Well hello all....yes...i'm a newbie...

And Yep...I am an inactive witness.  haven't been to a meeting in a while.  My entire family are witnesses, actually had a relative that proclaimed to be of the 144000...thats how DEEP....this is third generation witnesses here in this family.  I have been silent of my thoughts with them. blame my inactivity on being too busy with work etc. and all is ok.  But honestly, i wonder about all that has been told to us over the years, what is true, what isn't true.  I have been lurking here for about a week.  Just found the site.  And have to admit, I guess I'm an apostate cause I agree with everything being said.  Hard admission.  No offense to all of you out there.  But I'm sure you know why its a hard thing to admit.

I just can't get over the fear factor.  Watch the news and it scares the crap out of me.  Wonder daily...no...make that hourly....if its really winding down and about to fall into place.  Anyone else share that fear?  Or do you get over it eventually?  I mean...what about the prophesy that the feet of the statue (the stone and clay) would be the last empire and then Jehovah's kindgom would take over?  The USA is in the crapper...

Don't misunderstand.  Just reaching out and need some comments from you all.  Feeling a bit adrift.  Its lonely out here!!!

Welcome to JWD Maryblondgrl!

I was a third generation witness too, last surviving member in my family when I left. My grandmother converted after hearing Ruthford's famous "Millions Now Living Will Never Die" talk. Does that tell you anything? He was spirit annointed and yet pretty much everyone who heard that talk has since died.

Welcome to the forum. These are good points that you bring out maybe we are in the crapper maybe the system as we know it is changing (peek oil and all). But being a Jehovah's Witness is not some magic shield that's going to keep you safe from these things. Jesus Christ is the only one that can keep you safe no matter what religion you attest to be he (Jesus) is going to be looking at your heart and not your affiliation. Remember, many will call on him saying LORD LORD and he will not know them.

If and when the end of this system as we know it comes, will we be there, who knows but Jesus so why worry, be happy live in the moment enjoy the things we were given and live. Love people and show it and maybe we will be spared.

Hi Mary, and welcome to the discussion board! I also was a 3rd-generation JW, made it as far as ministerial servant, took it quite seriously.

As far as the "statue toes" prophecy -- all I can say is that, looking back, the WTS has changed its mind about the interpretation of Daniel so many times. For example, in their 1958 book "Your Will Be Done on Earth", they said that the Communist powers (such as the USSR which was the biggest threat back then) would survive as the "king of the north" all the way to the end of the system, and that God's people (JW's) would be continually be persecuted by such powers up until the end! Now that Communism has fallen and the JW's do have their freedom in most of the former Soviet countries, you can see they were guessing.

They have no idea who the king of the north is now. So how can they have any idea about what the legs, feet, and toes of the statue really mean?

The JW's in this century have thought that the following were signs of the sudden end: The 9/11 attacks in 2001, Hurricane Katrina, and the Indian Ocean killer tsunami of 2004. Yet none of these terrible events brought the "end".

The "end" has supposedly been near ever since you and I were little kids, and for JW's the end will continue to be near for decades to come.

Nations rise and nations fall, the world will continue on, and there will always be world-end-prophesiers. It's all part of the scene. It doesn't mean the prophesies are anywhere near true.

Welcome Mary...

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, we look forward to getting to know you.

Cas

Oh no you didnt!  You bustin' out the A word against us?!

Just kidding.  We actually are a bunch of evil apostates.  Put on your devil horns, drink a cup of sheeps blood and read the forum.

Welcome.  The A word will lose its power once you understand the loaded language thing.

Hi Mary !

I have an 'anointed' ex-Sister-in-law who shuns me better than any other JW I have encountered since I left the group in 2004 and became a born again christian.

I hear she gets an extra 'privilege point' applied to her reward each time she shuns me.