How to deal with struggling with the doctrines

by Dval in

this is my first post.

i'm still a jw but am inactive.

im struggling with the fact that i agree with some of the doctrines (i,e, the stance on the trinity, there is no hell) but i disagree with a lot of things (i,e, men can't have beards, women have to wear skirts).

doubtfull1799

Welcome Dval, your feelings are perfectly natural. Religion/the Bible is a confusing mess - it is virtually impossible to come to know "God" in the sense of knowing the truth about him and what he wants (people can only come to know God in the sense of their personal feelings and interpretatons about what he must be, based on an inner intuition and this is a highly unreliable method of coming to any good conclusions) because he had not communicated in any clear direct fashion. May I suggest before you get yourself tied up in knots about which doctrines and true or not get back to basics and do some research on whether the Bible itself is truly inspired as per the JW worldview. Study its history, the formation of the Bible canon etc from a historical perspective rather than a religious one and I'm sure it will open your eyes. A good place to start is here:
https://oyc.yale.edu/religious-studies/rlst-145

138

LEAKED: WHQ Accounts: 2016-2020 Budget

by Fay Dehr in

leaked: whq accounts: 2016-2020 budget [part 1 of 5] https://youtu.be/g08tw2v3b4s.

leaked: whq accounts: 2016-2020 budget [part 2 of 5] https://youtu.be/rpceb5v0vbe.

leaked: whq accounts: 2016-2020 budget [part 3 of 5] https://youtu.be/2xa08ukc_6i.

doubtfull1799

Good points Incognito, thats exactly what stood out to me. We see the same infantilising here as we see at the average congregation meeting and on the broadcasts. Having to "explain" in painful detail the basics of what a budget is and why its necessary as if they were speaking to children instead of finance departments of national organisations seems absurd in the highest degree! Obviously budgeting on that scale requires more skill than a simple household budget does, and they should be providing the training to each branch on how to manage complex budgets, not just speak to them like babies and tell them what a budget is.... no wonder they're in a financial mess.

14

Cofty--Can You Help This JW Lady?

by Atlantis in

jw
friends

cofty, this jw lady sent us a message with a question on a point she is trying to verify.. .

her question: (isn't the watchtower teaching a form of "evolution" right now and my jw family just don't realize it?).

hold on sandra, grampa (atlantis), says that (cofty) is pretty much an expert on evolution and can answer your question more accurately than we can.

doubtfull1799

To answer the OP: Its simply a matter of Evolution in a very general non-scientific definition/sense of things changing over time vss Biological Evolution, which is a very specific type of change. I think the society supports the former, not the latter.

Also, a comment on the above 82 Watchtower: This is completely absurd and shows the true nature of the two-class system. Anointed and Other sheep ARE NOT equal in JW theology as they like to claim (as in both righteous but have different destinies). If the heavenly resurrection is to perfection, why not the earthly resurrection? Both have dies and paid for their sins, so why does God create a new imperfect body instead of a perfect one, like he does for spirit bodies? Why do the great crowd have to work towards perfection for a 1000 years while the anointed achieve perfection instantly!?

12

Anglican Church response to the Aust Royal Commission. What a stark contrast!!!!

by stuckinarut2 in

oh wow...how the gb and the society could learn from this response!.

no victim blaming.

no passing of the buck.

doubtfull1799

Some further info from ABC news:

Last Friday, the minister had a positive meeting with representatives of the following churches (with some more percentages of abuse reported in private sessions included):

Catholic Church (37 per cent)
Anglican Church of Australia (9 per cent)
Salvation Army (4 per cent)
Uniting Church (1.3 per cent)
Baptist Union Church (0.6 per cent)
Churches of Christ (0.4 per cent)
Lutheran Church (0.3 per cent)

Australian Christian Churches, YMCA, Scouts, Yeshivah Melbourne and Yeshiva Bondi were also present; Seventh-day Adventist Church (0.4 per cent) and Presbyterian Church (2 per cent) were apologies.

Jehovah's Witness (1 per cent) did not attend but will be involved in round two of negotiations — one-on-one meetings with the minister's department.

