Is becoming a witness the right thing for me

by marketman 62 Replies latest jw friends

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  Sailor Ripley

  There are some good things regarding the camaraderie and working together toward one common goal but then it gets too inclusive.
  
  Ask how they feel about you continuing to hang out with your current friends that will now be classified as “worldly.”
  
  Here’s a quick list of things to which you can say good-bye
  Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/whatever
  Birthdays
  Smoking, if you smoke, but you should quit anyway
  Halloween
  Easter
  Veteran’s Day
  Memorial Day
  Labor Day
  The kind of sex you have with your spouse
  R-rated movies
  Most internet
  This site
  Your kids having a normal life: no friends, no sleep-overs, no sports
  Your kids going to College
  
  Why are they so against your associating with anyone or anything outside the church?
  
  If you can deal with the separation of things that you’ve known then JWs may be the ones for you.
• 

  sf

  marketman,

  I just brought this thread back to the top of "active topics". Hope it can give you some more insight:

  http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/7/115587/1.ashx

  sKally
• 

  Sailor Ripley

  I remember listening to a guy at an assembly for a while until one of the elders from my congregation scooped me up. I was interested in the what the dude said as it seemed to make some sense of all the stuff that the JWs teach.
  
  This is another thread that you may want to check out.
  
  http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/6/116952/2.ashx
  
  This is one post from love2Bworldly that I really liked.
  
  Dedicated to People Seeking Bible Truths
  
  This article is written for the enlightenment of people who are seekers of Bible knowledge and is based on experiences of persons who have at one time or another been involved in such a search. Sadly some of these people have totally lost faith in God and the Bible due to being ensnared by false religion.
  
  (This is dedicated to people who have been hurt by religious cults)
  
  
  
  
  
  These are examples of ‘unwritten’ rules of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society (WBTS). Some are rules expressly forbidden by the WBTS; some are rules that are supposedly a ‘conscience’ matter; some are rules by church elders who have personally decided what may be a ‘stumbling block’ to other Jehovah’s Witnesses, some rules are ones that change from one geographical location to another. People have been shunned, disfellowshipped, or ‘marked’ (marking is when people are not allowed to socialize with anyone who has broken a WBTS rule) for being involved in the following behavior:
  
  * Studying the Bible by itself, without using the Watchtower Magazine
  * Questioning any JW doctrine from a Biblical standpoint
  * Questioning the many failed prophecies and dates of the WBTS
  * Questioning decisions made by church elders
  * Studying older vs. newer publications of the WBTS due to the fact that church doctrine changes every so often, which is called ‘new light’
  * Making any unfavorable comments in private, about the WBTS
  * Not attending & preparing for 5 hours of meetings weekly
  * Not turning in a monthly record of hours spent door-to-door
  * Speaking to inactive JW family members or friends
  * Having non-JW friends or marrying a non-JW
  * Attending weddings/funerals/services that are held in a non-JW church
  * Accepting whole blood transfusions; partial blood transfusions are ok
  * Sexual practices and/or positions between a husband and wife
  * Attending parties; choice of music
  * Being involved with any activities at the YMCA, even swimming
  * Participating in school sports or attending Proms
  * Playing certain games such as chess
  * Cannot do Karate, wrestling or any related sports
  * Pursue education further than high school
  * Be a Notary Public, work at government agencies (requires government oath)
  * Purchase a political party card in certain countries even if it brings death to one’s family; however bribing officials with money is overlooked in the country of
  
  If your Bible-trained conscience would like more information or if you are just curious about this religion, use the Internet to research Jehovah’s Witnesses. There are many websites designed to enlighten people as to the spiritually and emotionally destructive nature of the Jehovah’s Witness religion. Many people are unaware of the many rules they are expected to live by until after they were baptized into this religion, a rather under-handed tactic.