I think then that we are kind of in a similar situation where we see issues that bother us but can also see the good that is there. Even if all Witnesses do not live up to the moral standards preached, for instance, the attempt to live up to them produces good qualities. But the question that keeps coming up in my mind, and it has been aired here by others of course, is how could a spirit-directed org make so many mistakes? One or two ok, allow for imperfection. But all those wrong dates and then the mad new generation teaching and the lack of an outlet when someone is genuinely questioning.
thedog1
JoinedPosts by thedog1
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61
How did you tell your spouse you want out of the JW religion?
by leaving_quietly inwhat did you imagine would happen?
did they react the way you expected?
how did you bring it up?.
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61
How did you tell your spouse you want out of the JW religion?
by leaving_quietly inwhat did you imagine would happen?
did they react the way you expected?
how did you bring it up?.
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thedog1
I haven't told my spouse that I want out yet as I don't know if I want out. I am serving as an elder in a European country, not my own country, and the cong I serve in, though not an Engish speaking one, has some meetings in English. I conduct an English watchtower study. The problem I have is that I have read Crisis of Conscience and most of In Search of Christian Freedom, and even though I don't completely agree with Ray Franz on everything, he has some very good points to make in these two books. I started to talk to my wife about my doubts about the generation teaching but she got very afraid and cut the conversation short. The recent wt study on the 'Assyrian' and that elders are supposed to obey illogical instructions was a hard one to conduct. My wife sees some of the illogicality, but is still staunch. I think that if I make any decision to fade, it will be a very long slow fade, as a lot of her family are Witnesses, and she already has a df'd brother who does not see much of the rest of the family, although they do not take the hardline approach which seems to have become th norm among many Witnesses toward df'd relatives.
There is a lot at stake if I walk, so this is why I am not having any more conversations with my wife about this at the moment. I am still weighing it all up. Bros in the cong here are very loving and really trust the org. so my main beef is with the org and the policies and doctrines which do not really add up any more. The individual witnesses I know here really do show neighbour love but they are in thrall to the org.
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Reading the Bible with my wife.
by FadeToBlack inafter she came home today from the meeting and we had a big discussion about the need for christains to meet together.
she was very concerned that i would not survive the coming big a. i suggested that we start reading the bible together (just to show her i wasn't uninterested )and try to keep up with the wt schedule.
she agreed.
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thedog1
Interesting post. I only realized recently from this site why the bros in 1914 all expected to go to heaven as soon as the gentile times ended, as they believed that up to then they were already living in the time of the end. What also stunned me was that the org still uses the 'advertise advertise advertise the King and his kingdom' catchphrase which was contained in, I think, the same assembly talk or at least on the same programme on an assembly which stated the wildly erroneous idea that the men of old would be resurrected in 1925. I have only recently learned about all the other dates in the 1800's when things were supposed to happen. Can't talk to my wife about it all though, as she would completely freak out!
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I could do with some help please?
by chrisuk inso the elder i studied with called round last wednesday.
i didn't tell him i'd lost my faith, i just said there are a number of reasons i wouldn't be able to return to either my studies or the meetings.
he asked me whar 2 or 3 of my reasons are so we could discuss them.. my reply: 1 i think all christians should partake of the bread and wine.
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thedog1
'I know people have said you can't, and wont ever reach an elder, but I see plenty of ex-elders on this very site.'
quote from an earlier post on this thread. I am an elder who reads the comments here and sometimes I comment. I know some will say I am disloyal and should if being obedient toe the party line. But give me some credit as a thinking person who is open to the thoughts and arguments of others. Yes, I am still serving as an elder, but for example, in last week's wt study, I was very uncomfortable, as I conduct the study, about the last couple of mad paragraphs about what elders are supposed to take from the 'dukes' fulfillment. Very embarrassing for me personally in relation to the obey even if you do not understand it directive. Also very disturbed by what Anthony Morris is supposed to have said in Italy.
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57
The Watchtower religion(JWS), that really couldn't fail, from beginning to ........
by Finkelstein inwhen one looks back retrospectively at the very beginning of this organization, you could see that the wts.. was on a structural platform of success, created by cunningly created doctrines, such as the invisible return of.
christ, the end times and the imminently soon to come armageddon, all bundled together.. .. this religious organization like so many others established in the united states was unregulated and had.
no upper governing control over its daily operations.. they proclaimed and taught what they wanted to or needed to sustain their operations as a publishing house.. .
