True Faith Jehovah's Witnesses

by RR 12 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

  • Caminante
    Caminante

    Actually according to some information I received from a former member of this "True Faith" "association", there are 11 small splinter groups in Romania of Bible Students and/or Jehovah's Witnesses.

    One of them is AMIR -- Asociatia Martorii lui Iehova din România -- Romanian Jehovah's Witnesses Association, www.amir.ro. On their website they claim to have done the right thing when they disassociated themselves from the brothers who remained faithful to the Watch Tower organization in Brooklyn, because they thought the new publications with the updates teachings and new, more attractive layout was unacceptable, as was in their eyes the correctly updated understanding about the terms "true religion" and "false religion" (1950) and the identity of the "superior authorities" (1961).

    Recently the True-Faith Jehovah's Witnesses (CAMI = Credinta Adevarata Martorii lui Iehova) split themselves on account of headship and as of today there are still fighting in court about this. There's one faction of believers based in Cluj-Napoca, the other one based in Târgu Mures. Besides the website hosted on that oltenia.ro domain (Oltenia is actually a region in Southern Romania ... I haven't got any clue why an association based in North-Westen Romania chose to host their home page on such a domain), there is another site: www.vestitorulimparatiei.ro (Vestitorul Împaratiei = Herald of the Kingdom). It's also administered by some form of "true-faith witnesses" but I don't know which one. And I don't know either whether it's available in English, because the site is designed to detect the system's (or the browser's) locale automatically and switches to that language, if available.

    As to beliefs and practices, they reprint the old issues of the Watchtower and books (very popular among them is "The Truth Shall Make You Free", 1943) and study them over and over again. The sisters cover their heads during meetings. They don't go out in field service too often. Sisters aren't supposed to wear make-up or jewelry. Witnesses don't participate in certain forms of worldly entertainment such as dancing. Some of them are so extreme, that they don't watch TV or use computers at all.

    While I have certain acquaintances who are members of the group and are nice and balanced persons, I can recall a very unpleasant experience related to some "highly privileged" members of the faith. It was during Ray Franz's visit in Romania in October 2007. We were invited to an open conference in Cluj-Napoca, where anyone could attend. Most of the audience were former JWs (associated with the Watch Tower organization), current and former members of CAMI and certain CAMI leaders. After a few introductory words and Ray's biographical summary and his reason and purpose for writing the two books (Crisis and Search) the meeting became interactive and the audience could ask Ray certain questions. Although the host of the meeting recommended everyone to refrain themselves from asking many or long questions (in order to allow everyone to participate), certain CAMI leaders ignored the advice and bombed Ray with a range of accusatory questions regarding the changes of doctrine that caused the separation in the first place, this way showing a blatant disrespect to Ray, despite of his age, experience and status, and the fact that he had traveled such a long distance regardless of his health issues. Being a true Christian and genuinely showing Christian qualities, Ray remained almost surprisingly calm and answered each question. I also had the opportunity to talk to Ray in private and we've been communicating over e-mail since. His thoughts are always very encouraging.

    And there is also some group of Bible Students who reprint the Studies of Scriptures and the Photo Drama of Creation. But I don't recall any info about them.

  • teel
    teel

    I also live in Romania, and see these ones in the "true faith" from time to time. They are an even weirder bunch. Imagine a typical deeply indoctrinated JW sprinkled with weird views and clinging more dearly to their beliefs than a leech. Add to that some medieval views (more so than one of a normal JW) and you approximated them. Some of them used to march in front of the JW convention trying to distribute their literature - which reminds me, they don't accept colored pictures in literatures, because the Bible has no pictures either. One can easily recognize them by the women always having their heads covered (or maybe only when in field service?) and their typical green-black tracts they want to distribute, which I'm told is a reprint of a 60's or 70's tract the WT printed.

    I've seen the videos about Ray's visit Caminante mentioned, and that CAMI leader was unbelivable, if I ever had doubts about that offshot, he definately made the point clear to me. He kept it steady, that when the new light about "supreme authorities" came, the witnesses in US had a schizm too, and there was some sort of mini-revolution, with Kingdom Halls burned, and all. Ray kept telling him calmly, that he was a witness then and there was no such thing, but that guy all but called him a liar.

    If you'd wish to see the videos, check it out here: http://www.youtube.com/user/innoire Ray talks in english, so you can understand what's it about.

  • lovelylil2
    lovelylil2

    This group must be wierder than the JWs we know because they are sticking to the very old "light" material. And we all know the WT in the past printed even more wierd stuff than today.

    This reminds me of the bible students groups who still reprint Russell's old material with gems in it like leviathan of the bible is the locamotive train or that the measurements of the pyramid of Giza fortold the date 1914. They even call it God's great "stone" witness.

    My husband and I soon after leaving the tower got invited to a bible student meeting in CT. Anyway it was in a Masonic temple and before the meeting began, one of the elders stood up and hung on the wall some wierd pyramid chart that was a replica of the one in Russell's study in the scripture books. I swear to God it was so wierd my hubby and I thought any minute there was going to be a sacrifice on an alter or something. We were like "what the hell does this stuff have to do with the bible?"

    We never went to another of these "bible" meetings.

    Peace, Lilly

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