I can still remember the day I was walking down the beach praying to Jehovah to not let me be fooled by anything. I asked if it were possible that Jehovah’s Witnesses were not his exclusively chosen people. If so, I wanted to know about it no matter what the cost. This was a very heart felt prayer. It wasn’t long after that a series of events unfolded in my life and the result was my being disfellowshipped. I feel I was very repentant yet the elders had their minds made up. I had been reproved before for drinking and a letter to back that up was on record. ( 1 Corinthians 13:5 HCSB) This was very alarming to me as I had some time with no problems and was trying very hard. This lack of mercy really shook my faith in the organization. I figured since I was no longer a JW it was now time to research all I could online about the organization I was raised in. Before being disfellowshipped there was absolutely no way I would visit such a web site as jwfacts.com. As a matter of fact, jwfacts.com was the very web site that helped me the most to learn “The Truth About The Truth”. (TTATT) (By the way, I am no longer disfellowshipped and have been reinstated)
At first I was very upset and hurt to learn the things I was learning. I felt so alone and abandoned and didn’t know what to do. I remember praying constantly for help. Feeling all alone, I asked Jehovah for a close friend to learn TTATT. I knew many JW’s and had many friends, I just asked that he would open the eyes of a close friend so I wouldn’t be so alone. I actually sent links to jwfacts.com and pdf’s of Crisis of Conscience by Ray Franz to a few of my closest friends, begging them to read it. Daring them in fact with words such as, “don’t read this unless you want your life to change”. I had thought they all ignored me but I continued my prayers. A few months go by and one brother called me up and said he wanted to meet me for lunch. I was in shock and couldn’t wait to meet him, but was unsure exactly why as he wouldn’t tell me on the phone. We met and sure enough he had read the file I sent him. He said he was learning things he never knew and was still investigating it all. He was still a very active JW but knew something was very wrong with the organization. This brother was an elder that I had depended on myself for years and a very close friend. It also happened to be this elder who had written the letter on me that was in the file as he told me later! Was my prayer answered by Jehovah? Nothing could convince me otherwise. To be honest, I am sure all of this didn’t happen only because of the records on file however they didn’t help my situation. From what I know, these records follow you for years.
I continued to pray all of the time because I do believe in the power of prayer. Jesus Christ, the Son of God prayed for hours alone to his father. If Jesus needed to pray, how much more so do we? Of course no prayer will be answered unless it is in accord with Gods will. Is it not his will that all men come to a accurate knowledge of truth? (1 Timothy 2:4) Surely this is one of the best things we can ask God for.
Tags: prayer, seeds of truth, TTATT
1914 may become a difficult date to defend as time goes on. How will it's defenders address this problem?
Most students of the Bible as well as those that are familiar with Jehovah’s Witnesses realize the problems surrounding the date 1914. Biblical calculations claiming to point to specific dates in history have, without exception, either been proved wrong or have simply not come to pass because they are far in the future. Sir Isaac Newton, as quoted in the article “The Shoulders of Giants” said this about end-time calculations:
The time times and half time [Mentioned in Revelation] do not end before 2060. …. It may end later, but I see no reason for its ending sooner. This I mention not to assert when the time of the end shall be, but to put a stop to the rash conjectures of fanciful men who are frequently predicting the time of the end, and by doing so bring the sacred prophesies into discredit as often as their predictions fail. Christ comes as a thief in the night, and it is not for us to know the times and seasons which God hath put into his own breast. -From An Historical Account of Two Notable Corruptions of Scripture (1704), regarding his calculations “Of the End of the World” based upon the prophecies of Daniel.
