Posts by truth_b

28

Why do some people who were trapped in the WT and wake up, still believe in the Bible God who allowed them to be deceived for years.

by pistolpete in

why do some people who were trapped in the wt and wake up after much frustration and anger that they were lied to, still believe in the bible god who allowed them and their families to be deceived and trapped for years.

i have an acquaintance who is a lot older than me and for the past 30 years he has been out of the watchtower religion and is sola scriptura.

sola scriptura is a theological doctrine that posits the christian scriptures as the sole infallible source of authority for christian faith and practice.

truth_b_known

Pistol Pete:

Wonderful post! More people need to bring up discussion on Sola Scriptura and the other 4 main teachings of Martin Luther that took Christianity and put it on it's head.

I will point out one small thing - the Catholic Church rejects the concept of Sola Scriptura. The Church (Catholicism) does not believe the Bible should be taken literally in most aspects. The Catholic Church openly accepts evolution. Much of the Old Testament is looked at as merely allegorical works that contain some wisdom. There was even a Pope that stated that Christianity is not the only way to worship God.

The Bible is a disturbing book. Especially the Old Testament. Christianity, as a spiritual practice, is actually an amazing thing. Christianity as a religion of doctrine to be memorized and rules to be conformed to stifles the whole purpose of a spiritual practice. Unfortunately over 40,000 heretical sects of Christianity are so obsessed with this thing called "salvation" they miss the whole point - Heaven is on Earth. Life is a gift and happiness is now. We are just fine the way we are and the sooner we accept ourselves the sooner we get to living.

55

Ban on Independent Meetings

by lssjr in

source - march 2021 announcements - - https://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/5085868283920384/2021-march-147-english-german-announcements-reminders.

this is a sobering reminder of what happened some 40 years ago when raymond franz and others were literally kicked out from the jehovah's witnesses for having pre-arranged private spiritual discussions.lesson: paragraph 7 is another example of the i and t in dr. steven hassan's bite model of the 21st century cult - information and thought control at its best!!!!

"my gosh, there must be a lot of independent meetings these days.

truth_b_known

The Watchtower says that Witnesses may -

Go to meetings, assemblies, conventions
Watch JW broadcast
Read Watchtower publications

The Watchtower says that Witnesses may not -

Discuss spiritual things at independent social gatherings
Pray before such gatherings

As a child growing up as a born-in Witness I remember that Saturday morning were field service and after lunch was the family study of preparing for the following day's Watchtower study at the meeting. Dad was start the study by offering a prayer. Dad conducted the Watchtower study. We took turns reading the paragraphs and cited scriptures.

So, in short, the Watchtower no condemns what I grew up with.

I also remember as a child going camping with multiple families from the congregation. The whole camping party would have a Watchtower study together because we were out camping instead of being at the meeting. I am sure such an activity would also be condemned.

17

2021-March-S-147-English and German--Announcements And Reminders!

by Atlantis in

jw
friends

2021-march-s-147--announcements and reminders.. english and german.

https://filetransfer.io/data-package/jtoy3vol#link.

another link:.

truth_b_known

If you are one of Jehovah's Witnesses and attend a social gathering of other Witnesses you better not talk about "spiritual" things.

I do not recall the book, but there was a Watchtower publication being covered in the Book Study (remember those days?) back in the early 1990's that stated Bible discussions outside the "normal arrangement" were precursors to apostasy. I remember back at that time my parents would invite various couples over from the congregation on the weekends to have dinner or cake and coffee. My father would pull out his Bible and share things he discovered in his personal studies. It didn't take long before he was called before a judicial committee. My father was disfellowshipped as a result.

This "reminder" does remind us of one very important thing - it's a high control group, also known as a cult.

Watchtower claims -

Jehovah uses his holy spirit to provide what we need to the 8 men in New York who have self-proclaimed themselves "the Faith and Discreet Slave"
These 8 men in New York in turn give us what God has determined as what we need
The meetings we (Watchtower) provide provide "ample" spiritual instruction and encouragement

Read between the lines; If you aren't feeling spiritually satisfied with the meetings, JW.com, and reading Watchtower publications on your own there is something wrong with you. Seek additional instruction and encouragement outside of this and you are an enemy of God.

15

My old congregation still have nothing to show for all their efforts.

by RULES & REGULATIONS in

in the year 2000, our congregation decided to split into three separate congregations because of growth.

there were 186 members.

the kingdom hall had only 190 seats.

truth_b_known

This is how one egotistical man's personal publishing corporation went from selling books to a real estate corporation masquerading as a religion.

