The Elders' are Coming, Need Questions..!!!!

by Casper 33 Replies latest jw friends

  • Casper
    Casper

    The Elders are coming this Saturday to do their yearly
    shepherding ..

    I desperatly need a couple good "Questions" to throw at
    them.....to "Rattle Their Cage" so to speak...

    I've not been around the board long enough to feel totally
    confident in coming up with something on my own. Been
    reading all of the old threads on the GB and FDS, questions
    popping right and left in my head, but, don't have the
    confidence to stand up to them on that. They intimidate the
    H*** out of me....

    I am just inactive, so they won't be too hard on me...more of a
    guilt trip thing.

    Anything would be appreciated,

    Cas

  • cocolocoii
    cocolocoii

    Depression, Depresion and more Depresion.
    They really feel pity for people with that kind of problems.
    Don't even give them a clue about the real reason. The are good sniffers. Always thanks them for the counsel and tell them that you are going to try to go to the metings.
    Hope everything goes ok for you.
    Coco.

  • Introspection
    Introspection

    Cas, why do you want to "rattle their cage"?

    Try to find support in your area as well, I'm sure there are kind people who love God like you. This board is nice but I'm sure you'd agree it would be nice to have some friends close by.

    Mark

  • Casper
    Casper

    Mark,

    I'm not really sure, maybe...because I am learning to question
    things more and more...and want them to "Get Off Their High
    Horse" and answer ME. These are the same men who would intimidate
    me and make me feel...so "Unworthy"...

    I suppose it's just some of the anger that's still inside. Now that
    I've thought about it awhile today...maybe it wouldn't be such a
    good idea. That was rather Impulsive.

    But, I'm not sure I want to just appear still brow beaten by them.

    ********************
    "Coco"....I could get away with the "depression" thing, since they
    would conclude that I am still in mourning over my deceased husband.
    ********************

    Yes, it would be nice to have someone who Understands me close by,
    but, I find that hard to do. Thats why I have come to this web
    site.

    Cas

  • uncle_onion
    uncle_onion

    My advice is 607 BCE and the "validity" of it.Make them work to give you an answer.Have a look at my web site www.607v587.com and get reading!

    UO

  • logical
    logical

    Get them with the baptism questions:

    Before 1985 the 2 baptism questions asked on the actual day were as follows:

    (1) Have you recognized yourself as a sinner and needing salvation from Jehovah God? And have you acknowledged that this salvation proceeds from him and through his ransomer, Christ Jesus?

    (2) On the basis of this faith in God and in his provision for redemption have you dedicated yourself unreservedly to Jehovah God, to do his will henceforth as that will is revealed to you through Christ Jesus and through God's Word as his holy spirit makes it plain?

    In 1985 they were "simplified" and now read:

    (1) On the basis of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, have you repented of your sins and dedicated yourself to Jehovah to do his will?

    (2) Do you understand that your dedication and baptism identify you as one of Jehovah's Witnesses in association with God's spirit-directed organization?

    Now, looking at the second question, I immediately noticed the absence of dedicating myself to Jehovah God, in the name of the Father, Son & Holy Spirit, as directed by Jesus. Instead I see the organisation replacing Christ Jesus, God's Word as made plain by the Holy Spirit.

    Before 1985, the questions were bible based, but now, they are not. The following quotes from Watch Tower magazines further show how wrong this is:

    Watchtower July 1, 1955, pg 411 par 15:

    A Christian, therefore, cannot be baptized in the name of the one actually doing the immersing or in the name of any man, nor in the name of any organization, but in the name of the Father, the Son and the holy spirit. This shows, among other things, that Christianity is not a denominational affair, that sects have nothing to do with it. "Does the Christ exist divided? Paul was not impaled for you, was he? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? I am thankful I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name."-1 Cor. 1:13-15, NW

    Watchtower October 1, 1966, pg 603,604 par 14,15

    Jehovah is the giver of life. "For with you is the source of life." (Ps. 36:9) We cannot keep everlasting life in view without staying close to Jehovah, the source of life. Zephaniah highlighted this, putting Jehovah first, when he said: "Seek Jehovah, all you meek ones of the earth." (Zeph. 2:3) David expressed this same important truth, putting Jehovah first, at Psalm 16:8: "I have placed Jehovah in front of me constantly."

    This is what we mean when we dedicate our lives to Jehovah. We do not dedicate ourselves to a religion, nor to a man, nor to an organization. No, we dedicate ourselves to the Supreme Sovereign of the Universe, our Creator, Jehovah God himself. This makes dedication a very personal relationship between us and Jehovah. For this reason, all dedicated ones are not only privileged but obligated to draw near to Jehovah in prayer. James 4:8 tells us: "Draw close to God, and he will draw close to you."
  • dmouse
    dmouse

    These men will be highly experienced in 'dealing' with questions.
    Unless you too are experienced in debates of this kind then you won't get anywhere; not because you are wrong but because you are unfamilier with the techniques that cult trained minds use to twist things.
    I suggest you keep a low profile until you are more sure of yourself, it does nobody any good to fall into a shouting match. Besides, they may be looking for an excuse to DA or DF you, in my experience that's what sheperding calls out of the blue tend to be.

    If you WANT to go for it then I suggest these for a start:

    Do you believe a loving God would kill over 6,000,000,000 people? Why has the Society said the end is “soon”, every day since 1884? Who besides the Society says the temple was destroyed in 607 BCE? Why is protecting that date so important to them? Would a “just” God give all women extra punishment (birth pain)? If Adam and Eve didn’t know evil, why blame them for being fooled? Do you really believe lions were originally designed to eat grass? (see the thread 'God made cats' for more info on this)

  • eyes_opened
    eyes_opened

    Hey Logical!

    That is so bizarre I was just reading about that last night in "In search of christian freedom" And I was so shocked as was my husband. I had not realized that the questions had been changed to read that way. There is no way in hell I would have ever agreed to get baptized if the questions had read that way when I was baptized. Hey does that mean that they can't disfellowship me? <I was dunked in 83>

    Eyes

  • stephenw20
    stephenw20

    casper look under this post........

    Things to read before a Judicial Committee
    S

  • WhyNow2000
    WhyNow2000

    I wouldn’t rattle their cages, unless you are ready to loose family and friends. I know that you feel angry right now, but rarely is a smart decision made based on anger. I am in the same boat as yourself. I play along to save my family and friends. Some people might say that you need to be true to yourself. If a terrorist asks people of certain race to stand up, would you stand up just to be true to yourself. Don’t let them highjack you and throw you off board. The bottom line, there is always tomorrow to make your point when emotions are not ruling. The elders will use emotional outbursts to black mail you.

    My thought...first draft.

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