A few months ago I persuaded my friend to take my In Search of Christian Freedom. He said Look, if I read this book, will you leave me alone. I agreed, thinking it would do the trick. Two weeks later he said he couldn't be bothered to read it, and anyway, his wife and visiting JWs had scared him off.
jaffacake
JoinedPosts by jaffacake
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24
Thoughts on Reading CoC
by love2Bworldly ini am reading crisis of conscience and am wondering what goes through people's minds when they read it, i am on about page 115. i find it slow reading because of the way it is written.
even though i have been out of the org for going on 20 years, i am a little shocked at some of the stuff i'm reading and i feel like it shouldn't shock me.
i remember when i was a jw, how the governing body was put on a pedestal; everyone assumes they spend all their time studying and praying over matters from a scriptural standpoint.
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Things you shouldn't have liked as a Witness.......BUT DID!!!
by ScoobySnax inwhen you were a jw can you remember things you should've not liked but did?
i was listening to some dowloads tonight and heard "happy birthday" by stevie wonder, i remember going to a big family party when i was a kid, and my uncle who had some dj decks put this one on for me as it was my birthday (none of my dads side of the family were jw) i loved it.......good memories still of this song.. i remember getting easter eggs too, and thinking however pagan they were, they tasted bloody delicious.
better than "ordinary" chocolate bars.
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jaffacake
Not having been a JW I feel left out, so if you don't mind I'll say what I shouldn't have liked as a teenage SDA.
- I always wanted to have fun on the Sabbath (sunset Friday to sunset Saturday) I used to sneak into my bedroom and listen to my beloved Newcastle United matches live on radio. This was the biggie for me - I hated spending half my weekend not being able to listen to rock & pop music.
- meat, including bacon and pork.
- beer
But at least as an adventist, these things were discouraged, but not banned - no disfellowshipping and stuff - unconditional love.
- the only things I was happy to deny myself were smoking and seafood
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Do Jehovah's Witnesses Have The Reputation THEY Think They Have?
by minimus inwitnesses believe they are special.
the publications give many examples of how wonderful a witness was viewed upon by a "worldly" person.
kms tell of how so many praise the witnesses for being so "different".....what would you say is the real way people view jws??
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jaffacake
As an outsider, I know how my friends and I viewed JWs, before I learned about them, just in the last 6 months.
Most think they are just one of many ignorant minority religions, each of which selects particular bits of the Bible to give most importance to. They are also looked upon as naive, anti-social, and similar to double-glazing salesmen, pestering people and trying to sell them something they don't want.
They are just considred a bit weird, and no different to dozens of other small religions. I have never met anyone who knew much about how they behave or what they believe. They are certainly not considered wonderful people by the general public, they are just ignored as pests.
Some people get really angry about them, either because of them disturbing our weekends, or because they have allowed people to die for a mistaken belief.
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Does God have a Dimmer switch?
by annalice inone thing that never made sense to me when i was a jw.
why is god always making the light brighter?
is it on some type of dimmer switch?
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jaffacake
Dimmer switch is a good analogy. It goes lighter darker lighter darker.... Funny but I can't even find the words 'new light' in the bible, can you?
The Watchtower teaches the light always gets brighter, from Pentecost forwards. Each generation of close-knit Christians feeding the succeeding generation, and cannot contradict earlier truths.
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Paradox of the defeated evil
by greendawn inbefore jesus ascended to heavens he said that he had acquired all power on earth and in heaven having wrestled successfully with, and overwhelmed satan and his angels.
however the church he established had/has to make an attrocious war against that same soundly defeated enemy.
the question is if jesus defeated them once and for all why are his followers fighting a war against them all over again?
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jaffacake
Interesting, I think it is only Roman Catholics and JWs who believe Satan is a fallen angel.
CT Russell was influenced by adventists, christadelphians, and arguably arianism. Last month I borrowed a book from my mother's bookshelf, which is by Christadelphians.
They believe what the bible teaches about the devil is a sort of parable, and that those who believe in fallen angels rely on verses snatched out of the last book of the Bible and apply to the genesis story. The Bible talks of the devil, a blasphemer, and about satan, one who opposes God. It may be a mistake to use this to blame another for our sins, but perhaps it is trying to teach us how wicked we are and how it is a battle to overcome human nature. Jesus said:
'for from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts' Mark 7:21
Perhaps the fight we must wage is to overcome our own natural desires if we are to please God. However the requirement is perfection- impossible, until the Messiah.
