Posts by gingerbread

22

A Challenge for Jehovahs Witness Apologists : Identify What Jesus Christ Has Accomplished In His Nearly Complete 100 Year Reign From 1914

by smiddy in

i for one would be very interested , if you can quantify what his acheivements have been , these past almost 100 years .. incidental acheivements could do for a start ,.

followed by more meaningfull acheivements ,.

then to top it off , with his major acheivements that he can be accredited with these past 99 years of his kingdom rule ,.

gingerbread

He has refined the leadership of the earthly part of his heavenly government so well that it now only takes 8 men to control the lives of 7.5 million willing, subservient, unquestioning people.

It's amazing that they can completely control a person's time, employment, education, association, family life, entertainment, finances, love life, relationships, retirement, medical choices...

Also - somehow Jesus has turned these guys into outstanding financial speculators, real estate developers and legal wiz kids - with only high school diplomas and years of volunteer experience on their 'resume'.

ginger

20

I think they're trying to shake off the Watchtower...

by gingerbread in

jw
friends

we had another couple over this weekend.

after taking a reasonable hike in the woods, we came back to the house, made a fire and began to talk a bit.

these folks are long time friends of ours and are (like us) slowly easing out of the kingdom hall.

gingerbread

I've always thought it suspect when the Org. began printing two Watchtower editions - public & study.

I can forsee that the private congregation study edition of the magazine will be printed by each publisher/family or viewed with a pad or tablet. In 'our' congregation, if anyone is in need of a mag at the meeting, they are given a copy - not a mag.

The financial burden of printing mags will be transfered to each congregation. In countries where finances are limited, we will be called upon to donate even more to the 'world wide work' to assist those brothers.

ginger

20

I think they're trying to shake off the Watchtower...

by gingerbread in

jw
friends

we had another couple over this weekend.

after taking a reasonable hike in the woods, we came back to the house, made a fire and began to talk a bit.

these folks are long time friends of ours and are (like us) slowly easing out of the kingdom hall.

gingerbread

We had another couple over this weekend. After taking a reasonable hike in the woods, we came back to the house, made a fire and began to talk a bit. These folks are long time friends of ours and are (like us) slowly easing out of the Kingdom Hall. They live an hour from us and we don't ever talk specific 'apostate' stuff - we all still struggle with the crazy JW distrust....dancing around topics specific to the 'truth'.

An interesting thought was raised by the hubby. He says that the Org. seems to be distancing itself from it's Watchtower past - erasing C.T. Russell from the Faithful Slave 'class', putting up banners on the buildings in New York with JW.org (instead of Watchtower), encouraging the use of pads and tablets at the meetings, the new brochure campaign where the placements will be counted, etc.

Are these 'changes' being put in motion to ease into the eventual end of magazine publication? Will the printeries change to brochures and leaflets exclusively? Is the kiosk and cart program in place to just direct interested ones to JW.org? Is the history associated with the WTB&T Society and it's early publications too damaging for the 21st century Org?

ginger

18

Planting Seeds--Plants Do Not Grow Overnight

by blondie in

jw
friends

i see some post here that want family and friends to see ttatt immediately.. i'm a gardener, a serious one.

we make sure we put in an area that gets sun, check the soil each year, put in compost and other amendments, make sure we plant seeds compatible with the ones next to them, plant far enough apart, proper amount of water.

everything can be perfect but when i go out the day after planting...nothing has broken through yet.

gingerbread

Thanks Blondie for your honest and balanced take on the fading/leaving process. Your well researched posts and heartfelt comments have done much to assist me (and our family) in our journey out of the religion.

Early on during my examination of my concerns about my faith, I was most turned off by strongly opinionated (militant) anti-Watchtower posters - and those who want to fight and argue.

Comments from you - and others - that were reasonable is what helped us.

ginger

16

Why do some JW`s get married multiple times ? Isnt that an indictment against jw beleifs ?

by smiddy in

this isnt a slight against any here who have married more than once.

and of course if you have left the religion you are not bound by their doctrines.. however i am concerned with jehovahs witnesses, people in good standing within the congregation who have married multiple times , and it seems it is not a rare occurence .their seems to be many who have married 2 or 3 times.

i personally knew a sister that was married 5 times and was a sister in good standing .admittedly this may have been an exception .. however divorce is not an isolated incidence with jehovahs witnesses , nor is it isolated that the witnesses themselves initiate divorce proceedings .. another thing , jehovahs witnesses are only 8 million world, a wide a small sect compared to other major religions.. so i just wonder what the ratio of jw`s compared to mainstream religion is regarding divorce .. can anybody fill in these figures ?

gingerbread

Every official marriage talk applies Ecclesiastes 4:12 (threefold cord not easily broken) to the new couple's relationship - including God in the marriage. This 'really' means applying bible principles - as determined by the Governing Body - in the marriage.

