Dear Brothers and Sisters,

It can be one of life’s biggest trials when you come to the realization that the Watchtower Society is not what it claims to be, namely God’s organization.  I remember the feelings that I had, shock, dismay, anger, depression, disbelief, fear and then finally acceptance.

Many of the questions that we have at this time in our awakening to the truth about the truth include…

Where else do we go?
• How can we serve God without a visible structured organization?
• Am I simply just being too critical and fooling myself?
• Why isn’t God fixing the problems within the organization?

Brothers and Sisters, regardless of whether you are active or inactive, or even disfellowshipped, be assured that there are many of us who feel or have felt the same way. This article aims to encourage all who have these questions listed above by using God’s word to give guidance on these questions.

“Where else do we go”?

In John chapter 6 there is the account of how many people became stumbled at one of Jesus’ statements, when he said that to have life a person must eat his flesh and drink his blood. Many people stopped following him then and there.  As Jesus watched the people leave, he turned to his disciples and asked if they wanted to go also? Simon Peter was always the apostle who spoke up. Notice what he said.

John 6:68 NIV  Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.

Peter and the apostles recognized that there was no salvation in anyone or anything else. Jesus the Son of God was the only key to receiving everlasting life. Everlasting life was not predicated on their attendance at the synagogue, or their animal sacrifices, it was simply following Jesus as Lord.

The Watchtower Society will often quote John 6:68 to try to convince Witnesses that there is “nowhere else to go.”  When the Society does this they intentionally put themselves into the place of Jesus and twist the scripture to support this faulty concept.  Note that Peter did not say, “where else would I go.” He said Lord to whom shall we go? You have sayings of everlasting life.

The truth is that there is not an organization on earth that can take the place of Jesus as our Savior. We cannot use the Watchtower Society as a surrogate savior. It is only through our faith and sincere devotion to God and his Son that we can gain this free gift of everlasting life. A man made corporation cannot provide that gift for us, only a personal relationship with Jesus and his Father will bring everlasting blessings. An organization does not need to be involved.

It is important to remember that there is no other name that we can receive salvation through. This includes Organizational names such as the “Christian Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses, or the Watchtower Society.

Acts 4:12 J.B. Phillips New Testament (PHILLIPS)  

12 In no one else can salvation be found. For in all the world no other name has been given to men but this, and it is by this name that we must be saved!”

How can we serve god without a visible structured organization?

This can be a scary thought when all you have known is very structured routines of worship.  Despite what the Watchtower Society claims, the first century Christian congregation was a scattered, disorganized group of men and women strongly united by their love and appreciation for Jesus. The message that they bore was about his resurrection and the grand promises in store for mankind.

The early Christians met in small groups in private homes to encourage and build up each other in the truth.  Jesus had reminded them earlier that he would be there with them “when two or more are gathered in my name”   Virtually all of the accounts of Christian gatherings found in the Greek scriptures mention only several brothers and sisters meeting in private homes for upbuilding discussions. For example consider the accounts of Cornelius, Lydia, and Prisca and Aquila, all were small groups of believers who met together to encourage and upbuild one another.

It is true that the apostles took the lead in spreading the good news, but they did not serve as a centralized Governing Body in Jerusalem.  There was no centralized organization that managed the congregation, and the expression “Governing Body” does not appear in any Bible.

Consider the single account in Acts 15 which is used often by the Society to support the concept of an organized “Governing Body”. The issue of the day was whether or not it was necessary to be circumcised for salvation.

Acts 15:1 NIV- Certain people came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the believers: “Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.”

It is clear that the issue of circumcision was decided in Jerusalem simply because that is where the divisions originated from. So this was an issue that divided some of the first century Christians, and they decided collectively to address it at the very source of the problem. It is interesting to note who met in Jerusalem to resolve this divisive issue of circumcision:

Acts 15:12 The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them. 

Acts 15:22 Then the apostles and elders, with the whole church, decided to choose some of their own men and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas.

So who was involved in this issue? It was the whole congregation in Jerusalem. It was not a cloistered meeting of the church hierarchy. Today the Governing Body is made up of 7 men who meet in closed meetings in Brooklyn New York. Their model of operation is dramatically different from what happened in the first century. Even in Israelite times, judicial matters and decisions were more transparent, taking place openly at the city gate. (Joshua 20:4; Deuteronomy 21:18-21)

It is also important to note that none of Paul’s, Peter’s, or John’s letters came from the “Governing Body”, but simply from the apostle directly without the stamp of approval of the other apostles or older men.  This was God’s spirit in action, and it did not need a central organization to accomplish the work of teaching and building up the faithful ones.

Today, Circuit and District overseers are appointed by the Governing Body after a lengthy application and review process. Paul was appointed by Jesus directly and did not even meet any other apostles for another 14 years thereafter. (Galatians 1:21-2:2)  This shows that there was no hierarchical, organized central administrative body like we are led to believe, which is how the Watchtower Organization is run today.

So we see that the first century congregation was united in message and focus, but not organized into tight congregations, circuits, districts, and zones that received their marching orders from a central Governing Body ruling in Jerusalem. These faithful ones met in small groups in private homes to upbuild and encourage each other. There was no central headquarters that they received literature or letters from. They did not compile their field service time and send it to the GB in Jerusalem for an annual report. Rather they were focused on the simple message that Christ died for our sins and would soon bring blessings to all mankind. There is ample evidence in scripture and in history that God has blessed this arrangement. This message was so appealing that by the end of the first century there were an estimated 1 million Christians serving God under the leadership of His newly appointed King Christ Jesus.[1]

In the 1870’s Brother Russell was disillusioned by the false teachings and corruption in the churches around him and so he started to privately meet with friends and have bible discussions in their homes. They took this approach to avoid the dogmatism and wrath of the local clergy.  As Witnesses we celebrate this as being noble and courageous, as he felt compelled by God’s Spirit to leave the Adventist religion and strike out on his own.  We may feel we must do the same today as the 1st century Christians and Brother Russell did, by meeting together and upbuilding one another without the need for a centralized organization with man-made creeds to follow.

The Watchtower organization boasts unity worldwide that is in fact simply enforced uniformity. Yes, everyone studies the same material the same day. This is because we are forced to. Uniformity is not the same as unity.  As you look to your future, realize that you do not need a formal, corporate-like structure to govern your worship.  Simply find one brother or sister or more if you can and study the scriptures together, in prayer and in humility. You will be blessed, and be following the words of Jesus to meet together. (Matthew 18:20)

Am I simply just being too critical and fooling myself?

I have worried about this question myself. We are taught by the Society to never question because our “hearts are treacherous”. To answer this for myself if I was being wrongly critical, I carefully considered several scriptures.

 Acts 17:11 New Living Translation (NLT)

11 And the people of Beroea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul’s message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth.”

Here the Beroeans were commended by Paul for their earnest research in determining whether or not the things Paul taught were true.  They did not blindly believe, but instead took a somewhat critical eye to the things Paul said and then independently verified them.  Oftentimes in the pages of the Watchtower we are encouraged to “examine the scriptures daily or as the NLT Bible renders it “search the scriptures day after day”. This is important, but it is also important to realize why we should do so; to see if the truth is being taught.

To follow the example of the Beroeans we need to check, verify, and investigate whether or not the truth of the scriptures is being taught by the Society.  Why would we be encouraged by the Bible to copy the example of the Beroean Jews, if everything that came from the Society was already true and in harmony with God’s word? There would be no need to check and investigate in contradiction with what is encouraged in Acts 17:11. And as all Witnesses know, many times in the past the Watchtower has been in error in its teachings and needed correction. But the sayings of God found in the Bible are never in error, and never become outdated. The 1989 Kingdom Ministry article, “Are You Using What You Have?” said this [2]:

“Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount is just as practical today as when it was delivered almost 2,000 years ago. There is no need for new revelations of truth when what we need has already been provided.”

Another scripture that helped to settle my mind about being somewhat critical was the encouragement that the Apostle John gives us at 1 John 4:1- MSG Bible

 “1 My dear friends, don’t believe everything you hear. Carefully weigh and examine what people tell you. Not everyone who talks about God comes from God. There are a lot of lying preachers loose in the world.”

By the time John wrote this, the foretold apostasy had already begun. He encouraged the 1st century Christians to not believe everything they heard, and asked them to carefully examine what they were told.

We can be no different. We have an obligation to research and investigate the things that we have been told by the Watchtower Society.  As the years pass, some of the teachings that we have been originally taught by the Society change over and over, thus proving that the original “truths” were in fact lies.

God encourages us to examine our faith and to put it to the test. Questioning your long held beliefs is not being critical it is simply just following the precedents and instructions in the Bible. Jehovah gave us the gift of the power of reason and the ability to use logic. Use those gifts to determine if certain doctrines of the Society are true. Thoroughly research 1914, Jesus as our Mediator (1 Tim 2:4,5), Blood Transfusions, 144,000 as a literal number and other core doctrines to see if they add up with the scriptures and are supported by logic. Use all the tools at your disposal, such as Bible commentaries and internet resources that are taken from reliable and verifiable sources.

Why isn’t God fixing the problems within the organization?

This is a tough question to answer because it seems as if he should step in and stop the current path of the Governing Body. Remember though that God has always used his true servants to stand up for what is right. He gave them wisdom and courage to speak out with boldness when they saw that the truth had been distorted. Look at Nathan, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Malachi, and Jesus as he boldly condemned the Pharisee’s of his day. All were outspoken against the religious establishment of their time. Stephen was stoned to death in Acts chapter 7 for his “apostate ideas” boldly leveled against these ones.

After much prayer and meditation I have come to the conclusion that God will use those who see the organization for what it is to speak out in protest. Hopefully their message will be heard by the current leadership, and they will receive God’s blessing for their brave effort. Throughout history, man has consistently taken the scriptures and twisted them to further their own means. An example is the Catholic Church in the dark ages. They used the Bible as a basis to oppress and take advantage of their flock. To be accepted by God the people were told that they needed to obey everything the Church said, including buying indulgences.

The Church at that time even twisted scriptures to the point where the ruling class and church leaders felt that it was not only justified, but their God-given duty to punish any who spoke out in opposition to their abuse of the scriptures.  Martin Luther, John Wycliffe, and John Calvin were all used by God to expose the corruption of the church. This came at a great personal cost for many of them.[3]

Today the Watchtower organization has taken the pure truths of the scriptures and built a pharisaical structure of policies, practices and rules to control the true servants of God. This is no different than the Catholic Church in the dark ages, that tried to control their member’s lives to an excessive degree.  The Watchtower organization has also taken the beautiful arrangement of Christ as a mediator for all men and inserted itself in between Jesus and his followers.

Your Godly heart, and your Christian conscience will lead you in the right path. You yourself knowing the truth and acting on what you know to be true is evidence that God is using you to speak out and change things. So when you wonder why God is not fixing the problems within, look at yourself.  He is fixing you! You and I and literally thousands of others like us are the solution or remedy to what is wrong within the organization.  Allow God to use you to bring change to this corrupted organization and restore Christian freedom to yourself, your family, and to future generations.

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RESOURCES

[1] According to the World Christian Encyclopedia (1982), it is estimated that by A.D. 100 there were 1 million Christians in theRoman Empireout of a population of 181 million. This means that by the end of the first century less than 1 percent of the population (0.6% to be exact) was Christian. (In case [some] wonder about the reliability of the World Christian Encyclopedia, it is generally held in very high regard as a source of information.)

http://www2.andrews.edu/~samuele/books/advent_hope/3.html

[2] km 8/89 p. 3 par. 4 Are You Using What You Have?

[3] See the following films: “God’s Outlaw: the Story of William Tyndale”, “Luther” (2003), Martin Luther, (1953 film) most are available on Netflix and other streaming video services.

 

 

 

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119 Comments on Now that I know the “truth about the truth” Where do I go from here?

  1. Anonymous says:

    dear brother siam ienjoyed your artclce to the question why does jehovah not fix the problems in the organization maybe he has nothing to do with the organization in the first place all the best and keep up the good work

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  2. andre says:

    Outstanding!!

    I appreciate articles like this that are informative and useful, there’s alot of bashing going on out there w/o any solutions. I am one who is trying to fight the fine fight from within. I conduct a bible study using the bible,insight books where I believe they’re accurate,and other bible reference works. My answers at the meetings are done using scripture only, if they ask me to offer prayer, I thank the Father,Jah, Christ and there use of the holy spirit for guiding us. In other words I’m trying to incite as many brothers and sisters to recognize that the literature at best is printed,uninspired sermons, we can use the bible,holy spirit and our God given gift of our power of reason. I believe that the org. is being plagued at this time (rising divorce rate,loss of thinking bros/sis’,no one stepping up to become svnt/elder,etc.) I personally think that we’re a rough draft for something much better in the near future.