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thedog1
Hi Sam, thank you for asking about my wife. She is still sorting out her medical problems and doesn't want to talk about my doubts.
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57
The Watchtower religion(JWS), that really couldn't fail, from beginning to ........
by Finkelstein inwhen one looks back retrospectively at the very beginning of this organization, you could see that the wts.. was on a structural platform of success, created by cunningly created doctrines, such as the invisible return of.
christ, the end times and the imminently soon to come armageddon, all bundled together.. .. this religious organization like so many others established in the united states was unregulated and had.
no upper governing control over its daily operations.. they proclaimed and taught what they wanted to or needed to sustain their operations as a publishing house.. .
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thedog1
I understand people who have been badly treated or feel they have been misguided in the past having a bit of a go at me because I am still in the org and still an elder. But some here such as CC and others can see the turmoil felt by anyone who has spent, in my case, over 30 years as a Witness and who, over a period of a short few months, has had to re-examine everything!
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57
The Watchtower religion(JWS), that really couldn't fail, from beginning to ........
by Finkelstein inwhen one looks back retrospectively at the very beginning of this organization, you could see that the wts.. was on a structural platform of success, created by cunningly created doctrines, such as the invisible return of.
christ, the end times and the imminently soon to come armageddon, all bundled together.. .. this religious organization like so many others established in the united states was unregulated and had.
no upper governing control over its daily operations.. they proclaimed and taught what they wanted to or needed to sustain their operations as a publishing house.. .
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thedog1
that last post really makes me want to stay on this forum
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57
The Watchtower religion(JWS), that really couldn't fail, from beginning to ........
by Finkelstein inwhen one looks back retrospectively at the very beginning of this organization, you could see that the wts.. was on a structural platform of success, created by cunningly created doctrines, such as the invisible return of.
christ, the end times and the imminently soon to come armageddon, all bundled together.. .. this religious organization like so many others established in the united states was unregulated and had.
no upper governing control over its daily operations.. they proclaimed and taught what they wanted to or needed to sustain their operations as a publishing house.. .
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thedog1
Lots of interesting posts, not been able to get back here until just now, and still got to chew over what has been posted.
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57
The Watchtower religion(JWS), that really couldn't fail, from beginning to ........
by Finkelstein inwhen one looks back retrospectively at the very beginning of this organization, you could see that the wts.. was on a structural platform of success, created by cunningly created doctrines, such as the invisible return of.
christ, the end times and the imminently soon to come armageddon, all bundled together.. .. this religious organization like so many others established in the united states was unregulated and had.
no upper governing control over its daily operations.. they proclaimed and taught what they wanted to or needed to sustain their operations as a publishing house.. .
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thedog1
I don't know if that is true or not, I always assumed that even if some people were misguided in their devotion to religion, that the motive in at least some cases was to find some meaning outside of their own personal existence, not to justify their existence necessarily, but simply a desire to see a bigger picture, not for self-promotion, but to find, if possible, a greater meaning.
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The Watchtower religion(JWS), that really couldn't fail, from beginning to ........
by Finkelstein inwhen one looks back retrospectively at the very beginning of this organization, you could see that the wts.. was on a structural platform of success, created by cunningly created doctrines, such as the invisible return of.
christ, the end times and the imminently soon to come armageddon, all bundled together.. .. this religious organization like so many others established in the united states was unregulated and had.
no upper governing control over its daily operations.. they proclaimed and taught what they wanted to or needed to sustain their operations as a publishing house.. .
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thedog1
you know, I came on this forum as somebody who was honestly trying to sort out my own mind in relation to things I have been learning over the past few months, and questions that came up in my mind in relation to teachings I find hard to accept, like the overlapping generation. But the vitriol in the last few posts alone on this thread have really put me off. Finkelstein asserts that this is some sort of power trip. I don't know what your story is, but you cannot seem to accept that people can do something out of a good motive, even if the org they are representing is something you do not believe in. There seems to be no allowance on the part of some posters for somebody who is honestly trying to work their way through this whole situation. It descends to the level of 'you are brainwashed by a publishing company,' ' you are on a power trip' and so on. Can you give people a little credit for coming to an awareness of the fact that things they may have believed in for a long time are not what they seem? What happened to a little charity (Christian or otherwise)? The very things you decry as missing in the congregations of Witnesses, tolerance, understanding, and fellow feeling for other individuals who are trying to find their way, seems to be sorely lacking!!!