"Inciting hatred on the basis of race, religion, gender, nationality or sexuality or other personal characteristic."
Is this seriously one of the Forum's rules to follow? How can that be so when this whole forum is based on inciting hatred towards ONE religion.....Jehovah's Witnesses.......WOW this is funny! Forum moderator might want to look into this rule and have it changed. Otherwise you would have to shut down the whole forum. LOL
Having said that...........................
I am completely appalled by this forum. I found it because I was searching the conversation on the View from last week about Jehovah’s Witnesses believing that the end is near. In which I was never more appalled and will never watch the view again. I actually thought this was a site FOR Witnesses, not one that is AGAINST the Witnesses. Much to my surprise it was completely the opposite.
I have to say that you are all the most close minded people I have EVER run across. You say that Jehovah’s Witness are close minded, but I have never met any Witness’s that are as hateful and nasty and judgemental as you all.
I am one of Jehovah’s Witnesses and I am proud to say so. I was raised as a witness and baptized at 16, I am now 38. I am now raising my children accordingly. I have 2 siblings. One is a witness and one is not. I love them both the SAME and do NOT judge my brother for his decision to not be a witness. My in-laws are also witnesses. 3 were df’d for over 20 years. I always talked to them, they are my family. All 3 have been reinstated over the past 7 years, and while I am glad that they are, I don’t love them any MORE because of it. If it makes them happy, that is all that matters to me.
My mom is a very critical and judgemental woman. My dad is a very kind and compassionate man. I like to think that I favor my dad. Which is why I have the views that I do and wanted to speak up on this forum.
I have very good friends who are JW’s AND I also have very good friends who are NOT. I personally never judge a person just because they are NOT a witness. Yes, I am aware that is NOT what we are taught, but we ARE taught that Jehovah is the only one who has the right to judge the heart. My friends who are non JW’s do NOT judge ME because I AM a Witness, like you all. They love me for the person that I am, not what I believe in.
I know that this is forum was NOT created as a personal attack on ME and my belief, but it sure feels like it.
But from what I have read on this forum so far, you ALL are judging Jehovah's Witnesses based on their beliefs alone. Maybe you are the ones who need to re-examine your hearts.
Unlike the elder who remains in the congregation even though he is there under false pretenses, I remain a Witness because I truly believe that one way or another, I will live forever in a paradise here on earth. That is MY hope. Does this mean that I don’t miss meetings? NO! I struggle with meetings and service. If you don’t, then you don’t have a life OR kids! LOL
Does this mean that I don’t like to drink and have a good time with my friends? Heck NO!! I have plenty of Witness friends in the congregation that love to party (yes, I am 38)too! Nothing wrong with having a good time and getting up for meeting the next morning still sick to my stomach from the 1 too many Vanilla Stoli and diets from the night before…..lol NOT that I have ever done that before….I am just saying….lol
I know that what I am writing will fall upon deaf ears, but I feel like I have to be the one voice that speaks up for the millions of Witnesses who are trying to live their lives as Christ did. That does not mean that there are some who are not doing it exactly as Jesus lived his life as NO ONE can do that due to imperfection. BUT MOST do live their lives in an upright way. And they SHOULD be commended for their efforts to remain moral in the wicked world that surrounds them. Most religions/faith’s strive for at least that.
I have only read through a couple of posts, but I felt like I needed to set the record straight. One gentleman wrote about his daughter getting married and how he was not invited to the wedding because he is not a Witness. SHAME on his daughter for not inviting him. SHAME on his daughter for not including her siblings or other non witness families. I agree with him wholeheartedly for being hurt! He should be!
My brother’s wife has never been a JW. Neither of them practice the faith. However, when my SIL’s father passed away 2 weeks before her wedding, my mom, dad, sister and myself ALL attended the funeral and helped out after by getting everything ready for the following meal. This was NOT a Witness funeral. There was a pastor who gave the funeral talk. Did we believe what the pastor had to say about where Ohle was going after death, that he was telling Jesus jokes in Heaven? No. BUT we wanted to show our respects to our future in-law by attending. To me, that was showing the compassion that Jesus taught his followers to show. My now SIL was very thankful that we were there to support her and my brother as they were going through a very difficult time.
