Was There Something That Ever Bothered U About The "Truth" While U Were In?

by minimus 30 Replies latest jw friends

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  minimus

  When I used to read the prophecies of Revelation and see the Society's interpetation I often thought to myself, "how could this be"? I shelved a lot of things, hoping that maybe I'd understand over time or the "light would get brighter".

  As an elder, I used to wonder how they (the Society) could tell the elders one thing and put into print another thing. While the rank and file were being told at the Watchtower studies how the elders were to not judge unfairly at judicial committees, the elders were told to be safe rather than sorry when it came to "removing the wicked man from our midst". If we weren't 100% sure that a person was repentant, it would be better to disfellowship rather than allow "leaven" to exist in the congregation.

  Was there anything that just never seemed to sit right with you????
• 

  moshe

  I saw plenty in the first ten years and my 2 years as an elder was an eye opener, too. For some reason nothing was a home-run type event. Looking back, I should have stopped making mental excuses for the failures of the WT society.

  It was about 1985 when I seriously looked at the historical record of the anointed remnant and tried to make sense of why the numbers didn't steadily go down, but seemed to have reached a plateau. Finding out from an insurance underwriter that there should have only been 3000 left in 1985, not around 10,000, was the point that mental freedom really took off for me. When I shared this information with my wife and the elders they didn't fell liberated at all by it., but instead felt threatened by me.
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  minimus

  See Moshe, you were right all along!
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  White Dove

  Oh my god! That is sick! It makes sense, though. Mercy was only lip service, put into practice though could contaminate Jehovah's Christian congregation. Can't have that!

  Birthdays and Thanksgiving were my big Q. How can saying thanks to God be bad? The reasons they gave were never good enough for me. Heaven celebrated Jesus' birth but I could not celebrate his nor mine nor anyone else's. I was raised in it so I bought most everything else easily enough. Holloween was certainly understandable from a Christian standpoint, but I didn't see the wrongness of dressing up and leaving the devil out of it. God created the seasons, right? Let's celebrate it!

  When I was a teen, I wanted to go to heaven so badly that I thought that I might be of the 144,000. I asked my mom lots of Q's about that and had to settle for earth . I have always wanted to partake of the emblems at memorial. I idolized the anointed

  After reading The Greatest Man Who Ever Lived (admit it, it's the only really good book they wrote), I wanted to worship Jesus, but was not allowed. I wanted to pray to him, but didn't dare, so I told Jehovah that this prayer was for Jesus, too:)
• 

  moshe

  See Moshe, you were right all along!

  Yes, Minimus I was smarter than the elders and I recently called the old PO up and left a message on his telephone recorder about that 20 year old confrontation I had with them over the anointed remnant. I hope at around 80 years of age he could still recall who I was.- yeah, I'm sure he remembers all the trouble makers.
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  minimus

  "Heaven celebrated Jesus' birth".....So well put!
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  lesterd

  The elder arrangement was instituted while I was in prison. We studied ALL the publications and had pioneer hours set for sudy time, most of us understood the scriptural organization, and looked upon the elder arrangement as JUST something new by the organization and not Gods arrangement for HIS people. I was offered an elders posstion upon my release, which I respectfully declined. Pressured for an explaination I explained from the scriptures that the power given to the elders was not theirs to give and the blood guilt for mistakes in judging whether or not to disfellowship would lay directly on the heads of those elders. And that no human on earth could remaove Jehovahs spirit from an individual or make the claim that it no longer resided in them. To keep people in a stiritually subservant position, so as to remove and reinstated at will is spiritual slavery. The borg wants you to reach the level of truth that allows them to master over you. If you study delegently you will find the truth, as Christ said "the truth that sets you free".

  They put God in a bad light by claiming that those act of disfellowshipping as guilded by holy spirit. Because they say that actions were directed under prayer under holy spirit, the spirit does not make mistakes. Men do.
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  OnTheWayOut

  From the beginning, there were things that didn't seem to add up.

  I think the first thing was, as an unbaptized publisher, I went with a dubby on a bible literature study. The
  subject of blood came up, and the book said not to accept blood to save your life. The man asked about
  storing up your own blood before surgery, and I said "That sounds like a good idea." The dubby went on
  about how the Bible only showed one acceptable use for the blood- sacrifice, otherwise pour it out. He
  asked about tests performed on blood, instead of pouring it out.

  I was criticized for not knowing the WTS answer to his question about your own blood. I wish I left then.

  ---

  Of course, my biggest problem was "This Generation." It was drilled into me, it must be so, therefore the
  end is right around the corner. JW's were never wrong (I thought). By the time of the 1995 change, I was a
  new elder and JW's were occasionally wrong, but they were able to admit their mistakes. I didn't really see
  them admitting their previous stance was a mistake, plus they insisted that their previous stance was the
  absolute truth. I put this on the backburner, promising to research later. Later took years.
• 

  White Dove

  Counting time in field service, having to wait so long and answer Q's for baptism when it was done on the spot (Philip & Ethiopian) with no questions asked but the required ones: Admit you are a sinner in need of forgiveness and have you accepted Jesus as your savior? That's it. Simple. Why wait a year or two when you already did this a loooooong time ago? It's against the Bible to wait if you feel you are ready now. All of that is true if you believe in the Bible. If not, never mind. I just think that if a religion says that it follows the Bible, it ought to do so accurately.
• 

  jelcat8224

  HIPOCRACY HIPOCRACY HIPOCRACY!

  Every time I looked around there was another example of it! One elder in particular for example: Would spin out of the KH after the meetings, do doughnuts in the parkinglot, start snow ball fights, drag race other brothers down the road as they left the meeting, etc. Then one time he saw a brother spin out of a local restaurant and hauled him in to an elders meeting, took away his "priveledges", and emphasised how important it is for us to ALWAYS represent Jehovah! This stuff happened ALL the time!

  JUDGEMENT! I always felt it was wrong for any man (no matter how spiritual) to judge another, and I never understood how they justified this. I always was nice to DF'd people even though I wasn't supposed to talk to them, because I never really felt they deserved it.

  BACKSTABBING! When you are in an org. like the WTS, you are told that everyone in the org with you is your true friend! How false this is. Truth be told, every 'friend' I ever had was merely my friend because they felt obligated to be my friend, and did not hesitate one second when they thought they could throw me under the bus. When all my so-called friends started betraying me and slandering me I just knew these people were NOT my true friends! I feel much better now that I can make friends with people who want to be my friends and are not so just because they share a common 'faith'.

  There is just so much that I always pushed into the back of my mind because I didn't know there was anywhere else I could turn to! Thank God I found my way out!