Couple questions....like if JW's not the right way then what is?

by world 57 Replies latest jw friends

  • OnTheWayOut
    OnTheWayOut

    if jw isn't the right religion, then which one is? Or is it basically believe in God, the bible and you'll be fine?

    Ha! I don't want to scare you away, but my answers came from independent research down a completely different path. It's a huge leap from believing in the religion of the Watchtower to where I am at. Let's just say that I can prove to myself that a path is wrong, but not necessary be able to demonstrate that some other path is right. NO, I would not start from "...believe in God, the Bible, and you will be fine." I would start from nowhere knowing nothing and try to learn what would disprove or prove. But for now, I would say to prove that Watchtower is a lie and focus on that- get out of there. You don't have to GO anywhere else right now.

    2. i can't find any other religion who has broken thru all the racial barriers and teach the same stuff worldwide....In all honesty I do trust "most" jw if I were to stay at their house or vice versa.

    Hey, you are from the JW's so of course you feel this way and are unsure of another way. I can tell you that I have been trusted in the home of an ex-JW the same as a JW. But more to really understand this thought, I would say that individual JW members are typically wonderful people. It is the organization that is not to be trusted. Can I say that there is a religion out there whose members pretty much automatically accept strangers or fellow members without question? No. There may be, but I don't know of it. DO YOU ACCEPT CHRISTIANS INTO YOUR HOME UNQUESTIONINGLY? ....and why would they have to be "Christians" anyway? Stay at hotels, use caution with any group of strangers you want to come into.

    3. If some of you don't believe in the organization, why attack it or stand outside assemblies etc trying to spread the word of being against them, what benefit is this?

    I tend to agree. But some have been so hurt by the organization bullying their members into shunning someone. Some have lost loved ones to the blood doctrine or have had their marriages break up over someone deciding not to believe Watchtower anymore. I think that most protesting only benefits the protestors and not so much the people still in the organization. But who are we to insist that someone refrain?

    4. I have read and seen throughout history that they could have wrong teachings and that yes they have been wrong in the past about some things, jw normally say well we changed and the light got brighter. What is a good reply to that??



    Read http://www.jwfacts.com/watchtower/15-minute-guide-to-truth.php

    One thing I had to do was realize that the core teaching that Armageddon is imminent wasn't just a little off, and now the light is brighter.
    Armageddon isn't just an "overlap" generation away now. If you go to the roots of Watchtower, you can do see that core teachings were wrong, and today's teachings are still wrong. I would just run with "Overlap generation" if someone insists the light is brighter now. "REALLY?"

    5. Most JW don't even read the bible, they just automatically think its the truth and follow it no matter what. If I bring up a question to an elder they auto think I'm against it, why is this?? Honestly ....

    Elders are not spiritual guides. They are just poorly trained lower managers. All they know is that they have to follow Watchtower directions on everything. Here's all they ever say in a nutshell: Read and study the Bible and Watchtower literature more, pray to Jehovah more, attend more meetings, put in more field [recruiting] time, confess your shortcomings to God and to us. Listen, Obey, and be Blessed.
    That's really it.

    If you are going to start questioning Watchtower, it is usually best not to involve the elders or to minimize what you tell them.

  • leaving_quietly
    leaving_quietly

    Welcome!

    You make very good points in your post. Shows you're starting to THINK for yourself instead of letting others think for you. That's good. I will answer from my personal perspective, which is not shared by everyone. But that's why I like this forum. It's diversity gives us perspectives from every angle.

    JWs like to say they are the way and the truth. However, who is the way and the truth, according to the Bible?

    John 14:6

    This gives us a major hint at, not WHERE to go, but WHOM to go to.

    John 6:67, 68

    Whom should we be learning FROM?

    Matt 11:29

    And who did he say would come AFTER him to teach us?

    Matt 16:13

    Some here are not believers. I still am. I have learned, however, that relying on men to teach me is problematic. Why? Keep in mind that the Pharisees were the teachers of the law among God's people. How many times did Christ condemn them? And what did he say about their teaching and why?

    Matt 16:5-12

    John gave a powerful witness regarding this.

    1 John 2:26, 27

    Unfortunately, this religion were were all part of (I still am for the moment) has soured many of us to religion in general, and that is understandable. Each person has to do what they feel is right. At the very least, if you are still a believer, and you believe in the power of prayer, then ask for understanding. Ask to be led into all truth. And be ready for the wild ride it will take you on.

  • Honesty
    Honesty

    Hi world, and welcome to the board.

    Try thinking outside the little box that the Watchtower stuck us in.

    For instance, religion is man's attempt to connect with God while Christianity is God's way of connecting with man.

    I sincerely believe that all a person needs is Jesus. If they have Jesus everything else falls into place where it should.

