Topics Started by New day

39
Reasons for doubting.
by New day in
1. watchtower
2. beliefs
somebody mentioned in a recent topic that they had a conversation with a former elder whose breaking point was when the overlapping generation was highlighted in recent times and how he would never serve again until somebody gave him a scriptural reason to believe it.

i am in a similar position.

i have gone in the last 18 months from taking the wt study, leading fs groups, and doing talks on the mtngs to doing almost nothing, as i resigned a little over a year ago as an elder due to a combination of family responsibilities and huge doubts.
31
Bro Loesch's talk.
by New day in
1. watchtower
2. beliefs
recently i heard through video link to our kh a talk by bro loesch where he attacked university study (again) but this time he prefaced his remarks by saying, and i quote, "the faithful slave does not forbid you to go to university.

" so this was a bad start as his following remarks made it clear that this was just a way of seeming reasonable while basically saying that we shouldn't do it.

he went on to use an illustration i think he has used before about a man with ocd who decided to kill himself.
28
May tv broadcast
by New day in
1. watchtower
2. beliefs
somebody on another thread suggested that those still in could express their opinions on steven lett's performance.

i am still in and i was shocked, dismayed and saddened by it.

i became a witness over 30 yrs ago and the issue of donations was a non-issue for so many years.. now, it is a huge one for the org.
9
A form of healing?
by New day in
1. jw
2. experiences
it has been mentioned on here by quite a few posters that when they let go of the pressure of living up to the standards set out in the wt publications, they felt relief from a strangulating set of rules and regulations which do not truly reflect the kindness and love displayed by jesus.. as more than a year has gone by since i first read the ray franz books and started reading posts here, i recently stepped back and thought about how i now feel.

having always been a boy who can't say no (theocratically speaking) i have just now realized that, yes, i can refuse talks in the tms if i either can't do them or (gasp) don't want to do them.

just last week a well-meaning but misguided elder put me down to take a fs arrangement without asking me, despite the fact that i resigned as an elder last year and had asked for the pressure to be taken off.
4
Discussion with my wife
by New day in
1. jw
2. friends
i had an interesting conversation with my wife today.

she revealed that she had been deeply hurt by bros and sis reactions to her as she has not been to meetings for a while due to physical and emotional probs.

when she meets jws in the street they cannot cope with her and are often very cool towards her.
64
Mind control.
by New day in
1. watchtower
2. beliefs
in a recent thread someone mentioned that the wtbts uses mind control techniques.

do you think this is a conscious ploy?

if it is it would mean that the leaders of my religion (i am still an active jw) set out consciously to control people.
21
Effect of reading here.
by New day in
1. jw
2. friends
saomebody mentioned in a recent thread here i think that the more they read here the more they feel angry at the wt.

personally, as an ex-elder (only resigned a few months ago) i feel that it is more like suddenly being on the outside looking in at a whole group of people playing parts.

the zealous pioneers answering all the time.
1
Adverts
by New day in
1. jw
2. friends
just noticed that one of the ads that keeps popping up on my page (but only when i am on this site) is for a company called ministry ideas which sells all sorts of folders etc.

for use in the ministry by witnesses.

i have looked up this site at times and am appalled at the crass commercialism of it, but ironic that it appears when browsing on this site!
4
January 15 wt 2015
by New day in
1. jw
2. friends
apologies if something has been posted on this before but if you go to jw.org and find the jan 15 2015 wt (study edition) please read the article before the study articles.

it is entitled "they offer themselves willingly in new york.

" please read it and let me know what you think.
20
Serena Williams
by New day in
1. jw
2. friends
i am a big tennis fan and today i watched serena williams win the australian open, one of the four tournaments which make up the pinnacle of achievement in the tennis world, the grand slam.

in her victory speech the first thing she said was that she thanked her god jehovah for the victory.

now i know that rumours have circulated for a long time as to whether she is a baptised witness or not, but she is definitely associated with witnesses .