Have all these failed predictions brought discredit upon Christianity? Many would agree with Newton on this point and answer yes. Harold Camping, another Christian minister who appears to be sincere has just recently embarrassed himself and his followers. If you feel like reviewing the very long line of failed predictions asserted by people over the centuries, the page entitled: Library of Date Setters of The End of the World! is offered as a quite thorough compilation. As you would assume, Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Watchtower Organization have many entries on this page of well over 200 mistaken predictions. No doubt some of these date-setters are/were people that we can say were honest truth seekers. Should Harold Camping be forgiven? Or condemned? Should Isaac Newton be included in a similar category, since he asserted the year 2060 as a possible candidate? What about Charles Russell and the others that reached the date 1874? And then the revised year of 1914? Can Charles Russell be forgiven for this “failed-prophecy”? Remember, Brother Russell predicted not the end of the Gentile times for 1914, but the beginning of the thousand year reign for this date. This has of course been revised by the publications used by Witnesses today, and most of the unpleasant portions surrounding those late 1800s and early 1900s were expunged from Witness history in the Proclaimers book and subsequent DVD presentations.
Tags: 1914, failed predictions, false prophecy, Harold Camping, newton, russell
The gardens of the Watchtower Farms complex not far from where the chemical waste was buried
Reports are emerging through the Associated Press that the Watch Tower Society may face penalties over chemical waste that was buried many years ago near the Watchtower Farms complex in upstate New York.
The Times Herald-Record reports that several 55-gallon drums containing benzene, xylene, and other chemicals hazardous to human health have been unearthed. The drums were retrieved at three different sites across the 1,141 acre property, but the scale of the pollution and full scope of the clean-up operation is not yet known.
Matt Hubicki, a representative for the Department of Environmental Conservation, revealed that the drums were found by Watchtower volunteers during construction works. “They found some drums while digging the foundation for one of their residential facilities” he told the newspaper. To their credit, it appears the Society immediately reported the find to the DEC. Nonetheless, the discovery raises serious question marks over the Society’s environmental track record, especially given its scathing criticism of those who pollute the environment.
Tags: Chemical dumps, Department of Environmental Conservation, Jehovah's Witnesses, Pollution, Printing waste, Ruining the earth, Walkhill, watch tower society, Watchtower Farms
We have written a number of times on the site about disfellowshipping and shunning of a fellow brother or sister. We know that even Jesus himself was “disfellowshipped” by the Jewish Sanhedrin. As currently practiced, this Witness doctrine goes far “beyond the things that are written” (1 Corinthians 4:6) by enforcing a list of over a hundred different things a person could be expelled for [1]. How much needless pain and suffering has this doctrine caused you or someone you love? 60,000 are added to this list by elders that are “just following orders” every year. Thousands of brothers have stepped down and resigned their position over the last several decades due to this and other aspects of the harshness and judging that they are pressed into service to do to their “fellow slaves”. (Matthew 18:28)
The following poem [2] has been and continues to be inspirational to many that have been affected by this un-Christian practice:
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IT HURTS
IT HURTS to discover you were deceived – that what you thought was the “one true religion,” the “path to total freedom,” or “truth” was in reality a cult.
Tags: cult, disfellowshipped, disfellowshipping
(This article was written by brother Ed and posted here by Greybeard)
The organization of Jehovah’s Witness is truly made up of of many God fearing people. They have made a stance which often puts them at odds with “the world”. Most people do not understand their fervent desire to please God. Many of them try to live moral and upright lives, dedicated to preaching, study and worship. Why my parents are still Jehovah’s Witnesses after 50 years of service, and they truly believe in the organisations direction, making significant allowances for the issues many here have raised. So here is my plea to all Jehovah’s Witnesses.
——————-PLEA TO JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES——————–
Ray Franz, former Governing Body member of Jehovah's Witnesses admitted the wrongs of the organization and has helped lead many of us to Christ Jesus. The way, the truth and the life. John 14:6
I went to the doctor the other day for a check up on my health. I told the doctor that I wanted to start exercising and eating right in hopes of not needing to take the blood pressure medication he had me on anymore. My doctor told me this would be impossible so I said I wanted another opinion. Then he told me that he alone was the best doctor on the planet and that he alone possessed the wisdom of God. He also said if I leave his care and stop taking my medication I would die an eternal death. He then said if I question him or discuss my doubts about him with any of his patents he would have me quarantined for the rest of my life in a mental institution.
