So what caused you to have doubts in the first place? (page 7)

BurnTheShips

The Creation book.

I could see it was full of falsehoods.

I planted seeds in the minds of others unwittingly when I was in. Several have left.

Burn

Things that helped me along the way:

-Having problems with scriptures about how you should be in Christ and baptized with the Holy Spirit.(The whole two-class Christian system)
-Having problems with them forbidding speaking in tongues (Not that I do, but it obviously says in the scriptures not to forbid it.)
-Having a householder ask me what I would do if I read the scriptures and could see one thing clearly while another belief was espoused in the WTBTS literature. He asked me who I would listen to. I said the scriptures and stuck to it (That's why I'm not a JW any longer)
-I read some of the Studies in the Scriptures by Russel. This was huge in that it allowed me to see alternative views to interpreting scriptures that were actually more logical than the WTS (and yet still wrong!). That was what really got me. How he could be more believable and use more scriptural proof than them and still be wrong. I thought "Wow, if he could be wrong with that compilation of doctrine the WTS definitely could be."
-Audio booking the N.T. and listening to it constantly emphasized all of the above points.

The only thing that kept me in so long was that I would suppress the doubts and distract myself with some material pursuit. I was a better Witness when I was more focused on material things. Whenever I would regain the focus on spiritual things I would again get full of doubts and want to leave. Then the cycle would happen again. I'm not talking so much about getting a nice house, etc.. etc.. I mean thinking about "When is that next build", "Where are we going to hang out after service", "That next part I'm going to give", and things like that. The organization may call them spiritual activities (Except the one), but they really are a distraction from doctrine and a focus on activity.

I remember being at a quick build and thinking, "This is really a great time, with nice people, I wish they had the truth.", but I knew they didn't.

saywhat29

I had doubts but did not know how to express them. I was always wrong and like a sheep I always thought that if I didn't understand it then I know that the people in Bethel were super Bible-thumping geniuses, plus I was always motivated by selfish inclinations and desires.

Girls (and Men), College, money, wanting to be involved in track. I was so selfish.

Then one day I heard them something along the lines of; "The Organization is the ONLY one you should be listening too" and something in that lil' ol sheep I was died.

because I thought we were only suppose to listen to Jehovah and the bible? And God, why does Brother so-and-so all of a sudden look 'better' than usual?

Yep, that seed was sown and I should thank that brother so-and-so as it was the best talk ever. I mean I still believed since it takes some time to tear down walls, but that was the First Doubt. And when I think even farther back, i had issues with Lot offering up his daughters to those crazy homoseshuls (Like, WTF? your daughters? and aren't they gay?) and David just rebounding back after the news that his son had passed. I couldn't understand that shit whatsoever.

crazycate

Doofdaddy: You said:

"For me, it was the search for truth. When articles came out that contravened previous thought, I would research to see why. An article came out years ago that said there is refining of thought but there are basic truths that are set in stone. The article rattled off about 5 points, one being the (literal) generation will by no means pass away that saw 1914. It was a cornerstone of the preaching work through the 70's and 80's. Articles were thin on the ground though through this period, then silence until 1995."

Do you have the date and page number of this article?

Thanks, Cate

AGuest

So Jesus is the mediator between the Spiritual Israel (those with a heavenly hope) and God and not the World and God.

Not according to:

John 1:29 John 3:16 John 3:17 John 4:42 John 6:33 John 6:51 John 8:12 and most importantly, John 12:47

But they're not trying to "hear" what Christ had to say; rather, they and listen to... and push... their own false propaganda. This is because they are "false prophets" and "false christs" (false ANOINTED). Imposters. The blind... leading the blind. Scribes... and Pharisees... who "seat themselves in the seat of Moses." Matthew 23:2

I bid you peace.

A slave of Christ,

SA

Cindi_67

So Jesus is the mediator between the Spiritual Israel (those with a heavenly hope) and God and not the World and God.
Not according to:
John 1:29 John 3:16 John 3:17 John 4:42 John 6:33 John 6:51 John 8:12 and most importantly, John 12:47

These are all good scriptures. But let me tell you that if you point these to any JW, they will tell you that believing he is our Savior, has nothing to do with him being the mediator between God and us in the new covenant. These scriptures point out that he came to sacrifice his life for all mankind. Nowhere do they mention him being our mediator. I am not trying to argue your comment, I am just trying to make you see what their rebuttal will be if you were to try to prove it only with those Scriptures.

I am as confused as a lot of people about the belief that he is not our Mediator, only for the anointed, because that is why we pray in his name. And of course nowhere in the Bible have I read that some Organization is our mediator between us and Jesus then God.

That really made me think. But in your research, try and find other scriptures that will mention mediation between us, "the other sheep" and God.

BluesBrother

I had been raised in it, up to 1975 I thought that what ever was in the Watchtower was Gods will. After that time ,I thought that Holy Spirit only guided them loosely.

After the change in the "Generation doctrine" in the 90's I could see that they were fitting the fulfillment to the prophecy and had changed it just because the other belief had failed.

Getting nearer to the end of the Millennium I was interested in the calender and read up on it. I realised that chronology leading to 1914 was over simplified and was just not right . I was aware that too much time had passed - Where was Armageddon? Although I was also concerned about the morality of the belief. I had often had recurring worries about the millions of people that were due to die. Also I was working with some decent people, I could see that it was wrong that they should die when their forbears, who had lived identical lives, would get a resurrection?

Gradually I began to think the unthinkable, and soon realized that it was "Just not true"..........I looked on the Internet and soon found myself here.

Hope4Others

The year 2000!

Cheers,

Hope4others

Mutz

Not long after I was dunked I started to have questions. An elder in his 70s offered to study with me. He had studied with one of the original old time JW's, one of the 'remnant'. The elder owned a whole library of old JW book that this old time JW had left him in his will. I read some of these and to be honest it seemed like another religion. So much for the 'truth' always being constant. This was the catalyst for my 15 year long slow exit.

marmot

The anti-masturbation policy was the bane of my life from age 9 until I woke up and left. I could never figure out why something so universal in human behavior was never mentioned, either for good or bad, in the bible yet it is such a massive sin in the eyes of the watchtower society. The cognitive dissonance and guilt trips almost drove me to suicide as a teen.

The shove that finally pushed me out the door was Noah's flood, though. It never made any sense to me from either a scientific standpoint or a moral one.

So what caused you to have doubts in the first place?