by Fernando 41 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
Fernando:
Regarding the religion, I had several smaller AHA moments but was slow to react, being ever-hopeful and waiting on "Jehovah".
However, when the 1995 changed teaching on generation came out, it could not be ignored. It was all over as far as I was concerned and I think the religion should have packed it in. This was really what made me mentally reject the religion before I actually walked away in 2000.
I have posted it here before - but the first real AHA about the JWs was personally doing the research to prove that they were right to put Jehovah all through the New Testament in the NWT - and discovering that they had absolutely no historical leg to stand on.
It is eye-opening to see that we all have so many different reasons to shout AHA !
This means that whenever talking to an active, believing JW we should ask them probing questions that expose the area that troubles them.
I have pointed out many of the things that are Aha moments to many of us, to JW's, and they shrug them off one way and another, but get to the one thing they have struggled with and you have something to work with.
When an entire body of twelve elders were terrified of one man, and justice was not served but a miscarriage of it did.
The ability of one man to control a group of senile old men, that's not impartial, that's a local dictatorship!
One issue that troubled my mind, was how my righteous aunt hated her JW sisters, how is this possible, where is the love? I asked my aunt if it's right to hate her sisters, she never worked with me in field service again!
To this day, she preaches, but not the message of "Christ's love and forgiveness!" Don't you think that's bizzarre? She has a form of godly devotion but proves false to it! (Tim)
Total disbelief: NO WAY! when i realized they would be encouraging my ex to keep the kids from evil dad. that was also my introduction to JWN, i was researching JW and child custody...
followed by lots of shock, disbelief and anger as i continued my education on the real truth.
oz
I know the date of my moment. 1 January 2005. I woke up that day and just knew for a certainty that there was more to life than being a jw. It is one of the most crystal clear thoughts I have ever had.
There were many other aha's, debunking beliefs etc. The next huge Aha, was that there is no god, that was huge for me.
Various things piled up, 1914, 1919, blood fraction confusion, the elasticated definition of 'generation', treatment of women, policy on gays - the doctrine crumbled. Then one day I heard of a couple elders counselling (threatening) a women not to go to her own daughter's wedding on pain of losing her regular pioneer status, because she was marrying a worldly man.
Then the thought came to mind. "Oh sxxx. I'm in a fxxxxxx cult"
I had never sworn up until then.
Even as a born-in child I didn't buy all the nonsence. We got that orange Paradise Lost book in 1958 and when I looked at those pictures I knew for sure it was all just a gruesome fairytale. Yes I pushed it all down and walked the walk and talked the talk pretty well for almost 50yrs!!! OMG, 50 Fxxx'n years. @Sapphy I still do not feel comfortable with the curse words :-/ After some very difficult years of raising children and teaching / grooming them as Jdubs, they rebeled and many many judical meetings insued. Heartbroken because I saw 'the truth' as a Good CLEAN Life. Who wouldn't want to just be NICE and CLEAN and enjoy dinner and the Brotherhood. AS IF ! The AHA moment hit me: I cannot teach this to others. Even if I liked the 'nice life' it was not for everyone, my children included. They wanted the freedom to think for themselves and I recognised I had no right to take that from anyone. The 'troof' is like that bowl in the Revelations book, shiny on the outside but filty dirty on the inside. Not going to force other to drink from when I don't myself.
I have been out of the Borg for over a year, my Aha!! moment came when I was reading Crisis of Conscience by Ray Franz after just reading 80 pages in one night I realized that all the Watchtower was just a printing company and also I realized at that moment that I had been worshiping the Golden Calf(Watchtower) instead of God.
Also one other thing I wanted to put out there since I was raised in the Borg, the night after my Aha!!! moment I was in shock, the shock lasted for a few weeks, also at work people could see something was wrong and I even got sent to counseling.
