Posts by Faithful Witness

17

My evening at the pub - how many ex-JW's do you think there are?

by berrygerry in

so i'm having a pint and talking to the owner and his gf.. she's talking about her line of work - leads to my family history - and that my wife is in a strange religion.. the owner snorts, and says very disdainfully that his ex was a jehovah's witness.

i said bingo.. then the barmaid pipes in about her grandma and all of her aunts and uncles were witnesses, and were all out.

but the grandma has witness siblings, so went back after 20 years.

Faithful Witness

Robert said: there are too many who have not overcome the WTBTS's mind manipulation and still feel that the WTBTS does have the "Truth" and/or are still adversely affected by the WTBTS's mind manipulation.

EXACTLY! This is the claim that my elderette made, when I was asking her why Ex-JW's were wrong for leaving. "ALL of the people that I know, who have either left The Truth, or been disfellowshipped... ALL of them say the same thing! They KNOW the JW's have the TRUTH. They just don't want to obey."

I'm sure she has put me into this category also: disobedient and unwilling to submit to Jehovah's Organization. My first question to her, being that they had no evidence that the FDS had been appointed to rule over the lives of millions of JW's worldwide.

I'm sure there are millions of disobedient ones in the world today. That is one of the main reasons they have to ramp up their warnings about associating with non-believers. Don't be drawn away from "Jehovah!"

42

My Elderette returns for a final Bible Study session, after I avoided her for 2 months (very long post)

by Faithful Witness in

some of this will be repeat, since it's been a little while since i posted about my "bible study" sessions with miss k, my elderette.

we are talking about the name of jehovah.

thanks for talking with us today.

Faithful Witness

I keep hoping that she will return for one more, last-ditch effort. I knew that inviting Diana to participate would probably scare her away for good.

Although I should have been, I was NOT trying to "destroy the Watchtower" or "bring her to the LORD." I was rather enjoying our critical discussions, and learning a lot about JW behavior by watching her. It was just taking too much away from my family, and I could see myself tiptoeing around the gravity of the situation too many times. I would either spend too much time thinking and preparing for her visit, or I would be unprepared and more vulnerable to her manipulation.

She was getting to me. I knew it. She knew it. ... Not converting me, but still starting to control my behavior, through her "training" techniques.

Whether I was getting to her, I will probably never know.

I guess I will have to wait until the next major campaign, to see if we still get our usual "hit and run" visitors. The last magazine left in my doorjam, was about 6 weeks ago. We live in the territory of a different KH, and I always answer and act interested when they call. They never are able to answer my sincere questions.

9

Even my 6-year old son can recognize TRASH when he sees it. He threw a NWT into the public garbage can! Yay!

by Faithful Witness in

we were out walking in a small michigan community this weekend.

we came across a "free lending library" on the street corner.

the sign said, "take a book, leave a book, or do both!

Faithful Witness

We were out walking in a small Michigan community this weekend. We came across a "Free Lending Library" on the street corner.

The sign said, "Take a book, leave a book, or do BOTH!"

We looked through the selection of books, and found a few treasures... and some trash.

When we discovered that there was a (well-read) copy of the NWT up for grabs, my son grabbed it. He promptly disposed of it in the next available trash can.

Hurray for critical thinking! My son is a genius.

Some lost soul could have picked that thing up, and thought it was a real bible!

42

My Elderette returns for a final Bible Study session, after I avoided her for 2 months (very long post)

by Faithful Witness in

some of this will be repeat, since it's been a little while since i posted about my "bible study" sessions with miss k, my elderette.

we are talking about the name of jehovah.

thanks for talking with us today.

Faithful Witness

carla: EXACTLY!! Jesus is merely a TOOL to get to God. He is the door you have to go through, and they do it grudgingly.

"Yes, Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one gets to Jehovah, except if they GO THROUGH him. Remember now: WHO gave him his power???"

42

My Elderette returns for a final Bible Study session, after I avoided her for 2 months (very long post)

by Faithful Witness in

some of this will be repeat, since it's been a little while since i posted about my "bible study" sessions with miss k, my elderette.

we are talking about the name of jehovah.

thanks for talking with us today.

Faithful Witness

Deceived: Thanks for sharing your story!

The tactic the JW's use to "lead you to the Truth," is by first making you question your previous beliefs about the Bible.

They have to turn you against all religion, and then show you what the Bible "REALLY" Teaches... by showing you a verse here, another verse there...

BUT when you read their verse in context, you realize the gross misinterpretations they are making. They jump to conclusions, and use key words like "obviously," "clearly," "evidently..."

When you put their books down and actually read the Bible without their commentary, you realize how deceived they are.

I hope I can relay this whole experience to my parents, in a way that will make them both start to THINK for a change! They are already baptized, so it is a lot harder to peck holes in the wall that surrounds them.

This looks like an easy way to put in your time! Yahoo News photo

by Faithful Witness in

members of the jehovah's witnesses faith, earl moore, left, and thomas lewis, sit on a bench at reyburn park waiting to talk to people about the bible in philadelphia on wednesday, july 16, 2014.

(ap photo/matt rourke).

http://news.yahoo.com/photos/members-jehovahs-witnesses-faith-earl-moore-left-thomas-photo-210133740.html;_ylt=awrbjscoi.dtoc0axkzrtdmd;_ylu=x3odmtb1zzdtotbmbhbvcwmxbhnlywnpbwfnzqrjb2xva2jmmqr2dglkaw--.

