Joining a new religion after being a JW is like...... (page 2)

StAnn

XYZ, you are correct that the abuse suffered at the hands of the GB makes one gun shy when considering attending a religious service.

A few years after leaving the JWs, I became Episcopalian. I was attracted in part because all of their beliefs were laid out for me to read through for myself, so I didn't feel I was being hoodwinked. Also, they really are not pushy or intrusive in how you live your life. I really didn't want an authoritarian group putting their noses into my business. I believed it was their job to "preach the word, not enforce the word."

So, that's how the journey into Christianity started for me. I owe a lot to the Episcopal Church.

Regarding remarriage, all I can say is that you've obviously never been lonely.

StAnn

FuzzyPaul

After 45 years in the WT I left and attend a local Southern Baptist Church. It's like a family. I have quality study materials, choices of discipleship courses, activities, friends for me, my ex-JW wife, my ex-JW pre-teen son, my ex-JW step-daughters and grand-daughter.

I go to mass at times and feel that God is definitely present.
I go to a synagogue occasionally and know that they actually understand the Torah (law) since they actually know the language.
I have been to Assemblies of God (lively worship like a celebration).
Nazarene (strong music ministry).
Conservative Baptist (like them old hymns but I can‘t understand the King James Version).
Grace Brethren (All of our sins are forgiven by believing that he DID pay the full penalty).
Lutheran (a little too sedate for me).
Messianic (Christianity IS a Jewish sect and Hebraic in source).
Methodist (respectful, sedate with Pastor dependent but solid teaching).

I first hand learned how they invent and then re-invent truth on the fly, invent their own proofs while claiming that they are quoting a true expert, claim they always taught 1914 but actually had 1799, 1874, 1914, 1915, 1925, 1948, 1975 in the same role in doctrine.

They repeatedly quote atheists like Bertrand Russell who wrote Why I Am Not A Christian And Other Essays On Religion And Related Subjects, and Stephen Mumford edited: Russell on Metaphysics: Selections from the Writings of Bertrand Russell.

They quote anti-Darwin evolutionists (in a WT evolution vs. creation book) like Francis Hitching who wrote The Neck of the Giraffe or Where Darwin Went Wrong, and Earth Magic, and Dowsing: The psi connection.

Angels and Women is edited by the WT from a book called Seola by Ann Eliza Smith
featuring a demon angel that reformed and wanted to get back into Jehovah’s good graces.
http://www.amazon.com/Angels-Women-Watchtower-Bible-Society/dp/B000Q74274/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1278055072&sr=1-2

“Angels and Women (1924). This book is a revision of the book Seola by Mrs. J.G. Smith. According to The Golden Age magazine (Oct. 27, 1924 p. 35 and Golden Age, July 30, 1924 p. 702), published by the Watchtower Society (Jehovah's Witnesses), Seola was revised at the suggestion of Charles Taze Russell and published as this volume. Editions of the book at the headquarters of the Watchtower Society (Bethel library) state: "Introduction by J.F.R. [Joseph F. Rutherford]. Appendix by C.J.W. [Clayton J. Woodworth]. Written by a brother had been long in the service, was incapacitated, and sought to provide for himself by thus "indirectly" presenting some valuable information. Not altogether up to date, as "Angels" booklet and other information supplements and revises what this work contains."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seola

Charles T. Russell’s belief that The Great Pyramid is God's Stone Witness “Thy Kingdom Come examines the testimony of God's silent stone witness the Great Pyramid of Gizeh, revealing its harmonious confirmation of the accuracy of the Bible.”
http://www.amazon.com/Thy-Kingdom-Come-Charles-Russell/dp/0972824324

see: http://members.cox.net/jellogator/pyramid/pyramid.htm and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Taze_Russell touches on his beliefs in Pyramidology.

And his followers thought the Pyramid was so important to WT doctrine that they built a Masonic One-Dollar-Bill style Pyramid for him as his cemetery monument, see: http://www.spotlightministries.org.uk/russellspyramid.htm

Is this “Religion is a snare and a racket”, “Christendom” bashing organization the truth?

They can’t have thought of themselves as a religion to parade that sign. Christendom means the domain of Christ, Christ’s Domain - Christendom. Like a Kingdom is the domain of a King. So they don’t want to part of Christ’s domain - why?

Get real, get out of the WATCHTOWER and go to Church. Get over it. They lied and Jesus IS IN CHRISTIANITY in traditional Christian Churches.

Or do I have to add several hundred more reasons proving the damned nature of WT origins, doctrine, practices, associations?

It actually only does take faith in Jesus paying the penalty in full for our sins to be saved. What can you add to the Blood of Jesus?

Fuzzy Paul at your service. Got any questions? PM me.

exwhyzee

Interesting comments one and all. I did attend a wedding at a church for the first time. It was a young couple who had been living together during college and had decided to tie the knot. The wedding was very much like a JW wedding. A talk by the minister giving them biblical counsil etc. One thing different was that different family members came up and related stories about the couple which was really nice. The prayers were just the same a witnesses except they didn't say the J word.

Most notably, the couple was congratulated for having made things right before god, rather than thrown out and not allowed to have a wedding at the church. It was nice that the church was more concerned with helping them do right rather than punishing them.