history of this organization and it's beliefs.
ginger
