Paul Blizzard who was at Bethel. Is an Excellent Pastor... Has hundreds in HIS church... I was accused of starting my own religion....because I had support groups of EX JWs . Was not on scripture it was just fellowship. We would go around the room ( we had 47 at a time ) & tell our story.... Many sad ,sad, happenings that the" LOVING CHRISTIAN"????Jehovahs Witnesses!! Did to us all. I did chair the meeting for 20 years AT MY OWN EXPENSE!!!!coffee,tea, soft drinks, Now & again we would have a "pot Luck" supper... But the work of putting up chairs & tables was my doing .. Living in a seniors apartments we had a huge lounge & Kitchen I was able to use free of charge. When we first started it ( I had another wonderful couple help me they were ex JW too but did not want to have anything to do with the WT any way !!!) we used to pay $ 300 to rent the Holiday Inn room..I gave $150.00 they gave $150.00.I have quit now because of my age. I still get some asking to continue but I am burnt out!!!!!
I truly do believe Ex JWs need the support of others leaving their blinders behind.. I love them all -they still get in touch with me. Sorry for a long post.
have you heard of accusations of ex witnesses starting their own church?
by candidlynuts 32 Replies latest jw friends
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mouthy
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Mulan
When we first left the WTS, we met occasionally with some friends who had also left. Then some recently df'd JW's from Oregon came to meet us, and we all became friends. We got together with them pretty often after that.
Word got out that my husband had started his own church. When other friends disassociated themselves, they were asked if they were going to join my husbands church. They laughed and told them it was absolutely not true.
Rumors!!!
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Dogpatch
Nothing wrong with starting your own church unless you are doing it to seek your own position and glory!
That was a common rumor a few years ago, haven't heard it lately. I had a study group coming to my home (30 people, half were ex-JWs) for some time before the pastor of the church I was going to (Hope Chapel) suggested I start my own with ex-JWs and others I knew. Since I was already licensed as a pastor with them (Foursquare demonination) I did and pastord without pay for three years, and then quit as it was too much work what with my ministry and all. The story is up at:
http://www.freeminds.org/mystory.htm
How Randy Views the Churches
(Randy herein lightheartedly calls himself "the pooch" here)
The following was a mail thread after I lightheartedly referred to some Christiians as "fundies"
In a message dated 5/6/98 2:34:00 PM Pacific Daylight Time,
[email protected] writes:
<< I have heard of him but have never read anything by him. You may be
right that Randy has such "fundies" in mind, we'd have to ask him who he
has in mind (if anyone in particular).
Ken >>
I didn't have anyone specific in mind. I often write about psychological
principles, freedom of speech, etc. but I am especially grrrrrrd when I see
people who are fragile and hurting and recovering get told they have to
believe something to be whole. It snaps them right back into fear and dread
mode!!! Wholeness is a state of mind, not a state of doctrine. I am an exit-
counselor, or more appropriately a thought-control consultant and have been
for years. I often work in conjunction with Steven Hassan, as many of you
know. (www.freedomofmind.com)
What I red-flag on is this: Someone comes onto this list and speaks with a
nice face, but won't tell the people they are preaching to that unless they
leave the Catholic Church or the Bible Students or whatever that they will be
damned. They feed them their truth doses at a time, programming their mind
with fear and self-righteousness. I have seen this so many times, I
immediately recognize it, long before some of you do. Why? Am I more
intelligent? No. Listen.
The Pooch considers himself a Christian and loves Jesus, and was a Foursquare
pastor for years. He was a fundy as an elder at Bethel, but since got his
rabies shots and is doing better. Yet he gets along fine and is friends with
Rob Bowman, the MacGregors, the late Walter Martin, all the major JW
ministries except for a couple which he considers questionable in ethics but
will not here give his opinion of this. I am well-respected in the Christian
community by those that know me, though many consider me rather odd. I have
been on Prime-Time TBN, the Rich Bueller show, TBN's JOY in the Morning many
times, various radio shows including D. James Kennedy and others. I have
spoken at Full-Gospel Businessmen's meetings and I speak in tongues. I am no
longer part of a church or intend to be, I am retired from that scene, but not
because I don't like or agree with it. Just tired of it, and crowds of serious
people in general. I can name many fine churches in my hometown of Manhattan
Beach. I have baptized many people who are still my close friends. I have
spoken on a Seventh-Day Adventist show and I consider Bible Students my
friends, not just because they worship Jesus but because they are some of the
best Christians I have been around. If I had lived in New York City at the
turn of the century, I might have been a part of Russell's church, given the
options back then. :-)) I know Christians who follow current leaders in the
church just as devotedly as the Bible Students, and argue a lot more about
their leaders being right. I met Chuck Smith (Calvary Chapel) personally and
went to one of his baptisms before I became a JW, and talked to him about it
when I left. I brought a friend of mine who was in need to see him personally
one day, and Chuck whipped out his checkbook and wrote a check to Larry for
$1000 on the spot, no questions asked. I have never seen another man do this
in my life. When I left Bethel I started attending Hope Chapel in Hermosa
Beach while I was still a JW and an elder in the El Segundo Congregation. I
listened under the tutelage of Ralph Moore before he started his 15 churches
in Hawaii, and I attended John Wimber's congregation many times along with our
worship leaders to seek the Spirit of God, long before he got the chain of
Vineyards going. I have cried out to God when I was 20 and sitting in my
garage in Canoga Park in 1972 because I was addicted to cigarettes, a pack a
day, and tried so many times to quit I couldn't bear it any longer. I cried to
God and told him I really didn't want to quit, and I was so sorry. I went to
bed and woke up the next morning absolutely miraculously healed and to this
day I have never craved another cigarette or had one.