25

I may have found a clue to Watchtower's sudden reversal on organ transplants

by ILoveTTATT2 in

jw
friends

i have read countless times in this site and others that there is speculation that someone high up in the watchtower world required an organ transplant, and then because of that, their position that they had held since 1967 changed in 1980.i believe i have found a clue to who that person might have been.

i leave it to the exjw community to investigate further, but it's tantalizing!it is waay too much of a coincidence that:lee cordaway got a phone call in january 1980 that his kidneys were failing.

lee was 18 years old at the time.watchtower printed its "organ transplants are allowed now" article in march 1980.. january 1981: lee goes into the organ donor list for new kidneys.august 1981: lee receives his new kidney.september 1981: lee's new kidney is rejected, he has to have it removed.

doubtfull1799

The problem with that theory is there is usually up to a 6 month lead time on when decisions are made as to what articles go in the magazines, and the articles afr3e often prepared long in advance of that. So that article on organ transplants was almost certainly prepared long before the Jan 1980 date that the person found out they needed a transplant.

12

Anglican Church response to the Aust Royal Commission. What a stark contrast!!!!

by stuckinarut2 in

oh wow...how the gb and the society could learn from this response!.

no victim blaming.

no passing of the buck.

doubtfull1799

Scouts, Salvation Army, YMCA, Anglican Church sign on to redress scheme for sex abuse victims

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-05-31/child-sex-abuse-national-redress-scheme-more-organisations-join/9818820

I wonder if the Society will follow suit? Watch this space, but don't hold your breath.....

25

Ex-Jehovah's Witness Recovering Group 3 and This Site

by dubstepped in

jw
friends

i don't remember seeing it ever really talked about here but the facebook group with the namesake of this post shut down at the end of march.

it was archived and they weren't clear as to when or if they would come back.

it seemed to come out of nowhere, and i know a lot of people were disappointed.

doubtfull1799

Thanks very much Simon for all your hard work and commitment to keeping this site going. It is an invaluable forum and support group for so many and much appreciated.

26

Suicide in the spiritual paradise all too common

by doubtfull1799 in

just heard that a young brother committed suicide this week - the whole congregation is naturally very distressed.

what a tragedy.

according to my source he'd only been married about a year and his wife found him - he’d hung himself.

doubtfull1799

Just heard that a young brother committed suicide this week - the whole congregation is naturally very distressed. What a tragedy. According to my source he'd only been married about a year and his wife found him - he’d hung himself. Surely this should not happen if a spiritual paradise really existed! HIs poor wife will do doubt be extremely traumatised by this. Shows just what a lie 1 Cor 10:13 is. While of course there are no doubt serious medical and psychological issues at play here we don't know about, suicide is the ultimate proof that God allows many to suffer beyond what they can bear... #bestlifeever? #happiestpeopleonearth? I DON'T THINK SO! 😢🤬

3

Update on my “Satan” Study

by Doug Mason in

after releasing my study, “satan.

lucifer.

devil”, i came across additional supporting information in the book, “crucible of faith” and in two articles at the biblical archaeology society.. as well as including passages from these resources, i restructured the chapters up to and including the chapter on qumran (essenes).. i added the word “revised” to the cover and to the filename:.

doubtfull1799

Elaine Pagels has written a great book on the history of "the Satan"

5

Do not blow a trumpet ahead of you....

by doubtfull1799 in

this latest video shows shot after shot of gb member mark sanderson helping/comforting/consoling/encouraging etc etc like he is some saint offering spiritual "gifts of mercy" - it seems that when mark decided to have himself videoed in this manner he forgot jesus words in matthew 6:1-4 .

https://www.jw.org/en/news/jw/region/global/love-in-action-hurricane-irma-maria-relief-work/.

doubtfull1799

This latest video shows shot after shot of GB member Mark Sanderson helping/comforting/consoling/encouraging etc etc like he is some saint offering spiritual "gifts of mercy" - It seems that when Mark decided to have himself videoed in this manner he forgot Jesus words in Matthew 6:1-4

https://www.jw.org/en/news/jw/region/global/love-in-action-hurricane-irma-maria-relief-work/

doubtfull1799

Posts by doubtfull1799

Scouts, Salvation Army, YMCA, Anglican Church sign on to redress scheme for sex abuse victims