What Caused Your First Doubt ?

by Big Jim 46 Replies latest jw friends

  • ozziepost
    ozziepost

    G'day all,

    What a question, but a good one!

    First thing was the same as with Big Jim: the treatmewnt of a df person.

    Second was reading Crisis of Conscience.

    If anyone reads this they cannot remain a trusting JW ever again.

    Cheers,
    Ozzie

    Freedom is not having to wear a tie.

  • lisaBObeesa
    lisaBObeesa

    FIRST DOUBT:

    I was about 12 years old, and I thought, "Out of billions and billions of people in the world, how could the very very few JWs be the ONLY ones who are right?"

    And then I thought, "And if we are right, how could all those billions and billions of people all be so terribly wrong? Why hasn't at least a few of them figured out some of the truth? At the very least, why don't ANY of the other Christian religions, with their scores of serious students of the bible and nuns and clergy and entire colleges dedicated to study with Doctors of Theology.....why don't ANY of them believe only 144,000 are going to heaven??"

    And then, or actually maybe before the other two doubts, was this one: "DF does not seem to be loving. Actually, it seems like the most terrible, awful, crewl thing I can think of." (Needless to say, I resolved at a very early age to never get DF.)

    -------LisaBobeesa

  • Roamingfeline
    Roamingfeline

    Patio34, I bet the day you left was a huge day of celebration for Waiting!

    RCat

  • betweenworlds
    betweenworlds

    I was about 14 and my mother who was having doubts about the witnesses herself said to me (I was still attending the meetings, while at this time she had stopped)How do you KNOW that the witnesses have The truth? And that was the first time in my life anyone had ever made me stop and think about it. I continued to be a witness for many years to come, but this one simple sentence (For which I will be eternally grateful) Really gave me a new perspective on every thing that was said, and from that point forward I stopped to THINK about what I heard, instead of just accepting it as *gospel* Thanks mom {{{hugs}}} Of course she probably won't ever read this as she is now back in the mindset that the JWs are *The Truth*

  • Mr Magoo
    Mr Magoo

    These a all very interesting stories.

    I have 1 question though:

    Some years ago I attended a talk where a ex-jw told the audience that he wasn't allowed to grow a beard. When I later asked my girlfriend (who I later married) she said: "Well I don't know what you are talking about. I have a brother with a beard"... And I became quite confused.

    When and for how long was one not allowed to grow a beard? And what was the reason for that?

    Take care
    Mr Magoo

  • AlanF
    AlanF

    My first real doubt was when the Society came out with its ridiculous policy that "organ transplants are cannibalism" in 1967.

    AlanF

  • Liberated
    Liberated

    Mr Magoo:

    Someone will know the official standing on beards, but I thought I'd put in what I know from experience (because I asked about it). I was told that jw's could grow beards if that's what the style was around them (in the world!!) I'm guessing that included women.
    Others said that jw's could grow beards but they wouldn't ever be used for anything in front of the congregation.
    And at one assembly a guy with a beard was baptized.
    So, maybe it's one of those unspoken things left to local interpretation???
    I also heard that Rutherford despised Russell, beard and all, so everyone had to be clean-shaven. Then in more recent years in our area the Spanish brothers were allowed mustaches. (Sorry, senoras y senoritas, get out the wax!) Go figure.

    Coperincus: The PO admitted that no one was aware of Jesus' return and seemed uncomfortable so I threw him a bone: Maybe the faithful and discreet slave didn't NEED to be aware of the master's return? Gulp! That must be it!! The elder with him took the fact that this being evident from the Proclaimers book meant that the wts wasn't trying to hide it, ie, was admitting it therefore it must be all right. But the wts doesn't admit it. The passages from the Greatest Man book certainly make it sound like those faithful servants knew of his return at the time of his return. In actuality they missed it by, what?, some 40 years before it? (1874-1914) and then weren't even aware of it until some 20 years after it?
    Their whole authority structure is bogus....they were never appointed as the faithful and discreet slave, they were never appointed over all the master's possessions, they are SELF-appointed over peoples' lives and, when you break it down, they call THEIR OWN TEACHINGS "the truth", not the Bible. Yes, I know, they say the Bible is God's Word; but "the truth" is the "bible-based beliefs unique to Jehovah's Witnesses." So, in that case, yes, they have "the truth".