40

Are Jehovah’s Witnesses Wrong Regarding Staying Out of Politics?

by minimus in

jw
friends

we were told we were part of the world if we got involved in politics.

if we had employment that had political involvement we were instructed to get another job.

we were told we might be considered disassociated if we voted and then it became questionable.

truth_b_known

There's a lot to this situation that puts the Watchtower in a bad spot. The Watchtower states Christians must stay out of politics because, by voting, a person is saying they believe that human government can help mankind. As such, it is in a sense saying "We don't need God."

Yet, Jesus, and even the Watchtower, tells people to 1. Be in subjection to "earthly authorities" and 2. pay taxes. Taxes are the lifeblood of human government. Paying your taxes supports government at least equally as voting. Try going to your local body of elders as one of Jehovah's Witnesses and tell them you don't pay your taxes. Just see what happens. At a minimum you will lose every "privilege" you have in the congregation.

Next we have the concept that a person who does not vote is basically stating "Whomever wins the election is the candidate I support". This is an argument used by persons politically active. The Watchtower might say something like "Correct! No matter who the elected candidate is, we obey them as long as they do not ask us to violate God's commandments. We obey any law passed the same way." Great! So what happens when there is a candidate running for office or a voter ballot initiative that has legislation stating that there will no longer be tax exemptions for religious organizations?

Finally, what about all the letter writing campaigns the Watchtower asked it's member to participate in regards to the Russian ban on Jehovah's Witnesses? Add to that all the lawsuits the Watchtower uses to fight governments such as the Australian Redress Scheme? Why didn't the Watchtower simply obey rather than use the government (the courts) to fight such things?

28

Australia: Jehovah’s Witnesses to join redress scheme for child sexual abuse survivors

by yalbmert99 in

australia: jehovah’s witnesses to join redress scheme for child sexual abuse survivors.

https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/2021/03/03/jehovahs-witnesses-redress-scheme/.

truth_b_known

It is hard to set up a multi-million dollar multi-media studio in a country where your tax exempt status has been revoked.

37

Why Do Jehovah's Witnesses Dress Up For Meetings?

by RULES & REGULATIONS in

library.

books & brochures.

who are doing jehovah’s will today?.

truth_b_known

The reason is because the Watchtower is a business. It started as a publishing company that had it's members as door-to-door salespeople. The Watchtower used sales standards and strategies when coming up with what was "proper" dress.

Door-to-door sales was huge in the United States generations ago. Clean shaven men wearing suits and ties would travel the nation going to neighborhood after neighborhood to peddle their company's goods. You name the product, there was probable a door-to-door salesperson living out of a suitcase that sold it to you.

This is the same reason the Watchtower prohibits male members from having beards. It was once conceived in sales that average American would not trust a salesperson with a beard.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TV248vXg1MY

30

The left is so retarded its offically lost its collective minds.

by mickbobcat in

what a total bunch of asswipes the left has become.

now they have gotten the publishers to stop printing dr. seuss.

dr seuss.

truth_b_known

We live in a time when people only have the attention span long enough to read a 140 character social media post. "Scrolling" on a "smart" phone is the new smoking. We also live in the magical land of "it will never happen here".

24

What JW Subjects Interest You The Most On This Site? What Doesn’t??

by minimus in

jw
friends

i like subjects that delve into the history of the religion and proofs that the witnesses are not the true religion.

i’m not so much into apologists saying we need to go to meetings, especially if the poster looks like a scammer trying to get ex jws going.

what subjects interest you ?

truth_b_known

These days I hope to find -

1. Posts dealing with anything new about the organization that might cause a PIMI to at least question the organization.

2. Posts dealing with what has been going on behind the curtain since the Watchtower began. We seem to have a wealth of former insiders posting here.

3. Posts dealing with historical facts of the Judeo-Christian world. The real truth behind the Old Testament and the New Testament.

4. Being able to help those who come here seeking help.

14

Why I care about people who see racism everywhere

by StephaneLaliberte in

today, i was watching a tv show and a black celebrity in quebec said that his latest incident of racial profiling was being asked questions by the police as he was walking in a quiet neighborhood at 2am while wearing a hoody.

then the other guest next to him validated his claim saying that she, as a white women, was never stopped like this by the police.

i became very frustrated and agitated.

truth_b_known

Fredrich Nietzsche predicted in the mid-1800s that utopian politics would replace religion. He was referring to socialism and communism. The first plank in those ideologies is make victims and racism has been a staple this way of thinking.

Yes. There is racism. Yes. There are racist people. Calling someone or something "racist" should be done carefully.

It is getting to the point that things are no longer about equality or equal opportunity. Now we here the phrase "racial equanimity" which is not about equal opportunity, but equal outcome.

truth_b_known

Posts by truth_b_known