After reading many topics.. I'm confused. Is this a JW forum or an ANTI-JW?

by MichaelM 105 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  kerj2leev

  MichaelM: I am a current JW. Former elder (congregation overseer). Former Regular Pioneer (full time minister). Raised as a JW most of my life. The only reason I am still in this religion is because if I leave, pressure will be put on my mom, who is also a JW, to shun me. Close JW friends will be pressured to shun me. Mom wont of course, she is rebellious. My closest friends would still sneak around to be my friend...because if they dont shun me, then THEY get shunned by THEIR JW friends.

  I have to laugh at this comment made my SnakesintheTower. Because he hasn't left yet (which he himself just admitted) he can only speculate that this is what his mom and his friends would do: rebel and sneak around to avoid shunning him. Sorry if this sounds cruel, but wouldn't we all want to believe that our friends love us too much, that our parents will still be in our lives, that we are their children and they wouldn't treat us this way? Right. SnakesintheTower, walk away from the WT and stop lying to your friends and family. AND THEN tell me what they did. THE WATCHTOWER ALWAYS WINS. Unless your mom leaves the religion too, she will shun you. Mark my words.

  I guess I'm feeling a little bitter today. If MichaelM wants to believe one publication from the Jehovah's Witnesses over the who-knows-how-many posters here who used to be JW's and for some "trivial" reason walked away from everything they knew, then I guess that's his choice. I so hope he doesn't take the plunge, because after baptism the JW's will own his soul (and according to their teaching, soul equals your life, MichaelM). If he is converting, then most likey his family is not JW's. Meaning after he realizes it's all a bunch of lies and BS all wrapped up in a pretty little package designed to make the WatchTower Real Estate and Publishing Company richer and richer at the expense of its stupid vulnerable followers, then he will still have his friends and family to go back to, if they forgive him for abandoning them to become a Jehovah Witness in the first place.

  Yeah, I typed Jehovah Witness on purpose. It used to piss the hell out of me when people would say that instead of Jehovah's Witness.

  I guess I gotta get off the f*cking internet now. I just sound angry and bitter. Well, I am. Dappling in the JW faith is just about the worst thing you can do. They will take everything they can from you, MichaelM. EVERYTHING.

  I guess we just met Bad Girl!!

  And that my friends is what we call "Being Bitch Slapped"!
• 

  gwyneth

  ((((GGBG)))
• 

  R.F.

  Welcome to JWD Michael!! I do hope you stop but every now and then.

  I must tell you this, never feel as if you can't question the Watchtower Society. If a religion is the truth, shouldn't it be able to withstand criticisms? Also, be cautious of any organization that puts itself between God and man. Jesus Christ is the only Head of man and the only mediator between God and man. The Watchtower Society will tell you that in order to have God's approval, you must be a part of the organization. Please beware Michael, and please frequent this site. You will be able to have much insight from it.
• 

  Good Girl or Bad Girl?

  I guess we just met Bad Girl!!

  And that my friends is what we call "Being Bitch Slapped"!

  LOL at Kerj. Yeah, I guess I did go off a bit, didn't I?

  Thanks, gwyneth!
• 

  mouthy

  I guess he got scared....>>>>>Ex-jws don't hate jws. <<but he believed it.... If only he knew how much so many on here LOVE them....They are our family -I gave birth to mine that must shun me....
• 

  MeneMene

  I think he said he had to get some sleep when he signed off. Probably had to go to work when he woke up. Hopefully he will be back later this evening after work. It's gonna take him a while to read all the posts too.
• 

  Kudra

  I just read MichaelM's bio- he sounds like a fun guy, full of life and the love of others.
  
  A lot of things he is into will be discouraged once he is a full time JW. He can't socialize and laugh around with his "worldly" friends (which I am sure he has a lot of), he can't play any "dungeon" games, he will have to take an extremely judgmental view of the world and people around him.
  
  All of these changes seem like they run completely counter to the grain of his personality.
  
