by Scatteredsheep 39 Replies latest jw friends
welcome scattered,
Do you feel that Jehovah drew you away from Jehovah's Witnesses?
hmmph... i wish! even jesus or satan or allah or vishnu or buddha would have been a lot easier on me!
Surely there are some more Witnesses or former Witnesses out there who are aware that Jehovah talks to us personally?
yes, there are several.
take care,
TS
I am also a newbie here...Hello to everyone
I had doubts for many of the 26 years I spent in the organization but when they became so strong I couldn't push them to the back of my mind any longer I prayed to GOD to show me if I was worshiping him in the way he wanted to be worshiped, two days later my sister who first talked to my husband and I about her "new religion" Jehovah's witnesses in 1973 came from IL to tell us she was being disfellowshipped for apostasy I felt like that was my answer, I am in a state of limbo as to what I believe about God and the bible since I disassociated myself in 2000, I do believe however that there is no 'True Religion' I will never join an organized religion again.
Welcome Grammy,
It's interesting that you had doubts for so long but still stuck it out. Was it fear of retribution. Maybe you were in your comfort zone. I wonder how many of the 6 million JWs feel like us?
Hope your sister's holding up well.
I know Jehovah's Witness people pushed me away from associating with them by their willful rudeness, their meanness, their arrogance, their lies, their error, and their nasty treatment of children.
About 3 years ago, 5 publishers, including me, were disfellowshipped after Jehovah led us to speak up to our elders regarding their inconsiderate treatment of victims who came to them for help.
Welcome to the two new members that posted on this thread. I don't have a belief in god, but your experience is most interesting. Did all 5 of you get disfellowshipped? As far as you know, what impact did that have on the congregation? Have you stayed together as a group of 5 or did some return to be reinstated (i.e., returning to the scene of the crime)?
Again -- welcome to the group!
Nope it was the Net THANG and folks like you all here to get a confirmation-
cause "if Jehovah drew one away from the Jehovah's Witnesses" then he is pretty cold bloodied to have left about 15-20 million folks behind
sorta like the folks who survive a diaster and yet will say "I prayed to god and look he protected me"
while at the same time 375 bodies are burned pass reconiztion laying on the ground from the plane crash that you survive
to use that line of reasoning means that god has left behind millions of jw kids who have to suffer, mistreatment, face life and death issues all because he only had time to draw a couple of hundred person out of the wt whiile leaving behind millions on millions
Welcome Scattered and Grammy!
While I was an active sincere JW kid of around 12, I was home alone one summer day reading the book of John. When I read what Jesus said to Nicodemus I actually got down on my knees and asked Jesus to be born again, whatever it was, I wanted it. I had a feeling come over me that is indescribable. I was so excited that when my mom got home I told her about my experience and she wasn't as happy as I was about it. So I never told anyone. But I can look back and see the presence of God in my life since then. It took many more years before I finally was free.
I went through a rather long slow transition from a relationship with the Society, to a very close and personal relationship with God through Jesus. I studied Bible versians and Greek for a couple years but my mind was not set free until the Holy Spirit through Jesus revealed Himself to me in a rather miraculous way.
Luke 11:13 - If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"
John 14:26 - But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
Acts 1:8 - But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Sama'ria and to the end of the earth." (Jesus' witnesses!)
I had to totally relearn the entire Bible. The truth is, God does speak to us. I completly understand ScatteredSheep. Love~Kate
It's interesting that you had doubts for so long but still stuck it out. Was it fear of retribution. Maybe you were in your comfort zone. I wonder how many of the 6 million JWs feel like us?
Thanks for the welcome everyone.
My reasons for staying are complicated but the main reason was the knowledge that over 30 of my family members would shun me and the fact that the only 'friends' I had were witnesses, (it's my belief that there are a great many in my old hall who feel the same way I felt) my husband and I were baptized together in April 1974 due to believing the 1975 garbage, it seems we never gave it a second thought when it didn't happen!
I pioneered, hubby became a MS then elder so he was kept too busy to do deep research, I on the other hand did a huge amount of research hence the doubts that cropped up but I always depended on Jehovah to set things straight...
Serious doubts for me began with the Tacking into the Wind article (WT December 1, 1981 Par.27) compounded by The "simplification" of the two baptismal questions (WT Apr 15 1987 par.12) and the Generation change (WT Nov 1 1995 par.17) add to that the fact we bought a computer and went on line in late 1998 and I typed Jehovah's Witnesses into Google and realized there were a lot of 'apostate' sites listed there, the rest is history.
Grammy, who is happy to be free!
Welcome Scattersheep and Grammy!
do believe however that there is no 'True Religion' I will never join an organized religion again.
I completely agree with you Grammy, and no, I do not feel that god (whoever that might be) drew me away from the JWs. I truly do not believe that god cares what we do.
Purza
Hi scattered sheep and grammy. Welcome to the forum!
I don't believe that JW's teach that individuals won't have direction from the Holy spirit. It just never dawns on them that the HS would lead someone away from JW's.
