Picture yourself as an Israelite living a few years after King Solomon has died. You live in the northern part of the promised land and now you are part of a separate nation with King Jeroboam as your king. You want to worship Jehovah and you know that He appointed Jeroboam to be king over […]
Continue reading about Just Following Orders – A Message For an Awakening Jehovah’s Witness
Does anyone want to work on a research project? My belief is that it will positively impact the lives of hundreds or even thousands of us. I’ve wanted to get on this for months, but my free time is very limited lately, as running JWStruggle.com has taken up quite a bit of it as many of you know. Team members will be able to collaborate on the project using Google Docs, so geographic location will be a non-issue. A call to take on the following project is now hereby being made. A small group of reliable people are needed. Read on, and prayerfully decide if you can help us tackle this project:
Continue reading about Volunteers Needed for Research Project
We are very proud to announce or first JW Struggle video! We now have a youtube channel with our new video entitled, “Is Jesus Your Mediator” up and ready to watch in HD. JJ has has put in many man hours on this project. Andrew helped with the script. We have reviewed it and feel […]
Continue reading about Our First JW Struggle Video! Is Jesus Christ Your Mediator?
There are a few indications that one of the problems of the beliefs of the JWs is that too much emphasis is put on the Hebrew Scriptures. It is true that all scripture is beneficial, but when Jesus came to the earth many things changed and I feel that in some ways JWs are still stuck in the Hebrew Scriptures.
Continue reading about What Part of the Bible Deserves Priority?
New JW Struggle Forum: http://jwstrugglehelpforjehovahswitnesses.yuku.com/ JJ and I have been looking into other forum platforms. We think we have found one that all will enjoy. It is very nice and easy to use. You will need to create a user name and password. This new forum is on yuku.com like many other popular forums. If […]
Continue reading about We Are Happy To Announce our New Forum Upgrade!
Many of us probably have faced this question in the field ministry when we were Jehovah’s Witnesses. If you were like me you probably denied being born again. Now that we realize that the Society hasn’t been correct on many things, what does the bible teach on who is born again? Are only a few […]
What would you say is worse? Calling someone a “despicable fool” or calling them “mentally diseased”? Personally I see no difference. Jesus said at Matthew 5:22, “However, I say to YOU that everyone who continues wrathful with his brother will be accountable to the court of justice; but whoever addresses his brother with an unspeakable […]
Continue reading about Apostates are “Despicable Fools” and “Mentally Diseased!”
At John 15: 1-17 Jesus/Yashua said, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have […]
Continue reading about I Am The True Vine, and My Father is The Gardener…
Throughout all human history men have fought and died for freedom, political freedom, economic freedom, and spiritual freedom. We as Christians are especially interested in spiritual freedom. Most of us have belonged to an authoritative religion that permits little in the way of Christian freedom. It is something some of us are starting to experience […]
One might ask, “Since Jehovah is the one who forgives sins, why do I need to “call the older men of the congregation?” The Watchtower is correct telling us the “mature older men in the congregation can help remorseful sinners.” But is this always the case? Do most Jehovah’s Witnesses feel like they can gain forgiveness from going to the elders as James 5:14-16 tells us will happen if a sinner confesses to them?
John 14:6 – “Jesus said to him: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Jesus is the way to the Father. This means he is mediator and High Priest for all humankind who have faith in him. 1 Tim. 2:5 – “For there is […]
Continue reading about The Organization: the Way, the Truth, and the Life?
“…If we as individuals do not fully understand a certain position taken by the slave class, that is no reason for us to reject it or return to Satan’s world. Instead, loyalty will move us to act humbly and wait on Jehovah to clarify matters.” Watchtower 08/8-15 If we find ourselves in a position where […]
Most if not all of us have considered talking to a close friend and broaching the subject of “the truth about the truth” with them. How would we go about it? Is it worth the risk? How much should we share? How little? It is a dangerous course, but may be a necessary one. Ezekiel told us to sound a warning. Does that apply in this case? Only you and your Bible-trained conscience can answer that.
Continue reading about Sharing Your “Sacred Secret” With A Loved One
Why do you apply the Bible to everyone else and not yourselves? Why do you constantly go beyond what is written when the Bible says not to? Why do you disfellowship people for not agreeing with your every word when you have been proven wrong and without Gods spirit direction for over 100 years? Why […]
Continue reading about Questions For The Governing Body Of Jehovah’s Witnesses
I would like to bring everyones attention to the new “Media Downloads” link at the top of this web page. Here JJ will be posting audio and video for your enjoyment. JJ and Andrew have already given their story for anyone who would like to listen in. Because they both are still in good standing […]
If you are a struggling Jehovah’s Witness of the “conscious class” you may feel very lonely. I know I do as most of my friends are JW’s. It’s not easy to tell if your JW friends are of the “conscious class” without possibly risking being disfellowshipped. Before you know it you could be approached by an elder or two elder asking you questions about your loyalty to the GB.
