by neat blue dog 16 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
The time we kept rehashing the "Revelation" book at the book studies over and over and over again. The way they, the WTS, kept talking about themselves in the book.
Looking back at that, it was like something close to the Rutherford era, so outlandish. Not sure if they could get away with that today. Then again . . .
WillYouDFme, your comment is identical to my own experiences. It is hard to stop after being used to public speaking at elders schools, assemblies etc. But comes the realisation that we were only regurgitating what we were told to use, even where it made no logical sense. Like the men of old looking to the heavenly kingdom but twisting the scripture to say that it was an earthly kingdom because they wouldn't be in heaven. I couldn't believe that.
And Jesus as Michael the archangel never made sense in light of Hebrews 1.
The troubles in our congregation made me want to run away before I knocked somebody's teeth in. I still feel hurt over the nasty way I was treated by men that I had helped along in the truth. But I have freedom of choice now to do what I want to do not looking over my shoulder in case I was being watched or recorded.
Merry Christmas and a happy new year to you all.
Lost in the fog. Yea it is hard when you combine the 2 things of something you are good at and love and thinking you can help others.
But now I am ashamed that I was really good at motivating people to "love jah".
I am sad that I had a part in keeping people in the cult.
It was such a gradual thing with me over a number of years that I would put at the back of my mind until you just can`t ignore those niggling things anymore.
And without going into any detail how I managed to manipulate a body of Elders in a judicial case against a brother that they were "trying" {and who I thought they would be justly right in DF him} they didn`t do so and only reproved him ,simply because I threatened to name them personally as a body of Elders to both the branch in Australia and also to name them personally to the Branch/ HQ, in New York.
They didn`t want to handle the case ,complicated as it was but he was now in their territory and had been for about 2 years .
They tried to pressure me to leave it in Jehovah`s hands and I wouldnt have a bar of it ,I said you handle it or I go to the both Branches lodging a complaint about you .
And to my surprise they did not DF him but only reproved him.
That`s when the penny dropped for certain that their is no God directing this organization.
So many moments of doubts and incredibility, yet suppressed and pushed back (for years!) as evil, independent thinking...
But, some of them:
- the allowance of BLOOD FRACTIONS! How did that make sense? What happened to “being faithful in what is least”..? And, not letting “ The little bit of poison from the world taint us/ spot us...”?
- and yes, the REVELATION BOOK, and its constant emphasis on the governing body/ faithful slave, and the nations fearing them and the clergy gnashing their teeth over their glorious, condemnatory proclamations... (I wasn’t aware of any of these JW plagues against our religion, lol)
- and the LOCUS PLAGUE being... JWs? With the witnessing work? This was us? ... climbing over the walls, into the rooftops, etc ... and this was the description or our glorious, sacred, witnessing work? A locust plague??
- and JESUS being the rider on the white horse as the leader (seemingly) of all the hellacious plagues and woes to follow him...
Oh, So much twisted reasoning, so much cognitive dissonance....
- oh yes, and as already mentioned, how we never placed or were taught to specially present BIBLES, always literature.
- and, when In field service, sitting in a coffee shop FULL of people to talk to, yet sitting *silently* at our table “as a Witness”.... Then go back to knocking on empty houses. (What happened to “witnessing in the market place” ....? and how does standing SILENTLY holding up a magazine compare to Paul and Peter’s example.... blah blah blah.
- and why count time in field service anyway? What happened to, “... you received free, give free” and “not let your right hand know what the left is doing” and “not be like those who trumpet their good deeds before others, blah blah” (.... and the time counted never seemed right or accurate or honest...)
- and why NO FINANCIAL TRANSPARENCY ever??
- and why take such shoddy care (read: NON-CARE) of elderly, sick, disabled, etc.? Why so dependent on “Caesar” when so contemptuous of Caesar...?
- and why have TITLES and more titles and special, SECRET BOOKS??
- if meetings are supposed to be so refreshing, why did I not feel refreshed??
- and the scripture from Ecclesiastes something: “...to the making of many books, there is no end, and the pursuit of them is wearying to the flesh.” So, hmmmmmm....
...
Geez... it took a lot for me to wake up..... 👀😢👀
Muddy - Me too. Amazing the power of a cult.