When my brother and his now wife got married, we were ALL there to support them. They had dated for almost 8 years and lived together for over 6. I never judged them for their choice to live together before marriage. Maybe I am not normal…..but it is their life. Who am I to judge.
My dad’s brother who is not a witness passed away last month. I not only attended the funeral service (eulogy given by my cousin who is a pastor) locally, I attended a 2 nd one that was given in another state because he was buried there. NOW, one of my dad’s sisters did NOT attend the service because she is a witness and did not feel it proper to attend. That was her choice, even though her brother and sister who are also witnesses DID attend. Whatever!
One thing I have learned over the years is that no matter what faith you are, there are always going to be those who are judgmental over some in the faith who are not as strong as they are in their love for God.
I have not always been strong in my faith. I do NOT go to ALL of the meetings ALL of the time. I struggle to go out in service, but will defend my faith when challenged.
I am not as strong in my faith as some in the congregation. But, I go because of my love for God. I go because I do believe in a resurrection. I go because I do think that this way of life is not a bad one. It safeguards me and my family from things that are potentially harmful.
Is it a bad thing to follow bible principals? Many do, who are NOT witnesses, yet they are not called a cult or made fun of because of it.
What about the Catholic religion? They are not supposed to have pre-marital sex, yet they all do. They are not supposed to live together before marriage, yet they do. They are not to use birth control, yet they do. I could go on and on. YET no other religion is called CRAZY for what they believe in. Just the Witnesses because they actually expect people to follow the principals set out for us in the bible. Is there a forum for x-catholics to go and bash those who still believe the Catholic faith?
You say that the Watchtower rules our lives. Well, maybe they do suggest a lifestyle for us and some follow it to the extreme, but they would be the type to do so in any faith. But the Bible clearly states that it is ultimately up to us as to whether or not we serve God.
What about the Pope? Some live and die by what he says. Yet he is an imperfect man. If the Pope started to kick out those in the Catholic Faith because they were using birth control, some would leave and some would do as he said because they believe he is ordained from God, even though an imperfect man.
The Morman’s follow the guidelines set forth by Joseph Smith because Jesus Christ appeared before him in 1820. Joseph Smith was also an imperfect man, yet his followers are not called a cult or at least not that I am aware of. Is there an ANTI Mormon group who has a forum that bashes those who still believe in the Mormon faith? Maybe there is, I should Google it along with one for Catholics. LOL
We all read the same verses in the bible. Some translations of the bible are clear and to the point. I love to read bible verses from other translations and compare the point being made in the verse. I do not believe that the translation that the Witnesses use is the ONLY translation that is correct. But, I do find it easy to read. Jehovah IS God’s name. Some just choose NOT to use it. I love the fact that I know his name.
Does it really make you feel better at the end of the day to bash someone’s faith, someone’s core belief that may be the only thing that gets them through this life and on to the next, whenever that might be? It breaks my heart to see you all so hateful towards the Witnesses as a whole. I don’t see any of you any different from the Witnesses who you say are being judgmental of you.
I did not write this to debate my faith. I will not respond to any comments. I only wanted to voice my opinion and to possibly open your minds to the fact that just because I am one of Jehovah’s Witnesses does not mean that I am not a normal person. Yes, the Watchtower does give us advice to follow, but I am fully aware that they are imperfect men. I answer only to the 1 who matters and that is my Heavenly Father Jehovah.
When will the end come? Only Jehovah knows. I do not set my hopes on any particular time and I don’t know if it will be in my lifetime or the next. But the signs are there, you don’t have to be a Witness to see it. Ask any Born Again Christain…….they believe the same. OH Is there a forum for X-Born Agains? Will have to check it out…..LOL
Most people in this world answer to the God that THEY believe in. I hope that the God that you all believe in is kind when it comes to judging your hearts. Do you have nothing better to do in your lives than to put down people and their beliefs who are just trying to get by in this life?
You should all be ashamed of yourselves. Go find something productive to do with your time and check your hearts…….
