Posts by mizpah

43

Why Are So Many JWs Ex-Catholic?

by SpannerintheWorks in

is it just my imagination, or are a disproportionate of jws ex-catholic?.

were you a catholic before a jw?.

why did you feel that the jw religion was "better" than the "catholic" one?.

mizpah

Dantheman:

Sure hope you've reconciled with your Mom. We spend a lot of our youth rebelling against our parents only to find out as we get older that we become very much like them.

The tragedy of the Watchtower is what it has done to many families. When one becomes a JW often family members are alienated because of the new found faith. Great stress comes upon marriages if a mate is an "unbeliever." Brothers and sisters are separated because they are "worldly." And if one becomes disfellowshipped or disassociated, one is completely shunned by all. And once again the procedure separates close family members and long standing friendships.

Life is much too short to let religious differences impair our love for each other.

10

Article needed: d/fing of those who hold personal views

by Euphemism in

i recall seeing a statement in the watchtower that those who personally disagree with major wt doctrines, even if they are not promoting their personal viewpoints, are apostates and liable to disfellowshiping.

i'm searching the wtlib, however, and i can't find it.

does anyone remember where it is?

mizpah

Nic:

I'm not surprised by the reaction of the elders. I was disfellowshipped for merely expressing doubts about some of the teachings and asking questions about others. The elders are only the "enforcers" of the cruel and heartless policies of the Watchtower Society. There doesn't have to be logic or reasons for their actions.

20

"New Light" on the generation doctrine may have been too early yet?

by reporter in

back in this thread, the generation doctrine was being discussed.

i've thought about what the society wrote below.how long a time period would these last days prove to be?

jesus said regarding the era that would experience the "beginning of pangs of distress" from 1914 onward: "this generation will by no means pass away until all these things occur.

mizpah

Reporter:

My friends and I (XJWs) used to kid about this very thing before the change. We said that Society would cite the case of a 120 year old woman in Paducah and claim: "See, that generation is still alive."

But, alas, the Watchtower backed down on its explanation rather than try to hold an untenable position.

27

Let Us Create A True Religion...

by Latin assassin from Manhattan in

the wts feels that they are the true religion because they place tons of literature based on their own interpretations and because they show true christian love for one another.

this forum is testimony to the validity of their cause so i won't bother to repeat the obvious.

but if a true religion were to exist, i belive it shoud be based on the following:

mizpah

Neumenon:

My point was that in the 7 churches in Revelation, all had different ideas and beliefs as to what constituted the Christian faith. And although all came under the authority of Christ, the majority did not win his approval. Whatever the congregational arrangement that Christ initiated, it was well corrupted and decayed by the time that John penned Revelation. It seems evident that once the other apostles and disciples who were contemporary with Jesus died, there was a rapid decline in he "purity" of the church.

The restoration of the church would not precede Christ's coming as Jesus indicated in a number of his illustrations. So, it would seem that the important thing for a Christian to do would to be maintain his own person integrity. Christians doing so would constitute an "invisible church" through their common faith in Christ regardless of their affiliation with a specific denomination.

Like you, I think we did learn some valuable lessons in the Watchtower Society. In fact, I still hold to some of its doctrinal views that I think are scriptural. What I now reject, is its whole interpretation of Bible prophecies and time lines as applied to our own time...and of course its claim as being "God's organization."

18

Witness Paedophile Gets 12 years

by Englishman in

from yesterdays richmond and twickenham times:jehovahs witness jailed for rape.

by emily manson.

a 53-year-old jehovahs witness has been sentenced to 12 years imprisonment at isleworth crown court this week, after being convicted of six counts of rape and one of indecent assault on a young girl in hanworth.. eric james richardson, from nottingham, was convicted and sentenced yesterday, after the court found him guilty of raping the girl over a period of three years at an address in hanworth.. the rapes occurred between 1988 and 1991 but the met's child protection team only began investigating the case when the victim approached police in june 2002.. the victim of the allegations, who is now 26, had become concerned that richardson might offend again, and had decided it was time for her to speak up.. richardson, a jehovah's witness, had gained the trust of the victim through his attendance at a jehovah's witness church.

mizpah

....or was it that they just were not aware of what was happening?

