Again, I'm going to set some ground rules first. Any organization that claims to be the exclusive holder of the truth is held to a higher standard than everyone else. If they are imperfect, they are no longer the exclusive holders. If they claim to hold to bible standards better than anyone else, and they get proven they aren't, then they are not exclusive holders.
The critics are not held to the same standards, however. They may believe in the bible or not. They may use the same terminology or not. Since they are not claiming exclusivity, they don't have anything to prove. This board does not claim to have all the answers. It is a loose congregation of a bunch of highly opinionated people. We don't all have to agree, and those who refuse to join us are not doomed. People may come or go without announcing their intention.
About the terms thing. I know that we use terms that are not found in the Bible, such as pioneer. But what are we supposed to use?
How about "evangelist"?
You guys use that term "cognitive dissonance" with no problem. Does doing what is right in God's eyes mean we have to use only Bible terms?
What does one have to do with the other? Oh, I get it. "Cognitive Dissonance" is a term we use freely, even though it is not used in the bible. But the board never claimed to be True Bible Believers.
I'll leave the demon comments alone. We have the same eyewitness accounts in the evangelical churches I've attended. One of my sisters tells a harrowing account where she was prevented from entering a Kingdom Hall with her tracts. She is convinced it was God keeping her from Satanic attack...from the Kingdom Hall.
As far as all these comments (I read six years of posts in the last month, I read fast)about the WT being a publishing organization, and a real estate organization, remember this: Who is getting rich? Which individual? Which person? NAME HIM. There is no one.
You know, the Catholic church is very rich, too. But I doubt you could name any one individual who profits from it's ancient riches. Nevertheless, the Catholic church, AS AN ORGANIZATION, is very, very rich indeed. The Watchtower society is very much the same. They are rich in deeds and lands.
But God has always had his people.
Then why did the society abandon their plan to list a progression of "approved people" from the first century to today? Because such a heritage does not exist.
...but overall there is a mountain of evidence that there is a truth and that we have it.
I'm still waiting.
What will happen is that I will realize that spending time on here strengthened my faith.
Be careful with predictions. It's painful to eat one's words.
And what about those "experts" that you all quote? I have read some of their books actually. Very similar stuff, the seven signs of a mind-control cult, etc.
Have you read Steve Hassan? Could you quote him? I suspect you've read a few sites and a few lines and figured you've got it all.
The happiness I see among the Witnesses is so lacking among others. Perfect? NO. Happy, yes.
That's not what I see. The Witness I know best has been on an anti-depressant ever since he began working on his reinstatement. Six years and counting, now. Some days he despairs of ever being accepted by his adopted organization.
This forum seems like a religion. THIS FORUM HAS RULES AND YOU OBEY THEM. If someone doesnt obey the rules, you KICK HIM OUT!
That's called organization. When people congregate, there are rules.
when it's just us and God, then what? Then what?
Some of my greatest moments of peace and joy is when it's just me and God. Those moments come when I gaze at my garden, stare in to a starry sky, or approach the glorious Rocky Mountains. When do you feel it? http://www.interviewwithgod.com/psalm23.htm