Continue reading about How to Test the Waters with a JW Friend
People since the beginning of time have been revising their history. When a person in favor with the king lost his status or went rogue, his name never spoken again. If his likeness or name was carved into the walls, the walls were destroyed or erased. Officially, he never existed. A number of books have been written about this, with 1984 by George Orwell being among the most famous. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury is another great book that is ironically about the banning of books. It was itself a banned book for many years and may still be in certain places of the world.
Continue reading about Revisionist History and Keeping an Open Mind
On Sunday, April 3 2011 the article “Empowered to Overcome Any Trial” was studied. Notice paragraphs 10-12: 10 Some young ones might face a dilemma if they learn that a friend has engaged in unscriptural conduct. They may feel that seeking spiritual help for their friend would violate an unwritten code of silence; therefore, they […]
Our Heavenly Father, we approach you with deeply grateful hearts for everything that you are and everything you have done for us. We praise your great Name and your wonderful qualities. We praise also your Son and our Redeemer, Jesus. On Sunday evening we will be remembering in a special way all that You and […]
Continue reading about A Prayer on the Eve of the Lord’s Evening Meal
The forums now have replaced the old “Stories” page. The contents of the page has been preserved below. In the future, go to the forums and share or read the stories there.
Continue reading about Site Change- “Stories” Page Moved to Forum
The following are questions and comments on the old “Questions” page that has been replaced by the forum. It is a bit messy, sorry about that, but at least it has been preserved for posterity:
Continue reading about Site Change- “Questions” now on Forum
As per many requests JJ has added a new forum page to this web site. Many of you may have noticed that the subjects in these blogs have taken different directions off subject. I am probably the most guilty one as far as that goes. However we had no place to take a different subject. […]
As most or all readers know the organization of Jehovah’s Witnesses makes a long list of beliefs that are mandatory. They say that if someone rejects one or more of these so-called mandatory beliefs his or her eternal life is in jeopardy since they are all salvation issues. For instance, in the last meeting that […]
More and more JWs are starting to be faced with a difficult decision. They have found out about or suspect the falsehood of a number of doctrines that the Society claims are “salvation issues”. Some may think “where else would I go?” Really, to gain Christ’s approval there is not a place or an organization […]
I have been thinking about partaking at the up coming memorial of Christ death for quite some time. For the last two years it has been a goal of mine. when I do I will do this in private. I have second thoughts only because sometimes I feel unworthy. However I do believe that partaking […]
As I was tucking in my daughter last night she asked me why we have to be so different. Her exact words were:
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There’s these boys at school always bugging me about birthdays, saying ‘Why don’t you celebrate your birthday? Isn’t that the most important day of the year for you? It is for me…’
And sometimes I get it because I know we don’t celebrate birthdays because the only two people that did it in the Bible got their heads cut off. And I know that when we are born we haven’t really done anything yet either. But… I still don’t really get it!
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She doesn’t get it- how interesting; how perfect! My beautiful, intelligent, innocent daughter doesn’t get it…
For the most part of my life as a Jehovah’s Witness I would turn away rejecting beggars and pan handlers viewing them as bums. If I saw them smoking or over weight I really felt justified in rejecting them. I had more respect for the guy who said, “hey, I’ll be honest, I want to […]
Denial and Isolation. At first, we tend to deny the loss has taken place, and may withdraw from our usual social contacts. This stage may last a few moments, or longer. Anger. The grieving person may then be furious at the person who inflicted the hurt (even if she’s dead), or at the world, for […]
Who are your true friends and loved ones? What if you were tasked with making a list of them? How long would the list be? Usually the word “love” comes into play when you refer to the most important people in your life. Who do you love? This may not be something that is verbalized very often, especially among men towards one another, but nevertheless it is a valid part of this discussion. Here’s what Jesus said about friendship
Continue reading about Figuring Out Who Our True Friends Are
Jehovah’s Witness’s at one time claimed to know what constellation of stars Jehovah God dwelled in. When I found this out I couldn’t believe anyone on Earth could be bold enough to make such a claim. Where did they get this knowledge? It certainly did not come from the Bible. Here are there claims: 1927 […]
From the very founding of Christianity in the first century the heavenly hope has been the only hope of every Christian. Did any writer of the Greek scriptures hold out any other hope? If this has been the hope of Christians, when did it change to a hope of living on earth forever? Even Jehovah’s […]
In the previous post “What is a Christians Hope? Heaven or Earth” I made the case that the only hope for Christians was the heavenly one. The post also explained why it is reasonable to place the great crowd in heaven. This post will continue the topic of our hope. As Christians we all have […]
Many of us have mates that are not awake to the flaws and inconsistencies that we have discovered. They may refuse to even listen to what we have to say and it can hurt our feelings greatly. This varies in degree from marriage to marriage, but the primary thing for us to remember is this: Be as patient and loving with your wife or husband as you possibly can!
