Hi
I would like to tell you a little about myself. My name is Scott Williams, I am 49 years old. I have been married 27 years. My wife and I have 4 children. My wife and I come from religious backgrounds. Her father was a minister of the Pentecostal Church and my father is a minister of the Presbyterian Church, and my grandfather was a lay minister of the Plymouth Brethren and two of my great great grandfathers were Quaker Lay-Ministers.
My wife and I have been reading the Bible all our lives and more important when we were children we both accepted Jesus Christ as our personal savior. In order to make a long story short after we had been married 6 years after being very disillusioned of the different churches that we had gone to, my wife wanted to begin to study the Bible with Jehovah’s Witnesses. I was very upset in the beginning because from the time I was a small boy I heard many things that were not very good about Jehovah's Witnesses. One was that they did not believe in Jesus, that they were etc. communist etc. I agree only to show my wife that what they taught was wrong. In fact I used some questions that my father gave me to trip them up with. (Years later I found out that this list was given to my farther by a former JW).
The man and the woman who studied with us showed to us that what believed they believe were based on the bible. This took nearly 9 months, the questions that I asked them, they answer to me and proved it from the bible. So in 1980 my wife and I were baptized as Christian witnesses of Jehovah’s Witnesses.
Since then things have happen that have changed. I do not agree with everything the Society teaches.
Jehovah 's Witnesses believe that only 144,000 Christians will go to Heaven. They believe that all 1st century were of that number and that it took until the 20th century for the number to be completed.
Yet there have been far more than 144,000 faithful Christians in the 1900 centuries, yet JW's believe that there was no Earthly hope until the 20th century. I believe that there must have been ones during the 1900 years and even in the 1st century that must have had the earthly hope.
Here are a couple of scriptures that I feel show that not all in the 1st century had the Heavenly hope.
*** Matthew 22:14 ***
14 "For there are many invited, but few chosen."
***John 6:53,54***
"Accordingly Jesus said to them: "Most truly I say to YOU, Unless YOU eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, YOU have no life in yourselves. 54 He that feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has everlasting life, and I shall resurrect him at the last day;"
***1 John 2:2***
And he is a propitiatory sacrifice for our sins, yet not for ours only but also for the whole world's.
Here are the other things that I believe different than a lot of other JW's
1. I do not believe that only JW's will survive Har-Ma·ged'on.
2. I believe that blood transfusions should be conscious decisions.
3. I believe that Jesus is the mediator for both those who have the heavenly hope and the earthly hope.
4. I believe that both those who professed to be anointed and those who have the earthly hope should partake at the Memorial.
5. I do not believe that the Bible Students today are apostates.
I really hope that these will eventually be taught in the organization.
Not only I do not agree with everything the Society teaches that but I have seen things that have not been good. An example I was a Ministerial Servant for 14 years. I was asked twice to be an Elder but I decline, I had some problems with one of my kids so I felt that I did not set the best example.
Later I mentioned to the Presiding Overseer that I think I should step down as a Ministerial Servant. He told me that I should think about it for a while. The next week the Circuit Oversee came to the Congregation , I had to move that week so I miss the meetings. The next week when I went to the Theocratic School to give the talk number 1. The school overseer said I did not have to do the talk someone else was going to do it. During the service meeting it was announced that I was deleted as a Ministerial Servant A total surprise . After this I was shun by some in the congregation. To make a long story short this has stumbled my wife and kids to the point that they are not going to the meetings.
I have had contact with the Bible Students and I was wondering if you have ever had contact with them.
P.S.
I have attended the San Diego Bible Students group.
I consider Jehovah’s Witnesses, The Bible Students, and other Christians as my brothers and sisters.