INCREDIBLE STUFF SAID @ BOOK STUDY!

by Mister Biggs 80 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  Elsewhere

  Thewiz,

  Would you agree that if humans can do something, that God can do it infinitely better?
  If we can do something then God can do it one better.

  There are at lease two major assertions in those statements... first, that there is a supernatural deity, second, that this deity is infinitely better that us.

  Neither of these assertions have been demonstrated to me.

  "As every one knows, there are mistakes in the Bible" - The Watchtower, April 15, 1928, p. 126
  Believe in yourself, not mythology.
  <x ><
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  gold_morning

  Thanks Mister Biggs....thanks Matty,
  I know what you are saying.."There is no where to go"
  I wish I could wave a magic wand for you and show you that there is, but you would not believe me. Once you are a witness it is so difficult to seperate your inner spiritual peace and you salvation between religion and God. The two just do not have any connection. Really.
  I was indeed like you......no where to go. I was born and raised a JW. Most of my family was JW. I was a pioneer sister and believed it was the only true relgion, even after I was disfellwshiped. Because I could not seperate God and religion I lived with that feeling there is no where else to go. I lived like that for 16 years. Not praying, worshiping or loving God. There was in my mind no where to go because I believed them!! .....But....God never leaves you......we leave Him.
  Any way.. I spent 16 years away from God and for some reason I started to read the bible. I also started to pray again. I was amazed at how different the things in the bible were compared to what the JW's teach. Of corse, I still had the JW mind, even though I no longer belonged on their rolls, so I felt quilty questioning. I kept at it though. Who knows why........God's holy spirit I assume.
  I met a Christian friend. You know, the ones the JW's dislike. The apostates on earth. LOL LOL I was invited to attend a non denominational church. I had much quilt about going there, and was very guilty that I liked it.
  To make a long story short, I was able to seperate Jehovah God from Jehovahs Witnesses. Something that I never thought would ever happen for me. I became born again on October 27 1999 in a very big way.
  I canot tell you how wonderful it is to be cured from the brian washing!! The peace my spirit has is just awesome.
  Never doubt for one second that you do not deserve a relationship with Jesus........a personal relationship aside from organized religion. They do not have a direct connection to Jehovah. You are promised by Jesus that YOU DO. That is true and pure salvation and all that is required.
  All you have to do is accept the gift God gave you and love His Son and repent from your sins. He was so good and did nothing wrong, but died for the things that we do.
  I know it is hard, but no person, whether wife, mother, or friends should take away your free mind and choice of salvation. Your life depends on it.
  I will not say the road is easy......but God is with you every inch of the way.
  I do not mean to be preachy!! Honest. It is just that my heart goes out to you and I know the stuggle you are going thru internally. It is aweful. Know that there is hope for your tired minds. There is hope and peace for the internal struggles you are going thru because of the severe brainwashing.
  If ever you need to talk, my e-mail address I have set up for this is [email protected].
  I wish you the very best. Don't settle for less, God knows you deserve more. agape love gold morning
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  petespal2002

  His wifes answer was incredibly stupid. and totally not true. It is not better to have a false alarm and the watchman anaolgy does not imply that in the slightest. And btw people who sold up, etc. in 1975, had no sound basis to do this. Did the Wt ever say the end WOULD come then, without a scrap of uncertainty. Wasn't there always a reasonable doubt. Nostradamus predicts the end in 2023, lets all sell up and forego education now. If some want to, let them. Its there right to an opinion, and if they feel let down if it doesn't, who's fault is that.
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  teejay

  If we can do something then God can do it one better. – thewiz

  Man, thewiz!! If I was still a believer, I’d have to use that in service tomorrow or in my next #5 talk. That’s about the best resurrection analogy I’ve ever heard.

  While we can only do so much, many of us do what we can. We remain available (for some that means attending meetings, even still turning in field service and taking parts in the Theocratic Misery School <gag> <choke>) and we do what wee can to educate the public. – Dungbeetle

  Dang, Dung.

  That’s kind of sad, but a noble endeavor. One day I’ll return to mtg attendance, but only for my daughter. You’ve made me see meeting attendance/association in a different light. Thanks.