The Watchtower Society makes the claim that sonship is offered at this time only to a few thousand Christians. It is theorized that the rest only are offered friendship to God on the basis of their association with the sons of God. Is this true? I would encourage all readers to carefully evaluate Romans chap. […]
As most all of us know. Japan just had a 8.9 Earthquake and large tsunami devastate their country. Not to mention the nuclear power disaster. My heart and prayers, and I am sure yours too, go out to all of those families in Japan undergoing this terrible turmoil right now. This sad event is all […]
Continue reading about Earthquakes? Are they a sign of Jesus presence or the end?
“When religion rather than the person of Christ becomes central in our lives, we substitute Pharisaism for Christianity. Religion is central when that to which we are passionately committed is our manner of worship, our theological belief system, our form of piety or our particular religious experience. We then proselytize rather than evangelize. To proselytize […]
The story of Martin Luther, famous theological reformer and perhaps the first so-called apostate of the Catholic Church is fascinating.
Many Jehovah’s Witnesses upon finding that the “truth” wasn’t as true as they thought find themselves spiritually disorientated. They may not know what to believe. As a JW they perhaps thought of themselves as spiritually mature, but now have been disabused of that idea. The Society talks often about the need to advance to spiritual […]
How many are awake to the problems within the WTO? Of the 7 million or so that are active JWs is there any possible way to reach an estimated ballpark number of how many are out there?
I’ve been doing some research on this and I’m good at math but not a statistician (big difference lol) however I’m sticking with it. When scientists count how many hairs are on the human head they actually cordon off a small area (like 1 cm x 1 cm) and then count those and do an extrapolation.
Where was the Organization in the 18th century, the 17th century, the 16th century, the 12th century, the 6th century, etc? There was none. Why should it be any different today?
If one lived in the ten-tribe kingdom there was never a time when things were right. True, Jehu got rid of Baal worship, but the idolatrous calf worship remained. And Hosea indicated that there would be an accounting against the house of Jehu for the bloodshed at Jezreel. Elijah was so discouraged that he thought he was alone in the ten-tribe kingdom. Unknown to him, there were the “7,000” who had not bent the knee to Baal. (1 Kings 19:18) For all those people, there was no “Organization” or safe haven.
I found this list on biblicaltruthseekers.co.uk Hope you enjoy. TRAITS OF ABUSIVE CHURCHES AND ORGANIZATIONS • Control-orientated, arrogantly assertive, power-posturing leadership. • Authoritarian and legalistic with dictatorial, dogmatic unproven doctrines that are proclaimed to be ‘the Truth’. • Claims of being the channel of communication between God and mankind; having unique knowledge that makes them […]
There are two basic ways that this could happen, and no matter how dim things appear to be, or how bleak the outlook is, we have options and choices. Let’s breakdown the possibilities and see what is the best path for each of us. This possible meeting can only happen in one of two ways, these being:
1. We request to speak with them voluntarily
2. A friend or family member tells either an elder or someone else who in turn tells the elders that you are weak in faith, have doubts about the truth, or are even “going apostate”
One great problem for Christianity is sectarianism. What is it? It is an adherence to a dogmatic set of beliefs and practices while believing that any other person that fails to adhere to the same dogma is condemned and a false Christian
Jesus told the religious leaders of his day the following “The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the seat of Moses. 3 Therefore all the things they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds, for they say but do not perform. 4 They bind up heavy loads […]
Continue reading about Presumptuousness and the Governing Body
The Watchtower organization has for years taught that Jesus is the archangel Michael. Are they correct in this teaching? Let me start off with saying that it is impossible to say for sure or not, because the bible simply is not totally clear on this subject. As a JW in the past I have defended on several occasions the Society’s teaching that Jesus is in fact Michael. However after examining the bible and other commentaries on the bible, I have to say that now I am leaning the other way. I don’t think the Society is right on this teaching.
