Well I guess I should give you my story as of now. I have been a JW now for about 6 years and have been the model Witness. About a year ago I started reading my bible and writing down verses that I didn?t understand. Well, that is where the trouble started. As I started to find verses that seemed to counteract some of the things I know as truth. It was very confusing. As I started to ask questions of the elders, (one at first, he was the one I studied with when I came into the truth.) I felt as if some of the questions were not answered. As an example of this Hebrews through me for a loop because it talked about Jesus being our mediator between God and ourselves. I was told that was only for the anointed and not for the earthly class. The elders could not point me to any verse that stated this. I then came to find out?(I guess I should have known this by now.) that most of the new testament was written for only the anointed class. Still that was not stated even remotely in the Bible. I have had a hard time of this since I went through Hebrews. There are many more issues that have come up since I dedicated myself to reading the Bible and honestly asking questions. I never meant for it to be against the Faithful and discrete slave. I don?t know if I should even be posting here. I just need answers, but don?t want to be viewed as causing trouble. Or worse an apostate. What The?.. (now you know why I picked the screen name I did)
My story in part....
by What The....... 11 Replies latest watchtower bible
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AS IF
I can't believe no one has commented on this yet. Usually they jump like flies to .....well you know. Welcome to the board!!
First of all, been there done that. All I can say is keep reading your bible if that is where you are getting the confusion from. Or if you really want your eyes opened, keep asking those questions and don't stop asking those questions until you get a satisfactory answer. It'll probably go something like this. "Wait on Jehovah", then Voila new light!! Or, you'll be counselled for going ahead or some other trumped up charge of garbage.
I was a witness for 14 years. Not anymore, and I don't want to freak you out because you are already freaked out probably but look up the word apostate in the dictionary. the real dictionary, not the insight book. Probably different than what you were told or ever thought.
I don't know what to tell you, open your eyes and take a good look around you. If there is anything that doesn't seem quite right to you. DON'T LET IT GO UNTIL YOU ARE COMPLETELY SATISFIED.
ASK YOURSELF. WHY CAN'T I GO ON THE INTERNET? IF THIS IS THE TRUTH, NOTHING CAN CHANGE THAT THIS IS THE TRUTH. THE TRUTH IS THE TRUTH. IF THE TRUTH IS THE TRUTH, NOTHING WILL CHANGE THAT, BUT DON'T YOU OWE IT TO YOURSELF TO DO A BIT OF LOOKING. MY GUESS IS YOU PROBABLY DIDN'T DO TOO MUCH RESEARCH BEFORE YOU TOOK THE PLUNGE. GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR SEARCH
AS IF
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bebu
Welcome to the discussion board, What the... !
You have a very interesting story; also, you are pretty sharp to catch on to the sleight of hand so quickly, between Bible and WT doctrines. ...Ol' Rutherford had said that if anyone put down his books (Studies in the Scriptures) and read the Bible alone, that within 2 years that person would be in spiritual darkness--whereas if the person only read the Studies, with no Bible, he'd always be in spiritual light!! This attitude is DEFINITELY adopted by today's WT. Talk about arrogance!!
Let me direct you to a few very interesting sites:
www.quotes.jehovahswitnesses.com Click on any of the topics that pique your curiosity on the left side of the screen. These are simply WT quotes, no editorial comments; read and learn! You might also enjoy a visit to www.freeminds.org, a great archive of info, historical and otherwise. Lastly, www.dirtclod.com has some excellent media clips and scans. There are many other great sites out there, though.
Hope you have enough time; you might want to skip a meeting or two (call in sick) in order to "test all things and hold on to that which is good". It's your future: be certain about it!
Again, great to see you on board!
bebu
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caligirl
Welcome! Of course you should be posting here. You have legitimate questions, and as you have discovered, you are not being given any answers through the channel you have been told you can rely on. But you are certainly correct. The bible says nothing about Jesus being the mediator only for a few. it says he is the mediator for all. These questions that have developed since you started really reading the bible are exactly why they tell you that you should not read the bible on your own. The truth is, it is not because you can't understand it on your own, but because it is so clear and simple and easy to see that what they are teaching is so far from what the bible really says, and they don't want you to realize that.
The bottom line is that as you continue to read the bible on your own, you will discover more and more that does not agree with what you have been told is "truth". I was raised a witness, ( in a traditional pioneer mother/elder father household) and discovered I had the same issues with what I was being told that you are troubled by: what I was being told the bible said and what it actually said were very different.
I hope ypu find this site as helpful as I have!
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Dawn
Welcome What the.....
I can relate to your story - I started finding a lot that didn't "mesh" with the organization teachings when I started reading the bible by itself. I asked my father about it and his response was "well, you can read the bible all you want but you won't get a clear understanding of it without the help from the society"......what the?!
It sounded exactly like my Mormon friend who believes she can't have a clear understanding of the scriptures without the help of the prophet who is the only annointed one to receive light from God......sound familiar?
Keep reading - and pray to God asking him to open your eyes to the truth. You'll be amazed at what you find.
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willy_think
hi What the...
ask your questions here on JWD, alotof us have also looked into the scriptures that are opining your eyes.
some things the WT will not tell you about the Lord:
You can call on Jesus to help you, you can offer him your pain, your self, your love and nothing can stop him from making you his.
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Lutece
Questions like the ones your posing to other witnesses will draw attention to you as a potential troublemaker. Don't let it discourage you, you aren't showing lack of faith, you're showing a thinking mind and making sure of all things, just like those praised in the Bible for "checking the scriptures" against what the apostles were telling them. It's important to build your faith on fact, so don't let anyone else tell you not to read God's Word the Bible Daily! :)
Anne
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cruzanheart
Welcome! Ask any question you want!
Nina
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Maverick
Welcome and yes you can post here and be heard. If what you are being told by the WTS is correct Jesus is NOT your mediator with God, the FDS is! Where in the Bible is that? Check out the change is the baptism pledge. The WTS has taken the Holy Spirit out and inserted...guess who? That's enough for now. Enjoy, Maverick
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peacefulpete
Welcome ...My experience began like yours as well. My questions were about the parousia and why we understood it so different from others. I simply took out my concordance and read the immediately context of each occurance of the word. I found that in every case the word meant coming to judge or rule etc at the end not during the last days as I was taught. When I asked an elder Missionary he was immediately suspiscious that i was apostate. Something was wrong. I was a zeaous JW whose record should have spoke loudly, yet the moment i asked questions that had no prepared answer I was threatening and was threatened in return. I also stumbled upon a wonderful informational site called The American Family Foundation (AFF). It discusses how some organizations have developed into high control groups. Look for the section that lists identifying characteristics of high control groups and ask yourself if some/many of these apply. The site is not religious or antireligious for that matter. It is provided to help identify unhealthy methods of control and manipulation. If this scares you or makes you suspicious then this by itself is evidence that you are not making rational choices but rather like me and most here discovered, you are not your own person.