Faithful Witness

Members of the Jehovah's Witnesses faith, Earl Moore, left, and Thomas Lewis, sit on a bench at Reyburn Park waiting to talk to people about the Bible in Philadelphia on Wednesday, July 16, 2014. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Jehovah's Witnesses waiting to talk to people about the Bible

http://news.yahoo.com/photos/members-jehovahs-witnesses-faith-earl-moore-left-thomas-photo-210133740.html;_ylt=AwrBJSCoi.dTOC0AXKzRtDMD;_ylu=X3oDMTB1ZzdtOTBmBHBvcwMxBHNlYwNpbWFnZQRjb2xvA2JmMQR2dGlkAw--

This is news?

24

Detroit International Convention, June 6-8 - IS the public invited?

by Faithful Witness in

my mom was worrying out loud, about inviting the "public" to this event.

she told me they were announcing that people were not booking their hotels fast enough, and "we don't want to make the jw's look bad!

she told me about a promotional video they all watched, full of propaganda about the ford field house and all the arrangements that had been made for transportation and parking, and the city of detroit.

Faithful Witness

Which day were they blessed with the appearance of Gerrit Losch?

I was relieved to hear that my parents left Detroit Friday night. The shuttle bus arrangements were an absolute fiasco, during rush hour in Detroit. My mom was on a new medication, where she was not supposed to be out in the sun. Little did she know, that was going to be standing in a line 2 blocks long, waiting for so long in the HOT sun! She started hallucinating and said "people had purple spots all over their faces..."

They "rushed" her to the front of the line, but it still took them about 2 hours to get back to the hotel. Of course, my brother in law and sister had already been back long enough to go and have dinner before they got back. Apparently, he has some privileges that my dad does not have.

Anyway, my dad got pissed, packed his suitcase and left. "I've had enough of this bull&*it. We are not staying one more day!" They even took home the elderly man who rode along with them to the convention.

Of course, my mom is relaying this story to me, so embarassed and humiliated that she made a spectacle of herself. She wished she could have stayed for the whole convention. Ugh.

Just wondering which day the blessed appearance was... I know my sister and her family saw it, and clearly took the speeches to heart. They did NOT come to the family reunion.

42

My Elderette returns for a final Bible Study session, after I avoided her for 2 months (very long post)

by Faithful Witness in

some of this will be repeat, since it's been a little while since i posted about my "bible study" sessions with miss k, my elderette.

we are talking about the name of jehovah.

thanks for talking with us today.

Faithful Witness

DD: Diana asked her if anyone outside the JW organization could be chosen or annointed, and go to Heaven. Miss K answered almost all of Diana's questions with, "I believe what the Bible says."

I have asked my JW dad that question. "Dad, what is the difference between me and you? If I don't become a JW, am I going to be destroyed at Armageddon?"

His response: "That's not for ME to judge. That is what I like about 'this.' I no longer have to judge people, or make decisions about others. I can leave it in Jehovah's hands." Ugh.

If I see Miss K again, and get the opportunity, I will ask her point blank. I don't recall her explicitly expressing any of her OWN beliefs, but repeating the mantra, "I just know we have the TRUTH." and "I believe what the Bible says."

I have found it impossible to get a JW to express their own opinions or beliefs.

My mom will say, "The 'Witnesses' believe..."

Miss K will use the above statements, along with, "We are not FORCED to do anything we don't want to do. I am here because I believe I have the Truth!"

42

My Elderette returns for a final Bible Study session, after I avoided her for 2 months (very long post)

by Faithful Witness in

some of this will be repeat, since it's been a little while since i posted about my "bible study" sessions with miss k, my elderette.

we are talking about the name of jehovah.

thanks for talking with us today.

Faithful Witness

This whole time that I have been relaying the experiences with my friend Diana, she was expressing her concerns that I was not doing the most important thing: Sharing the Gospel of Christ.

Diana has read a few books and some literature about helping JW's, but the concept was not sinking in for her. Since it was going to be my last meeting with Miss K, I invited Diana to come with me.

I knew that the presence of Diana would probably make Miss K never come back, and would stop her from bullying me into agreeing to just one more visit.

I wanted Diana to see for herself that Miss K's mind is behind a brick wall. You will not reach a JW, by confronting their core belief system. You must avoid the 4 biggies: the Trinity, everlasting hellfire, the Deity of Christ and the existence of an eternal soul.

They got into a couple of rounds of bible ping-pong, and then I would draw them back into the same request: Show me why I am supposed to call God by the name "Jehovah."

42

My Elderette returns for a final Bible Study session, after I avoided her for 2 months (very long post)

by Faithful Witness in

some of this will be repeat, since it's been a little while since i posted about my "bible study" sessions with miss k, my elderette.

we are talking about the name of jehovah.

thanks for talking with us today.

Faithful Witness

DOC: I won't be surprised if she shows up again in a month or so... she has been persistent since the beginning. I have given her nothing but objections and challenges. Even so, she kept coming to the same conclusion: "I don't think you're an apostate. You don't come across as someone who is trying to 'take down the Watchtower' to me. I think you just need to study the Bible from a fresh perspective." Each visit she made, also turned into 2-3 hours of time on her report card, so it wasn't a total waste! ;)

Each time she left, I would remind her that she still had not proved her points from the Bible. This time, she did get a little indignant when I said "you won't answer my questions..." Why is EVERY question answered with a QUESTION? SO irritating.

Anyway, it was (slightly) fun and enlightening to watch her in action with someone who "doesn't understand how we do things." I learned a lot about her training and tactics, when I didn't have to be the only one responding.

When Miss K was saying that it seemed clear that I wasn't interested in continuing our study, I said, "If I wanted to become a Jehovah's Witness, would I be required to call God 'Jehovah'?" Their eyes got bigger, and her friend said, "That would be your personal choice." I pressed it a little bit farther, and asked, "What if I wanted to just call him Father or even Yahweh?" ... "Again, that would be your personal choice. We aren't FORCED to do anything we don't want to do."