    Thanks again for your work
    Andre

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    • andrew says:

      The awake JWs who decide to stay in for whatever reason can be a big blessing to their bros. and sisters. Many awake JWs in time decide to leave perhaps for conscience reasons, but in the meantime can do like you are doing Andre and help other JWs put less importance on the structure of the org. and more emphasis on YHWH and His son.

      While reviewing baptismal questions with candidates I often asked the question if the Watchtower was inspired. You would be amazed how many thought it was inspired or quasi-inspired.

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      • use 2 b a dub says:

        Hi Andrew,
        I agree with your comment about trying to ‘hang in there’ and be a blessing to the brothers in the WTS. I did it for about 3-4 years, at least I tried. Being an elder I was able to influence many decisions including at least 4 judicial committee decisions in which I was a dissenting vote on disfellowshipping.
        I tied to help brothers who wanted their young children to get baptized. It didn’t work for one elder and his wife who thought that their 12 year old daughter was ready to make “the most important decision of her life”. No one under 18 to 20 is ready for that decision IMO.
        I tried to help the brothers see that good works and generosity could and should extent beyond just JW’s and that we need to reach out to all.
        I tried to help the BOE to see that a man’s worth to the congregation is not reflected in his ‘hours’ on a time slip.
        I tried to emphasize these ideas in my talks and comment and at elders meetings.
        IMO it helped somewhat in that several of the elders still regard my thoughts and input as valuable. I wanted to stay longer and remain ‘undercover’ so to speak but my business was failing, my health was starting to suffer, I had too much congregation responsibility, but the most important reason is that I could no longer perpetuate the falseness of ‘the truth’. I felt like such a hypocrite when I had service meeting parts regarding field service and pioneering or how to ‘overcome’ objections at the door.
        I felt ridiculous trying to convince our brothers that every time some seemingly miraculous good thing happened to a JW, it was a ‘sign’ of Jehovah’s protection and blessing. And every time something bad happened to a JW, it was Satan’s doing.
        When we were building our new KH and I was on the local building committee and we met often with the RBC. I felt strange listening to many of the ‘permanant’ brothers on the RBC ‘joke’ about how they were able to get away from their wives, field service, and most meetings by always being busy with KH projects.
        I was diligent, conscientious, dependable, and loyal until I just could no longer ‘go along’ with the constant changes and the ever increasing emphasis on ‘trusting the faithful and discreet slave’.
        It finally dawned on me (duh) that those guys, GB, telling us who, what, when, where, and why to do or not to do, answered to no one and allowed no one to question them. I resigned and still hurt inside but continue on in my quest for truth and a real…

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        • Earnest says:

          use 2 b a dub:
          Hi Andrew,
          I agree with your comment about trying to ‘hang in there’ and be a blessing to the brothers in the WTS. I did it for about 3-4 years, at least I tried. Being an elder I was able to influence many decisions including at least 4 judicial committee decisions in which I was a dissenting vote on disfellowshipping.
          I tied to help brothers who wanted their young children to get baptized. It didn’t work for one elder and his wife who thought that their 12 year old daughter was ready to make “the most important decision of her life”. No one under 18 to 20 is ready for that decision IMO.
          I tried to help the brothers see that good works and generosity could and should extent beyond just JW’s and that we need to reach out to all.
          I tried to help the BOE to see that a man’s worth to the congregation is not reflected in his ‘hours’ on a time slip.
          I tried to emphasize these ideas in my talks and comment and at elders meetings.
          IMO it helped somewhat in that several of the elders still regard my thoughts and input as valuable. I wanted to stay longer and remain ‘undercover’ so to speak but my business was failing, my health was starting to suffer, I had too much congregation responsibility, but the most important reason is that I could no longer perpetuate the falseness of ‘the truth’. I felt like such a hypocrite when I had service meeting parts regarding field service and pioneering or how to ‘overcome’ objections at the door.
          I felt ridiculous trying to convince our brothers that every time some seemingly miraculous good thing happened to a JW, it was a ‘sign’ of Jehovah’s protection and blessing. And every time something bad happened to a JW, it was Satan’s doing.
          When we were building our new KH and I was on the local building committee and we met often with the RBC. I felt strange listening to many of the ‘permanant’ brothers on the RBC ‘joke’ about how they were able to get away from their wives, field service, and most meetings by always being busy with KH projects.
          I was diligent, conscientious, dependable, and loyal until I just could no longer ‘go along’ with the constant changes and the ever increasing emphasis on ‘trusting the faithful and discreet slave’.
          It finally dawned on me (duh) that those guys, GB, telling us who, what, when, where, and why to do or not to do, answered to no one and allowed no one to question them. I resigned and still hurt inside but continue on in my quest for truth and a real…

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          • JJ says:

            Brother Earnest

            Thank you SO much for your heartfelt comments and experience. There are so many brothers of conscience like yourself that the congregations are losing. The GB are more and more out of touch with the publishers, and they are consumed with controlling their flock and driving them ever harder in the door-knocking and meeting attendance work.

            Like Andrew, I too was an elder for many years and saw these same problems and tried to work as a force for good as much as I could. Stepping down was the only option for me as well after a time, and from then on it became harder and harder not to let my light shine. It’s so nice to have you comment here and be a part of “the struggle”.

            In Christ,
            Eric, aka JJ

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  3. Amos says:

    An excellent article brother Siam,

    I would like to add the following in support of some of your points.

    I believe that once a person begins the path of enlightenment concerning TTATT, they’ll need help along the way from sites such as this. I also believe that “these sites” need to offer much more than a place to come to & “blow off steam”. What these ones need is also to be built up with substantial help & guidance, to help them understand that TTATT is not the end, BUT the beginning of their journey!

    In other words, TTATT without a hope for the future is no hope at all.

    A person will eventually lose faith completely if they are not built up with good spiritual discussion &/OR are not able to do this for themselves. As we go through these many differing emotions (you mentioned some of these) we need support. Some of us can get enough from just reading & meditating on God’s Word & being comforted by the Holy Spirit, whereas others need to also have an interchange with others.

    This is where a message of consolation & hope is most essential. This means going way beyond identifying the errors of teachings that we’ve been used to as being false. It means the “positive teachings” that we’ve missed out on while attached to the WBT$, or any other institution.

    I hope you don’t mind my comments here, but I felt compelled to say them.

    Your brother in the Lord,
    Amos

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    • JJ says:

      Thank you brother Amos for this most relevant comment. This place and many other upbuilding sites in cyberspace are beginning points.

      We must “press on to maturity” as time goes on, not just hold on to anger and bitterness. Also, interaction with real flesh and blood Christian brothers and sisters is essential if at all possible.

      Can we seek them out in our area? Could we make a trip a few times per year to visit and congregate together? It would be quite upbuilding and I hope that more of us can do this someday!

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  4. Ruth says:

    Dear brother Siam.
    I really loved what you wrote.
    My heart lifts up with so much happiness the way this site is now bringing to the attention to so many that Yeshua really is the way the truth and the life. No Need of any man anymore leading us by the throats trying to choke the spirit from our mere mortal bodies. Its now just a brotherhood.

    JJ has been really putting this across also lately. It is such a relief to see that as the sheep start to grow, it is into our Lords arms they must run. He is the door. He is the gate, He is the Shepard that leads the sheep into his pen. Anyone who jumps the fence was not invited. If they show no love they are definitely not invited. “Love says it all”

    Everyone needs good spiritual company. There are no exceptions to the rules.
    “Do not forsake the gathering together.” We all need each other. We all must show a forgiving spirit and keep pressing on together as one united in love family. We must be loyal.

    Can we just choose our friends to do this with? Or are we open to help as many as we can. That way, we are getting help as well. “Sword sharpens sword”

    On the other hand we must keep a watchful eye on claims people make. Even ones coming to sites like these. Its not words anymore. Its allowing our beautiful Jesus talk to our hearts and minds.
    Letting the son teach us. Telling us what he wants he from us as we pray and read our bibles.

    Galatians 6:1 says we must help someone who may take a false step even though he does not realise it. How can we let that happen if we do not hear what others do or say.

    Yes we need sites like JJs struggle ,and 21st century Christians with Bro ED site.
    They claim nothing except our Lord. Of cause and the simple gospel.

    Sister Ruth

    Both are bring marvellous things to the table to help us all.

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  5. DanielB says:

    Brother Siam , this was a very good eye-opener for all of us who have been accustomed to living within the confines of such a “Christian” man-made organization .

    Once I began a study book that I submitted to the WTS for consideration , on the Bible book of Galatians . I know that there were several messages of the Apostle Paul to the Galatian brothers that the society was not yet prepared to delve into , and it seemed that this is why they didn’t respond well to this suggested study book .

    You said ” It is true that the apostles took the lead in spreading the good news, but they did not serve as a centralized Governing Body in Jerusalem. There was no centralized organization that managed the congregation, and the expression ‘Governing Body’ does not appear in any Bible. ”

    How right you are . We even notice what the Apostle Paul had to say concerning the brothers in Jerusalem , when he went up there with Barnabas and Titus to consider some issues :

    “But on the part of those who seemed to be something – whatever sort of men they formerly were makes no difference to me – God does not go by man’s outward appearance – to me , in fact , those outstanding men imparted nothing new .” Then he goes on to tell of the Simony that they were guilty of , though they were supposing that they were accepting of the new gentile Christians .

    ( See Galatians chapter 2 ).

    Now it was these men , who Jehovah’s Witnesses use to establish that away back then there was a “Governing Body” , and so this is their excuse for “seeming to be something” themselves .

    Interesting , isn’t it .

    Those men back then were just imperfect men who blundered as we all do from time to time . They were certainly not men who were standing in substitution of the Christ !

    And neither should any body of men in our time ( who stray from Christ ) set themselves up as a faithful steward who specifically mis-directs his domestics with false prophesy , and who abuses the domestics .

    But on a positive note , as Brother Amos suggests , our Master had accurately prophesied to the Jews that believed him , ” If you remain in My Word , you are really my disciples , and you will know the Truth , and the Truth will set you free . ” John 8 : 31 , 32

    Yes , clinging closely to the words of Yeshua will bring the Word of Truth into us , and we can maintain freedom from the falsehoods that we have been subjected to .

    You well stressed that we only have the Christ to…

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    • DanielB says:

      ( The end of my reply seems to have been cut short somehow ) :

      You well stressed that we only have the Christ to depend upon for direction .

      In Christ ,

      Bro. Dan

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      • jojo says:

        Brother Daniel B,

        I like what you brought out:

        “But on the part of those who seemed to be something – whatever sort of men they formerly were makes no difference to me – God does not go by man’s outward appearance – to me , in fact , those outstanding men imparted nothing new .”

        This described the ” Special Talk ” and subsequent ” secret ” announcement I heard today. Absolutely nothing new.
        ” Is it later than you think? ” Of course it is, we all know that the end is closer because time keeps passing. This is a no brainer. The Society is going to print less and use the internet more. OK…..? Sounds like a good business move, just 10 years slower than it should have been. It was very mediocre, so was the Memorial ” observance “. The rank-and-file people that really love one another, the ones being taken advantage of, are the only good things left. It is very sad. I told my friend today that men are always getting themselves into trouble. Then either 1 of 2 things happen. 1) They realize God’s truth and change..
        or 2) God decides it’s time to change things, and just does it regardless of what men want. We all probably agree that choice number 1 is best.

        Your Brother in Christ,

        Jojo

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        • DanielB says:

          Thank you JoJo . This thought concerning how much centralized direction there really was , or was not , in the 1st century congregation had been a concern of mine since the early 1980s , when my head was finally straightening out . When we begin having more of God’s Spirit and direction through His Son , there begins a series of indications that will lead us on the right path .

          Brother Siam asks a question in this article for all of us to think through , and it is a very good one that we all walk through : “Am I simply just being too critical and fooling myself?” .

          I am certain that we all here relate to this , whether we are attending meetings or no longer associated . He refers to 1 John 4:1 , (and I appreciate the rendering he chooses) : ”My dear friends, don’t believe everything you hear. Carefully weigh and examine what people tell you. Not everyone who talks about God comes from God. There are a lot of lying preachers loose in the world.”

          We really ought to ask questions over what people tell us . The society likes using the term “having doubts” . This expression is presented in such a way as to imply that it’s the first serious step in drawing away from Jehovah , if we doubt any of their human direction . But how well does that thinking harmonize with this Inspired direction from our real Leader , the Word of God ?

