So after 20 years a convert, about a month ago I decided to start listening to my doubts and to do independent research about the WTBTS teachings (naughty me). As a result I have consolidated my position on various points and these are my major issues with the WTBTS teachings, I am posting these to help myself figure things out (with your assistance) and hopefully to hear from others at their stage of drawing away from the GB - ‘newbies' especially. In the form of notes so hope you don’t mind...
Child Abuse
Terrible treatment of child abuse victims, wrong advice to victims of sexual abuse and domestic violence resulting in harm and danger to the victims.
Not just the odd isolated case, there are many examples and organizational policy is to blame, eg. 2 witness rule, confidentiality, 'protecting' Jehovahs name by discouraging reporting to ‘worldly’ agencies.
Adversarial attitude to victims who want justice, treating them as greedy and litigious instead of apologizing and seeking to make amends.
Shunning taken to the extreme, parents told not to associate with children, splitting families for decades. Youths are often the victim of this policy, having been encouraged to be baptised as children before they really knew what they were committing too and the consequences - then ironically 'the world' often helps to pick up the pieces of their broken lives.
Star chamber judicial proceedings (accused not free even free to record), people disfellowshipped even when they say they are repentant (how can humans judge what is in another’s heart?), the long punitive process to be reinstated, not inline with prodigal son account or account in Acts.
Paul's examples were a) speaking of the antichrist (those who deny/oppose christ) Also corinthians indicates a short period of disfellowshipping and the individual was rebuked by the ‘majority’, not everyone.
The reality of our policies is that we can have child abusers in the congregation, freely associating with families and preaching to the public (who say they're repentant but we all know the facts about that particular deviance) at the same time we have individuals perhaps disfellowhipped years ago during youth for something silly like smoking or fornication, who now live decent lives with family of their own etc, (but who didn't get reinstated because they no longer believe it's the truth) and these are still being ignored by their own parents/relatives and shunned by the JW community for decades! Crazy!
Elevation of the GBThe habit of equating GB teachings with Jehovah, not allowing for individual thought/disagreement even if done in all good conscience based on scriptures. Even though GB regularly change thought. Elevation of the GB members to celebrity status.
The light gets brighter. Can we believe that this would mean the Holy Spirit would reveal falsehood which would be taught for decades having fundamental effects on people's lives, only to be retracted/changed because of increasing 'light'. If the scrip is to be used in these terms then the only way that could be justified is if the GB had said, 'we don't understand clearly this scripture yet', until a later date 'light has revealed it to mean this...'. It cannot be a justification for teaching falsehood.
Along the same lines, grey areas such as civilian service alternative to military service, blood fractions, oral sex, holding a political ID card in a one party state: these should never have been 'ruled upon' resulting in great suffering, imprisonment or disfellowshipping, family break up etc.
False predictions made in Jehovahs name: 1914, 1925, 1975, the generation who were cognizant in 1914, by the end of the 20th century to name the major ones…see Deut 18:20-23
Blood: can a symbol of life mean more than life itself?
Can we really need know how Jehovah and Jesus feel about blood transfusions?
Surely Jehovah would not punish us for wanting to save a life, even if in doing so we inadvertently 'sin', surely this is where Jesus sacrifice and mercy come into play? Why should GB presume to punish such with disassociation and shunning?
Fraction allowance, changes in doctrine on blood and transplants show hypocrisy. Eg. I can benefit from donated blood in terms of fractions but cannot donate blood as a JW.
Although if following scripture blood is obviously not to taken lightly and I wouldn't eat a blood sausage, clearly when it comes to life- saving medical treatment this should be a conscience matter.
All others will die:
Despite efforts to thinly veil the actual beliefs to make them seem less brutal. The GB teaches that you must be associated with the organization to have any hope of survival. There is no allowance made for children. Those with limited or no access to the 'truth', sincere/good people of other faiths or no faith. We are asked to believe that they will be judged on their response to our preaching, so if someone is busy on a Saturday morning and refused a magazine about, say, smoking then they are actually rejecting everlasting life on paradise earth!?!? who knew?
Many many JWs internalize a personal view that others will survive 'Jehovah will be the judge', as I did for decades. The reality is the WT teachings are hardline on this point and the very latest thought reminds us that we shouldn't expect a mass conversion during the great tribulation.
I ask my JW friends on this point, if you were in an arena with 100,000 people standing before you, and you have a machine gun to execute all unbelievers, would you kill all but the 100 who are active Jehovah's witnesses? Based on the warning already given by the preaching work and their reaction to it?
Some will say, and I did, 'the message will get clearer before the time of the end, the choice will be clearer', well I hope so. But looking at the work today, there is a long long way to go before everyone truly could know that they're rejecting everlasting life in paradise earth by not seeking out JWs. See jwfacts on this point which as always makes very astute points:
http://www.jwfacts.com/watchtower/salvation-only-for-jehovahs-witnesses.php
The sickening thing is, although there are the 'kinder' JWS out there, there are also the hardline ones whose comments jar in meetings - saying things like 'we should expect people not to be interested deep into the last days, they've made their choice, they can't say they haven't had a witness’ and those who seem to delight in talking about the so called coming Armageddon slaughter eg. Anthony Morris on comparing scorched human flesh to hotdogs!? Yes I am sure Jesus would have talked like that Brother Morris, nice Christian attitude, well done!
Birthdays: so a piñata is acceptable because it might be a little bit pagan but has lost all pagan connotations, same with wedding rings...but birthdays still aren’t? Now can anyone tell me if their non witness friends/relatives murder people on their birthdays or perform pagan rituals? Take the candles away and what exactly is the problem? I hate the fact that I've deprived my kids of these normal events.
Money: asking for money by TV channel? what?!!? when I converted I was so proud that we werent like other religions, we didn’t have a hierarchy, we didn’t ask for money - what is going on!
Okay that's it for now, sorry for the rant -please post your crucial points, let's help each other see clearly. I'm retaining my faith in Jesus and Yahweh/Jehovah. Haven't been able to bring myself to study major doctrinal issues such as little flock, the flood etc yet.
Now what to do? Most of my immediate family are still in, I don’t want to lose them and my friends/community who are sincere and good people in the main. Frankly this whole thing process is completely torturous.