Posts by fjtoth

71

TO BARBARA ANDERSON: MY FOURTEEN YEAR OLD SON

by deborahs_song in

jw
friends

hello barbara,.

i commend your effort to correct the watchtower society.

god knows they need it!

fjtoth

GentlyFeral,

Yes, but in my experience they tend to be either Unitarian Universalist or United Church of Christ (the joke goes that "UCC" stands for Unitarians Considering Christ :-)) Seriously, I am not aware of any denominations which are both non-Trinitarian and doctrinally conservative, which seems to be what you are looking for, if I have read you correctly.

The church I attended was originally Baptist and became independent when the congregation voted on whether to continue with the Trinity or not. They also gave up hell-fire and some other Baptist doctrines. There are other congregations now doing the same, especially some that formerly belonged or still belong to the Church of Christ (not United Church of Christ). Some non-Trinitarians have formed "house churches." Check out also the Church of God General Conference. There is also a denomination of very fine Christian people called Christian Millennial Fellowship. My experience with some of these groups is that they really care for one another, and though they are non-Trinitarian, their emphasis is more on Christian living than on doctrines.

Frank

71

TO BARBARA ANDERSON: MY FOURTEEN YEAR OLD SON

by deborahs_song in

jw
friends

hello barbara,.

i commend your effort to correct the watchtower society.

god knows they need it!

fjtoth

I think it's a shame that this sincere woman is being almost condemned by some here because she's looking for a church that is non-Trinitarian. When I left JWs and was looking for a non-Trinitarian church, I was denounced by Trinitarian church members -- and a few pastors -- because I couldn't accept their view of God. With some exceptions, it seems a similar mindset prevails here.

In one instance, church members surrounded me, walked me toward the door, and almost pushed me out of the building. I didn't try to defend my beliefs. I merely said I was having a problem trying to accept the Trinity. But they wanted me to accept it right on the spot. Because I couldn't, they ridiculed me and told me I was not welcome in their church until I did. Something similar happened at an ex-JW meetup where everybody but me was Trinitarian.

There are non-Trinitarian churches around, but they're not easy to find. It depends upon where you live. Eventually I found one, and was quite happy there, until I had to move some distance away due to my job.

Except for JWs, I have found that non-Trinitarian congregations are more compassionate and understanding toward Trinitarians than Trinitarians generally are toward non-Trinitarians.

____________

PS to deborahs_song: I apologize for misjudging you in my earlier post.

Frank

16

DO THE GOVERNING BOARD MEMBERS BEILIEVE IN THE CULT RELIGION

by Lotus65 in

do the members of the governing body and the president of the organization believe in the religion or are they in it for power in money

i wonder are they a cult for their idiotic, dangerous and souls sucking practices or are the a cult because of their idotic, dangerous and soul sucking practices along with them being money groveling, power mongers

fjtoth

I knew several GB members personally. I'm convinced that they are slaves to the same illusions about the organization as the rank and file. Just as the average JW lives in fear of being caught critical of "the F&D Slave," so do they. I think Don Cameron captures the spirit best in his book "Captives of a Concept."

71

TO BARBARA ANDERSON: MY FOURTEEN YEAR OLD SON

by deborahs_song in

jw
friends

hello barbara,.

i commend your effort to correct the watchtower society.

god knows they need it!

fjtoth

Deborahs_Song wrote:

Are you still a non-trinitarian? I believe Jim Penton (as well some others of his ilk who have chosen to leave the Watchtower) remains so.

"Jim Penton . . . others of his ilk"???

I think Deborahs_Song is a JW trying in a sneaky way to convince non-trinitarian folks on this board that there is no "truth" or "wholesome association" outside the WT. She chose the name "Barbara Anderson" and capitalization for her topic just to be sure she (or he?) gets noticed.

26

Should DF'd people talk to other DF'd people??? YOU be the judge...

by slmdf in

ok all... i was in a store looking for bedroom furniture and in walks this former elder with his new woman - they too are shopping for bedroom furniture.

he got df'd like 5 years ago so he has no idea i'm df'd.

recently, i've been thinking about how, when i got df'd, i would sit in the parking lot of the kh waiting for the meeting to start, and so would other df'd people.

fjtoth

Here's my experience:

Before I walked out of Bethel and JWs, my best friends were a family living not far from Bethel. When I went to their home to tell them I was leaving JWs, they already knew. I had left my letter of disassociation at Bethel, and the elders there contacted this family by phone during the 15-minutes between my dropping off the letter and arriving at this family's home. Since they didn't want to speak with me, I told them I would send them a letter stating my reasons for leaving. The envelope came back a few days later with the message on the outside, "We don't accept junk mail at this residence." I give them credit for what I think is a clever response.

Well, a few years later, I saw the wife leaving a store in town where I was about to enter, and she ignored me. I had already told the storekeeper that I'm an x-JW, and she said the woman who just left is also a former JW. She was disfellowshiped for adultery. The storekeeper suggested that I talk with the woman, but I was skeptical due to being obviously snubbed on my way into the store.

A few weeks later, the storekeeper said she spoke with the woman about me, and the woman said she wouldn't dare speak to me. She desperately wanted to be reinstated, and speaking with me would ruin all her chances of ever being accepted back. The woman told her she might survive Armageddon if she got reinstated, but speaking with "an apostate" would mean her everlasting destruction.

This woman was reinstated after being on the outside for about two years. Her husband is remarried, and she's now married to the "worldly" guy she was shacking up with. I'm sure she often expresses gratitude in her prayers that she had the courage to refrain from speaking to one of those evil apostates out there in the old world.

Frank

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