          Remember that they also like the expression “Thinking Persons” .

          I suppose we could form a list of legitimate questions only leading to doubt that would be quite lengthy , and appropriately so .

          It is always best for us to be made new in the force actuating our minds , and particularly so as we pray in full faith and confidence to sort things out . One thing is absolutely Sure ! : Our Almighty all-knowing God and His Son who is Wisdom will never fail us .

          In Christ .

          Shalom Brothers . . .

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          • jojo says:

            One thing I have prayed about and worried about is this:

            Is everyone on Jwstruggle apostates? Is Satan trying to decieve me at the last hour and cost me and my family our eternal lives? Am i deserting God’s Organization? Am I being too critical? That is a symptom of ” apostates “. Am I fooling myself, or being fooled? Believe me, I am a very critical person. Not in a bad way. Since I have come here, I have never believed anything just because a man says it, or because it mirrors a view I have. The burden of proof is on you Brothers. I will never believe because you say so. You must prove it from the scriptures. I expect the same treatment from you :)

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          • siam says:

            Jojo,

            That is exactly what we need to do is prove it to ourselves using logic and the scriptures. I do not believe that Satan is trying to deceive you through this site. Instead you are wrestling with an uncomfortable truth that the Society is not what it seems to be.

            We are not masters of each others faith and each one of us must carry our own load. This applies to matters of conscience. Our heavenly father has given us the gifts of reasoning ability, the bible, and holy spirit if we ask for it. Keep an open mind and keep it a matter of prayer. You will soon know if the brothers and sisters here are “apostates” or not as you prove the truth to yourself.

            Your Brother
            SIAM

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          • jojo says:

            I am amazed that ” governing body ” does not occur in the scriptures. I know that, but it still wow’s me. How 1 scripture with no other supporting scriptures can be used to try and prove something is beyond me. Isn’t that violating the method of study supposedly used? That being to let scripture interpret scripture? We can not just conveniently throw that method out when it suits us.

            Also, the comment above about this site should be edited. I should have wrote ” One thing I have prayed about and worried about in the past was this:” Because i was very cautious coming in. Of course I do not consider you to be Apostates against God and Yeshua. If I did I would not be on this site.

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  6. FutureMan says:

    The truth is as elusive as that butterfly that you chase but rarely catch.

    Having said that, it is not impossible to find the real truth, that is what really is the true reality.

    For now individually all we have is various degrees of truth, that is because the real ruler of this world who calls himself the God of this world does not wish us to have the truth but would rather us be in a state of confusion so as we do not know what to believe or where to turn.

    He is in a dark place and that is where he would like us all to be.

    This does include what we today would call the Holy scriptures unfortunately, but there is truth contained within it’s pages and it is up to us to dig for this truth as if looking for Gold or other precious stones.

    It is even more confusing when you look at the various Christian religions that are revolving around the Bible and then we have the many other various religions that are based on other writings and texts such as the Qur’an and Buddha and so on.

    But each one of these religions do posses some truth some more than others and some to a lesser degree.

    Today more than ever when knowledge has become abundant the ruler of this world through his various religious agents and secular history etc is desperately snowballing us with all sorts of disinformation and misinformation and deliberately hiding the real truth from most of the world’s inhabitants.

    This include our true history and heritage, scientific endeavors that could help this world immensely and genuine religious truth that could really enlighten us and help us to develop a real and meaningful relationship with our Heavenly father and each other.

    But truth by it’s very nature, existing as a true reality cannot be hidden forever and sooner or later it leaks out and comes bubbling to the surface of all the falsehoods and misinformation that is so prevalent today.

    Just as the Apostle Peter had once stated and suggested, that the elements becoming intensely hot would eventually reveal the true item that is reality and also reveal and expose those who are corrupt and false.

    2 Peter 3
    9 ¶ The Lord of the promise is not slow, as some deem slowness, but is long-suffering toward us, not having purposed any to perish, but all to come to repentance.
    10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with rushing sound, and having burned the elements will be dissolved, and earth and the works in it…

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  7. Philip says:

    Hello Brother Siam
    A well researched and heartfelt article. I tend to agree with the pithy reply from your first responder, namely that if our Heavenly Father is not using any earthly ‘organisation’ and that he simply draws individuals to him through Jesus, then what reason would he have to interfere in the JW mechanics? Equally although I admire to some extent those ‘sincere’ individuals still within the ‘org’ who are trying to elicit some positive change…what really would be a successful outcome?…the dismantling of the organizational structure…so no need for Kingdom Halls, structured field service, printed literature that all study etc etc. My decision was to remove myself from the constant indoctrination and start to rid myself of the pseudo-personality which must be adopted to remain within. I have a fantastic article written by Gillie Jenkinson about the pseudo-personality that is adopted by all those involved in ‘cults’…she herself was an ex member of the ‘Children of God’. I do not know if it is permissible to ‘upload’ material to this site, however if anyone would like to get in touch with me personally then I am happy to provide a copy of the article. Both my wife and I who have been left the ‘organisation’ now for some three years have retrained as psychotherapists and would like to develop work with those who have been traumatized by their involvement in such controlling ‘cults’…and yes I now sincerely believe the ‘organisation’ is a cult by almost every definition of the word…and apologies if that offends anyone in the room.
    Warm Christian love to all….Philip.

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  8. man oh man says:

    Why isn’t God fixing the problems within the organization?

    Thanks for answering this question as I was thinking about this today. I almost convinced myself that Jah could care less. I think your answer nailed it! Thanks again!!!!

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    • Amos says:

      man oh man:
      Why isn’t God fixing the problems within the organization?

      Thanks for answering this question as I was thinking about this today. I almost convinced myself that Jah could care less. I think your answer nailed it! Thanks again!!!!

      Dear brother Man oh man,

      Just another thought regarding the org, any org. As I see it, Jah would not be at all interested in fixing any “man-made” org, just because they claim to be His “channel”.

      I have come to believe that the WBT$ is just another one of the harlot’s daughters. As Rev.18:4 very clearly states to; “Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins…..”
      I firmly believe this applies to ALL religious orgs.

      As has already been brought out, there was no “governing body” in the first century, as each of the Apostles & disciples were directed personally by the Holy Spirit.

      Why would it be any different today???

      Each one of Christ’s Brothers is in a personal relationship with their Heavenly Father, “not one can redeem even their brother.” With this being the case, why ever would the GB assume the role that only & rightfully belongs to the Mediater & Saviour, putting themselves between God & man?

      Amos

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      • man oh man says:

        Thanks brother Amos,
        I agree 100 percent with you. Never believed it was God’s organization to start with, but do think there is hope to reach others inside. I wonder about where Revelation says to “get out of her my people” if that will be some future event for all true Christians to do or is it ongoing? Will at some point, everyone that is true to Christ get that call??? Have been wondering about that lately.

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  9. Ruth says:

    Bros Daniel and Amos. and everybody.

    If I may add just one thing. The spirit of our Lord told me this. Yes! i can say this with confidence.
    Please do not think I’m teaching you. I am required to tell you what our Lord has told me.
    He said. “If you remain in “my word” the truth will set you free.” What does this really mean?

    Yeshua is the truth. John 14-6 He is the word of God .John 1:1 He came forth from the father.
    ————————– ————————- ————————
    It is only going to him we will be set free. He is everything. The next part most people do not want to hear.
    Jesus spirit then lives in your heart Galatians 4-6 saying Because you are sons, he has sent his
    —————————————–
    sons spirit into your hearts. crying Abba Father.
    ———————-
    1 John 4:4 He that is in me is greater than he that is in the world.
    ——————————————————-

    If you allow Yeshuas spirit to work, he will set you free as you read and study.
    Free even from one self! Free from your past, Free from false teaching. “Free to love him in a real sense of the WORD” Even free to believe he can heal you. If you truly believe anything can happen. This is the real gospel.” Its time we all applied real faith. Not just words.”
    ——————
    This freedom we have never in our lives ever had or felt. It covers a lll areas.

    Remember! GOD sent the spirit of his son in to your heart for a reason. Not to sit idle.
    Learn to use his spirit in a big way. Amos taught me never to speak it out loud. He was right.
    Then there is no place for the devil to manipulate anything then.

    He wants a steady relationship with his sons and daughters so he can guide them and teach them his way of thinking. “One must believe this is possible” Must have strong faith.
    This is happening to us sisters. Another one will speak out when she is ready.
    He said he has found faith in us. “We are not charismatic” We just believe anything is possible.
    We just have a living faith. And thats not boasting.

    Sister patricia.

    So when we quote this scripture he says we must relies we are talking completely about him.

    Satan has done the opposite of this to make man see differently.

    The word is not the truth Yeshua is the truth. He has the spirit to set man free.

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  10. DanielB says:

    These are all good thoughts Sister , and sharing these truths is completely appropriate . Thank you for such encouragement.

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  11. Kojack57 says:

    Brother Siam : Very informative article. It helps me to see that I need to develop a closer relationship with Jehovah and Jesus . All of us don’t need an organized religion to deceive us. Thank you!

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    • siam says:

      Thank you Kojack57. All of us need to strengthen our relationship with Jehovah and Jesus. In retrospect I can see that i was guilty for too long of just putting my faith in the organization instead of directly in God and his son.

      Truthfully, that is what we are taught as Witnesses is to support the organization as a way of showing support for Christ. The problem is no man made organization can put itself in that place between us and Christ and Jehovah. Yet amazingly that is what has happened repeatedly throughout the last 2000 years. Humans have taken the greatest gift of God’s word, which contains great authority, and twisted the scriptures and misapplied them to support their own purposes or religious and political structures.

      As I take a step back from the organization, it becomes clear that the Society is really no different than any other organization in using the scriptures to control its members. Our job is to draw close to God and his son, and not to worry about supporting a man made religious structure.

      SIAM

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  12. Disappointed says:

    Brother Siam, thankyou for that article. It is very informative and upbuilding and just what we need! It’s so easy to just go off the rails and back into the world when we feel the foundations of our faith crumble, but then we realise it’s only our faith in a man-made organisation that has crumbled. Our faith in God can still be strong, our faith in his Son and in his word undiminished.

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  13. steamrolled says:

    I enjoyed the article very much and the three points it raised-could we serve God without a set of rules-yes-there is only one rule in life-to love our fellow man and the Almighty himself. Do we need an organization to enforce this-no we should not need an organization to impose rules on us-maturity demands that we use our conscience in each decision we make-that involves something that many dont want to face-hard work and using or brains-it is much easier to conform to an established set of rules and structure than to blaze our own path through life-carefully weighing each decision. Are those on this site being too critical-no-we all have to make an unbiased examination constantly as we go through life-of our beliefs. Will God fix the watchtower org.-no very likely not-not if God was never fully in it to begin with-and could actually be an instrument of satan-he can be a mastermind at transforming himself into an angel of light. We have been constanly told that the preaching work is the most important work there is-I spent much of the last seven years pioneering without the official title-but what REALLY is this “preaching work”. I think more and more that it is a drive to get people into a cult using the Bible and the hope of a paradise earth as a lure-There has to be a lure-and who uses lures and why are lures used-to entrap people-not to free them

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  14. Wakeupwitness says:

    I love the information provided on this website. Although it doesn’t help current active witnesses because they will always say in response,”we are the only ones preaching the good news of the Kingdom.”
    Trust me I have everything in power and shared stuff with my mom and sisters who are active and it
    s like hitting a brick wall everytime. And, the response I have to everything is ,”we are the only ones preaching the good news of the kingdom on earth today.”
    How can I get around this debacle? Anyone have any ideas?

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    • use 2 b a dub says:

      Hi wakeupwitness,
      I have been a JW all my life and I am now 65. I was an appointed brother for over 40 years. I started my ‘fade’ about 3 years ago. My wife has not yet joined me but I’m working on it. She still defends the WTS.
      In reply to your mom and sisters standard, “we (JW’s) are the only ones preaching the good news today” you could ask them, as I have asked my wife, “How has our decades of preaching glorified our God Jehovah and his son Jesus when WHAT we have been preaching (this generation, 1914) was false (old light) information?”
      “Would Jehovah and Jesus allow us (JW’s) or would they bless our efforts if we were not preaching “the truth?”
      An finally, “Why has the “this generation” doctrine needed to be changed 3 different times in just a 15 year period from 1995 to 2010?”
      use 2 b a dub

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  15. siam says:

    Thanks for commenting Wakeup Witness. I would simply use two questions to draw them out.

    http://brci.org/resources/arti.....20News.pdf

    This link above might help. It clearly shows that the good news preached today is a different type of good news than preached in the early times. So, which good news did Jesus command his followers to preach? Are Jehovah’s Witnesses preaching that same message?

