New Believers, Studying.

by cupcakekourtney88 73 Replies latest jw friends

  • JonathanH
    JonathanH

    Hello again courtney. I am not at all surprised that your sister told you not to come here. Like I said before, they want to control the kind of information you recieve. They do not want you to get both sides of the story, they want you only to get their side of the story. They will do everything they can to convince you that you shouldn't listen to anyone but them, and that you should only be studying their material and not paying attention to what anyone else says about their teachings. But does that sound like a balanced view? Does that sound like a reasonable way to get accurate knowledge? Or does that sound like a pushy salesmen trying to convince you that he's the only person you can listen to?

    Jwfacts.com

    I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to go there, and just read on different topics. Compare it to what they are teaching you, and ask the people studying with you about it. In fact, take them there and have them go over the information with you. Don't let them just say "don't listen to that, don't go there, don't pay attention to that, it's just lies, it's not important." If you read something on that site that makes you have questions about what they are teaching you, force them to answer those questions.

    They are trying to pressure you into joining the group by making you exclude everything that they don't want you to see, or everyone they don't want you to talk to. They don't want to reason with you or teach you, they want you to just repeat after them, say whatever they say is true. You aren't going to learn the bible from them, you are going to learn to repeat what they say about the bible.

  • SweetBabyCheezits
    SweetBabyCheezits

    Kourtney, I'd like to apologize for insinuating that you're naive. It was thoughtless and arrogant on my part to put that out there based on your first few posts. Maybe I was projecting my own tiny sliver of experience as a young man. I was naive, I bought into a particular belief at a young age and didn't start researching the other side of the story until I reached my late twenties.

    If you've come to the conclusion that God wants you to pursue the JW faith and that they hold the only understanding of truth, I hope you find peace there. That said, I'd like to share a couple of other perspectives, right or wrong:

    "Believe those who are seeking the truth. Doubt those who find it."
    [attributed to] Andre Gide

    "He who knows nothing is closer to the truth than he whose mind is filled with falsehoods and errors."
    [attributed to] Thomas Jefferson

    Anyway, best wishes in whatever path you choose.

    SBC

  • Chariklo
    Chariklo

    Cupcake, you wrote

    I thought to do a bible studying and learn more about the bible...

    Then read the Bible. I have been studying for 14 months, mostly in your "What does the Bible REALLY teach?" book. It won't tell you what the Bible really teaches. It will tell you what the Watchtowere Organisationj says it teaches.

    And there's the difference.

    SweetBabyCheezits, you are absolutely right when you said most people who get themselves into this thing are idealistic and naive. I'll put my hands up tpo both.

    Cupcake, I was being pressured to be baptised in July. Fortunately, I suddenly realised what was happening due to certain incidents, and I resolved to get out, but even for me, not baptised but an unbaptised publisher, it is strangely difficult and painful. Because I've been brainwashed, and because JW's are a cult, no two ways about it. I tried to prove to my non JW family that they weren't, but they are.

    Read the Bible, yes. Read the JW Bible teach book, absolutely no.

  • satinka
    satinka

    Cupcake wrote:

    I was baptist which I hate anyways..

    Then ru-u-u-u-un! After I left the jws, I visited a Baptist church. They are very similar to the JWs. Both harsh and judgmental with their respective flock.

    The jws are in the "love-bombing" stage. But only till you get baptised. Then you will be forced to tow the line or get disfellowshipped.

    satinka

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