This produces some of the most disfunctional relationships I've ever seen - and it's rampant among the latest crop of born-in, homeschooled barely 20 year olds.

Like my first marriage, these are filled with passive/aggressive behavior, guilt, control issues, financial difficulties and the inability to be independent of the congregation and family.

Divorce is going to happen in these marriages at rates much higher than in those with people who are emotionally mature, stable and excited about life. As a friend of ours says - "you JW's do things that us 'worldly people' would never do - lying, stealing & cheating".

ginger

30

Who are doing Jehovahs will" Brochure sections 3 and 4

by DS211 in

section 3 first!.

how was bible truth rediscovered?.

it goes in to the section and explains that false teachers were foretold to arise after jesus died (and the apostles died according to one conment).

gingerbread

The idea that a "small group of truth seekers fulfilled Bible prophecy" (C.T. Russell and the early Bible Students) through honest study of the Bible found the truth of God's word is a 'not-so-true' distortion of historical fact.

Research the following people:

William Miller

Ellen G. White

Henry Grew

George Storrs

John Nelson Darby

Henry Dunn

Jonas Wendell

George Stetson

Nelson Barbour

William Henry Conley

These people were the originators of the doctrines and beliefs promoted by Charles Russell - and are used today by Jehovah's Witnesses. Most of what we believe - basic, core beliefs - came from these people.

ginger

38

JW Apolgist rant here...and confession.

by Julia Orwell in

jw
friends

i really don't like people disparaging active jws on this site by calling them stupid, idiots, morons and that, and making out like they're willing puppets to the gb or cruel at heart.

or describing them like they're puke or as having no desire to learn or listen.. to you, all these things may be true.

we all have opinions and are entitled to them.

gingerbread

I've come to believe that the most aggressively vocal and judgemental members on JWN have never ceased thinking like a Jehovah's Witness - 'I'm RIGHT and you're WRONG'.

Thanks for this post, Julia!

Letting go is like taking in a breath of fresh air. Sweep out the cobwebs and move on!!

ginger

18

Why are they so quick to shun?

by Crazyguy in

cedars story made me wonder why are parents and loved ones so quick to shun??

i mean it can be shown biblically that only people that do not believe in jesus as the messiah are apostates.

thessalonians tells us to keep admonishing one as a 'brother' and jesus christ himself said to love your enemies.

gingerbread

Because the majority of current Jehovah's Witnesses are not students of the Bible. They follow the direction of the Governing Body (the Faithful and Discreet Slave) by reading and studying the publications of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society (the Organization).

The GB says to shun (no talking, no greetings, no meals, no visits, no phone calls, no letters, no emails, no text messages, etc) any member (or former member) who no longer abides by the 'rules' set forth in the Organizations publications.

If any active member ignores these 'rules' they will be shunned (by family, friends and any Witnesses in the congregation/circuit/district/country/world).

No compromising. Not a personal matter. Period.

ginger

62

Circuit Overseer who gave talk at Twickenham is DIsfellowshipped

by usualusername in

jw
friends

evening.

i have it from 1st hand (or second) that a circuit overseer who gave a talk at twickenham in august 2013 has been disfellowshipped.. .

my dilemma?

gingerbread

JW's get disfellowshipped every week in congregations around the world.

So do Elders and (gasp!!!) even "representatives of the Branch". I know a dozen personally in my lifetime who were C.O.'s, city overseers, P.O.'s, COBE's and head honchos on RBC's who were bounced out - because they couldn't keep their hands to themselves or were abusive to their family or members of the congregation or they were power hungry.

Big deal. They're human too - regardless of how big a suit they wear or how much 'responsibility' they shoulder.

ginger

17

Spring hill fl JW kid is forced to pledge allegiance tothe flag

by DS211 in

saw this article on yahoo.

there was a little jw kid whose teacher made him stand up and salute the flag and/or say the pledge in class.

he went to the administrator and she got suspended.....my lord the jws are going to be shouting great trib over this.

gingerbread

Welcome to the 'new' conservative America - a Norman Rockwell picture of middle class, white, patriotic, religious, small town, apple pie, Santa Claus and football.

JW's kids aren't the only minority getting the 'persecution'.

They stand beside the Muslim, Hispanic, Somali, gay and lesbian kids.

ginger