    Your brother SIAM

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    • jojo says:

      Thanks you for that link! It is awesome. Solid scriptural reasoning. Thanks again for your article. I will read it again tomorrow. I have to go to bed :)

      Jojo

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  16. jojo says:

    Thank you so much for the article. We need to keep encouraging each other with truth. I agree with Andre, if we are going to go to Kingdom Halls, we need to look for opportunities to stress: 1) The absolute truth in Gods word, and the need to follow it exclusively. 2) Christ’s role and the Glory he deserves, the Glory we are commanded by the Father to give. This is simply not done enough, and I don’t think YHWH is happy with that. Next time I pray, I will pray to Our Heavenly Father, and make it clear that Jesus is our Mediator. If approached later, I will say that he is my mediator and see where it goes.

    I believe that this site and others are being used by our Eternal Father to build us up and get us ready for the Great Tribulation. Hopefully, we can help others when their houses built on the sands of confidence in human organizations fail. I honestly don’t know many sites, but I am confident this is true. I say this because of the huge changes I have been able to make with the help I have received from our Brothers and Sisters, and from the Holy Spirit. Changes that quite simply were not taking place within me, because they couldn’t. To really change you must have God’s spirit operate upon you. That just does not seem to be happening within the WBTS, what I mostly see is people who are almost devoid of spirituality, leading horrible lives, being helped by Bible truths and then having their lives improve. Of course, if you start from zero, you can only go up. Normal rank-and-file only ” change ” by moving up the rungs, and usually are the same core person, sometimes becoming very detached from what others really go through. Shouldn’t it be like a caterpillar? Once you really change, you cant revert to your old form? How many of us constantly reverted because of Cognitive Dissonance, or more correctly, just never really grew at all. I feel that is why so many, even Elder’s and men in authority never really show love, or side with the letter of the law, because they have been fed the same food for years, just put in different spots of the lunch tray, or had some coloring added. We need to stop paying for what is not bread! ( Isaiah 55:2 ) What other explanation could there possibly be for this?

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    • Disappointed says:

      jojo: if we are going to go to Kingdom Halls, we need to look for opportunities to stress: 1) The absolute truth in Gods word, and the need to follow it exclusively. 2) Christ’s role and the Glory he deserves, the Glory we are commanded by the Father to give. This is simply not done enough, and I don’t think YHWH is happy with that. Next time I pray, I will pray to Our Heavenly Father, and make it clear that Jesus is our Mediator. If approached later, I will say that he is my mediator and see where it goes.

      It was interesting in our KH at the Memorial,the elder that prayed over the wine actually called Jesus ‘our Mediator’ in his prayer! (Although in his 80’s he is not of the ‘anointed’ class). I just wondered if he realised he was not going along with the Society’s ‘current teachings’!

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      • jojo says:

        I dont think many really know what the JW’s are supposed to believe. That brother could have been just like I was, I had no idea that JW’s did not believe Jesus was their mediator. I always believed that. Of course I stopped trying to keep up with the insane amount of magazine reading required long ago. If only I had started really studying earlier. Oh well, its all good now! Here is an interesting account. Over the weekend a brother made a comment about the number of anointed ones growing instead of decreasing. The following day after the ” Special Talk ” I asked him about it. His response was rather sad, instead of saying maybe the GB is wrong about the literalness of the 144,000, he said that these newly anointed ones were probably a Satanic trick to make the faithful think the end was not close. I am starting to discern more and more how rank-and-file brothers and sisters are just hanging on by a thread. Isn’t it sad that those who are thought of as Spiritually strong are considered that way because of their knowledge of procedure and visibility in ” service ” ? They dont know any more than the friend I mentioned, they just go by the rules and repeat dogma with more confidence.

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  17. jojo says:

    Siam,

    I don’t really think those things. I don’t think I ever really did. I mean, the thought was there in the back of my mind, out of caution. I went to jehovahswitnesses.net first. That was a huge step from the JW norm. Then I was led here. I don’t really think any of you have rebelled against God and Christ. I should have been more clear and said I prayed and wondered about those things in the past, I am just tired tonight. If I thought you had turned your back on our Heavenly Father I would not be here. Sorry for the unclear thoughts expressed.

    Your Brother,

    Jojo :)

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  18. Anonymous says:

    dear brothers thank you for your lovely comments my experience in the wts shows that our brothers ara spiritaally stunted they never grow up spiritually when people are discouraged to think question and analyse they cannot grow to either mental or spiritual maturity christian greeting to all

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  19. Anonymous says:

    Dear Wakeupwitness, You asked if anyone had any ideas on how you could get around the debacle that certain members of your family say, ”we are the only ones preaching the good news of the kingdom on earth today.”
    Perhaps it would help for them to know that they are misinformed about being the only one for there ARE other religions that teach the coming kingdom on earth. Three that I can think of are: (1) the Church of God of the Abrahamic Faith, which to my knowledge, does not teach the heavenly calling; (2) the Philadelphia Church of God, which revived the teachings of Herbert W. Armstrong; and (3) the Bible Students, who continue to teach what Br. Charles T. Russell taught though their beliefs vary from ecclesia to ecclesia since there is no organization.
    Respectfully,
    Sister Willie

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  20. Anonymous says:

    Siam,
    Hi there, its “confused”…… I’m having problems with my reception and computer, so I hope this response gets posted. Your article was much appreciated, this site has helped me the most in navigating through many of my emotions (hurt, anger, disappointed, depression ) after leaving. I still have ties to the org through family and this is very hard for me because they are my older girls. I just wanted to comment (hope I don’t offend any) on the question you posed about ‘Why does Jah not fix the org’…….. I do not think the org has EVER been directed by God, nor do I think it ever will. I do not believe he has ANY earthly organization. I now feel its dark spirits that guide the org………..I don’t look at other Christians as part of “Christendom”…….its too judgemental to do so, I have looked at our history and base this upon research (with much tears I may add)………….I don’t feel Jehovah will turn his attention to the org to clean it up…….he deals with us individually, as he does with any other religion….these are just some of my thoughts……..I still am forming my thoughts, I don’t have many of my questions answered like I hope I would of by now……. Wish we could all sit down together and enjoy a cup of coffee and just talk……
    Much Love and Peace to you very dear sweet brothers and sisters here.
    Confused

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    • JJ says:

      Sister Confused

      You are on to something and right on the nose. You said, “He deals with us individually, as he does with any other religion…” and “I do not think the org has EVER been directed by God”.

      Bingo! as my new friend Brother Baruch likes to say.

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  21. JohnS says:

    Dear Wake-up-Witness,
    If JW’s were the only ones preaching Christ’s Gospel(which their message is not the pure message Jesus taught) How did all these Churches get built around us? Where did all the Catholics( one billion) come from, and the Baptists, Adventists, and all the other Protestant churches,that are still holding their own. There are 2.5 billion Christians in the world. The amount of JW’s is not even one third of a percent of that number, so small it hardly registers in a percentage, but the have flaunted that number since I started(1.4 million), as if this HUGE number of members MUST BE RIGHT. That’s ignorance talking as they’re just a fraction of a percent of the total number of Christians, so cannot take ANY credit for any of these other billions coming to the Christian faith, starting Bible schools, churches, universities, hospitals, missionary programs, alcohol, drug, and relief programs,etc. But the GB has programmed us for years to say something as absurd as.”Who else preaches the Good News?” Just about everyone in the world who is a Christian tells about Christ, that’s all. Where do they think all those people we talk to learned to argue with us at the doors, and where did they get all those Bibles? I have been to many Churches since leaving WT, and many of them get packed out every Sunday, not so with any Kingdom Halls I went to. And brother, do they ever put a lot of $ in those collection plates. The people down south here regularly give 10% of their income to the church! I have seen offerings of 4-5000 dollars at just regular Sunday church, and have heard it not uncommon to take in $10,000 on some Sundays. They will have missions in foreign countries, where those motivated will go and start congregations, make disciples, and build churches all over the area, baptizing locals, teaching them to read, sing and pray,and many provide medical and dental assistance from American doctors,and dentists who go there freely, and wouldn’t DREAM of charging these poor people.. WT has LIED about what people are doing in Churches and in Missionary work……flat out lies! I went and found out for myself, and know they are prejudicial ,hateful, spiteful, and quite jealous of the money, I believe these members are donating to the ‘Lord’. I see most all the churches in the Southland in the U.S. are alive and well, and the people try very hard to pray and walk a Christian path. The majority are not hypocrites at all, and least of all,…

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  22. JohnS says:

    I was cut off. But to finish, as a rule, they don’t go around bragging about their efforts, or keep records of how many hours they spend , as if a report card of their righteousness. They are very humble about their work, and go down to Central America regularly in their missionary work. They donate,donate ,donate to the poor, and expect nothing in return. The Society asked Witnesses here to pay for the materials and donate to the Society for repairs from Hurricane Katrina. No donation there, and put pressure on the poor ones who couldn’t pay! Did that make it into the Watchtower articles about the hurricane relief? I think not!

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  23. JohnS says:

    One last thing, your comments got me riled up,and I’m rolling. These people around us, who aren’t Witnesses, are still JUST PEOPLE, trying their best to pay the power bill, and keep a job, and keep their kids out of trouble, maybe to college and get a good start in life. THEY ARE NOT GOATS. Just because WT has tagged them as the evil goats, that is also a lie. The people who bring the Watchtower magazine to the doors peddling the JW religion are not the Brothers of Christ in Matt. 25:31-46. Those are the true anointed in all the earth who are faithfully acting Christianity out to their best ability, and God has HAND_PICKED these to go to heaven to be the Kingdom. How many of the Witnesses out placing magazines are anointed? Just how does turning down a crazy cult-magazine in their thinking wind up getting them thrown into the Lake of Fire? That’s what Witnesses are out teaching, every day. Is this REALLY a Christian religion? That’s the real question.

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    • Anonymous says:

      I would agree with your points, although the WT doesn’t officially say people are goats. I believe that stigma still exists. I have heard, and corrected people for saying that they can’t wait for Judgment day when the wicked get whats coming to them. That is not every witness, of course. I do believe that it is very arrogant to claim that you have a monopoly on truth, when your older literature proves differently. Also this older historic literature has been removed from the sight of all but the most searching DUB, why not include it in all the reference material? I think you know the answer.

      As far as other Churches, do you think that you should really be going to them? No offense meant, but they have no more truth than JW”S, and many have less. I would personally not go to any church. We are to separate ourselves from all false religion, not some, ALL. The only money that should ever change hands is the money that you freely give to your brother, money which is not even yours to begin with. Earthly Corporations, Organizations, Legal Entities will all be gone, none are needed, if they were Jesus would have incorporated himself. It is ridiculous that anyone give any money whatsoever to any Religion. Those ones in the south you spoke of are just as misguided as any JW. Giving their money away to a church is disgusting to our Creator. Although I agree with many of your points, you seem a little bitter, which is understandable. As long as you are angry with the leaders, and not the lowly people, i guess it’s alright. Just dont let anger cause you to align yourself with another false religion.

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    • Brother JohnS,

      Loved your comments 21-23 above brother! You need to modify those 3 comments into an article for future use. Right on the money!

      In Christ Jesus Our Lord,
      Dennis

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  24. man oh man says:

    Wow Brother John,
    I love your comments!!! Thanks for standing up for all those sheep out there that the watchtower condemns!!!!

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  25. Disappointed says:

    I recently saw a programme on TV. Two very troubled, difficult British teenagers were sent to a strict but loving christian American family for two weeks. With firm but gentle guidance, praise and encouragement; showing how true christians live their lives, going and helping out at ‘soup kitchens’ and seeing how other people live and the joy coming from helping others turned those youngsters lives around. It was heartwarming and opened my eyes to what true christianity is all about.

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    • jojo says:

      If you make millions of dollars, why would you ask anyone to pay for materials? Doesn’t all the gold and silver belong to JAH? Does anyone know how much the Society rakes in per year? Shouldn’t they be finding out through the Elders how many needy there are in the congregation and then sending funds from their coffers instead of asking for more from the locals? We recently had a resolution to give more because we couldn’t pay our bills when I know for a fact that we have a reserve we cant touch because it is dedicated to the temple. I raised my hand and asked what happens if we cant pay our bills? No real answer. I almost asked what happens when we have no more to give you to send to the society to add to their millions, are they going to pay the light bill? If YHWH wants the KH open then it will stay open, you dont need money from the flock. I wish an awakened brother with thorough knowledge of the system would break it all down for ones like myself. This would be a great place to present it.

