here is this weeks lesson - your comments please.... .
***lvchap.2pp.19-24how canyoumaintainagoodconscience?***.
whyconsidertheconsciencesofothers?.
Hamsterbait makes an exceptional point that I had not realized until now. The "rules" laid out in Acts 15:29, the scripture they use to insist that blood transfusions are wrong for Christians today, were considered a conscience matter by none other than the apostle Paul!
How can they possibly say that taking a blood transfusion is anything but a conscience matter for JWs?
I am astounded!!
lurk3r,
You bring up the Worldwide Church of God story. I find it interesting too. I have also wondered if the WT could have a similar fate. They mainstreamed over a ten year period and lost over half their membership in the process. At least one of their past followers has seemingly gone off the deep end and began predicted end of the world dates. Hard to say where it will all end up.
The organization was started by snakeoil salesman CT Russell. He was a quack and a shyster. It went downhill from there.
i was talking with a friend and an interesting point came up: what if judge rutherford never became president of the wt?.
much of the heavy-handed, centralized, and authoritarian things we don't like about the wts is the rutherford presidency legacy.
if the wts stayed on the charles russell track, would we still be jws (or "bible students"?
If I remember correctly, a large number of Bible Students did not continue on with Rutherford. They are still around though. Perhaps that would be all that was left without Rutherford.
just thinking back on my own family that started with the jws in the early 50's, .
both of my parents came from different religious backgrounds one was catholic and the other a anglican.. what probably sparked my mother's attention, who was the first to be in contact with a jws, .
was of course the destruction of the system of things and a new paradise for those that god approved.. and i'm guessing that this what catches most peoples attention just as it did to my mother.. i'm also assuming that this is most likely what grabs other people as well.......any comments ?.
My mom joined when she was a young mother living in an isolated rural area. She was stuck at home for days at a time with three little kids while my dad was at work. One day two very nice ladies stopped by offering a free home bible study. She liked the bible and the adult company. Before long she was sucked in.
the winter 2009 issue of harvard divinity bulletin features a question.
and answer segment with peter gomes.
gomes has served.
BizzyBee makes some very good points:
"...my knowledge was perverted to a narrow mindset of ridiculous beliefs."
"I think this commentator perhaps does not realize how bereft the average JW is of basic, objective Biblical knowlege. They only learn what supports a JW stance - nothing more. For most JWs the Bible is a framework of aluminum supports - to be bent as needed."
I didn't realize it when I was in, but the WT version of "bible" study is not about the bible at all. They have a predetermined and self-serving set of beliefs that they pull scriptures out of context to support. It is in no way a comprehensive, coherent understanding of the bible as a whole.
The JW knowledge gap in biblical understanding is huge. And yet, because they are not allowed to read religious information that isn't published by the WT, they don't even realize it. The problem is compounded when they call, unannounced, on people at the door who are not familiar with the bible and, compared to them, they feel like bible scholars because they can put two or three scriptures together in a five minute presentation.
Speaking from the experience of someone who pioneered for four years, I can attest to the fact that their knowledge is limited to a handful of scriptures on a select group of topics that are used to further the agenda of the WT, not promote true bible understanding. Even when the WT quotes scriptures in their books and magazines, they are twisted to serve the interests of the organization, not to help their followers understand the bible.
first of all let me say hi, ex witness of 19/20 years here - left the borg about 6 or 7 years ago now.. just when i think that i am away from them for good, there is some knock on the door, a familiar face, or something in the media which brings it all back.
how i would love to just let it go and live life to the full without remembering what i went through with the witnesses.. just last week it came back to me again, a knock on the door and i was caught totally offguard.
i made my excuses and basically closed the door in their face but after i lamented on how i should have fought my corner, like i used to when i phased myself out.
I think it is very common to feel anger after the JW experience. As was mentioned by previous posters, we have been lied to, used and abused. Anger is a natural reaction to such treatment.
I hope you find this site to be a healing place. I have. I also recommend counseling to anyone who has a hard time getting past it.
Best wishes to you.
hi im from italy.
im new here i would like know new friends.. my english is very poor.. but few few i read and understand.. i have discovered a lot of things that i was in the dark on wts.. i am reading book crisis of conscience.
if someone recommends me to read anything other in italian language i will be very happy.. i was jw after ex jw and now are jw , have come back because my children and wife are jw and friends of my children are all wj.. so hard left all.
Welcome! Hope you like it here.
or traits cause someone to be susceptible to high control fring religions?
distrust of society and government/religionbeing a social misfithaving some deep seated jealousy of successful people for whatever reason that causes a person to relish the idea of being smarter and knowing that the successful are completely wrong and will dieoverly emotionalinsecurity .
or, do character traits have anything to do with religious susceptibility?.
Any one can be susceptable to manipulation by a cult. Especially if they have recently been through a painful situation such as the death of a loved one, break up of a romantic relationship, financial difficulties, loneliness, concern about the future, etc. We were supposed to be looking for those who were "sighing and crying" remember?
i'm not now, nor have i ever been a jw.
i do have and interest in the jws though.
for the past many months i have been reading this board and it's predicessor and when membership was opened i jumped right in.
Welcome to the board.
In my experience as a JW, they know how to use certain scriptures to defend some WT doctrines, but outside of that narrow segment of scriptures and beliefs, they have little understanding of the Bible. If you ask questions that are outside of their comfort zone, they will not have an answer and often try to steer the conversation back to the handful of subjects they are comfortable talking about.