  Anyway, I'm still active and attending because I know that, once I stop attending, my marriage will most likely end. – Mister Biggs

  That has to be a killer, Mister Biggs, knowing that your wife of ten years really doesn’t love you. At least you have a plan. It will work. Btw, is your story online?
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  searcher41

  If they simply said "we shouted a warning but we were wrong" - I could deal with that. It's what else they say that makes it worse - like the teaching that when they do sound a warning it comes from God himself, through angels who give the F&DS the truth direct from Jehovah. A boy who cries wolf can be forgiven - an organisation who cries wolf, in the name of God, and causing untold suffering and death to millions is a whole other matter!
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  searcher41

  OOps - replied to first page but forgot to read the other three!

  Matty - I know where you are at, man. This is so hard for you because you have come to a cross-roads, but you know what it is going to cost you.

  Been there done it - and it ain't pretty. Never will be pretty unless your parents come out too. But you do have friends here who know what choices you have yet to make.

  btw - I was there in 1975 - I gave up school to pioneer in the "remaining months". No one can tell me they didn't say Armageddon was coming!
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  Pubsinger

  This "who else is doing the preaching work" thing is ridiculous.

  What they really mean is "who else is preaching the SAME MESSAGE as JWs?"

  That is as daft as any other denomination asking "Who else believes and carries on EXACTLY the same as our administration? . . . oh NOBODY. . . so we are the only ones then!"

  Lots of individuals and organisations are preaching and teaching and educating.
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  Matty

  Pubsinger, when I answer questions like that at the group, I just think "what on earth am I saying!". An illustration that is often used about Bible interpretation is the "Jigsaw" analogy. Religions are likened, because of their preconceived ideas about God, to trying to push the wrong piece of a jigsaw in the wrong place so that the overall picture is distorted. The JWs picture fits together perfectly, of course! When I read about some of the things that Isaiah said being interpreted as having an antitypical fulfilment in the 20th century - I think "who do they think they are kidding?!". These interpretations are so vague and obscure they are laughable, and yet we are supposed to believe them!

  searcher, I am under no illusions now - if I was naïve about it, I certainly am not now. If I contradict myself in my posts sometimes, then sorry - that’s me I'm afraid - I'm still on the fence believe it or not - there are lots of times when I still think it’s the truth, and that scares me more than anything! All I know is that whereas I have a kind of "comfortable" life now, the pain I have inside won't go away as long as I stay like this. I know what is to blame for my feelings of hopelessness and inadequacy and I feel really angry about it.
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  Bona Dea

  .
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  searcher41

  HI Matty

  You wrote: "If I contradict myself in my posts sometimes, then sorry - that’s me I'm afraid - I'm still on the fence believe it or not"

  Please don't worry about that - I understand.

  "there are lots of times when I still think it’s the truth, and that scares me more than anything!"

  Yeah, and that awful feeling of "what if I am wrong *this* time?" - that is scary, because we can lose all confidence in our own ability to think about these things rationally. But then, did we ever really learn how to think rationally while a JW? No. We learned to think about everything in the light of the WT. I know it took me years to learn that my thoughts were just as valid and ok, I may get it wrong again, but at least I got it wrong with the freedom to think for myself, and the freedom to get up and try again. I am no longer anyone's puppet.

  "All I know is that whereas I have a kind of "comfortable" life now, the pain I have inside won't go away as long as I stay like this."

  Right - you have to, some time, go one way or the other, but only when you are ready. I felt like that. It was so tearing me apart because on the one hand, I love my family, and I didn't want to lose them, but on the other hand, I had to be honest with myself and realise that no more could I pretend, or go round the doors day after day asking people to believe in something I now believed was a lie. My choice meant I lost my family, but I gained personal freedom and who knows but one day my family will be able to work it out also? I sincerely hope so.

  "I know what is to blame for my feelings of hopelessness and inadequacy and I feel really angry about it."

  Of course. As you have a right to. You know, Matty, when I left the Organisation, I was 17 years old and I couldn't even work out what to wear every day without someone to guide me - such was the loss of my self-confidence in making simple everyday decisions. I was scared to read a book not written by the WTS, or watch a movie without asking someone if they thought it was "safe"! You get the picture, I am sure. We should have learned that kind of judgement while we were growing up - as most kids do, but we didn't get the chance. What we were left with was lack of esteem, an inability to think for ourselves, and a fear of the unknown.

  You do OK, friend. I have read some of your posts on this forum and you are "OK"!

  searcher :-)