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  26. JohnS says:

    Yes, this is the point ya’ll. Seeing what others are doing. @ years before my resignation, I decided to start going to DIFFERENT churches, strictly as an observer. Well it didn’t take long before I would join in the prayer, or sing SOME of the songs(scriptural ones). I quickly came to full realization, that we JW were in a tight enclosure in our religion, with a radio with propaganda going 24 hours a day, like communist prison camps. We not only went to 4 or 5 meetings A WEEK dressed up in suits, and going over the same baic doctrines each day, but the magazine articles were the same, too. All the by-lines were repeated, over and over. “Faithful Slave” Great Crowd of other Sheep, pioneering, whole-souled service,etc. Most of these were directed to getting us in service or informal witnessing. Then came the telephone harassement witnessing……
    I tell you it’s indoctrination psychology, a terrible science. It’s a mind-spell you’ll never break as long as you’re continually bombarded with it.Sorry, if you go in a grocery store, and they are anouncing a sale on eggs, even if you don’t need any, by about the 5th or 6th time, you’re going over to the cooler just to keep from going crazy. We were told over and over so many things, so we did them, regardless if they were a requirement from God, or right, weren’t we? We just wanted to get them ‘off our back’, OK, shut-up already! (good advice for me too)
    Anyway, back to attending the churches, I got to see for myself that people have their worship, more toward Christ than ours was toward Jehovah. Eventually, I found the need to see it the way Christ did. That’s why a BIG exposure of our minds to Christ’s words in the Bible is THE best way. Churches have their doctrines they are pushing. Jesus has the truth we should be drawn to.
    I eventually got called in to an elder’s meeting as I went to 5,or 6 different churches, even a Mormon Tabernacle. I got a reprimand, as I quoted from a WT where some brothers had gone to churches to be observers somewhere. They left me alone. I had seen what I wanted to see, though. The truth isn’t in any one church, I found, The truth is in our Bibles, that is where it is.

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  27. DanielB says:

    Bro Jojo , as you mention the financial handling , I am reminded of the billion dollar property in the city of New York , and the intentions of selling it . The expenses involved in such a transition , and the resources both in time and money , will surely make things more difficult for Christlike ones to apply their resources as our Master directed .

    It’s sad , and there is a great amount of hype without the imagined true basis in Scripture .

    The question of this article , “Where Do I Go From Here” , is a good one for all to consider .

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    • jojo says:

      This is a great article no doubt. Seriously is there anyone out there. an insider maybe, with some figures? WTBTS is a business after all, there has to be some data. Dont the rank-and-file pay for everything through contributions? Then we have to get loans from the society at times?! I am not an Elder, not on committees of any kind. The extent of my experience is removing money from the contribution box. If the WTBTS isnt feeding their own hungry ones around the world then where is all this money going? If the WTBTS is non-profit then am I to believe that all money just goes back into printing and building projects? Where is the extra? I have been told that all the GB dont drive around in fancy cars or take trips like celebs or even eat fancy food! Do they really believe they are doing what is right and therefore putting all the money into the ” ministry ” ? I could really respect that as much as I respect the sincerity of other religions if it were not for the fact that I dont think they ever help their own, except for disasters. What about knowing you brother doesn’t have his daily needs and then caring for them? Do you give him a tract on the paradise? Is he going to eat that?!

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  28. JohnS says:

    Right, now about the money, and about attending churches , anywhere…..
    Dear Anonymous, you are right to give pause to the idea of attending churches. Believe you me, I don’t know of any ONE person, in fact I looked for 30 years down here to find maybe a handful who would come to a Kingdom Hall, for the purpose of learning Bible truth. Hardly anyone came, and I REALLY worked for it. Why? Why so little fruitage for all my years of aux. pioneering, going out evenings and week-ends, and much informal witnessing too. …. What was wrong? THIS IS WHY I started going to churches while I was a Witness. I wanted to KNOW what OUR problem was, why our ministry was not producing fruit.
    What did I find? The answer.I actually started asking the people at churches, “Tell me, what is it about JW’s and their teaching you don’t agree with?”
    No. 1 answer; “Ya’ll don’t teach you’re going to heaven to be with the Lord. You don’t believe in being re-born.”
    No.2(a close second) “Ya’ll have your own Bible, don’t you?”
    No.3 Trinity-TYPE teachings
    No.4 “You don’t believe in Hell, do you?”
    No.5 “Why don’t you celebrate Christmas,you don’t believe in Christ?”

    But by far… the MAIN REASON they don’t want to read our literature, or go to a ‘Kingdom Hall’ (which to them sounds more like going to a ‘Moose Lodge’ or a ‘Masonic Temple’, instead of a church, where you worship the Lord)…..the Main Reason???
    “I really love my church
    (my bros. and sisters), and our Pastor. We are so spirit-filled, and our choir is so good. Why you ought to come here brother so and so preach,…he REALLY loves the Lord.”

    Those are some of the realities we were facing. Not wickedness, just sincere people who have been taught differently, and need some correction from BETTER BIBLES, for one, and need encouragement to study deeper. But they will NOT listen to Witnesses on these matters 99.99% of the time, why?
    They don’t recognize ‘Jesus’ Voice’ in our message….period.
    The gospel of heavenly life after resurrection, and the brothers going to be with the Lord, and rebirth of the Holy Spirit, is nearly universal in Christian churches. They virtually all understand the 144,000 is either symbolic, or…”Oh, those are the Jewish Christians.” Pretty simple isn’t it. And their King James Bibles say,”The Word is God.”…..as it also shows Jesus condemning the wicked to ‘Hellfire’ multiple times….and guess…

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  29. Ruth says:

    Bro JohnS

    Can you please clarify something for me. Do you, or don’t you approve of the churches being Gods children? Thanks Ruth

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  30. Ruth says:

    Bro JJ.
    Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have a mobil home on wheels and go visit the isolated sheep someday. I image If one had enough faith to believe this could happen he the Father would let you know personally where to find them.
    I dream of doing this and sharing Yehusa love right here and right around Australia one day.
    No matter what religion they came from as long as realise religion truly is a snare and a racket and are searching for truth (Yeshua) Sis ruth

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    • JJ says:

      Ruth

      Yes that is a great idea. I was reading a book about an evangelizing Christian man that bought an old used bus, took the seats and put them against the walls, carpeted the floor and painted large messages on the outside about Jesus, with many scriptures, and drove thousands of miles. He would stop in populated areas and preach and invite people to come in and listen or receive a free Bible.

      That sounds like it would be so wonderful to try someday.

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  31. greybeard says:

    Dear brother SIAM,

    AWESOME article! Thank you so much brother for your time and efforts! Like you said, together we all can help open our brother and sisters eyes. I would have commented sooner but have been side tracked the last few days. Please keep these great articles coming!

    Your brother in Christ,
    Greybeard

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  32. JohnS says:

    Yes Sister Ruth, I think we would all can rest assured that God certainly knows where all his children are. John 10:27-30

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  33. JohnS says:

    Dear sweet brother Siam, I really love your LOVE for your brothers, and concern for their spirituality. Keep watch over them as best you can. Watch out for the wolves that may come to harm the flock, and stand up to them, don’t back down, protect your sheep.
    Watchtower itself? They seem to have so many ‘in-house-fires’ they’re trying to put out, save their money from lawsuits, back taxes, and who-knows what, that they are going to be consumed as far as spiritual quality time, and how can a handful of men put themselves into such a controlling government of 7 million people scattered over all those countries, and expect to watch over the flock correctly, plus their corporate interests? Who would have the time or energy to ‘pay attention to the flock’ with all that going on, even if they wanted to correct doctrine, something that would totally ‘purge the membership,they wouldn’t have time to do it! Take it upon yourself ,if you want, to care for your congregation, and ignore all the superfluous badness that comes running downhill from NY. The real problems though that afflicted our families are not doctrinal ones, however, but in most cases spiritual and moral. The WTS is also rife as many churches are with immorality, which may not get corrected, and there is this danger in staying in. You’ll have to make your own decisions. I saw so many families, and especially teenagers, turn away from Christ because of WT policies. This is a serious thing I saw repeatedly, and I tried, but I couldn’t do anything about it. I just wanted to strangle some of the self-righteous elders that were causing ruin like the Pharisees….no different! “Before a quarrel (or a fistfight) breaks out, take your leave.”Prov.17:14 I had to. That’s another main reason I am bitter, Anonymous, because they turned my wife against me. My kids know what I am, though, they followed my lead, though one of them is through with Christianity.There is a very UNHEALTHY PALL over many Kingdom Halls. I call it a bad spirit, for a better word. Some describe it as ‘stuck-up’, especially the rich ones of which there are many in the US, though not many down south. Cliques form, and some will try to’freeze you out’ saying you are self-righteous’ especially if you comment on hard-line issues with outspokenness(Jojo), or if you partake at Memorial, and try to ‘correct the things that are defective’. Of course, you know I couldn’t sit back and put up with abuse or stupid, cliche…

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  34. Chris says:

    It is so good to get these points aired.
    I used to have so many sleepless nights trying to wrestle the JW concept of wickedness and who the wicked are.
    No wonder I thought I was going mad.
    This teaching is so mentally poisoning with its ‘us and them’ psychology that reinforces the grip the WTS has on its subjects.
    One thing that has helped me enormously is a correct understanding of the faithful and discreet slave.
    Every Christian is asked by our Master to be a faithful and discreet.
    That is so personal and it makes me WANT to be faithful because my Lord has asked ME, not a group of aloof men who have separated themselves and placed themselves above their brothers and who beat them with instructions our Master NEVER left for them.
    What a joy to be FREE.
    Love to all :)

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    • use 2 b a dub says:

      Hi Chris,
      I remember well how the WTS used the excuse for why Armageddon had not yet come. It was Jehovah’s love so that more people (righteous)would have the opportunity to learn the truth and be saved. It even sounded reasonable since everyday there was about 700 being baptized (saved) as JW’s.
      They WTS forgot to mention that there are also another 200,000 or so babies being born everyday (wicked) that Jehovah will have to destroy at Armageddon. Once we grasp that statistic, well the WTS needs to find a better excuse why Armageddon has not yet come. i don’t think that our God takes delight in knowing that he will have to destroy more people because of his patience. I too have had to wrestle with this issue.
      use 2 b a dub

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  35. jojo says:

    Amen Chris, well said. I agree with your definition of the Faithful and Discreet slave, individuals not 7 men.

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  36. LonelySheep says:

    As an active JW I have come to the conclusion that JW’s are NOT Christian. Yes it is true that we believe in Jesus Christ, but in reality Jesus is a side act to Jehovah. JW’s are making the same mistake as the 1st Century Jews. JW’s simply cannot reconcile the fact that Jehovah has placed Jesus on his throne and wants his Son to have the spotlight at this particular time.

    As an example of the fact that we cannot reconcile Jesus position is given in our official name. Jehovah Christian Witnesses. In our endeavor not to ‘give Jesus to much glory’ (because we don’t want to be like Christendom) we put his name after Jehovah’s. If Jehovah wanted his name there he would have chosen a different name (Acts 11:26)

    Another example is taking from ‘What does the Bible Teach’ book page 73, paragraph page 20. A brother (a Sheeple) said with glee that he was glad Jehovah would have the ‘final say’ in judging the dead and living. To make his point he showed the aforementioned paragraph as proof of his point. All I can say I was stunned. The paragraph mentions that Jesus will have a ‘role’ in the judgement. A role?? I tried to put him straight by showing that Jesus does not have a role as if he was Jehovah’s secretary. So I showed him John 5:22,23 (PLEASE READ THESE VERSES – THEY ARE VITAL IN UNDERSTANDING JESUS POSITION)but he would not have it. He would rather believe the Society than the words of Christ.

    Because we diminish the role of Jesus, Jehovah will diminish his opinion of us, unless we honor his Son in the same way we honor Him.

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  37. andrew says:

    While I concur with you Lonelysheep that JWs do not glorify Jesus as the bible commands, I do disagree when you say they are not Christians.

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    • greybeard says:

      John 6:53, John 3:3 What did Jesus mean here? Do JW’s really follow Christ? I think they strain out the nat and gulp down the camel myself. 😉

      TMHO However, I do hope you are right Andrew. “Love hopes all things.” 1 Corinthians 13:7 That is a fine quality to have my brother. You are very non-judgmental and that is Christian.

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  38. LonelySheep says:

    Andrew, we are a kinda of Hybrid Christians. We have at best a mixture of Judaism and Christianity mixed into the pot.

    We worship like we are living in pre-christian times, were the emphasis was on Jehovah. I was at the special talk on Sunday and Jesus was only mentioned twice. Once in prayer to conclude the talk and there was a passing reference to him in the discourse.