    You mentioned 'breaking through racial barriers and teaching the same stuff worldwide' and that's all well and good UNLESS what is being taught is wrong and I saw more racial inequality in the kingdom hall than anywhere else. One of my JW friends married a sister of another race who is 30 years older than him and they were treated so bad that they moved almost 100 miles away into a different circuit.

    You also said this:

    " I have read and seen throughout history that they could have wrong teachings and that yes they have been wrong in the past about some things, jw normally say well we changed and the light got brighter. What is a good reply to that??"

    EASY answer... they changed alright and are very proud of their flip flops:

    December 1, 1981 Watchtower

    Pages 26-27

    Paragraphs 1-2

    Light from God’s Word has flashed forth, like the sunshine on “a morning without clouds” to illuminate ever more clearly the pathway that Jehovah’s servants must tread.—2 Sam. 23:3, 4.

    However, it may have seemed to some as though that path has not always gone straight forward. At times explanations given by Jehovah’s visible organization have shown adjustments, seemingly to previous points of view.

    Have a nice day!

  • Phizzy
    Phizzy

    TRUTH IS HOW WE MAKE SENSE OF WHAT IS REAL. IT CANNOT BE BASED UPON ANYTHING BUT VERIFIABLE FACTS AND EVIDENCE.

    Sorry to be shouty, not deliberate, I just hit caps lock by accident, but I rather like the effect it has on the above point.

  • apostrate
    apostrate

    Everybody responding to your questions are making excellent posts! But go back and read AlphaMan's earlier post again. Get a copy of Crisis of Conscience and then decide for yourself. In spite of what the WT will tell you, YOU WILL NOT BE AN APOSTATE for reading this book! The Bible plainly says that a man who makes a decision without hearing both sides of the issue is a fool. If you don't read the whole book, at least read Chapter 6, "Double Standards". Then YOU decide!

    Good luck, remember that you are not alone!

  • whathappened
    whathappened

    Welcome to JWN. We have all been where you are now. Use the search feature on the upper left side of the JWN screen and search on different topics. Go to www.jwfacts.com and spend the day there.

    Ponce you are convinced the JWs are NOT the true religion, go to YOUTUBE and type on atheist humor. Spend a delightful afternoon watching as many videos as you can. Julia Sweeny has a great one too. Problems and questions are all solved (for me at least)! It wasn't easy giving up God, but it solves the mystery of why god's ways are so mysterious...he doesn't exist!

  • breakfast of champions
    breakfast of champions

    Hello WORLD! (if you've ever attempted programming you'll appreciate this)

    Just real quick on #3: many if not most apostates think picketing in front of KHs/assys is stupid and counterproductiv, myself included. If people want to do that, that's their choice. Personally, I see no benefit either.

    I recommend jwfacts.com as well - an excellent resource.

  • Apognophos
    Apognophos

    Heh, welcome world. Newbies always get a ton of replies, so I'll keep mine short and focus on one thing you said. You mentioned the way that Witnesses cross racial boundaries. Yes, this is commendable, but it doesn't indicate that Witnesses have to be the right religion. How many churches do you know that are actually segregated in this day and age?

    And, for that matter, did you know that Witnesses were segregated too when it was the common practice in the U.S. and other places? Imagine how "progressive" it would seem today if the Witnesses back then had simply held to the principles in the Bible. From the early days of Christianity, Jews associated with Gentiles; they were all "brothers in Christ". So why didn't Witnesses challenge segregation like they challenged so many laws that infringed on their practices?

    Personally my experience has been that congregations today are well-integrated, and people of all colors feel close to each other, but what causes this? Is it the holy spirit? It's actually easy to explain using in-group psychology. You see, Witnesses are more ostracized (or perhaps we should say more self-ostracized) from the community than are, say, people of color. So when a Witness meets a Witness, it's a bit like feeling an immediate kinship when you meet a fellow member of some other minority that you're a part of -- a fellow vegetarian, or a fellow Linux user.

    Humans can only divide their groups into so many sub-groups; the desire to belong to something larger can thus cause them to cast aside divisions that apply in the world at large in order to feel a sense of belonging and solidarity with some group of people. It's no different from any club, whether it's a chess club, an atheist convention, or an association of parents whose children suffer from a certain disease; they all bond over their common interest or difficulty and ignore other differences, in the name of feeling a sense of togetherness and mutual encouragement.

  • goingthruthemotions
    goingthruthemotions

    World.....lets review....IT'S A FREAKING CULT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    if you are here to support the dub's. your in the wrong place!

    if your so brainwashed......you will try to find a way to support the cult. it's called

    Cognitive dissonance.

    look it up...this is what my wife suffers from.

    My anger is not at you...it's at the way the cult has taught you and the rest of the brainwashed zombies how to act, what information to see, what to think and how to feel. It's called the B.I.T.E model. Look it up.

    I actually feel sorry for you...because you can't see the forrest through the tree.

    every thing you have ever been taught is a fucking lie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    LETS REVIEW. IT'S A CULT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    GTTM

  • AlphaMan

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