by seattleniceguy 42 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
Father Esteban was right under Father Ruben in another child abuse case and they settled both.But tell a parish member that this happened and they will tell you its all a lie.
Such horrible crimes are committed among JW's as well. That link -- http://silentlambs.org -- contains more information. Naturally the numbers are not as great as those in the Catholic church, since they are many times bigger. But they are still staggering.
Welcome to the forum!
Dave
There is hypocracy everywhere you go but I will remain a witness. Every witness wont go to paradise which means there are pagans,blasphemers,fornicators, heathens and others in disguise among us that we wont know of until armageddon.
Will you promise me one thing? Will you promise me that you will research everything they tell you to teach until you know for certain that you are teaching truth?
If you left one codified religion that doesn't really support the law of the Christ for another codified religion that doesn't really support the law of the Christ, I am not surprised you were disillusioned again. If you live long enough, it won't be the last time you will be disillusioned.
You keep putting "your trust in nobles and in the sons of earthling man" and you keep discovering that they are ones "to whom no salvation belongs." When you place your confidence in a true source of hope and comfort, you will find freedom from illusions.
Respectfully,
AuldSoul
EL_DON
I was an apostate, which is why I am changing my wicked worldly ways.
Ah, so posting on a website crawling with apostates, contrary to all guidance by the Fetid Deoderant Salve, in a way that would get you disfellowshipped if you already weren't is your idea of change?
Don't get me wrong, I'd sooner have you stay than go, as here you'll learn something, but you must be kidding yourself if THIS is "changing your ways".
I have been away from the congregation since I was a teenager. After leaving I would openly speak out against the truth as many of you do now and I beg Jehovah God for his mercy and forgiveness because I was wrong and I am sorry to have spoken blasphemy. It is now that I am trying to find my way back to the light.
And what were you wrong about? Be specific, tell us what were the reaons (you now see as wrong) for you leaving.
Over the years, my bad associations DID spoil useful habits.
Yeah, meetings, I know, three days a week and they let anyone attend, but what can you do...
I am preparing myself to say my goodbyes to many people and things of the world that I always loved.
Why?
It is not easy but I am ready and growing stronger. The teachings were ignored
Yes, but most of us here ignore the teachings because we can prove quite satisfacorily to someone free of preprogramed toxic thought-patterns that the JW's are somewhere between the Mormons and Scientologists as regards being able to prove their beliefs, and still have time to cook a threecourse meal. How do you want t? Scriptual proof? Scientific proof? Logical proof? Ethical proof?
and no matter how many material possesions have come into my hands or how much success I have had, there was emptiness without Jehovah in my life.
Of course you felt like that. That';s how you are programmed to feel, and unless you replace the programming with good wholsome knowledeg you will feel broken. Just like an expelled Moonie or Mormon feels. Their feelings of distress at being seperated have nothing to do with them being expelled from the definative 'truth' though. And neither do YOUR feelings of guilt.
I can't go back and change things.
Correct. Why are you trying to?
I am far from perfect. I have sinned (and I mean SINNED) but that doesnt mean its too late to repent and be forgiven. He is a merciful God who has blessed me with so many gifts. And even if I didn't make it to paradise at least I would be serving our lord Jehovah God and not Satan.
See how screwed up being in a cult makes you?
I plan on rejoining the Creston Congregation in NYC that I left long ago.
I would be doing you a favour if I sent the BOE a record of this... not that I would; but I WOULD be doing you a favour if I did.
There are still some hypocrates in the congregation but that is just the state of our imperfect world and they are found in all congregations and all religious denominations.
Ah, so you are going back to an organisation that is indistinguishable from other religions. Smart move!
Some congregation members think of me as a worldly, liberal, cigarette smoking, vain, openly gay former witness and I am still in recovery. I'm sure that I will be shunned by some but I am going to put one foot in front of the other and march right into that kingdom Hall (hopefully with my mother who has stopped attending meetings). Naturally there will be gossip and whispering, but talk is cheap and I've dealt with bigger monsters before.
