Posts by Kathy

26

I need help! I'm losing my wife!

by indireneed in

jw
friends

my wife is becoming a witness and i've found very little that i can do to stop her!

i've tried to show her that the wt does not quote correctly, i've talked to her about past beliefs and i've tried to reason with her about the bible.

but she won't listen!.

Kathy

Very recently, my boyfriend's married sister was about to convert, against the wishes of her husband and her entire family. My boyfriend and I immediately jumped on it, did our research, printed threads from this board, personal stories of x-JW's found on other sites, and basically bombarded her with information. I ordered Crisis of Conscience from Amazon and gave it to her.

Initially, she was very resentful. We rained on her parade. She brought the binder full of information we gave her to her cousin (the one who almost converted her) and he had very nice, calm answers to all of it. She bought it all from him. We didn't stop. My boyfriend (her brother) called her every day to say, "Well, how's it going? Whad'ja learn TODAY?" He'd listen, and then he'd sometimes try the humiliation trick.... for example, he asked her, "Say, would you mind coming over to fix my deck? Because since I'm going to be dead at Armaggedon, and YOU are going to survive, live in paradise or whatever, why should I fix my deck just for YOU and your jehovie friends to enjoy it? You know, you guys have to clean up after Armageddon and re-build the world. I guess you have to dispose of our bodies, too.... but only after the worms and bugs eat our eyes out. While we're at it, would you mind mowing my lawn? Because the jehovies in the neighborhood would appreciate it."

My boyfriend also discussed doctrine with her, and some bible stuff, but we found out quickly how crafty the JW's are at "bible hop-scotching" (a phrase I picked up from this board!) It's true. So we concentrated on the ridiculous policies of the Watchtower Society, its history and their false prophesies. Yes, they say "They've made mistakes... does that mean they're all bad?" We said, "No, it means they're not the voice of God, as they profess to be."

A couple of weeks ago, the sister told us she was having doubts, and said that if it were not for the information we provided to her, she would have converted. Of course, we felt triumphant! It's been a little while now, but today we noticed her car at the cousin's house. Hmmmm, maybe we need to give her a call. Bottom line, don't give up! Incidentally, we were raised in basic protestant churches, and we believe in God. Our God is a loving god, not one who condones breaking up families, shunning, judging, etc. We believe the JW's are admirable in their desire to live a "godly life." But we think that means something way different than what the Watchtower Society promotes, and something way different than what ultimately happens to the individual witness. I very rarely say "I'm right" about anything! But I KNOW I'm RIGHT about THIS! Like I said, don't give up.

4

A success story, thanks to YOU!

by Kathy in

jw
friends

well, here's an update.

thanks to all of you, my boyfriend's sister is seeing the light!

if you remember, we were trying to dissuade her from joining the jw's... becoming baptized, whatever.

Kathy

Hi everyone. Well, here's an update. Thanks to all of you, my boyfriend's sister is seeing the light! If you remember, we were trying to dissuade her from joining the JW's... becoming baptized, whatever. They've got a very convincing JW cousin, who's actually a very nice person, leads a good life and treats people well. It would have been easier if this guy was a nutcase or something, but he's not. Anyway, I purchased C of C (see, I've even got the lingo down) and she's read it. A few days ago she finally began to question some of the teachings, based on what we've given her. Yippeeee! Thank you!! Anyway, she actually told us that within a few months, she'll have the COUSIN converted! Yes, we're gloating just a bit. This is not against INDIVIDUALS who are Jehovah's Witnesses, mind you; it's just the organization which irritates us.

Now, hopefully, one of you can point me to a Watchtower article that states that the "Faithful and Discreet Slave, or the "Governing Body" gets its ideas directly from God--"food at the proper time" or "new light from God." The sister asked the cousin about this, and he said that Jehovah's Witnesses don't really believe this, and the Watchtower has never said it. He said that mistakes have been made by various men in leadership positions, but these men haven't claimed that the information came from God. Can this be disputed by actual Watchtower quotes? Once again, thank you!

5

Do Jehovah's Witnesses use the Net for Witnessing?

by Kathy in

jw
friends

it occured to me that this is their biggest audience.

might they record their time here, on the internet?

why wouldn't the wt sanction wholeheartedly the jw's use of the internet to spread "the truth?

Kathy

It occured to me that this is their biggest audience. Might they record their time here, on the internet? Why wouldn't the WT sanction wholeheartedly the JW's use of the internet to spread "the truth?" Will this be coming? Just curious....

24

Answer to: Why do JW's come here against WT policy

by GodRules in

jw
friends

believe it or not the motives are love, at least in my case.

i know that sometimes jw's on this board do not show that, but it goes the same with some ex-jw's too.. am i going against wt counsel?

yes, but i am willing to pay the price to help my fellow man, specially if i see that they blinded by resentment and are going contrary to jehovah's will.. why does the wt give the counsel to stay away from site such as this?

Kathy

Quote: "Since I do not know who is disfelloshipped or who is not in this board, my conscience allows me to post here. If someone identifies himself as disfellowshipped I will not answer to his comments."

I'm sorry GodRules, but this appears to be very disingenuous. Does it matter who's disfellowshipped and who isn't? I think you know that most here are, at the very least, "weak in faith." And they aren't asking for your help. If I was dabbling in something that I knew wasn't good for me, but I kept at it, at least I'd admit I was having a little fun, albeit feeling guilty. Are you "witnessing" here? Or are you here because you're curious? Please be honest with yourself.

34

For all x-JW's: quick question.....

by Kathy in

jw
friends

if you remember, i've been inquiring about how to discuss jw issues with my boyfriend's sister.

it appears she is accepting the watchtower driven interpretations of the bible, but we are still not giving up.

if you are willing, would you respond, in a nutshell, to the question, "what is the doctrine or belief that the jw's hold that was most instrumental in leading you to abandon this religion?