By now I am sure you must know I made this story up. But does it sound familiar to you? If you are a Jehovah’s Witness or were one as I was for years, this should have a familiar tone. Please notice the following statements found in the Watchtower:
All who want to understand the Bible should appreciate that the “greatly diversified wisdom of God” can become known only through Jehovah’s channel of communication, the faithful and discreet slave. (The Watchtower; 10/1/1994; pp. 8 )
Tags: faithful slave, governing body, sole channel of communication from God, watchtower
Perhaps you have seen the large sign on one of the buildings of the world headquarters of the Jehovah’s Witnesses “Read God’s Word the Holy Bible Daily”. Without doubt this is good advice. And it is true that the organization does encourage bible reading. However this good advice is counteracted by discouraging deep bible study without the publications. The organization does it’s utmost to ensure all JWs continue to see all bible texts through the lens of the Watchtower.
Because of seeing the bible only through the Watchtower thought-adjuster the average JW probably has a hard time finding bible reading interesting. After all if it’s all spelled out in the pages of the publications, pouring over the pages of the bible wouldn’t seem all that important. For this reason in my opinion there are few real students of the scriptures among the witnesses. There are a number of doctrinal experts or proof-text experts that know all the texts by memory to defend JW’s beliefs, but this is not the same.
When I was an asleep JW I was quite versed on doctrinal points and where to go in the bible to “prove” the rightness of JW doctrine. I was an avid reader of the publications but didn’t do a lot of bible reading outside the assigned chapters for the Theocratic Ministry School. This meant at times I would go years without reading large portions of the greek scriptures in their context, since the assigned chapters would rotate to the greek scriptures only every few years.
Tags: bible reading, study
The phrase “Jesus Loves You!” (with or without the exclamation point) is well known. In fact nearly all people on planet earth have heard it which of course to some extent makes the phrase a cliché. But the fact remains that Jesus does love us. He loves you, and he loves me. It can also be admitted that we all sometimes forget that God and his Son loves us. We forget in the sense that we get so wrapped up in the day-to-day pressures of life that we forget to reflect and exemplify Godly Joy as a fruit of His Holy Spirit. (Galatians 5:22; 1 John 4:8) Due to pressing problems such as stress on the job, making ends meet, health issues, our sinful nature, etc. we can become discouraged. And of course a large source of turmoil for many of us relates to our awakening to the flaws within the Watchtower Organization and its leadership. It has taken the place of Christ for some Witnesses, and many of us too were enmeshed in this false conviction at one time. We are here reading and commenting together on JWS because of our shared confusion and pain, even resentment. Most of us feel misled by things that have been written in the Watchtower publications that we have been forced to follow. These include how we should worship God, what we should believe, what we can and cannot do for a living, etc. Our Christian consciences have been stunted to some extent because of it. Our thinking processes have been controlled for years and we are now struggling to “grow up” spiritually as mature Christians who ought to know “right from wrong” for ourselves and be trained in our perceptive powers. (Hebrews 5:12-14) So yes, we acknowledge that Jesus loves us. I was able to find this statement just once in the Watchtower Library CD-ROM, in a 1995 magazine. It said:
Believe without reservation that Jesus also loves you, and he proved this by dying for you. (John 3:16) (The Watchtower 1995 11/1 p. 27 Comfort for Those With a “Stricken Spirit”)
If we dwell on this simple, “clichéd” fact at least once or twice a day how might that affect us? Would some of our anger and hurt over the injustices of our situation melt away or lessen? Perhaps yes. And in sharing our faith and encouragement with others, a simple “Jesus Loves You” expression or idea can go a long way. It does not always have to be articulated in those exact words of course. There are a myriad of ways to build someone up while sharing the love of the Christ and the good news (gospel) with a person. Fellow believers and non-believers alike can benefit from it. The simple truths of God’s word and of his Son are not complicated. Meditate for a moment if you can on Romans 10:9. This beautiful, clear, and inspiring verse of the Bible simply says this:
Could the Watch Tower Society's out-dated approach to domestic violence be putting thousands of women in harm's way?