    Can we truly be Christian if we cannot honor the Son? Was is it not this fact that distinguished the Jews who became Christians from the Jews of Judaism?

    Can lip service to Jesus replace true honor?

    In the same way it is impossible for other Christian churches to be called Christians in the full sense, since they do not recognize the Father of Jesus.

    So I guess no single group can lay claim to be true Christians for these reasons; at least in my opinion, for what it is worth.

    Further as this thread has pointed out, there are so many things ‘wrong’ with our teachings one has to ask at what point have we strayed so far from our Master that he would not recognize us as his followers? I am of course speaking in terms of the whole group and not as individuals, even though we may wear the tag JW.

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    • jojo says:

      LonelySheep: In the same way it is impossible for other Christian churches to be called Christians in the full sense, since they do not recognize the Father of Jesus.

      I feel what you are saying Lonelysheep. At a recent meeting there was a whole part dedicated to the Creation Video. No one out of 100 persons, beside myself mentioned that Jesus created the all things, not Jehovah. ( Colossians 1:13 )

      13 He delivered us from the authority of the darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of his love, 14 by means of whom we have our release by ransom, the forgiveness of our sins. 15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; 16 because by means of him all [other] things were created in the heavens and upon the earth, the things visible and the things invisible, no matter whether they are thrones or lordships or governments or authorities. All [other] things have been created through him and for him. 17 Also, he is before all [other] things and by means of him all [other] things were made to exist, 18 and he is the head of the body, the congregation. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that he might become the one who is first in all things; 19 because [God] saw good for all fullness to dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile again to himself all [other] things by making peace through the blood [he shed] on the torture stake, no matter whether they are the things upon the earth or the things in the heavens.

      By means of Christ all other things are made to exist. So as you said we should honor Christ more than we do. I believe the fear of being a ” Jesus Freak ” and wanting to separate from Christendom has influenced this trend. Seems like it has backfired somewhat.

      How to be a true Christian? Have enough faith, even though you dont understand all of it, to partake of the Emblems. Then do your best everyday to imitate Christ. Follow him, not men. Examine everything to make sure it is from God. Many will rove about and the true knowledge will become abundant. I think that prophecy is gaining momentum.

      peace be with you,

      jojo

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  39. Chris says:

    Lonely Sheep, I tend to agree. I think we probably all recognize the distortion of Jesus role that the society has created.
    Though it is often hard to articulate our thoughts with a keyboard.
    The premise that the WTS use is that Jesus honored his Father and we should too.
    Yet they have become so paranoid about not worshiping Jesus, that they forget that Jehovah appointed Jesus to the role, and as such Jehovah requires us to listen and obey to Jesus.
    IMO the way the WTS tries to speak in Jehovah’s name is really blasphemy.
    The way they attempt to ‘speak’ directly to Jehovah insults Jesus and offends Jehovah’s decree “THIS IS MY SON, LISTEN TO HIM”
    Is it any wonder that the WTS, like many others, will say ” Did we not do many powerful works(and build a multi-million dollar empire) in your name” yet JESUS (not Jehovah) will say to them” I NEVER KNEW YOU,GET AWAY FROM ME YOU WORKERS OF LAWLESSNESS.
    The lesson that Jehovah taught faithful Moses at Meribah is very sobering for us all. When we start to speak for Jehovah instead of listening to what he actually said we become presumptuous and we risk his anger. The WTS has repeatedly presumed and not repented and will be judged accordingly.

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  40. Anonymous says:

    dear both siam did you read the jan15th study watchtower on the subject a royal priesthood para14 where it says on earth where as agroup they would seve as priesthood representing jehovah to people does this mean the other sheep become the new laity class am i getting tha wrong somehow christian love to all

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    • SIAM says:

      Yes I read that article. It was absolutely blasphemous. They did make the point that the anointed now serve as a priesthood class for the great crowd. Continually the Watchtower society is distancing itself from bible truths.

      SIAM

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  41. Anonymous says:

    dear broyher cedars i would love to to know the answer to the answer to the question howmany active witnesses partake of the memorial emblems privatley at home and how many dont i would really love a survey on yhis question thank you for your wb site and may jehovah keep you in his love

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  42. Disappointed says:

    LonelySheep, that is a wonderful verse! It is SO TRUE! I am finding it extremely difficult at the meetings atm because of this. I’m finding myself feeling so agitated inside. The closer I feel I am becoming to Jesus the more it hurts when he is ‘left out’. So much praise is given to Jehovah (as it should) but almost none to his Son. All the adulation is given to the FDS or the GB and it’s sickening. Like Moses coming down from the mountain and seeing the Golden Calf. When I visit this site and see how our Lord Jesus Christ is given his proper position, he’s honoured as the Son of God, our Mediator, Head of the Congregation, I think why can’t the same be done at the meetings?!

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  43. JohnS says:

    Friends,

    At some point one has to realize the voice of Christ, as the Shepherd of his sheep is in no way being heard in WT literature, because that’s what it is; WT Dogma. When the gospels are read, and you compare what Christ is saying, REPEATEDLY, as the way to the Father, there is a huge difference between the two.Clear as a bell. We need to thank God for that contrast, as those who want to be Christ’s followers can clearly see the distinction between a ‘sheep’ and a “wolf in sheep’s clothing”.(Matt.10:16) Christ said, “Be on your guard against men.”
    Just becaues WT uses God’s name like a ‘magic bullet’ to get into our heads, then once we are under their spell, here comes all the rest of their doctrine, with all the bad karma in addition.

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  44. Baruch says:

    The Truth is simple! It becomes complicated only when we deviate from it by going “beyond the things that are written.

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  45. man oh man says:

    Well thanks to all of this wonderful discussion I think I can answer these questions from this wonderful article!

    • Where else do we go?

    To Jesus Christ and him only as he is the only way to the Father. He is our mediator and we need no one else. He is also the Word so we can read the Bible and it is as he himself is guiding us. The Father has appointed HIM and has TRUSTED all things into his jurisdiction. Judging, giving life, separating and so on. We simply cannot find our Savior lurking in any one place or church so any where two or three gather in his name there he is. He the Son deserves all honor as by honoring the Son we also honor the Father.

    • How can we serve God without a visible structured organization?

    We simply follow the lead of the Holy Spirit. We pray for it and we LISTEN to it and we trust it. It will teach us and guide us into all truth. We joyfully share what we know lovingly with all who would listen and do good works toward all. No corporate body needed.

    • Am I simply just being too critical and fooling myself?

    NO NO NO!!! The fool is the Watchtower Society’s leadership. They have fooled themselves into thinking they are special when in reality they are simply just another church or we could say cult. The word of God puts them in their place. They are the apostates! They happily apply the words of the prophets to Christendom and yet ignore that those words also aptly apply to them. As well as Jesus own words against the Pharisees.

    • Why isn’t God fixing the problems within the organization?

    Because it is just another part of Babylon the Great and even though this is true, the Son will gather those who are true in his own due time as he will separate the Sheep from the Goats as with all religions. Not only that we were part of this organization and we were led to the true light! If we can rely on God’s Word and repent then so will others. He doesn’t need to fix the organization as he is working on us individually.

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  46. SIAM says:

    It is so encouraging to see brothers and sisters like yourselves who see the truth about the organization, and yet draw closer to God and his Son. Bitterness only closes our hearts and minds. It’s refreshing to see so many without a negative outlook and bitterness. Many people who become aware of the TTAT will reject all spiritual belief, it’s nice to be in the company of those who still love God’s ways.

    We have the obligation and privilege to continue to build one another up in the faith. Brothers and sisters thank you and please keep up the good work.

    SIAM

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  47. DanielB says:

    Man O Man , did you say it Right !

    Excellent subject presented Siam .

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  48. Paul says:

    I think the question of “Why isn’t God fixing the problems within the organisation?” is an easy one to answer. Because the organisation isn’t his. You may well ask the same question of Catholicism or Protestantism. Why doesn’t he fix their problems? Are they any more/less God’s organisation that the WTS? If he hasn’t corrected the Catholic church in almost 2000 years, why should we imagine he’d correct the Witnesses?

    God did occasionally correct the Israelites and the first century church – but since then, the church has become so fragmented, it’s not easy to discern which church represents him best. Probably none. The congregation fragmented back in the first century as a result of persecution and war, and God didn’t see fit to reform it. People *can* have a relationship with God without organised religion, however. Now we have the bible, we don’t need the guidance of the apostles. God’s word is our sole guide.

    That’s not to say I think believers shouldn’t formally associate with other’s. We just need to be careful where we put our allegiance. Our loyalty should be to God only; never man.

    Great Article. Thanks.

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  49. JohnS says:

    Along with Bro. Dan, Man-oh-man…., two ‘Thumbs-up!’
    Yes brother Siam, we can see good progress being made in perceiving our real work is right now, getting OUR heads put back together, and unifying in the the Lord’s word and will, and work. He is blessing this arrangement, and probably many other groups in small clusters world-wide. I attended a non-denominational church in New Hampshire a few years ago, and was just blown away by all the good efforts being expended toward re-learning the gospel. I’m sure we are in no way at this site that unique.(hopefully, anyway) 21st century Christians is another just starting up, and it is a good one too.

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  50. DanielB says:

    Brother Paul , you said “Now we have the bible, we don’t need the guidance of the apostles. God’s word is our sole guide.”

    I know that we do in fact need guidance from the Apostles who spoke and wrote words from our Guiding Light , the Son of God , Yeshua .

    What point are you making ?

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  51. Paul says:

    Hello DanielB,

    I meant that, in this modern age, we don’t need to ask any apostle *personally* for guidance, because we have the bible. The apostles’ words (and Jesus’ words) are immortalised for all, and form the framework of our faith. That’s why I made the point that God’s word *should* be our sole guide. (Which would naturally include the apostles words.)

    I was simply making the point that, in the first century, sans scripture, the congregations were reliant on the guidance of the apostles in an immediate way. If there was a problem, the apostles spoke authoritatively on the matter. Now we have the complete bible, we don’t need any modern day authority telling us what to do, adding to scripture, etc. The various principles/guidance are there for all to see. Scripture and prayer are all that is required.

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    • JJ says:

      Well said Paul- I don’t know if I have ever really heard it explained in such a simple way, that the apostles were needed to keep order then, and that once the scriptures were completed the nedd for them was over, as was tongues, miraculous healing, etc.

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  52. Ruth says:

    Hi Bro Paul my name is Ruth.
    Its so wonderful to see you understand God is not fixing the problems for any religion nor organisation because he simply is not in these.

    I cannot stress enough the place to go is Yeshua!
    Yes It a personal relationship with him. After all the Father has put all authority in his hands.
    Actually he never called the father by name. Always my father, or father.
    Yehusa now is our master.
    In John 4:19-26 The woman at the well said to Yeshua. Sir i perceive you area prophet. Our fathers worshipped in this mountain but you say it is in Jerusalem is the place we should worship.

    Bro Paul.
    What he says next tells us what we are to do today. And the where we should go to worship.

    Now Yeshua says.. Believe me woman. The hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in jerusalem will they worship. “true worshipers will worship in spirit and truth. for indeed the father is looking for such ones. That makes it quite simple.
    Where do we go after religion? “TO yeshua”. How do we get to him? IN SPIRT AND TRUTH.

    Yes paul time to make a one on one relationship with our Lord. “The father commands this”

    Sister Ruth. Oh yes, we do need the whole of the bible.

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  53. JohnS says:

    Dear friends,
    Enjoying all the great comments. I am going on a work trip tomorrow and will be gone for a little while. I will answer sis. Ruth’s question, as others are also making statements to this effect, having been ‘once bitten, twice shy’ by WT bullies/lackeys.
    “Are ALL CHURCHES BAD?”, maybe we have heard this question from our children as they pass a steepled church, seeing people go in with Bibles, dressed up, to worship God, and hear the word of God read and expounded upon. What would you answer?
    Even the High Priest who had Christ murdered got moved by Holy Spirit, which he couldn’t resist, to say of Christ, “This though he did not say of his own originality;,but because he was High Priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus was destined to die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but in order that the children of God who are scattered about he might also gather together in one.” John 11:51,52
    The ‘children of God’ are all over the world scattered in many ‘fields’, or ‘flocks’, even websites, I feel, which resemble a church, also, as they are ‘rooms’ people are meeting in for Christian fellowship. I can’t condemn all ‘churches’ anymore than I can condemn all ‘web-churches’. There appears to be only Christ and the Father who knows where the ‘lost sheep’ are. We must search EVERYWHERE for them,websites and churches, I feel. Many who condemn all churches, have never even been inside one, let alone many, and can they really JUDGE the congregations in these buildings as being ‘goats’,because they are in a building studying, and not on the web? Be careful of blanket condemnation, as the WT was doing. Jesus even preached over in a Samaritan town.(John 4) Open the heart, and the mind will relax, and start to balance out, you’ll see. Maybe even go walk a mile in somebody else’s mocassins before condemning their “church” to the Lake of Fire.
    See you all later.

