I did a search in the WTLibrary. The March 1, 1954 watch tower had a questions from readers that asked something along those lines. The official answer from the society was that commenting on it would be pure speculation since no scriptures suggest or deny anything to that effect, but that we as humans are too unimportant to concern ourselves with such matters.
pronomono
JoinedPosts by pronomono
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31
Will Jehovah's Witnesses Populate Other Planets?
by God_Delusion inhi guys,.
when i was growing up and pressured into having a bible study (although we didn't use the bible that much), i would ask my bible study conductor questions like:.
why are there so many other planets?.
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Will Jehovah's Witnesses Populate Other Planets?
by God_Delusion inhi guys,.
when i was growing up and pressured into having a bible study (although we didn't use the bible that much), i would ask my bible study conductor questions like:.
why are there so many other planets?.
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pronomono
I think he was spouting loads of BS because I've never heard such rubbish in my 28 years of going to meetings. But then again I don't actually pay attention much anymore, so that could be a new understanding, a "revealed" truth. But I think he was mainly speculating to appear to have all the answers. JWs aren't taught how to be wrong. We are taught that we know more about the bible than everyone else and some have to prove it by making their own additions to the bible.
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Got Home From a Business Meeting This Evening-Kids Were Watching JW DVD
by PaintedToeNail ini had a business meeting this evening, hubby elected to stay home with the kiddies (he could have come with me), as he said "you need a break, have some time alone'...so considerate...so i thought.
upon returning home, he had popped one of the new dvd's released at the convention, don't know the title, of some young brother who gets fired from a job and goes for a drink with a buddy from work.
it is very annoying that he pulls these little tricks on me, act like he is doing me some favor or being considerate then pulling one of these jwisms...like the time he booked an appointment with a physchiatrist, and he wanted me to go along to discuss his insecurities in our marriage because i had learned ttatt...he conveniently left out the part where the doctor is a jw.
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pronomono
In all honesty, most of the videos for kids have good principles. But this is where us JW's get you. We make you think that since this one video is good and morally upbuilding, that everything we say is good and morally upbuilding. Then your getting baptized and accepting organizational policies that you don't understand. One day you begin to question it and BAM!!! Disfellowshipped. Seriously though, as your husband, he is programmed by the verses that state the husband is the head of the household. Since you aren't a JW, he doesn't value your opinion on what the children should believe when it comes to spiritual matters and he never will. He's going to continue to raise them the way the WTBTS says to without any regard to what you wish. Divorce isn't necessarily the answer, but you can be open with your children. Let them know that some things in life aren't black and white. That dad feels one way on spiritual matters and that you feel another way. Share the TTATT with your children and help them to understand why their dad believes what he does. Ultimately, it is the child's choice as to which path they will take. You can only help guide them down the path that you feel is best.
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See JW's, this is what we have all missed out on....
by Newly Enlightened inby not having dreams and goals outside of the watchtower box and encouraging our children to expand beyond the cult.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=digfo2dgc9y.
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pronomono
I could never do that. My fingers are too stiff from gripping my service bag on the weekends.
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hello. pls help. getting married soon. afraid i won't be happy because wtbts said so.
by seasickbumblebee inalshello.
i'm a practicing jw.
finally decided to create an account to see whether you could all help me.. so i am engaged to this wonderful wonderful man and in three months time we'll be married.
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pronomono
I found the scripture where Paul mentions that e ven acts that are proper in themselves become wrong if done in bad conscience.
Romans 14:22,23 says, “Consider the man fortunate who can make his decision without going against his conscience. . . . every act donein bad faith is a sin." - Jerusalem Bible. The NWT reads a little different, but it still has the same effect.
Only you will be able to answer the question of whether or not what you did violates your scripturally trained conscience and if you have reason to feel guilt. But as we've mentioned, Jehovah is ready to forgive if you take the necessary steps. James 5:16 highlights one of these necessary steps where it says, "Confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed." Confession is not limited to men in authority. Some things are not easily spoken about with older men. Sometimes you need a sister. Sometimes you need friends. You've taken this step and confessed to us. If there is a cause for repentance make this known before Jehovah, don't repeat, and accept the forgiveness that Jehvoah readily extends. Jehovah knows that we are not perfect and that we sin many times, but as a loving father he gently corrects us and guides us on the road to life, apart from the many laws and regulations that the WTBTS tries to impose upon us. Most of our problems as JWs arise not because of scripture, but because of the Pharisaical laws and regulations that the WTBTS impose upon us. In reality, we have been set free from law and our righteousness has been made known by our faith in Jehovah and our love for one another. See chapter 9 of "In Search of Christian Freedom" for a better explanation.