For the last month or so the very anti-watchtower website “six screens of the watchtower” has had a special caller on their bi-monthly call show, a young man claiming to be from Bethel. He is allegedly calling from inside Bethel, is assigned to the IT department and was tasked with monitoring so-called “apostate websites” and other computer and internet related duties. He claims to have fake Facebook pages to gain information on Witnesses and dig up dirt on them, as well as many other secret ways to hack computers. At first when I heard him I was skeptical, but then began to think that perhaps he is on the level. Many of the things he has brought out shows he know a lot about the organization and the governing body too.
I heard this quote many years ago and it came to mind again recently so I did some digging on its origin and meaning. It resonated with me for a number of reasons, the chief one being that humans know what they know due to this principle, and we as servants of God and Christ can and have benefited from it as well.
Before I get started on this subject I would like to let you know that this is only my opinion and not that of this web site or others who contribute here. I do always pray and ask for Gods holy spirit to guide me and lead me in the truth. Hopefully this is taking […]
Continue reading about Is the nation of Israel still Gods Chosen People?
For those of you that have asked about it, here it is. The tab on the far right will open a chat window that any of us can use. One interesting feature is that even if you make a comment or pose a question and no one else is currently in the chat room, it can alert you later via email that someone has made a comment and you can link directly to it.
A few years ago I decided to purchase a handgun to have as protection in the home. Before doing so I looked up information in the publications and found the 1983 Watchtower 7/15. Notice a few of the comments it makes in the article “Seek Peace and Persue It”
Shortly before we got “full-color” Watchtowers in 1986 this one was published in 1984. It features a number of elderly Witnesses, almost all from Brooklyn Bethel on the cover. I was a teen when it came out and little did I know I would go there and meet a few of the folks on this cover someday. I also never thought that my favorite presentation I used to use along these lines was so far off from what is contained in the Scriptures. It shames me to this day when I think about it, but let’s save that for the end of this post.
Continue reading about Cover Picture – The Generation of 1914
A new addition to the site is on the left side part way down. It is a collection of current articles and stories under the heading “New and Useful Links” and will be changing as often as need be.
I have been receiving a number of emails and contacts from brothers that are currently serving in the congregation. Also several that have stepped down, not for “wrong doing” but because their conscience does not allow them to continue to teach things that they have found are untrue.
The excerpts below are from a variety of these communications.
Continue reading about How Many are/were Elders and Ministerial Servants?
Jehovah’s Witnesses believe they are already speaking the pure language. This text comes from Zephaniah chap 3 vs.9. This chapter talks about a restoration of a remnant of Israel. Notice how well ancient Jerusalem pictures the totality of all Christian denominations in vs 2-4 “She has not obeyed; she has not accepted discipline. She has not trusted in Yahweh; she has not drawn near to her God. 3 The princes within her are roaring lions; her judges are wolves of the night, which leave nothing for the morning. 4 Her prophets are reckless- treacherous men. Her priests profane the sanctuary; they do violence to instruction.”
We all know that the number of partakers is on the rise. The question is how many and how fast? And what does a steady rise in partakers mean? What could it mean? Witnesses teach that the number going to heaven are 144,000. It was believed for many years (about 70!) that the calling of anointed ones was closed in 1935. Partakers dropped for some years, but in recent times it again began increasing. Then in May 1, 2007 the Watchtower made a change and said this:
The Pharisees of Jesus’ day were truly students of scripture. They knew the scriptures backward and forward. They had great respect for the law and scripture. This was no mere intellectual interest, they wanted to obey every detail of the law to the letter. We could say they were doctrinal experts. They were also zealous […]
I just got home from a meeting at AA. For those of you that do not know what that is, it is Alcoholics Anonymous. I have been going there on and off for about eight years. At this new meeting I attend they close by saying the Lords Prayer as everyone holds hands. Not at […]
Where will we as christians spend eternity? In heaven or on earth?
Continue reading about What is a Christians Hope? Heaven or Earth?
Jesus gave a parable in Matt 13:31, 32 , Mark 4:30-32 and Luke 13:18,19 about a mustard seed. The account in Matt. says – “…The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. 32 It’s the smallest of all the seeds, but when grown, it’s taller than the vegetables and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the sky come and nest in its branches.”
Romans 7:24-25 “Miserable man that I am! Who will rescue me from the body undergoing this death? Thanks to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So, then, with [my] mind I myself am a slave to God’s law, but with [my] flesh to sin’s law.” (NWT) As we all know, The Apostle Paul wrote those […]
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