Before knowing TTATT did you really believe in things as...

roberto avon

Did you really believe in things as ;- the earth is only 6000 years old- the 144.000- 1914, based upon the destructiono of Jerusalem- Harmagheddon or the end of the world coming soon????
I married a Jw when I was an interested person and studying with the Jw's ( not the way they wanted) but I told my wife before marrying her that " most probably " I would never have been a Jw.
She accepted me as I was and married me. After that I had interrupted the study for one year, I started all over again with an elder of my wife's cong. I did it for more than one year but never, not even for one moment, I believed the topics mentioned above. Of course this drove the elder crazy and he didn't want go on with me
I discussed many times with my wife and she is very open and sincere in telling me some points she never really understood but since she is a born in she was just doing as the rest of herbfamily.
Did you never have any doubts before knowing TTATT? I mean the really tipical and absurd Jw's doctrines?

SAHS

When I was growing up as a born-in (since 1966), I initially believed all those things the WT organization taught and that I was going to be in the “new system.” After all, I was only a little child.

Then, leading up to puberty (around 12 or 13 years old), I still believed all those things the WT organization taught, but I gradually started to doubt that I would survive Armageddon and eventually, especially my my later teen years, I became convinced that I had probably sinned against the holy spirt (thus my user name, “SAHS”).

But then, around the year 2003, I began privately researching TTATT and became a member of this online discussion forum (thank God!). And since then, I no longer believe that the WT organization has any legitimacy or validity whatsoever – and I also lost my fear of having sinning against the holy spirit and being condemned to die at Armageddon, as I am now an agnostic and leaning heavily toward evolutionary processes as the explanation for life.

So, now I have no belief in the WT or the JWs whatsoever – and that is my belief.

Phizzy

I was born-in. So, I accepted most of it for my very early years. I had difficulty at around age 10 or 11 with the changing of explanations of prophecy.

My father smoothed that over, I cannot exactly remember his reasoning, (it was 50 years ago!),. but I don't doubt that now I would tear it to shreds.

I remember my mum saying that some apostates did not believe in 1914, this was around '81 when Ray Franz left. I can recall thinking "I am not sure that I do". But I shoved that to the back of my mind for years.

I always knew the Soc's teaching that the earth could be any age, I don't recall them ever saying it was just 6,000 years old, but they did insist Adam was created then.

I was sceptical of all their claims to be especially chosen, and the claims that some Bible prophecy was fulfilled by Rutherford and gang skulking in the trees at Cedar Point Ohio, that was always laughable to me.

Eventually I realised that without doubt 1914 and all they claimed for it was simply not in the Bible, so it was invented nonsense. I left. And then I found out about the rest.

I never accepted the ideas that a lot of JW's did, about Armageddon and Judgement etc, and so I really had my own beliefs, but was by name a JW.

Strange, and saddening to me, how a basically questioning and sceptical person like me took so very long to wake up.

OnTheWayOut

I was a mid-20's adult when I started studying, but was exposed to the teachings as a child. I was vulnerable due to my life crisis that brought me to the study table, and I truly thought God brought me to the JW's. I believed the teachings. They used just enough scripture and circular logic to make them believable.

The "Creation Book" let us know that it was only MAN who was just over 6000 years old and that earth could be much older. Just saying the 6000 years part would not be enough, but when adding in a bunch of mumbo jumbo, it seemed that Watchtower was using the Bible as the standard and working backwards to "prove" their position, when in reality they were working backwards to make their position fit. After they changed what "this generation" meant, I started looking at their explanations because I felt that I was going to grow "old" in this system of things. Over time, I noticed that their position wasn't really the best fit, especially in things concerning the importance of 1914 and what it meant for Armageddon coming imminently soon.

millie210

I never was able to believe that only JWs would live through Armageddon. I was shocked that anyone could believe that but I learned to keep it to myself!

I also never thought Armageddon was imminent - or even going to happen in my lifetime.

That also I realized was too shocking for me to say out loud in mixed company!

Village Idiot

"...the earth is only 6000 years old-..."

Actually they teach (or taught) that the Earth was 48,000 years old. They said that the creative days were 7,000 years long and that the present one - the seventh creative day - was 6,000 years old.

"...the 144.000-..."

Yes and I even made a list of the individual scriptures that lead up to that conclusion. My list was more effective than the book they used to have to explain all doctrine (Make Sure of All Things, Hold Fas to What is Fine).

"...1914, based upon the destructiono of Jerusalem-..."

Yes and I was not impressed by the 1975 teaching so I was not disappointed when it came and went.

"...Harmagheddon or the end of the world coming soon????"

Yes and I based that on the 1914/Generation teaching.

roberto avon

Village Idiot,

yes, I made a mistake because 6000 years is referred to the first man and not to the earth. But this shows, that for me it was such a nonsense that I didn't even listen to what they said. I was raised as a non practisant catholic but already at the age of 10,11 years I became agnostic, what I still am. If you are not a born in, or already with a strong faith ( look at the results of the Jws in Latin America ) I think it is very difficult to believe this " stuff."

Village Idiot

Roberto avon,

I was an atheist at 10 who suddenly got an interest in the Bible at 13. At 14 I converted to JWs wholeheartedly believing it was the "Truth" completely. Then, as the years went by, I started getting disillusioned because of the egotistical, pathological organization worship - doctrine did not come up even at my disfellowshipping though I was beginning to wonder.

It was soon after I was disfellowshipped that I became an atheist with a Carl Saganesque awe of the Universe. It wasn't until some years after that I read books like the Gentile Times Reconsidered and Crisis of Conscience. After that I lost all interest in JW issues.

ivanatahan

I never fully believed that I was going to survive Armageddon, as I've starting to do some very "bad" things according to JWs, like not reading a boring/bland book before I sleep for the day. Instead, I fell into a different habit...

I believed in everything else, considering I was a born-in. The doubts came later after I started actually considering JW beliefs from a non-believer's viewpoint, something I've made a habit of for every issue I'm presented with.

cofty

Yes 100%

I don't understand people who don't really believe it and still stay in. As soon as I worked out it was a lie I left.

Before knowing TTATT did you really believe in things as...

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