Have any ex-jws considered joining the Bible Students? (page 3)

Village Idiot

It took a militaristic dictator like Joseph Rutherford to greatly expand the numbers of JWs to where they're at now. The Bible Students' groups stayed small because their members had no such "visionary" and they were mild and meek.

My Name is of No Consequence

"As a JW I was taught that the JWs are the Bible Students, having just changed their names for some odd reason. It was only later that I discovered that the JWs are the true apostates, Rutherford having changed the name to JW after the original Bible Students objected to his coup de tat of the WTBTS (which was really just a publishing company at the time) as well as his very wacky, paranoid, anti-semetic ideas. Rutherford knew that his new religion was radically different from Russell's teaching, so he actually did the honest thing and gave it a new name."

That is an excellent point Rainbow_Troll. Growing up, I thought that the Bible Students as a whole changed their name to Jehovah's Witnesses. I didn't realize that a group broke off from the Bible Students to become the witnesses and that the Bible Students are still around.

How many witnesses today know that?

Londo111

I was on a train that once made a temporary stop around Washington DC. A Bible Student come aboard briefly to hand out tracks. I was a JW then and tried to pretend to be listening to my IPOD. He was quiet persistent and I took a track to get rid of him. I felt guilty about it because: (1) Watchtower said not to take literature (2) The Bible Students were somehow related to the "evil slave".

steve2

Russell's chief virtue was in being a softer and cuddlier man than Rutherford. It's called "the contrast effect": Niceness allows you to get away with more than nastiness. Yet, stupid teachings remain stupid no matter what garb envelops them.

Why would any adult capable of clear, rational thought want to go back to babyfood? Nostalgia? Comfort? Consolation?

The world is often a cruel, harsh place with few guarantees - but gravitating towards stupid as a way to get through life on earth seems like something a kid enslaved to emotion would do.

Introvert 2

I looked into it at first as well, that and SDA. Just a stepping stone off the circus. I'm simply not cut out for the community lifestyle as my name here belies. There is a great website called Friends Of Jehovah's Witness that is run by a Bible Student sister, very nice woman called Jacqueline, her whole family went through a lifetime of the JW ringer.

http://www.friendsofjehovahswitnesses.com/

I now fancy myself as a lone ranger Christian, still read the Bible and am non Trinitarian as are a couple of my ex jw friends. We do attach much more importance to the Christ than before however, Christian Freedom !

God Bless !

careful

SBF, if you look at this link from four years ago and scroll through it, you'll see multiple announcements of local and national meetings here in the USA:

http://www.bbschurch.org/news/2012/Mar_2012.pdf

It looks like they are doing at least moderately well. They are definitely Bible Student types, even with Russell's cross and crown logo.

Vanderhoven7

Careful: Larry, the lead author of the Berean Bible Church publication you sit iis a personal friend who has co-written one article on Luke 16 with me. Excellent church. James Penton, although ill, fellowships there. I recommend this church to anyone looking for Christian fellowship with freedom in Christ.

careful

Thanks, Vdh7, for the info. So is Jim Penton in Illinois? I had heard that he had moved to Mexico and then back to Canada.

OrphanCrow

Londo111: I felt guilty about it because: (1) Watchtower said not to take literature (2) The Bible Students were somehow related to the "evil slave".

Yes, I have always been under the impression that the Bible Students were the "evil slave".

I know that the "International Bible Students Association" is still used in the UK but I didn't know that the International Bible Students of Brooklyn were still affiliated with the WTS.

The end credits of the "Transfusion Alternatives" that was produced by the WTS includes the International Bible Students of Brooklyn as a co-producer (29:09):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_1-SneFN8Y&feature=youtu.be&t=1733

Vanderhoven7

Perhaps I should have said that James Penton has fellowshipped with these brethren. He is still on this months Berean News prayer list for heart problems.

Have any ex-jws considered joining the Bible Students?

Share this