    Libby (in the chatty class)

  • Francois
    Francois

    AGuest, I had an experience just like yours. Well, sorta like yours. I had a friend who was DFed and I was so sad that I'd miss association with him (at least public association ) for a whole year.

    I did my research and discovered that the letters of Paul, the first telling the congregation to DF a guy; the second saying the guy had suffered enough, were written less than a year apart - by the Borg's own calculations.

    I told the CO about this and said we oughta let my buddy back in. He looked at me like I had two heads and darkly intoned, "You can't enlighten the society." Damn near got DFed on the spot for my reaction to that comment.

    About a year later, he was forced to change his tune when the Borg came up with the same reasoning. And I believe to this day that my letter to them was the source of their "inspiration."

    And so it goes.

    Are we really SURE we can't sue the bastards for false advertising, contract violation, or something like that?

    F

  • Big Jim
    Big Jim

    I thought I would list a few more items that gave me I should say reasonable doubt, isn't that all you need to be saved from being prosecuted by the borg.
    I do not even remember the name of the assembly hall that was built up north where they did all the elaborate paintings and murials.(forgive my spelling)
    Then here in Rosenburg TX they were building a assembly hall and they were running behind on schedule and budget, I was assigned the responsibility of heading up security for the project which gave me access to all the administrative buildings, well to make a long story short I found out through my snooping around that certain brothers were being paid a pretty handsome salary to give there complete attention to the project,I could not believe this was happening.

    I spent many long nights away from my family working security detail because no one would volunteer and never even got a meal because by the time I got there the food service was shut down,why would the borg pay some for there services and not others.

    Then one last thing I have to mention is the Birthday issue, I never really agreed with it based on the borgs reasoning. I would think the lesson to be learned from birthdays is that you should not kill anyone on your birthday.
    I am sure if enough research were to be done you would find out that there has probally been thousands of murders that have taken place over the years on wedding anniversarys and they still celebrate them.

    That's all thanks for reading.

  • MacHislopp
    MacHislopp

    Hello everyone,

    As I've promised I'm back with comments :

    To Mulan:

    "…having little nagging thoughts, that I would "put on the shelf" -

    Funny, it is the same expression that I've always used …

    To Joelbear:

    Double standards .

    They start to become obvious
    after …somebody else is guilty!

    To Gianluca:

    "The day they changed the "1914 generation" doctrine…"

    That was another -punch in the eye -…

    To Copernicus:

    " When they took the mention of creator’s promise of a new
    system before the generation of 1914
    "No warning, no explanation, nothing. "

    Terrible, but worst many brothers and sisters …don't
    know about it aven today!

    To Francoise:

    Strange as it may seem, it was the beard issue
    that was the proverbial straw.

    In my personal experience I never accepted this issue. Lacked any
    Scriptural support, …a men made rule. But the shock after the
    heavy debate , written positions, letters etc. was to find out that in
    some congregations - elders with a beard like " Father Christmas"
    could give public talks even outside their own congregations.
    So that showed me, what really this was : A MEN MADE RULE !

    (Btw. "near got DFed on the spot for my reaction to that comment."

    Great comment . I know what you mean !

    To Aguest:

    "a talk during which the outline had the separation of
    the sheep and the goats BEFORE the 'great tribulation'. -

    This point was also the theme of a long discussion…
    Some told me: " …more light that comes from Jehovah"!!!

    To Orange Blossom:

    Revelation book, I could never accept that different
    prophetic events, trumpet blowings, etc. were related
    to the different conventions throughout rhe years.
    I just couldn't buy it."

    You're not alone…

    To Liberated:

    " In 1914 , no one knew of Jesus' return in that year.
    Russell was teaching "present truth " to be that Jesus
    returned in 1874"

    A very good point indeed, because what I could not digest,
    having a personal copy of the book " The JW's in the Divine
    purpose ", was the numerous attempt or rather teachings that
    WTS always pointed out " to 1914" as the YEAR!!! And to
    be kind …this is a lie!

    To AlanF:

    "organ transplants are cannibalism" in 1967.

    When, in my researches I did eventually read from the magazine,
    at first …I thought I was making a mistake…unfortunately
    it was t r u e !

    So , many of us have similar experiences, and it is nice to share them!

    Agape, J.C. MacHislopp

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