new jehovah's witness?

tiawani18

I am deceiding on becoming a Jehovah's Witness, but I need for information on the whole religion. I need to talk to someone and ask questions. What do I do?

Hi tiawani18,
The simplest personal advice would be don't become one.But I shall be impartial....Firstly look at different sites concerning JW's,there are many here who are no longer JW's but there are also some who are.Listen to the points and subjects raised and research well.
You will for certain be warned by your study conductor not to read anything which criticizes JW's.DON'T LET ANYONE TELL YOU WHAT YOU CAN OR CAN'T READ.....If they do they have something to hide.I would advise that you read Ray Franz's books 'Crisis of Conscience' and 'In Search Of Christian Freedom' and James Penton's 'Apocalypse Delayed'.
You should research into the origins of the organization,and by all means read Watchtower literature especially the older ones to see the numerous flip flops on doctrine.
Watch out for the love bombing too.You are an ever decreasing commodity in their eyes and they will be eager to catch you.Finally if you have any questions I am sure anyone here on the board would be glad to answer them...

Good luck and welcome to the board

Regards Welshman

ICHING

Well the first thing you need to be aware of is the reality that they are not a religion but in fact a worlwide organisation of voluntary labor contributing to the perpetuation of the fascist regime - and coincidentally comfortable lifestyle - of a brooklyn based book publishing companies board of fascists.

i can't see how you need to know to much more than that really - to enable you to rest assuredly make a decision - and forget the whole idea.

ICHING

Edited by - iching on 12 March 2001 8:34:21

Edited by - iching on 12 March 2001 9:5:0

ICHING

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expatbrit

Hi Tiawani:

There is a lot of information available regarding JW's on the internet. Some of the sites I've found most informative are:

www.freeminds.org
www.jwfiles.com
www.geocities.com/osarsif/index2.htm
www.ajwrb.org

You will note that these sites are mostly prepared by ex-JW's. To echo Welshman, you will be discouraged from reading anything critical about the Watchtower society by your study conductor.

However, think about it this way: imagine you're thinking of buying a new car (say, a Ford). Would you base your decision just on reading Ford's promotional literature or talking to Ford's salesmen? Would that be an objective decision?
Of course not! You would want to look at other makes to see how your prospective Ford compares. You would want to read independent analysis of your prospective Ford, and if possible talk to people who have owned this model in the past. You would want to know about both the positives and negatives of the car in question. Then you could make an objective decision.

If you do this when buying a car, how much more important for a life changing decision like which religion to practice!

If you have questions, this board is a great place to ask them. You will get a wide range of answers to think about.

At the end of the day, the decision is yours; you have freedom of religion. My advice is just this: make your decision a well researched, objective one.

Expatbrit.

claudia

Why would you even think of becoming jw if you havent FIRST researched about them?

LovesDubs

Claudia...Im guilty of doing just that. I joined because they became my "only" friends, my "only" family after a nasty divorce, and after a year told me if I didnt get baptized they could no longer associate with me. I didnt hesitate to preserve what I had with absolutely no looking into their background at all...I mean they had been around for a hundred years hadnt they? I hadnt seen anything horrible had I? They had been there for me in my time of need hadnt they? What possibly could be bad about "becoming a Christian"?

I fell for it..hook line and bloody sinker...and I was 30 years old, worldly wise, an honor student...who under other mental circumstances would have checked out their mother's uncle's life insurance man's dog's rabies vaccination updates before making a move! They are GOOD at what they do...manipulation and recruitment are the name of the game.

This is a LIFE ALTERING DECISION!!! READ READ READ READ READ!! And the first time they tell you NOT to read something GET THE HELL OUTTA DODGE AND DONT LOOK BACK!

Loves
"My task is to bear witness to the truth. For this was I born for this I came into the world, and ALL who are not deaf to truth listen to my voice" - Jesus before Pilate, John 18:37

claudia

Loves, It sounded as if this person knew nothing about their beliefs. But yes, I can understand how someone studying could fall into that trap, i almost did.

TR

tiawani,

for GOD's sake, do the research. Lock yourself to the computer for a few days. You'll find out more about the WTS than 99% of JW's know.

TR

solus_sophist

Here is a checklist for deciding if you want to be the newest recruit:

1. Do you have ample time and money to pitch away?

2. Are you interested in being discouraged to have associations with all non-believing friends and family?

3. Would you like to have all of your decisions and beliefs dictated for you?

4. Do you like being kicked to the curb for making the mistake of breaking a rule, losing all "approved" friends (after losing all non-approved friends)?

If you answered yes to ALL of these questions, then feel free to take the PLUNGE!!

new jehovah's witness?

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