Posts by Jaypeeto

8

Michael the Archangel

by Linuxjunkie85 in

hello all, i'm new here and i see there are lots of encouraging threads here.

i am trying to understand why jehovah's witnesses believe that michael the archangel is christ.

to me this would lower christ to the level of the angels and if the annointed would be above the angels, then christ would be below the annointed of mankind.

I now laugh at the WTS notion that Jesus is Michael the Archangel. And I'm in good company. Read the early Christian writers from the 1st through the 3rd century. Start with Clement of Rome (1st century), then Justin Martyr and Irenaeus (2nd century) and so on. NOBODY , neither inside the Church or OUTSIDE the church back then had ever even heard of such nonsense as Jesus being Michael the Archangel. Justin even stated explicitly and repeatedly that Jesus Christ was Almighty God. Love, Jaypeeto

81

Do you think of yourself as an apostate

by barbar in

many of the people on this site say that they are apostates.

but that is not the way i feel about myself.. i am not angry with the "witnesses" or the organisation, i don't feel that i wasted my life.

i just think that i was stupid to believe it for 30 years (well sort of believe it, i did have severe doubts on and off).

Jaypeeto

If by apostate, you mean proactively ex-JW and against their organization and teachings, then yes I am by that definition an "apostate" from Watchtowerism. I am not, however, apostate from God and I do consider myself a believing Christian. Love, Jaypeeto

12

South Florida

by claytoncapeletti in

hello everyone, i was raised in the borg from about 1983 till i fell away around 1998. i have only been to a couple of memorials over the years and i have lost touch with alot of people that i care about.

just wondering if there were any other ex-witnesses on this board from the hollywood area.

i went to the north cong and new alot of people from other halls in hollywood, davie and pines.

Jaypeeto

Hi Clayton, I live in North Miami Beach, Florida, just south of you. I used to go to the Coral Way Congregation in Miami near Coral Gables, but that was a LONNNNNNNNNGGGGG time ago (early 80s). Best, jaypeeto

20

being a member of an organization

by sun_dae in

does anyone need to become a member of a religious organization to have access to the "truth"?

i mean, i never did know anything about the bible haven't a jw knocked my door.

it's only when i've had my regular study that i became interested with digging the truth.

Jaypeeto

sun_dae, read the new testament by itself, and read the 1st and 2nd century a.d. church fathers (Like Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Ignatius of Antioch, etc.) to see what the early christians really believed, and then ask God to help you draw the conclusion that is most in harmony with His holy will. Love, Jaypeeto

9

How Witnesses Use Meeting Comments

by metatron in

one of the more amusing aspects of pretense maintenance in this "spiritual paradise" concerns comments made in the.

meetings.

they often give publishers the opportunity to project an image of what they would like others to think of them.

Jaypeeto

I used to LOVE it during the Watchtower Study on Sunday when several brothers or sisters would get the microphone and then read out the wrong answer from a paragraph we had either long passed, or hadn't gotten to yet, and then beam with pride after having given a totally nonsensical answer. And I loved it when people who couldn't speak a complete sentence would read the answer, then embellish the pat answer with a minute or two of meaningless gibberish to give the impression of being "spiritual". I often had to bite my tongue to keep from audibly giggling. Love, Jaypeeto

8

Another FS related thread.

by the_classicist in

when i was 12 and trying to get baptized i did (only five hours a month!

not getting a jw baptism was one of the best things that ever happened to me.

so, did y'all ever get bothered by the "elders" for not spending enough time in field service?

Jaypeeto

When I slowed down in field service noticeably, I was taken out to lunch by an elder and given a long, friendly, but firm talk about how the Great Tribulation was about to break in upon us at any moment and how therefore I needed to return to field service activity. Of course, I was suffering from severe depression at the time and therefore did not return to field service on a regular basis.

Jaypeeto

8

Have any of you experienced a spiritual 'dead end'?

by truth_about_the_truth in

let's face it...most of us were or still are a part of this org.

because we felt a need to bring some meaning or purpose into our lives.. at the beginning there are lot of things that catch our attention, seem to make sense and feel ourselves progressing as individuals.. upon studying, meditating, pioneering, reaching out for privileges, etc.

(doing everything the society pushes).

Jaypeeto

After becoming a Catholic, I went thru a spiritual dry period during which I sort of lost interest in my faith. At that time, I began reading books by atheists and skeptics, and they for a time convinced me that Jesus never existed and that Christianity was invented by Paul and that there was no God. This lasted for a few months. But then I sat down with my NT and read Paul's letters carefully and slowly. I could find no hint of deceit in this man. And I re-read the Gospels, slowly. Gradually my faith returned and I returned to weekly church services and a regular personal prayer life. I now have a better understanding of atheists and agnostics and their concerns, having read some of their literature, and I'm thankful for that. Love, Jaypeeto

28

filthy kingdom halls

by what_Truth? in

i don't know if this is wt policy, but our hall had a policy of assigning bookstudy groups to clean the hall.

the few times my family actually showed up (along with anyone else) that the hall was always in a disgusting state, especially the bathroom.

the woman's washroom had the most revolting smell you could ever imagine.

Jaypeeto

Not to offend anyone intentionally, but our Hall had an English and a Spanish Sunday WT study. And for some reason, the Spanish cong would never clean the restrooms. We would come in for our meeing and find the restrooms absolutely filthy. The ladies room was the worst, with used sanitary napkins and poop-filled diapers all over the floor with the EMPTY trashcan standing just a few feet away. Love, Jaypeeto

51

Some JWs Are "In The Closet"

by minimus in

jw
friends

by that, i mean, some witnesses will not just now "out" themselves because of various fears and concerns.

some of us are still "in the closet".

so to speak, because we're not ready to expose ourselves to the "loving brothers", just yet---at least not 100 %.

Jaypeeto

I remember a few years ago, I ran into a JW who knew me, whom I hadn't seen since being DFd in 1983, and he asked me if I was associating again. I told him "no" that I was not a Jehovah's Witness anymore. Taken aback, he asked me what I was "into now", and I told him "Roman Catholic," and he looked at me with a look just as if he had run into an alien being...

Jaypeeto

2

Former JW now Catholic Jeff Schwemm from this Board on TV

by AuntieJane in

jw
friends

thought i'd pass word that this is on real stream archive if you go to the ewtn website!

it is under the program, the journey home.

way to go jeff!

Jaypeeto

Jeff's website is www.catholicxjw.com

Best, Jaypeeto