18

Witness Paedophile Gets 12 years

by Englishman in

from yesterdays richmond and twickenham times:jehovahs witness jailed for rape.

by emily manson.

a 53-year-old jehovahs witness has been sentenced to 12 years imprisonment at isleworth crown court this week, after being convicted of six counts of rape and one of indecent assault on a young girl in hanworth.. eric james richardson, from nottingham, was convicted and sentenced yesterday, after the court found him guilty of raping the girl over a period of three years at an address in hanworth.. the rapes occurred between 1988 and 1991 but the met's child protection team only began investigating the case when the victim approached police in june 2002.. the victim of the allegations, who is now 26, had become concerned that richardson might offend again, and had decided it was time for her to speak up.. richardson, a jehovah's witness, had gained the trust of the victim through his attendance at a jehovah's witness church.

mizpah

Englishman:

Is the victim bringing any charges against the elders or Watchtower Society? (IBSA) Is there anything in British Law that prevents the victim from charging them for negligence or failure to report?

8

Why do JW's shun people, then after they die say .............. ??????

by run dont walk in

.

well, only god knows their heart, it is not for us to judge the person.. a family member died recently, and was never a jw, (only smart one in the bunch, and me of course).. well, someone had the nerve to say the above comment, no one ever invited him over, or visited him,had any real connection with him.

but after he dies ............... well, you get the picture.

mizpah

The whole convoluted reasoning on this was that if people died before Armageddon it would not be by God's executioners. So, Jehovah's Witnesses felt there was a "hope" that this person would be resurrected and given another chance. But since God can read the heart at the moment of a person's death, what difference would time make?

I'm not sure what the official Watchtower view on this was. Any information, Blondie?

3

Bible Students and Christ's presence

by Noumenon in

am i correct in understanding that the religious group known as the bible students, who still hold to charle's russell's teachings, still actually belief and officially subsribe to the notion that christ invisibly returned in 1874?

can anyone confirm this?.

if this is correct, i feel this is a glimpse of how the wts will never drop 1914. what may happen is there may eventually be a split, probably shortly after 2014, with a new group dropping 1914 and revisiting all prophecies with fresh interpretations, while jehovah's witnesses will remain with those still dogmatically sticking to 1914, much like the bible students group still hold to 1874.

mizpah

Neumenon:

I've been rereading Penton's Apocalypse Delayed. Another group that may also be using Russell's work as a text book is the Dawn Bible Students. As you might recall, the Studies in the Scriptures was also called the Millennial Dawn Series. But I'm not positive. I do know that this group existed in the 1950s. Does anyone else have any information on this group?

30

Fear

by onacruse in

kate and i just had one of our frequent "patio" discussions...my, how she sparks my mind!

we've been watching some tapes that a friend gave us, about the origin of the bible and the similarities to (read "borrowed from") other ancient mythologies.

very interesting anthropological and sociological information, even showing the biblical connection to astrology (e.g.

mizpah

"Love casts out fear." In all your searching and researching, don't forget the most important goal of all. LOVE Humans need to love and to be loved. This is one reason, like Hooberus, that I find Christianity so appealing and true. The very essence of Christian teaching is love. Other religions may touch upon the subject even as did the Old Testament. But Christ made it the central teaching of his ministry. True, not all who profess Christianity have followed Christ's example. Thus, many reject Christ because of their bad example.

One need not fear examining other paths. But use love as a measuring stick to see if the path is a true one.

27

Let Us Create A True Religion...

by Latin assassin from Manhattan in

the wts feels that they are the true religion because they place tons of literature based on their own interpretations and because they show true christian love for one another.

this forum is testimony to the validity of their cause so i won't bother to repeat the obvious.

but if a true religion were to exist, i belive it shoud be based on the following:

mizpah

Gotjesus:

I tend to agree with you. John's description of the 7 Churches in Revelation speaks of the condition of the Churches either in his day or symbolicly of the condition of the entire church during the time of the end...or both. The point is that in either time the churches had detriorated and the responsibility of remaining faithful was upon each individual in these churches. (Rev. 2,3 "He who has an ear...etc)

Some of these churches were so bad that they were in danger of being completely destroyed. But individuals in them still had a chance. This is a confirmation of what Jesus foretold in his parable of the wheat and tares. All would grow up together until Christ came again. At the harvest the angels and Christ would do this work.

What Christians can do is to remain faithful to their personal commitment to God and Christ. Some may be able to work within a church system. Others prefer not to. What is important is to realize that it is not the church that brings salvation. It is Christ.