Just one way of looking at it.
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Do OTHER bibles metion the 144,000 on Revelations?
by Donkey Lipz in.
do other bibles (kjv, catholic bibles,protestant bibles,etc...) mention the 144,000???.
donkey lipz
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jaffacake
Of all the people who have different interpretations of what the 144,000 really means, now why would I go to Witnesses for an explanation? More than any religion or organisation I have studied, they have repeatedly proved themselves amongst the worst on earth at interpreting Scriptures.
The Bible explains that the 144,000 is calculated by multiplying each of the 12 tribes of israel by 12,000. 12 x 12,000 = 144,000. But JWs say that each 12,000 is just a figurative number, not to be taken literally. An elder kept a straight face last week when he told me that it was indeed possible for 12 figurative numbers to add up to a literal total.
It must be true cos what's left of the 144,000 said so.
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Thoughts on Reading CoC
by love2Bworldly ini am reading crisis of conscience and am wondering what goes through people's minds when they read it, i am on about page 115. i find it slow reading because of the way it is written.
even though i have been out of the org for going on 20 years, i am a little shocked at some of the stuff i'm reading and i feel like it shouldn't shock me.
i remember when i was a jw, how the governing body was put on a pedestal; everyone assumes they spend all their time studying and praying over matters from a scriptural standpoint.
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jaffacake
Both CoC and ISoCF were about the most important books I have read. CoC is part autobiography and left me in no doubt about his impeccable credentials, and genuine motives of Ray Franz. ISoCF is even better.
To answer Integ, it is far more than what you have heard. These books cannot be dismissed as apostate lies, because they are full of quotations from the Watchtower and the Bible that can be checked out.
I use the books almost weekly as reference sources to show that WTS interpretations of scriptures are so plainly wrong. ISoCF contains some of the best essays on subjects like correct interpretation of the blood issue in Scriptures, and how there is no Scriptural basis for an earthly organisation, governing body, or even faithful and discreet slave 'class'. Franz makes the true meaning of Scriptures so obvious.
If I ever get my loved ones out, the people I will thank are YOU lot on this board, and Raymond Franz! If it ever ha[ppens I might throw a big party and invite you all!
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54
What "religion" type do you follow?
by FreedomFrog inhi, i'm on my "spiritual search so i want to see what "religion"/non religion you choose and why.
for example: are you christian?
pagan?
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jaffacake
I honestly didn't fix the result. Look what came bottom of the pile - I'm on the right board then HaHa
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What "religion" type do you follow?
by FreedomFrog inhi, i'm on my "spiritual search so i want to see what "religion"/non religion you choose and why.
for example: are you christian?
pagan?
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jaffacake
2. Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (99%) 3. Liberal Quakers (87%) 4. Unitarian Universalism (76%) 5. Seventh Day Adventist (73%) 6. Hinduism (70%) 7. Mainline to Conservative Christian/Protestant (70%) 8. Taoism (66%) 9. Theravada Buddhism (66%) 10. Eastern Orthodox (65%) 11. Mahayana Buddhism (65%) 12. Roman Catholic (65%) 13. Jainism (61%) 14. Reform Judaism (55%) 15. Sikhism (51%) 16. Bahá'í Faith (50%) 17. Neo-Pagan (49%) 18. Secular Humanism (49%) 19. New Age (48%) 20. Orthodox Judaism (40%) 21. Christian Science (Church of Christ, Scientist) (37%) 22. Islam (36%) 23. New Thought (35%) 24. Scientology (33%) 25. Nontheist (32%) 26. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) (20%) 27. Jehovah's Witness (13%)Hey, look at my result LOL 1. Orthodox Quaker (100%)
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What "religion" type do you follow?
by FreedomFrog inhi, i'm on my "spiritual search so i want to see what "religion"/non religion you choose and why.
for example: are you christian?
pagan?
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jaffacake
Interesting, I wonder what I am then. I consider myself a Christian but believe it is impossible for us to prove or fully understand the nature of God. Does that make me an agnostic Christian?