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  54. Adam says:

    Greetings,
    I come from a very different place than most everyone on here, so if my words appear awkward, please forgive me. I am a follower of Christ who loves to share Jesus with Jehovah’s Witnesses. Since I have never been a Jehovah’s Witness, trying to understand the mindset is truly fascinating for me. I have read blogs and comments on this website for months and just now have decided to write, mainly about the concern of attending other churches.
    The mindset of true Christians, in my humble opinion, has absolutely nothing to do with an organization. Catholic, Protestant, etc. are just labels. There are many wonderful Christian people who are unfortunately attached to this label because the church they attend has been so labeled. This label does not imply that they are or are not Christians or have or do not have scriptural undertanding. It is a foreign concept to me to believe that only Baptists (the type of church I attend) or Presbyterians or whatever label have everything right and therefore offer salvation exclusive of any different label. Jesus is very clear as to who his “brothers” are, and none of them carried any of the labels we have now.
    Most of the differences that I have seen in various religions similar to mine have more to do with style of worship than doctrine. Doctrinal differences and differences in style of worship do exist even within the same label. So, to me the answer is found in the following: find a church that truly teaches scripture and a style of worship that is comfortable for you. Do not assume that the church you try out will represent the label it carries. Jehovah’s Witnesses who visit my home readily point this fact out as an example of a lack of unity. It simply reinforces for me that labels are pointless and God can use anybody.

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  55. JohnS says:

    Thankyou, brother Adam, for responding with your testimony. I live in South Mississippi, am surrounded by Southern and Missionary Baptist,and many others, and have made it a point to visit as many as possible over the last three years I have been home. I always enjoy a congregation of believing Christians who love their Bibles and the Lord’s words.
    As you have probably known, JW’s have been taught that ‘interfaith’ with other Christian churches is a compromise with real Bible truth, so strictly attend their Kingdom Halls. I found by attending different churchers years ago, as a visitor,not seeking a church-home, just enjoying seeing over the ‘other side of the fence’ and what my neighbors did in those churches, anyway, was a REAL EYE OPENER. The sincerity and love for God’s word, and zeal in reading, singing gospel music, and a desire to receive the spirit of Christ and the Father was not ‘put on’ or an ’emotional display’, but knowledgeable worship based on Bible truth. Since I found Witness ‘truth’ was beginning to not look all that true in all respects after all, I felt I had nothing to lose! I am glad I did go looking, and am very happy I did, as I have met many wonderful and sincere Christians who really love the Lord. Thankyou for giving your thoughts, and hope you’ll keep reading.

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  56. Anonymous says:

    Hi to all,
    These comments here are great…..lots of heartfelt words spoken. I used to be very judgemental as a Jw, I was taught that “hate what Jehovah hates” is considered a “strong witness”……geez, in our congregation EVERYTHING was considered bad, people even spoke ill manered of those we knocked on doors, once we were back in our stupid mini vans and the house-holders were out of ear-shot…..I NO longer hate other churches nor other Christians…..I have talked to other church members who love God and live moral lives. Why is it Jw’s think only THEY can understand the Bible or even some ex Jw’s think they have special insights and disregard others just because they have a “church home”? If we judge others based on that fact, we do the same exact thing we did as witnesses. (I’m not saying anyone does that here)…..I think we all are trying our very best to serve God in the way HE wants. I have been very surprised when I have talked to non-Jw Christians to find out that they do read their Bibles and they know much more than I thought when I was a Jw and cast preconceived opinions upon them. As a Jw, I never “listened” to them at the door, because in reality we were taught to REJECT everything they spoke of. I get now why most don’t want to discuss the Bible at the door. Now, I can openly talk with other denominations and wow what a huge difference. Some feel the need to belong to a family church and others meet on the web, I see no erring in either one.
    Im just sharing some of my thoughts….
    Love to you all.
    Confused

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  57. Anonymous says:

    JohnS said: They don’t recognize ‘Jesus’ Voice’ in our message….period

    Didn’t want that to get lost. It is powerful and spot on!

    Our preaching is so lifeless and has become a joyless ritual for most. So many brothers and sisters do it out of guilt and obligation, so much different than our joy being so full that it bubbles over in the fruit our lips! Our mouth speaking out of the abundance of our heart is so different than rehearsing a scripted speach and dragging ourselves out of bed to go deliver it when we would rather be with our families.

    The first person I met that had that kind of joy and personal relationship with Jehovah was NOT a JW. She attended a Lutheran church, but stressed that was where she attended – she was not a Lutheran, she was a Christian. Did she have some doctrines a little skewy? Yep. But her faith and personal relationship with God were stronger than anything I had ever seen at the KH.

    That’s the thing that discourages me most at the KH…they seem to just suck the joy out of everything.

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  58. Anonymous says:

    @anonymous,
    You are so spot on with what you said. “They seem to suck the joy out of everything “……..I can’t agree more. It’s driven by FEAR and GUILT to serve God. This is just my own personal opinion but I do not feel Jw’s are Christian because I feel they reject Jesus and are led by Satan.
    Confused

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    • andrew says:

      Being hurt by the organization, like most of us here have been, it can quite easy to judge those who are judging us. I feel it’s best (though admittedly hard) to turn the other cheek and think the best of our former associates.

      JW’s for the most part love God and want to please him. They love Jesus although they’ve been misled into not giving him the honor he deserves. I consider JW’s to be my brothers and sisters. If they aren’t Christians then they wouldn’t be our spiritual bros. and sis.

      I think a danger exists in defining a Christian too narrowly. If we reject JWs as Christians then we may reject Catholics, Mormons and other churches with dubious doctrines. Then we may reject all Christians from others churches until finally there is only a handful that are good enough to be called our brothers and sisters. This is a slippery path to self-righteousness and judgmentalism that plagues the JW organization and many other churches. This is something to be avoided at all costs.

      Andrew

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      • jojo says:

        I agree. We don’t ever want to be self righteous. It can be very difficult when you come from that type of background. No religion has 100% truth. If we claim that we are simply misinformed or being dishonest. Every religion is doing something wrong. Think of Jesus’ message to the congregations in Revelation, they were without a doubt ” Christians ” but had faults, and strengths. Today all we can do as individuals is to try and adhere to God’s word. I know all religions claim to do that, some more than others, it really has to be a daily individual goal in my opinion. It is hard for me not to feel negative at times. I attended the 2012 Special Assembly Day. It was very sad that Christ Jesus was given only token attention. His name was only mentioned in prayer and if a particular scripture mentioned his name. Honestly, I read my bible the whole time and was able to think about some deeper issues. I will say this, the people I know are tying their best and have real love for God and neighbor. They are just getting so tired. They have been misled in many areas and they are weighed down with extra teachings of men. They don’t see it, maybe they can’t right now. They are no better and no worse than other ” Christians ” who lack full understanding. All the blame goes to men who know what they teach is not accurate but will not own up to their mistakes for fear of losing their power over others. Their houses built on sand will not survive, and everything evil done in secret will be brought into the light.

        peace be with you,

        jojo

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      • use 2 b a dub says:

        It is very difficult “to turn the other cheek” to the WTS. As many of us now look at the teachings of the WTS, I’m sure that we are completely baffled as to how we unquestioningly accepted and propagated them. Personally, I admit that I am struggling to not be bitter. I pray for forgiveness over my human weakness of bitterness.
        My 33 YO son and I had this discussion just a few days ago. He knows how I feel about the WTS. He told me to “just go along” for the sake of our family. I guess that is what I am doing since I have not officially disassociated myself–yet.
        I have hundreds and hundreds of interesting discussions over the years with non JW’s about religion and of course they have their “screwy” teachings as well. Every religion believes that they have the “only truth” and they have their ‘pet’ scriptures to ‘prove’ their teachings. The only thing the JF Rutherford ever said that now makes sense is “Religion is a Snare and a Racket”. Jesus and Jehovah have to be discussed as they see how very twisted the TRUTH has become today. There are no doubt many true Christians inside of every religious organization. Practicing the ways of Jesus and doing our best keep the the 2 greatest commandments found at Matthew 22: 37-40 makes us Christians not adherence to doctrines.
        I agree with JJ that we have far too narrow a definition of Christian.
        use 2 b a dub

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  59. DanielB says:

    Sister Confused , I can relate well with what you say here . While I was still a witness , I would be much more open to having good fellowship with a householder who would invite me (us) in , than nearly any other witness who was along . I would tolerate their misunderstandings and by the time we were through talking , it would prove upbuilding for both parties . Usually under this circumstance , the witness there alongside me would become uneasy , wanting to get out of there , and then talk some unkind words / “snippets” against the householder . Sad , isn’t it .

    The lack of “Heart” put into singing the “kingdom songs” at the KHs is another indication of the fact that the Spirit is dampened . Contrast that with the Lutherans ! Wow ! Their quality of singing is superb , and heartfelt , it seems to me . In any church we need to sort through the misunderstood doctrines . But Good spirit can be found among so many Christians .

    It’s a difficult position to be in , while recognizing these spiritual limitations in the Org , and have the need to remain with them , attending meetings , and looking for oportunities to speak the Truth about the “truth” .

    Our prayers must be with all who have to live that way for a time , inside a cult .

    In the meantime , we rejoice in freedom from bondage , as the Son works within us !

    In Him !

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  60. Anonymous says:

    @DanielB,
    Amen brother, well said.
    Confused

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  61. IJA says:

    I believe that anyone who accepts Christ’s sacrifice as the means of salvation and redemption is a Christian. Therefore, they come under the judgment of Christ as such. Whether they are “good” Christians, “true” Christians, or “bad” Christians, is something that Christ will judge. The letters in Revelation to the congregations didn’t sound like they were being written to “true” Christians did they? And yet they were Christ’s congregations and came under his judgment.

    I don’t assume the identity of a “Christian” automatically saves anyone, but it certainly isn’t my place to tell someone else they ARE NOT a Christian if they are accepting Christ’s sacrifice. I always thought that seemed rather arrogant. Jesus will judge if they lived up to that role or not.

    That’s just my take on the whole Christian/not debate.

    BTW, the anonymous post about the org sucking the joy out of things was mine, I didn’t sign in correctly!

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  62. confused says:

    Andrew,
    I get what your saying, there is a fine line between opinion verses judgement and as we know opinions can change and even be very wrong. While we may share a different view point on subjects we do so with love and respect for the other person.
    I hope you are having a great day brother…..I did not mean to be so direct with my “opinion” either on such matters…..sometimes wisdom is knowing when NOT to speak (talking of myself here)

    :)

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    • DanielB says:

      Sister , you reminded me of something I discovered . You use the word ” judgment ” here . By searching the meaning of this word used in the Scriptures , as it applies over ” judging someone ” , I have discovered that it’s meaning is as though judging any as being unworthy of even Life .

      That’s what it means in Scripture .

      And then the Bible uses that word for ” using good sense ” , as in using good judgment . I think that in the time we live , and I am certain this applies to living in the U.S. , the cry that so-and-so “is JUDGING me !” is an overused and mamby-pamby expression .

      (Used by complainer’s a lot)

      Just wanted to share this about this word . I like learning .

      Bro Dan

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    • andrew says:

      I appreciate your sincerity, confused. It is encouraging to know that many like you are seeking the Kingdom.

      Your brother
      Andrew

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  63. DanielB says:

    IJA :

    I am glad you said this point : ” The letters in Revelation to the congregations didn’t sound like they were being written to “true” Christians did they? And yet they were Christ’s congregations and came under his judgment. ”

    It has made my skin crawl sometimes when recalling the Witness Jargon about how “They” are not true Christians , “but we are” .

    If we consider that the Revelation was written specifically for these short times left , and wrat is said to those Congregations by Christ , the same specific failings are things in the churches today . And as you say – they are still Christians .

    Good point !

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  64. Disappointed says:

    Jesus didn’t ‘condemn’ the ordinary people, in fact he viewed them all as sheep without a shepherd. His condemnation was reserved for the proud, haughty, self-righteous Pharisees who went around judging everyone else. Jesus ate meals and socialised with sinners, giving the parable of the Prodigal Son to show why it was right to do so. Did Jesus condemn the Pharisees because of what they taught? No, it was because of what they did, binding the people with rules and regulations. Loading them with heavy burdens. Pointing the finger at others and not looking at themselves first. They were hypocrites and blind guides. Jesus lifted those burdens and said ‘Follow Me’. Whether someone is a true Christian or not, is for Jesus himself to decide.