Bill Cetnar was a friend of mine.
I had a 19-year old pastor who knew Hebrew and Greek and took our little
church called Bethel Christian Fellowship (made up of Melrose Place -types and
met in the Malibu Colony on Wednesday nights) to Israel, Egypt and Greece for
3 weeks, searching all the TRUE biblical sights, the Old City and all the
tombs of Egypt.
I have read the Bible cover-to-cover 5 times, and not just the NWT. I have
written several books, some on Bible doctrine. I have sermons on tape for
almost every issue you can think of. I used to take my church into other cult-
like local churches and record the message, split up the group and made them
play different roles and use different expressions on their faces so as to
discover the true motivation behind the hucksters. Then we would meet and
analyze what we found. I have been to several deliverance meetings, and could
tell you bunches of crap about that. I know every trick that power people use
to lead others, so I am kind of sensitive to certain techniques.
Dogz often prefers to be viewed as a non-Christian by the more rabid of
doctrinal types. They always treat non-Christians better, "for some reason."
The Pooch, however, really couldn't care less if some view him as a real
Christian or not (like this is new to you.) He often plays the devil's
advocate, always has, even as a dub, and always will. I will argue from an
atheist's viewpoint sometimes, not to convert you (why?) but to help you see
that other people have valid arguments that you might want to consider if you
really want to communicate. He is ornery but never holds a grudge, and does
not hate anyone that he can remember (Dogz loses memory as he gets old -hehe)
That way he helps others to think for themselves. How can we minister to those
in cults if we (a) don't deal with them fairly, and (b) don't use plausible
and consistent arguments? That is where I like to challenge y'all. I am also a
die-hard Okie and am Irish and get bored easily, so sometimes I will be in yer
face. I also think these boards are full of people that take themselves far
too seriously, so I try to lighten it up a little.
So Christian or not, Dogz is here. In yer face!
peace to all of you.
Randy Wattersback to Home Page
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mcsemike
Hi Candid: I read the Jay Walters story and that's the gossip that went around about him. Aside from starting your own church or not, how would every JW learn about something (bad enough if it's true, worse if it's not) without being guilty of slander and gossip. Maybe they'll all claim they were "warning" other JW's so they could be protected. I mean, God forbid that someone might actually open their Bible and learn something that's really true.
Most people I know that quit don't even go to any church. They are sick of organization. Some become agnostic, as I did. A few join JW reform movements. I don't have any figures, perhaps Randy would know?
And why ever on earth would it be wrong to read the Bible with your family?? What happened to that scripture in the OT about the father/mother sitting down with their children to instruct them about God? They didn't have to go to any special temple far away, did they? Most instruction was just the family, in their own house or property.
I don't know if technically it's starting a church if you study at home with just the family. I think the fact that people who do this are criticized shows that the WT doesn't really want strong families unless it's on their terms. I mean, Dad might ask questions about the Bible that can't be answered from the WT literature. Or a child could find a different understanding from what they read than the WT's explanation.
Family study lets people think and discuss the Bible ONLY. We wouldn't want that now, would we?? How about what Jesus said about if 2 or 3 were gathered in his name, he would be there. Does that make their house a church? How could anyone, including the WT, discourage people from reading the Bible. Doesn't that big sign on the building in NYC say something about "read the Bible daily"?
Well, I have to go. I'm saying Mass at 4:00 pm at MY own church: Our Blessed Shady Lady of Perpetual Prophecy and Denial. Everyone's invited. Not yet broken up families welcome. Thank you.
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moanzy
They may be referring to us all gathering here on our computers on Sunday to study our Watchtower with Blondie.
Moanzy
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XJW4EVR
I only know one person that was a J-Dub, and upon his disfellowshiping started a Jewish-Messianic Synagogue. He was a prolific writer of letters to the editor in my hometowns local newspaper. Of the approximately 10 DF'ed J-Dubs I know of, only this guy started a new "church."
My dad as used this on me, and I only facilitate & host a weekly Bible study. I nearly laughed in his face. Of course the best one I heard from my dad was that I was now too proud to go from D-T-D, just like all the other apostates.
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Stephanus
JWs who left and taught doctrine other than the WTS doctrine were often accused of starting their own religion.
The way C.T. Russell did when he left his parents' religion?
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candidlynuts
i know some have really started churches..and if it fulfills their spirituality and helps others then great!
my post originally though is about people being accused of it just because they study the bible without watchtower publications.
i think its shocking that studying the bible with your family might be considered apostate behavior!
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Anitar
What makes them feel so safe is that the WTS teaches the rank and file that aposates want to start their own satan worshiping church. So disfellowshipping, combined with unfounded rumors combine to make them feel better. "See, we're right, they're starting their own church!"
What was it that Jesus said, 'wherever two or more of you are gathered in my name, I will be with you?'
I guess all these self-rightous, self appointed, Holier Than Thou Hypocrites never actually picked up a Bible.
Anitar -
RR
LDH asked, RR, What happened to the lot of people who predicted a nuclear attack on NYC on June 9, or 10?
The Lord's Witnesses predicted the UN would be nuked on that weekend. I was in Indiana serving at a convention. I was hoping to have an excuse to stay a little longer due to the attack, but ... nothing of the sort happened. They have however predicted other dates to come, so eventually they'll probably get it right someday! RR