You will be shunned by every "good" Witness. Look, you're gay. I'm not. For you to be straight would be as un-natural and kinky as me being gay. Nothing wrong with being either straight or gay as long as you are true to yourself and don't hurt others.
If homosexuality is normally determined by predetermined biological factors, what kind of sick god would not know some of his creation turned out gay through "no fault of their own" and punish them for it?
Think about what you do carefully, you're setting yourself up for decades of misery.
El Don I would suggest you do some serious research here about the Jehovahs Witnesses before making a hasty decision to rejoin based on guilt. Take your time and carefully weigh matters first.
Ticker
congregation members think of me as a worldly, liberal, cigarette smoking, vain, openly gay former witness
There is hypocracy everywhere you go but I will remain a witness
Don,
Considering you hate hypocrisy, how come you are being hypocritical to yourself by being openly gay but attempting to rejoin an organisation where being gay is considered perverted and unclean?
You would be living a lie if went back and tried to suppress your sexuality.
Hi SeattleNiceGuy
Thanks for posting such an interesting topic for SweetScholar.
Dear SweetScholar:
There is no more concise, accurate, complete, and readable answer to this "inspiration" claim than Jim Huber's delightful parody:
http://www.jhuger.com/kisshank.php
If you were to read it, and pay attention to what is being read, you would see all your questions answered in a direct and powerful manner. It's often a good idea to put questions such as this one in new garb, just as Jim Huber did. Some new clothes on an old broad can work wonders.
Huber answers the claim that the Bible is inspired because it contains some accurate information of a historical nature and of a "scientific" nature with ease and wit. The deaf will never hear, though. There are none so blind as those who will not see.
Jim Huber answers fundy claims and objections with all the gravity and respect these matters deserve. The people who believe them, of course, deserve respect and tolerance, but the views themselves...well...
I was a convinced fundy until I had the courage to start investigating these matters from the other side of the fence. I was an informed fundamentalist, and Aplogetics were a passion. I needed to convince myself and others of the objective reality of biblical religion. Then I began to read the actual material written by the opposition, and the rest is history. Questioning and reading, if you're a fundy, is a dangerous thing to do, since fundyville answers cannot stand up to close scrutiny and probing questions.
To help, here is a URL to a vast website where highly intelligent and educated persons, most of them scholars, tackle almost every conceivable issue raised by fundies: http://www.infidels.org/
Nate
El Don Gregario
Read my book "JEHOVAH UNMASKED! The True Indentity of the Bible-God Revealed" then email me (or post to me on this board, or PM me) as to what you think of Jehovah God afterward.
You can purchase Jehovah Unmasked for four dollars and thirty four cents at this site:
http://www.lulu.com/content/167431
Nate
http://www.carm.org/bible_difficulties.htm
http://www.carm.org/evidence/inspiration.htm
Take a look at these two links. I don't have access to formatting so you will have to cut and paste the links. Consider the evidence thorougly. Get both sides of the story.
Rex
Rex,
I agree with you and the CARM site that many of the supposed contradictions in the Bible are not really contradictions but misunderstandings. And I can even buy that some are scribal errors. But this one is an amazingly bad excuse:
http://www.carm.org/diff/2Sam6_23.htm
It is in regard to the "Michal had no children/Michal had 5 children" contradiction. The reasoning is that since one verse says she had no children, and another verse says she had children, it must be a scribal error. Would these be the same scribes that allegedly counted every letter of every word to be sure they copied right? And despite this meticulousness, they managed to pull the completely wrong name out of thin air and drop it here? In every extant copy? That's pretty far fetched.
Dave
Hi AA,
I believe that the explanation is reasonable but I do see your point. Inerrancy is much harder to hold to than infallibility. We don't have 100% accuracy in Biblical texts in any case, simply through translational difficulties. My main point in any apologetic is to bring a balanced view as this board is heavily negative towards Christianity. There may be a more information somewhere else on this particular scripture.
Rex