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Former Longtime Elder : Contributions
by James Jackson infor a year now, i have been handling the accounts.
we have 6 elders and 7 ms, and none of them ( i am not serving), want to do the accounts, so they asked me to do it.
here is what i have noticed.. 4 elderly sisters cover the whole congregation in donations monthly!
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pronomono
When I handled accounts, it seemed much the same way. A few people carried the load of the many. A major portion of our donations came from an individual who was not a member, but was someone on one of our brother's magazine routes. I watched our accounts slowly decline to the point where I was forecasting to our coordinator that we'd be without funds in the next two years and it might be a good idea to have a local needs about contributions as well as figure out ways to cut costs.
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80
hello. pls help. getting married soon. afraid i won't be happy because wtbts said so.
by seasickbumblebee inalshello.
i'm a practicing jw.
finally decided to create an account to see whether you could all help me.. so i am engaged to this wonderful wonderful man and in three months time we'll be married.
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pronomono
"anyone here has similar experience?
does intimacy even sex before marriage ruin it all?"
An elder once told me, not realizing the full implications of what he was saying, that "for all intents and purposes, when you become engaged, you are married. You are commited to that person."
And as such, my wife and I found ourselves in your situation, but with out the guilt. We made love on many occasions. And when we were asked about our conduct during courtship, with clean consciences we were able to reply that we were chaste. Our personal life is between us and Jehovah.
What is currently ruining it for me is not guilt but that I feel the way you do in having doubts about the WTBTS. My wife doesn't know this yet, and I'm trying to find the words to tell her. It's treacherous waters dealing with these feelings after the fact because you can lose so much in such a short time. Personally, I've been reading Raymond Franz's two books, Crisis of Conscience and In Search of Christian Freedom, to get a solid foundation of what to believe. Late at nights I have the books and the WT Library open side-by-side verifying everything he says as fact. As a former Governing Body member that started where we are, he knows what we are going through. I just wish I had the opportunity to meet him before he passed away.
So from PERSONAL EXPERIENCE, do not feel guilty about your actions during courtship. If you do feel guilty, not because of what the WTBTS says but because you feel what you did was morally wrong in Jehovah's eyes, then repent before Jehovah in prayer and make a commitment not to do the same. Do something that might not be wrong in itself, but leaves you with a bad conscience, is still a sin. I forget the scripture where Paul tells us that.
Also from PERSONAL EXPERIENCE, the real issue is whether or not you share the same views on the WTBTS. The Society is right when they tell you to marry only in the Lord because since it is difficult being yoked to an unbeliever. That's goes for both sides of the fence. To be truly happy, you need to share the same religious veiws when one of you is determined to be a JW, unless you are willing to face the repercussions. Trust me, it is killing me. Only 350 pages of In Search of Christian Freedom until I have my thoughts together.
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What Is The "Typical" Elder In The Organization Like Now?
by minimus inwhen i was an elder, most of the elders were pretty independent 40 to 80 year olds.
they had no issue speaking up to the circuit overseer.
i wonder what the average elder is like now.
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pronomono
To me it seems like it varies by congregation. Different types of elders flock together.
My first congregation where I grew up had a cordinator who led the congregation as the congregation servant, then the presiding overseer, and now the coordinator of elders. He had a flock of well-meaning elders that followed him with a few that liked to meddle where there was nothing to meddle over.
In my last congregation, the elders were awesome. They were loving, helpful, went out of there way to do anything for you and build you up spiritually. It was the way a Christian family ought to be. I even served there for a number of years. Things changed when we got a hardcore "numbers" CO. My numbers weren't the average 10 for field service and working a full time job, dealing with family, weather, etc on the weekend, it was a struggle to get my average 7 or 8 hours. They expressed concerns that the CO had been vocal in removing anyone not meeting the hours of the congregation's collective conscience - i.e. the average amount of hours that publishers in the congregation get - and they worked with me trying to get my hours up. I hated placing them in a position where they would have to vote to remove me due to a struggle to get a mere 2 to 3 hours extra each month. So instead I removed myself by moving to another congregation that was closer to my home, but unfortunately less personable.
