for a long time, i thought pimi (physically in, mentally in) jws were unique in their inability to simply type and read the latest "google" news results about "jehovah's witnesses " or "watchtower".
however, it appears it is not uncommon for a large portion of the population purposefully to avoid facts...on purpose!
"why do people avoid facts that could help them?.
Vanderhoven7,
I can't count how many times I've heard JWs say they don't need to examine their religion because they've already thoroughly investigated it and know that it's the truth.
When I've asked them to give me details of the investigation they did, the conversation ends quickly.
I think it was Don Cameron who said that if JWs had truly investigated the history of their organization they would never have joined.
i guess it's the covid-19 thing.
but very little news from a couple of people i know well there.
they can't leave the "compound" or much of anything else.
Maybe they are all in their Armageddon bunkers.
i'm a born and raised witness.
i was an elder for almost 20 years.
almost the same in fulltime service.
The less you explain to the elders, the better.
If you have to offer explains for decreased activity, cite unnamed personal issues you are working through.
If they offer help, thank them and tell them that you will call on them if you reach a point where you think that would be helpful to you.
here are some questions to ask visiting jws to help them realize their faith is not in the bible, but in men.. questions about how you view the bible.. 1. do you view the bible as the inspired word of god?
(ii tim.3:16).
2. do you believe the bible is written for everyone?
If Jehovah has always had a visible organization, what was his organization from the death of the apostle John until Charles Taze Russell?
And if there was such an organization, why didn't Russell join it?
Since he didn't, doesn't that mean Jehovah had two true organizations at the same time?
If not, which organization would be the right one -- the older one or the one that got started in the late 1800s?
i'm reading babylon the great has fallen, god's kingdom rules, published 1963. this was studied years ago when i was about 10-12 years old.
i wanted to just read some of the beliefs from decades ago.
my wife wants to know why i'm reading this book.
I once had an elder denounce old WT literature I was showing him as garbage and apostate literature.
I asked, "When do WT publications stop being the truth and turn into garbage and apostate literature?"
He stormed out of my living room.
i never had much faith in whatever resurrection was.
what appealed to me about jw doctrines was the rejection of the "it's a mystery" defense of the indefensible.
when i would ask how going into non existence could be reversed when all the atomic parts of who we are had been scattered for thousands of years, the answer was "jehovah can do anything".
The WT view of "spirit" is that it's an impersonal, animating force, sort of like electricity.
In their view, spirit brings life to all living creatures -- angels, humans, dogs, cats, etc.
Spirit present = life
Spirit absent = death
But in WT teaching, a spirit has no personality or memories.
i never had much faith in whatever resurrection was.
what appealed to me about jw doctrines was the rejection of the "it's a mystery" defense of the indefensible.
when i would ask how going into non existence could be reversed when all the atomic parts of who we are had been scattered for thousands of years, the answer was "jehovah can do anything".
@Wasanelderonce,
I think of elders as company men who believe whatever the GB tells them.
Did you have these doubts all along?
i never had much faith in whatever resurrection was.
what appealed to me about jw doctrines was the rejection of the "it's a mystery" defense of the indefensible.
when i would ask how going into non existence could be reversed when all the atomic parts of who we are had been scattered for thousands of years, the answer was "jehovah can do anything".
The WT concept of "resurrection" is really re-creation.
I was going to say "cloning," except that nothing from your original body is used.
In WT teaching, using material unrelated to the body that died, Jehovah gives you a perfect body that looks like the best version of your old body.
That's the hardware.
Because the WT believes there is no separate immaterial soul that survives physical death, Jehovah uses his perfect memory of you to program the re-created body using your memories and personality which he remembers perfectly.
That's the software.
It's not really you.
It's a copy of you.
Not only that, but the WT teaches (see Life Everlasting In Freedom of the Sons of God) that the great crowd will be resurrected with the same sinful thought patterns and tendencies they had when they died, so Jehovah would really be programming sin and rebellion back into you.
When you think about it, under the Watchtower's view, he could make as many such copies of you as he wanted with as many personality alterations as he desired.
last wednesday my elder brother called me to let me know mom had died.
she was 97 years old and was in a nursing home for the last 7 years.
her mind had left her many years ago to the point she didn't recognize any of us.
Very sorry for your loss...
Can the "other sheep" partake of the food and beverages?
