what are the benefits of having created the human mind being able to have doubts inside (or regarding) the true religion (jude 22)?.
because if you have doubts, you are not sure, so it is difficult to believe and trust.
and if it is difficult to believe and trust, it is even more difficult to have faith since it is the "assured" expectation of what is hoped for (hebrews 11:1).
There are 3 pillars -
Faith: You believe it works, but lack evidence.
Doubt: Because you lack evidence you are not sure if it is true.
Dedication: You don't want to believe. You want to know. So you diligently seek the facts and accept them as you discover them.
All Abrahamic religion is built on one pillar - faith. It is considered a sin to doubt and frowned on to ask questions.
Stay close to those who seek the truth and avoid those who claim the have found the truth.
aaron's rod became a big snake (exodus 7:8-10).. when something not alive, like dust, becomes alive, like a living person (genesis 7:2): is this not called "creation"?
so, when pharaoh's wise men, sorcerers, and magic-practicing priests of egypt also did the same (exodus 7:11, 12): how could we called this instead?
i read about some jws explaining it as a magic illusion.
It's a lot arguing over General Calrissian's tactics against the Klingons at the Battle of Five Armies.
I'd say the magician's staves turned to snakes are as real as the fallen angels Nephilim children.
technically, an atheist is someone who doesn't believe in a god, while an agnostic is someone who doesn't believe it's possible to know for sure that a god exists..
ag·nos·tic
/aɡˈnästik/
noun
a person who believes that nothing is known or can be known of the existence or nature of God or of anything beyond material phenomena; a person who claims neither faith nor disbelief in God.
a·the·ist
/ˈāTHēəst/
noun
a person who disbelieves or lacks belief in the existence of God or gods.
An atheist does not believe in a god or gods as their is a lack of evidence to their existence.
An agnostic believes there is no way to prove a god or gods exist and therefor are unknowable.
If the Great Tribulation were to start it would be physical evidence in favor of not only the existence of a god, but the God of the Bible. An atheist may change belief. An agnostic would dismiss the evidence as agnostics believe any evidence of a god is not possible in the physical universe.
remarkable sister pettifog.
this morning i arrived on my bicycle at the local starbucks early and took up a seat at the outdoor table in the fresh air.. that’s when it happened--a group of 3 older ladies at one of the other tables outside rose to leave and one of them walked over to my table and spoke directly to me.
i was wearing earbuds at that moment and didn’t hear.
To me, it was an illegal (according to JW theology) take-over, a coup d'état.
Prior to the change, all of the anointed on earth made up the FDS; therefore, they should have had a say in the decision (especially since it was such a big one and involved them directly), but, they were not consulted.
Spot on, Magnum!
In 1992 my father was disfellowshipped after his judicial committee. He was not told what the official reason was, but I heard from another source it was for apostasy. I do know the question that was asked of him was "Do you, as someone who professes to be of the anointed, consider yourself part of the Faithful and Discreet Slave?" He answered "Yes." That sealed his fate.
Interestingly, a year later he was reinstated. I do not believe if he was asked if he still maintained his belief or not. I left the religion prior to the change in doctrine and never asked my father what his thought was on it. I just know he did not quit being a Witness.
I recall a then friend telling me that he found fellow Witnesses had a hard time accepting a Witness as being one of the anointed if that person was not a fulltime Bethelite with some sort of special position. My father told me that in 1987 a new Circuit Overseer came in who had a reputation for targeting those who claimed to be of the anointed for disfellowshipping and my father was in his crosshair. It seems like there is a lot of bias towards such ones.
remarkable sister pettifog.
this morning i arrived on my bicycle at the local starbucks early and took up a seat at the outdoor table in the fresh air.. that’s when it happened--a group of 3 older ladies at one of the other tables outside rose to leave and one of them walked over to my table and spoke directly to me.
i was wearing earbuds at that moment and didn’t hear.
Great story, Terry!
I have similar story. I think there's a common thread. It is obvious to me that at a certain point the Watchtower turned on those who claimed to be of the anointed. I huge blow was the change in the doctrine that only the Governing Body are the Faithful and Discreet Slave. All other anointed still on Earth are just rank and file.
wt has really been doing a great job at mind-controlling their members.
how can people who say they are your friends not even want to know why you're leaving when you want them to know?!
eh!
This scenario made my exit easier.
I had friends of near 20 years turn their backs on my simply because I was unable to attend meetings due to work. I remember the last meeting I did attend - none of my friends would approach me. I believe I may have been marked, but I am unsure.
I found that those who truly are my friends have 1 of 2 things in common -
The mark of a true Jehovah's Witness is their lack of love.
.......a disabled black, non-binary, homosexual, transsexual, environmentalist vegan?
.
all bases need to be covered.
The bar was already set for both franchises.
"The Bar"
can a witness date and court a jw student if he intends to get baptized?
.
A simple flow chart to answer the question -
Question # 1: Is the person baptized as one of Jehovah's Witnesses? If yes - go to question #2. If no - No. They are not to be married.
Question # 2: Is the person in good standing with the congregation? If yes to both #1 & #2 it is alright to marry them. If no - No. They are not to be married.
i want to create a new site to help people leaving the wts.. the idea is that it will be curated content of articles and videos on specific subjects such as how to fade, how to handle family, personal experiences of leaving, mistakes to avoid, plus practical life matters impacted by the wts such as how to create or rebuild a career, planning for retirement, getting counselling, making friends etc.... the idea is that it should be lots of voices to share the love and promote lots of people's channels so it becomes a more effective resource (hopefully there will always be something informative and appealing to the people visiting).. if you have a youtube channel that you would like featured, or maybe have some specific video or series that would suit, i'd be happy to include them.. likewise, if you have a subject you'd like to write about and can share some practical knowledge and guidance on, or have a life-story you'd like to share because your experience could benefit others, please let me know.. i bought a domain and setup some placeholder content:.
https://jw.watch.
please message me or post here if you have any questions or ideas..
This is a noble idea. I would like to help however I am able. There are many members here, each with their own exit story. I would imagine there is a common theme with many of our stories. Each common theme would no doubt provide a framework for a way to help someone leave the Watchtower.
is it difficult to believe in a loving god?.
if yes, i understand you.
it has been difficult to me too.
Is it difficult to believe in a loving God?
He had to do that to defeat Satan and die for our sins so that we can be freed from the death that we deserve as sinners.
Is hard for me to believe in a loving god? No. I just have not found any evidence that one exists.
What I do believe is that the Israelite god, YHWH (aka "The Lord"), is not a loving god.
I also question that if Jesus actually existed and if he said or taught everything as written in the Gospels that he represents a loving god. The Gospels allege that Jesus stated he came to break up families. Love unites. If something divides it cannot be called love.
I also know I was born perfect. Everything I do is as I was intended to do. The only "sin" is to cause harm to self or other without acknowledging the harm and learning from it. No one deserves death. Everything alive dies. Sin has nothing to do with it.