In the new congregation, the elders are completely different. For example, I don't even know who they are. They are mostly older, and I've learned some of them by their parts on the school and service meeting, but I don't have a clue as to who does what. Two of them are trying to help me become a servant again, but I really have no desire to do so. I don't feel the love that was in my past congregation, towards me nor to each other. It's almost as if I'm just there, sort of the same attitude as the elders. And as such I have no desire to reach out spiritually towards a congregation that does not display Christlike love.
So today's elders are hit or miss, but their types seem to flock together, both in the body and the congregation.
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Newly wed UBM and soon to meet JW in-laws
by UBM101 ini have been lurking here for a couple of years.
my hubby (inactive & some doubts) and i were just married and i'll be going to his place to meet his family (pretty much dubs).
they seem to be friendly and excited to meet me, and i kind of had agreed to attend the kingdumb hall meeting once (in my life time, yep, that's the agreement) and also meeting an elder who brain-washed my hubby during his teen.
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pronomono
Since your husband is inactive, it is only natural that his JW family will try to pull him back to where he was. In his family's eyes, their religion serves as a necessary bond between them. This situation has to be handled delicately if either you or your husband want to maintain a relationship with his family. If the situation becomes confrontational, you will no doubt be marked apostate and cut off from them until you are willing to change your views. If you are open to discussion, they will try to indoctrinate you, and when you don't progress, you'll get written off as they move on to someone else. If you play the middle ground of being okay with their religion, supporting their right to believe what they want, and not force your beliefs on them (although they will try to do this to you), you may be able to salvage a good relationship with them. In my experience as a JW, most of them are great people, but have serious flaws due to extreme paranoia of those outside their religion. If you can show that you are not a threat to their spirituality, you may be accepted as their friend since you are now family. If you get this far, in time they will get weary of trying to sway you and will accept the relationship that you have. However, do not become offended when they try to bring up their beliefs from time to time. We are instructed to do this, since peoples attitudes and situations change. Handle it properly and they will not be offended when you subtly side step their attempts.
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Education Double Standard
by Tech49 inthis is the kind of thing that really burns me.. .
wtbts holds out an extreme double standard in regards to education.
most, if not all, of you know how they feel about obtaining an education past high school (in the u.s.).
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pronomono
As an active JW, I've always had my doubts about the Society's firm stance on higher education, but at the same time I can see the moral snares of placing yourself in a University environment.
When I first graduated HS, I was lost. I didn't want to pioneer, but I didn't qualify for a "real" job, one that could support me. I was a ministerial servant at my local hall and wondered how pursuing higher education would affect my standing in the congregation. Fortunately for me, I had a University in my hometown to which I applied, was granted a scholarship, and attended. My loving father, who is not a JW, lovingly supported me in financing the costs that the scholarship didn't cover.
I had to be very meticulous in arranging classes so that they didn't interfere with "spiritual pursuits". I was able to do so all but one semester. I came up with some good excuses and reasoning to use with my elders on why I was missing our midweek evening for four months straight, and how I was attending another congregations meetings on another night (all true). And somehow with my attitude towards the situation, I was allowed to continue serving. Apparently, I was a likeable person and the congregation maintained their respect for me in how I handled the situation.
Now I have a college education, which doesn't guarantee much in today's society. I also have a full time job working for that university now. I have since gotten married and moved to another congregation. I was given an excellent letter of recommendation as a Ministerial Servant, which baffled the elders at my new hall, especially since I used the opportunity to stop exherting myself in light of my doubts. After serving for 10 years, it has been a relief to not have the responsibilities of an appointed brother, which I know I was never appointed because I never made a dedication to Jehovah, yet I still rose through the ranks. I tried to reason that Jehovah was using me based on my ability to fulfill his will, no matter how wicked my actions were. But after reading the KS-10 Shepherd the Flock of God book, I realize that skill is not a qualification of a ministerial servant, so I was never appointed by holy spirit. I was selected because the elders and the congregation liked me and my family.
Long story short, there are loop holes for a JW to get a higher education. In fact, many of us here do. You just have to maintain the respect of your congregation and the elders. Do not get defensive about why you are seeking a college education. And do not seek out extracurricular activities that would put you at risk for "bad assossiation".