http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPnnMsevIlI&list=PLyNx0oM_bmgCN3X_CMDnzzVDHy1lYCoBA&index=1
The playlist for this series: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyNx0oM_bmgCN3X_CMDnzzVDHy1lYCoBA
To all those dear Brothers and Sisters who have found themselves disfellowshipped:
I remember the drama about the Prodigal Son at the convention many years ago, which now is being released on DVD. The Watchtower presented a picture of a young man who strayed and come back and was accepted. But, as I quickly learned, the Watchtower says one thing, but in practice, does something completely different.
When I was the one who drifted away, then decided to return, I drew comfort from parables like Prodigal Son, the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin. When I confessed after a year of having discontinued the course I had been on, I told the elders, ‘I am the lost sheep. Please help me.’ I walked into my judicial committee feeling Christ knew my heart, my repentance, and therefore surely, he would sway the elders to a decision that would reflect this. I was in for the shock of my life.
I came out of that process quite likely with post-traumatic stress that haunted me for a long, long time. I realized that I had seen into the heart of the Organization and what I saw was not Christianity, not the way Jesus taught it.
During the reinstatement hearings, in which the elders did not even crack open the Bible, I talked about the Prodigal Son, the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin. I talked about Zacchaeus who hid in the sycamore three and how Jesus did not shun him, in fact, he did the opposite. I talked about how much people need a support network, not to be isolated. They could not refute any of this. They simply said, “Understand...this is what we are instructed to do.”
I came to realize that JWs did not practice the basic Christian teachings that Jesus taught. For instance, Jesus said, “Do not judge”, however, wherever I looked in the Organization, there was nothing but judgment, often on very trivial matters that were not even mentioned in the Bible. The Watchtower taught “deep things” about Daniel, Revelation, Matthew 24, and often ended up changing these same "deep" teachings again and again. Meanwhile, the basic teachings of Christ, Christianity 101, was being put on the backburner. If they could not master these simple teachings, how could they hope to expound on anything more difficult?
The following video series about Christianity 101 is a verse by verse discussion of Luke 15. I don’t mention the Watchtower by name, but I’m hoping this will be of encouragement to some out there who have been chewed up and spat out by the Organization. I’m not directing anyone to a denomination or a church…and I certainly don’t want anyone to follow me. But know there are healthy spiritual alternatives available.
The last three videos in this series are narrated by a former elder who awakened to TTATT, primarily because he saw the lack of love in the organization. Unfortunately, the audio was a challenge, so my apologies. I realize this might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I am hope that some might draw encouragement from this.
My Christian love,
Your Brother,
Londo