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  65. steamrolled says:

    I share in Daniel B sentiments about having more fellowship with householders that invite you in-I study with a woman who has great respect for Gods word-but believes in trinity, hellfire and going to heaven-but we always seem to get past that and come away feeling great. I took one other JW with me and he literally attacked her for her belief in hellfire and told her point blank that you are all wrong and we have the THE TRUTH. The lady told him in no uncertain terms that he was of the devil and to please leave. After we left-the person I was with told me I was guilty of interfaith. I was quite upset. Also the shunning that goes on because of a past divorce labelled unscriptural-and the restrictions that are permanant make a person feel as if they are a failure. I mean it is so bad that when I started bringing own lunch to hall-the others would go eat lunch elsewhere and I would be eating lunch alone everyday I was out in service all day. My two kids who are now grown and in org. get invited to be with others-but I am never included-have spent last 7 years in virtual isolation. And speaking of hellfire-the wt org. has its own version of it-you dont do what we tell you, you will be destroyed forever and alienated from God-isnt that what the churches have done in past to keep control over their members?

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  66. steamrolled says:

    I mean-I not trying to grant a license to go out and live a sinful life-before I was in wt org.-wasnt into drugs, never got drunk and pretty much knew right from wrong. But I believe the wt org is partly to blame for ruination of first marraige-by taking me away from a high maintainance person-basically drove the nails in the coffin-even my former father in law said it was the religion and not me-I look back now and realize he was right. Also partly to blame at least on why I am living on near poverty wages-why-because the person who studied with me and his wife advised me against taking an air traffic controller job because it would be working for the government and armeggeddon is around the corner and it would be pointless to work for the government-so I listened to them-big mistake. I mean, I had a genuine job offer in my hand-got a 96 on the test and was called for an interview within a month of getting the results. I had a cousin who worked for FAA who was going to get me in hands down. My parents cannot understand to this day why I turned the offer down-because I never told them about the religion factor. And that leads me to my son who wanted to become a meteorologist-but because of this org. position on higher education-he was discouraged from pursuing that-instead-he scrubs toilets for a living with others in the org who are elders and pioneering. And their respect for me was subtlely undermined because I was considered disobediant for getting divorce in past. So whatever I said about anything never carried much weight. Can you see why I chose my screenname? I am prayerfully considering a fade stategy so I can salvage what I have left of this life-I really believe that the happy god wants us to find happiness IN THIS LIFE WE HAVE NOW-not to throw this life in the trashcan.

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    • use 2 b a dub says:

      hi steamrolled,
      many of us who have been around for a while share your angst. Being too busy as an elder and ‘spiritual man’ nearly cost me my wife and family at one time. The low paying jobs that we are encouraged to get is also a problem many of us now regret. I see my children now financially struggling because I strongly discouraged them from getting the needed education to prepare them for the ‘real world’.
      The GB is so “not in touch”. I don’t think that those 7-8 men and their wives are struggling to make ends meet.
      Like all men in high positions, they talk of how they ‘feel’ for the ‘rank and file’, but they are not really affected by what is going on in the ‘real world’.
      I fight everyday to not be bitter. JW’s are not the only people struggling with ‘real life’ today. However, we could be the only organization to strongly discourage ‘higher education’ that could better prepare us for today’s economy.
      We all have to live with our own conscience balanced by logical thinking about what and who to believe. So many of us were fooled by what was offered up to us by the WTS as “God’s Promises”. It takes some time to get past the feeling of being ‘steamrolled”. I have been fading for 3 years now and I still feel the lingering effects of the WTS ‘guilt’, but I also feel free to read the Bible ‘unfiltered’ and let Jesus (not the GB)lead me.
      Work on not being bitter. It is counter productive and even destructive to you. I know from my own experience. Greet each day with a determination to do your best for your family.
      your bro,
      use 2 b a dub

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  67. Anonymous says:

    Just adding some more thoughts…….if we can get to the point that we are able to let go of the “anger and pain” then we can let go of the organization…….kind of like an abusive relationship…….you go through stages.
    Confused

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  68. steamrolled says:

    I appreciate the analogy of abusive relationships which Ive also experienced first hand-have already let go of much of the anger Ive felt-compared to what it was several years ago. I realize that there is nothing that can change the past-I have never been an elder or MS in 23 years-and never had that to contend with and now feel Ive been done a favor. When I found this site, it was the first time I have ever aired my feelings in a very long time-so initially it may have been like a dam being removed holding back Niagara Falls. But do share my experiences-and getting totally rid of anger is a long slow process-especially when it involves decades of a persons life. For example this morning spent the time walking down road in prayer about my feelings of things and remarked about the new sense of freedom that im feeling like the shackles are coming off-how much better I feel mentally to be out in the fresh spring air and not within the confines of the hall-I live by myself-so dont have others to please-I have much time and beautiful surroundings as I live out in the sticks to pray and deeply reflect on things.

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  69. steamrolled says:

    To add to it-it is weird, but way before finding this site I used to when praying to God call the men in brooklyn “airheads”. I dont mean to sound negative,but that is how I used to actually word it-but I realize that a lot are trying to do their best at what they feel is serving God in an approved way.

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  70. enlightened says:

    I have changed my name from steamrolled to enlightened-to promote a more positive atmosphere on this site.

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    • use 2 b a dub says:

      By changing your name to ‘enlightened’ you are already taking positive steps to let go of anger and start the healing. It helps to share your past experiences to get them out in the open. We are all here because we have learned the ‘truth about the truth’. It’s not the brotherhood it’s all about the self appointed GB and the Rutherford era crazy teachings.
      use 2 b a dub

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  71. enlightened says:

    Am not implying anything about this site being negative-finding this site is one of the nicest things that has ever happened to me in a long time.

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  72. Anonymous says:

    Welcome Enlightened……keeping positive takes effort, good for you. Holding on to grudges establishes our own self righteousness like the Jews….not one of us can say we don’t do that, otherwise we are oblivious to our own shortcomings but Christ Jesus helps us with our views and what’s in our hearts. Today I was pondering on faith, and thinking what hinders our faith….I think its “thinking too highly of OURSELVES”…….its looking to Jesus everyday for everything we do. That’s what’s on my mind today. My list is very long of things I’m working on in my relationship with God.
    I’ve been broken by my X JW husband and the orgaization that took so much out of me………
    I don’t want to be broken anymore……
    Have a very splendid Sunday brothers and Sisters….
    Much Love,
    Confused

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  73. Anonymous says:

    @enlightend
    Forgot to say, thank you for sharing your thoughts. Sharing helps us all to sort through the walk we are on.
    Everyone here is very valuable.
    Confused

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  74. DanielB says:

    Sister Composed ,

    You said “Sharing helps us all to sort through the walk we are on.” Yes , we really do have good company here , don’t we . I appreciate that along with you .

    To contrast this thought I recall how the old association with whom I considered brothers and sisters , would believe that when any leave them in favor of better thinking and a new life , that these were going to wind up in misery and that misery loves company .

    Oh but we have genuine love in Christ , and this is refreshing indeed !

    Yes I agree with you ,
    “Everyone here is very valuable.”

    Well-“Composed” words Sister .

    (a new nick-name ?) :)

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  75. phil says:

    I would say go to Jesus get to know him get to know what he wants his yoke is light follow his commands and live in spirit and truth.Surrender to him only and he will give you a new heart new ideas new visions he will teach you through the Holy Spirit asked him to baptize you in the Holy Spirit and you will see all things clearly.You will not need anything else apart from him. Live a life of love praise and worship stop worrying about doctrines . DO not critize other believers whatever their denominations many of them are your brothers and ssiters who truly love the Lord

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  76. rus virgil says:

    Greetings everybody !

    I find this thread somehow related to this one linked here

    http://www.paradisecafediscuss.....038;page=3

    rus v.

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  77. JohnS says:

    Thankyou for those words of encouragement and balance, Phil. Well said. Thanks Rus, you are a hard worker, very busy!

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  78. AwareBeing says:

    Dear J. J.,

    Well written and factual post topic!

    Since the days of Russell; much insight has been gleaned from the middle east. Archaeological discoveries, lost histories & hidden books have aided mankind in it’s search for truth. Obviously, pure worship goes far beyond what the WT conglomerate offers!

    If you long for something that is closer to the apostle’s and their disciple’s “way” to GOD, then why not look into their history and writings? This wasn’t forgotten by Catholics along; but the Reformers and Adventists alike!

    True knowledge has been made available to mankind in these last days. Are you willing to take the leap of faith for this different Christian “heritage”; namely, the Apostolic Father’s writings?

    Constantine rejected it for Bible canon, the Reformation missed it and WT is too set in stone to be molded by it. Will you; however listen to those who knew the Christ? They were the real anointed, they had the gifts of the spirit and they left us books for guidance.

    Brothers and sisters; thank you for your attention to this posting, and enjoy the blog as noted below.

    Sincerely; A. B.

    http://revelatoryawakening.wor.....ship-page/

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  79. Shikinah says:

    Dear Brother thank you for an interesting article.
    I also believe that Jehovah is using those who are aware of the flaws to reveal whats important for real spiritual advancement in these last days.
    I have been studying on and off for many years, but have never been baptised due to the errors which never seem to be rectified or explained.

    Despite this I have continued to attend meetings, but tread carefully so as not to stumble anyone. Recently a friend of mine has started a study with a Bethel brother, and knows a lot about the errors of 1914 etc because of what I have tried to explain. After his long search for the truth, he has found that the Jehovahs Witnesses are the closest to the original bible teachings.

    This has now caused him to ask questions, which his study teacher now has to research himself, the same as my bible study teacher who has also said that she has never heard of the things which I mention to her. Yet they are willing to listen despite trying to find scriptures which don’t really fully answer these errors. At some point what they have learnt may prick their conscience when they too see the injustice which is taking place.

    I will continue to study and attend the organisation when I am well enough, but right now I feel this is what Jehovah wants me to do. The time may come when I am confronted by the elders, but until then I will let the truth be known, and I find teaching the truth to new ones with flaws and all, allows them to ask the questions which we may not be able to ask, as they could never be classed as apostate, as they are genuinely looking for answers.

    Jehovah knows our hearts and intentions and if we are searching for righteousness amidst this operation of error, Jehovah will help us if we ask him. I am surprised how some new ones despite knowing the operation of error, accept it and see it as it is..this is half the battle, as I wouldn’t want them wandering in the world as prey for satan, despite the organisations errors, once you know them you are prepared, but in the world there is much danger wrapped up as love and light which many are unaware of.

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  80. danielB says:

    Hello my friends .

    I am Dan Guth . I was one of ” Jehovah’s Witnesses ” from 1970 until , officially , 1993 . 23 years . This was in Kern County , California .

    In 1998 I did a legal name change to to name I had at birth , which is Daniel Bruce Wallace . I live in the state of Oregon now , in Canyonville .

    I am writing this because it is a question-topic , on “. . . Where do I go from here ? ”

    I am hoping that perhaps some who have known me in the past as a “Witness” will pick up on my name , Dan Guth .

    And I would like to say to you , my friend and aquaintance , that knowing the real truth about what we thought was truth , as presented to us by the Watchtower Society , is our first indication that Jehovah’s spirit is helping us to go forward with Him and his dear Son . Look closely at the doctrinal exposures that you read here ; there is much truth to be gained . Consider if “doctrine” is more important than the power of love , which is found here . And consider very carefully ,

    ” where do I go from here ? ”

    Spending 24-hours time here on jwstruggle will do you more good than a 6-month special Watchtower school , in just a day or two of browsing at JJ’s site , jwstruggle.com .

    And , a half hour of good Bible reading will be better than a month of kingdom hall meetings , if you are seeking truth in Christ .

    Welcome . Your brother , Dan Wallace .

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    • JJ says:

      Daniel

      Your courage and your patient and wise counsel has been an enormous, untold source of encouragement to so many that gather here. Thank you for your ongoing loving help.

      I used to know some of the JW friends in Lake Isabella and also in Bakersfield as well. This July 5-8 we are having a gathering, I plan to post an article soon about it, called “TTATT-Fest”. I do hope you might be able to drive south to Lake Tahoe and attend!

      Regardless, thank you again for the kind words to me and some many others of us who have been hurt and are hurting due to the harsh policies of the Watchtower!

      Your Brother In Christ,
      Eric aka JJ

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