  So, sure MichaelM, if you want to lose everything that you stand for and enjoy doing, go ahead and become a JW.
  
  Respectfully,
  
  -Kudra
• 

  flipper

  Michael, Mr.Flipper here. I was raised a witness and got out four years ago at age 43. There are alot of grounded, caring, balanced people who are very sane and not mentally ill on this site. They will be caring to a fault for you and your situation. You will not get that objective caring in the witness organization. It will always be on the condition that you agree with everything they teach, say, or do right or wrong. As has been mentioned already, they are in the midst of a secret child molestation coverup that they don't want you or the rank and file members to know about. Ask the person you are studying with if he knows about it?? I doubt it. But they paid out millions to 16 child abuse victims so they wouldnt go public with information about it. Remember it's their image they want to protect,not you, Michael. I have a 22 year old son about your age who also left that organization because he wants to further his education. I'm helping pay for that, which most witnesses won't for their own kids. I say these things because I care. Don't want to see you waste years of your life like I did, to be a self taught psychology major, but be in the lifelong profession of Janitorial because you were'nt allowed to get a college education. Good luck to you. Think, think deep. Peace, Flipper.
• 

  38 Years

  MichaelM,

  What the Witnesses will teach you will make perfect sense. They seem like they have a lot of valid, logical points. You are probably getting a lot of attention from the brother(s) you are studying with. If you have been to the Kingdom Hall, the warmth and love you are being shown is great. I was a Jehovah's Witness for 38 years. Those examples like wearing a gun around your neck - why would you wear a cross around your neck, they have been using these arguements for decades. There are plenty more you haven't even heard yet. The Trinity arguements are popular to use also. The Witnesses have these types of statements and put some scriptures together to create their beliefs. They do have an answer for everything or a way to get around any objection or question they are challenged with. They have been well trained.

  It is not the fault of the brother you are studing with, nor the congregation. It is their headquarters in Brooklyn that tells them exactly what to say and how to say it. They spend a lot of time with literature that teaches them exactly how to talk to people who show interest. You mentioned that the brother said you should go to the Watchtower with questions. The brothers and sisters are told they need the Watchtower and information from Brooklyn to be able to understand the Bible. They are told that the Governing Body is sheparding the congregations and providing for them spiritually. They believe and are never allowed to question. They have been isolated from doing any research or studying except what is approved by Brooklyn. The Governing Body is God's channel to bring spiritual food to his people.

  According to the Witnesses, God's chosen people are Jehovah's Witnesses only. They believe that everyone who isn't a strong, committed baptized Witness will die at Armegeddon. This means that your family, your friends, and everyone else you know will die at Armegeddon. Everyone in the entire world will die if they are not one of Jehovah's Witnesses. They use scriptures to explain to the outside world why they preach, but they really feel they are to reach every single person living on the earth before the end comes. When they go from door-to-door they believe people are making a choice to study and become a Witness or die.

  Note, if you are studing a "publication" that is taking you to your Bible, you are not really studing the Bible. You are studing what the Governing Body wants you to believe. If you are using your own copy of the Bible now, they will be okay with it, but it won't be long before they convince you to use their New World Translation because it has the correct Greek and Hebrew translation. Unfortunately, what the brothers and sisters in the congregations don't know is that the NWT was really translated by 3 members of the Governing Body in Brooklyn decades ago. You will be shown some great examples of how right the translation is, but there were not Greek or Hebrew experts involved in the translating. They used other texts and fabricated translations from other Bible concordances to fit their beliefs.

  It's great that you came here. You seem like an independent thinker who wants to research your decisions. Don't let the Witnesses take that away from you.
• 

  delilah

  I guess I gotta get off the f*cking internet now. I just sound angry and bitter. Well, I am. Dappling in the JW faith is just about the worst thing you can do. They will take everything they can from you, MichaelM. EVERYTHING

  Aw, GGBG.....I'm sorry sweetie....(((((((((((((((((((( GGBG )))))))))))))))))))

  ...........we loves you....