Born in it, but as I got older, saw the cracks.
When You Were A Witness Did You Believe Everything Taught?
by minimus 43 Replies latest jw friends
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Queequeg
I didn't believe oral sex was wrong.
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StephaneLaliberte
First time I disagreed with the WT teachings was in the revelation book we studied when I was 9 (1988). There was a bit on conventions in the states that accomplished the prophecy of the trumpets and I felt they were incredibly self-centered and boastful to make a claim like that. Then, as the years progressed, I never fully believed the prophecies based on dates. A lot of people around me got disfellowshipped for that and I perceived it as a weakness to believe the “dates” to the commas and periods.
When I was old enough, I had a conversation with an elder who asked me why I didn't want to be a ministerial servant. I explained that I could not, in good conscience, teach things I doubted. He advised me to "wait on Jehovah". That many things he personally disagreed with were eventually fixed on Jehovah's schedule. In the meantime, people came to the meetings, not to hear what we personally believe but what the faithful slave is teaching. So, when we’re on that podium, we may, from time to time, need the humility to teach things we don’t agree with.
That explanation appeared valid to me, and yet, I could never really shake off the idea that I needed to believe things in order to teach them. So, even though I stayed in for another 15 years or so, I never was able to become a ministerial servant. And as the years went by, I did notice many brothers who were teaching in some capacity or another seemed to be following that advise.
The breaking point was when I was supposed to teach these things to my kids… unable to do that, my family and I faded out.
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Pete Zahut
I didn’t necessarily believe everything they said but I believed I SHOULD believe everything they said and if I didn’t, my faith was somehow deficient . My faith should be strong enough to spread the misinformation far and wide and until there was “ new light” on a matter, the problem lay with me.
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minimus
Steph, that elder gave horrible advice! Dishonest!!
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RolRod
I studied in 82, Got baptized in 83. I figured it all out by 1985. Of course my view was that these were imperfect men sincerely trying to do God's will. Since I love to read I collected every piece of Watchtower literature I could find, old books, oldtimers, etc. This was before the internet and I learned the truth about the truth. I stayed because it kept me out of trouble AND because I enjoyed it. I was a favorite among the body because I understood and wasn't quick to condemn and suggest DFing someone. But in the end I decided I wanted to out but stayed because my wife at the time was raised a JW and all her family and friends were in. I had eventually enlightened her and we slowly faded after I stepped down. Never looked back and they never looked for us. It's as if they said "good riddance". Although the last year we were in, they tried hard to investigate me, questioning me. The P.O. even came after me physically, took three elders to hold him back and I laughed.
As I said, it kept me out of trouble.
RR
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Diogenesister
Yup I thought the Cedar point Ohio thing was laughable.
For the life of me I just couldn't see being gay as wrong. I had a lot of heated discussions around that topic! I thought it cruel to condemn a person who was born that way and I was aware animals were far from all hetero. I was told that was just a consequence of imperfection getting worse over generations ...🙄
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HowTheBibleWasCreated
One thing that always bothered me. In the new system if I eat an Apple and have to large a bit and choke to death.... will I die or will Jeeblopper miraculously open my esophagus to accommodate it?
See when I was 9 years old I almost died on a piece of lamb. I have PTSD from this. I was seconds away from passing out, which if I had I wouldn't have been able to put my hands down my throat to save myself and pull it out.
Now our so-called loving god created us will a flaw in our breathing/food. in that humans have a descended lyrax.
So in the new system what happens when a person chokes or falls off a cliff by accident, we wont be perfect until the end of the thousand years! Will Jah bring back to life him or her? This was one of my questions.
The other was the carnivore issue. Unlike some on here that imagine a world with all animals vegetarian and the curse of God on animals. (That is an unloving god and F*** him if that be so!) The fact is that animals eat meat and have instincts to do so. So these must come from god so... God is a F***er!)
See the issue?
Despite this all I believed until I read the bible and saw the flood story matched ancient Sumerian texts. Thus I searched evolution if it was probable and found 21000% proof and it was done!
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Rattigan350
Obviously at some point you stopped believing the Witnesses had the Truth or else you wouldn’t be here.
No. Not for me. I still believe the Witnesses have the truth. But I have always questioned everything. My issue is that they take the Bible too literally and make stupid rules such as considering taking birthday cake as an matter of loyalty to Jehovah; meetings and field service is a command from God; We have to give up everything for the meetings and that they are worship.
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minimus
Ratt, how do the Witnesses have the Truth?? Is what they say about birthdays the Truth?? Is making stupid rules that you must abide by the Truth ? Either something is the Truth or it’s not. You are fooling yourself if you think you can pick and choose whatever requirements are expected from you. Remember, many rules are enforceable to the point that you are shunned or disfellowshipped if you don’t agree with them. That’s the Truth.