Kathy

Hi all! If you remember, I've been inquiring about how to discuss JW issues with my boyfriend's sister. It appears she is accepting the watchtower driven interpretations of the bible, but we are still not giving up. If you are willing, would you respond, in a nutshell, to the question, "What is the doctrine or belief that the JW's hold that was most instrumental in leading you to abandon this religion?" Please answer from your heart….. whether it's bible interpretation issues, or social issues, etc. Thank you!

18

1952 WT - Official Policy on Anointed

by Amazing in

jw
friends

this is a must read: the following is taken from the january 15, 1952 watchtower, pages 63 and 64. it is the most cmpassionate, kind, and detailed article i ever found on the topic of how jws know they are anointed.

the article even encourages jws to consider'partaking of the emblems' at the memorial.

it is the 'final article' that gave me the 'courage' to openly declare my hope as one of the anointed.

Kathy

Thank you, Amazing. A few days ago I was looking for answers about how one knows whether s/he is of the "anointed." This Watch Tower article seems to explain it well. I can't believe any person with reasonable intelligence would buy this idea.

14

Introduction

by Kathy in

jw
friends

i hope you'll indulge me for a few minutes here.

i've been reading this board with great enthusiasm for a few weeks now.

i must say i am so impressed by the depth and breadth of experiences all of you are sharing.

Kathy

To everyone: Thank you!!! You are right. Although I personally believe the trinity (because I choose to, based on what I've read, and also because it makes me feel good), there is no reason to argue it. It is not a life or death situation. As was pointed out, who cares!!??? No one died BECAUSE they believed in it. I also appreciate the view that our salvation does not depend on it. So where does that leave me? I'm not sure.... I'll keep trying. Incindentally, I'm halfway through "Crisis of Conscience." Wow, incedible. I better give this book to our sister soon. Thanks again!

29

Rutherford's Parting Shot

by Farkel in

jw
friends

anyone who's informed about the honorable joseph franklin rutherford knew what a jerk he was in life, but the creator in his infinite humor also wanted his death to remind us that whenever we fondly think of da judge, one word will always come to our mind: that word is "asshole.".

here's "indisputable" proof: http://farkel.0catch.com/index.html.

farkel

Kathy

I'm sorry, but I am laughing so hard at this thread. My father was treated successfully for colon cancer 6 years ago. We are grateful for his recovery. And I DO remember the sorrow we felt at possibly losing him. But I still think it's okay to make fun of someone like Rutherford.... Very, very clever, Farkel!

14

Introduction

by Kathy in

jw
friends

i hope you'll indulge me for a few minutes here.

i've been reading this board with great enthusiasm for a few weeks now.

i must say i am so impressed by the depth and breadth of experiences all of you are sharing.

Kathy

Hello! I hope you'll indulge me for a few minutes here. I've been reading this board with great enthusiasm for a few weeks now. I must say I am so impressed by the depth and breadth of experiences all of you are sharing. What an amazing group of people you are. What also strikes me is that there are so many websites like this devoted to helping Jehovah's Witnesses recover. I'm sooooo thankful I don't need to recover from my religious upbringing. We went to a simple protestant church that essentially taught us to "love our neighbor." Some people would say this was pretty bogus, but that's all right. I like to keep things simple…. God=love. That's it. I don't think I'll ever need help getting over that. I have enough other problems, as most of us do.

Earlier I asked you for advice regarding my boyfriend's sister who's attending a bible study with their Jehovah's Witness cousin. I appreciated all of your responses. Incidentally, I originally posted under the name Kitty… I'm not sure why I did that, except I was thinking I shouldn't post my real name publicly. Now, I guess I'm not going to worry and I'm not going to feel ashamed if I get "caught" trying to HELP this person! We are all in our late 30's, mid 40's… basic people with decent careers. The sister has an education degree but is currently a "stay at home mom" with two little boys, and a marriage that's a bit shaky. We believe she's reaching out for some meaning in her life.

I log in here every day, and every day I read something that I'm absolutely positive if I share it with this woman that she'll "see the light" about this organization. My boyfriend and I are becoming more and more disheartened…. She's been studying for about three months now, and despite the reams of paper we've given her, she seems to have a closed mind already.

The big hang-up for her is the Trinity. She says she can't see any good support for the belief anywhere in the bible. The problem is, for her it appears that: NO TRINITY=BELIEVE ALL JW TEACHINGS. We are diligently looking up bible verses to support the trinity, only because it seems that if she believes that, she'll give up the idea that JW's have "the truth." But actually, I think the more compelling evidence against the teachings is the role of men within the organization, and the Watchtower and Awake publications. If we want to be believers, why do we need those publications? It's so obvious to me….

We're trying to point out the ridiculousness of the "society" to her. So recently I asked the question, "How were the anointed chosen, and how did they know they were "anointed?" I have a feeling the answer should cause any person with a normal mind to have some doubts about this org.

Thanks for allowing me to introduce myself, and I hope you don't mind if I continue to ask some questions in an effort to help this woman who appears to really need it! It's coming down to the wire, and we are hoping to get through to her before she, god forbid, gets baptized! Aaarrrggggg!

21

Questions for the JW Experts on WTS Structure

by Kathy in

jw
friends

i understand that "annointed ones" are no longer appointed to the governing body, because most are no longer alive.

so now, what criteria are used to appoint members to the governing body?.

what is the "chain of command" in the society from the governing body to the average jw living next door?

Kathy

Thank you Maximus! Yes, I'll look forward to Amazing's challenge here. Just exactly how DO these people know they are "anointed!?" Perhaps I'D like to consider myself "anointed." Maybe not, but it's food for thought.