“In like manner, you wives, be in subjection to your own husbands, in order that, if any are not obedient to the word, they may be won without a word through the conduct of their wives, because of having been eyewitnesses of your chaste conduct together with deep respect.” – 1 Peter 3:1-2, New World Translation
The above scripture is used repeatedly in Watchtower publications to define the role of a Christian wife who finds herself married to a husband who does not share her faith. The scripture advises women in such a situation that they can win over their husbands “without a word”, or by letting their actions rather than their words give evidence that faith can make one a better person. In no way does it command any wife who faces abuse from her non-believing husband to remain with him regardless, and endure a violent relationship in the blind hope that he will eventually embrace her faith and stop abusing her. And yet, this is precisely how this scripture has repeatedly been applied, albeit mostly through insinuation, over many decades.
Before proceeding further, we may ask ourselves: “Is it right to question or scrutinize the way scriptural counsel is applied by the Governing Body through their publications on these matters?” Please consider the following words of Jesus:
Tags: domestic abuse, domestic violence, governing body, help, Jehovah's Witnesses, marriage, refuge, spousal abuse, violent husband, watchtower, women
The following quotes were published in the May 1, 1997 Watchtower:
“JEHOVAH GOD is the Grand Identifier of his true messengers. He identifies them by making the messages he delivers through them come true. Jehovah is also the Great Exposer of false messengers. How does he expose them? He frustrates their signs and predictions. In this way he shows that they are self-appointed prognosticators, whose messages really spring from their own false reasoning—yes, their foolish, fleshly thinking!”
I was in shock when I first read this and really was at a loss for words. I will use their words to examine this article. Have any of the “signs and predictions” of the Watchtower/JW-Org/GB come true? Has not the JW organization been frustrated with countless wrong predictions? With their own words do they not condemn themselves by saying, “In this way he shows that they are self-appointed prognosticators, whose messages really spring from their own false reasoning—yes, their foolish, fleshly thinking!”
Tags: false prophets, Jehovah's Witnesses, true messengers. true prophets
It may seem impossible for some to comprehend life outside the organization
“Lord, whom shall we go away to? You have sayings of everlasting life; and we have believed and come to know that you are the Holy One of God.” –John 6:68-69
So answered Peter when asked by Jesus whether he wanted to abandon him along with others who had found his teachings untenable.
Time and again this scripture is used in the Society’s publications to reinforce the seemingly hopeless consequences for any who choose to turn their backs on the organization. Take as an example the following experience, quoted in the February 15th 2006 Watchtower on page 30:
Tags: apostate, discouraged, encouragement, faith, freedom, friends, governing body, help, Jehovah's Witnesses, john 6, loneliness, making friends outside jw, meetings, organization, struggle
There are many sincere brothers and sisters out there that don’t lie awake and wonder where the organization is heading. They are just trying to make the best of their service to Jehovah and love the friends. Despite being aware that something’s not quite right, they are trying to stay in “God’s love”. (Romans 8:38-39) Others among us cannot make that leap and continue to support an Organization that they feel has behaved as a false prophet and caused the loss of so many lives as a result.
Regardless of which camp we fall into, and no matter how intensely this struggle hovers in the back of our consciousness, keeping faith and not “losing heart” is critical. Didn’t Jesus emphasize that part of our successful journey along the narrow road is to endure to the end? (Matthew 7:13,14; Matthew 24:13) So a danger for us as awakened or former Witnesses is that we could come to feel that “if this isn’t the truth then there is no God”. This is a spiritually dangerous place to be. It’s like the boy that found out there was no Santa Clause and then said to his mother, “Well if there’s no Santa then maybe there’s no God either.” This may seem trivial to an adult, but the little boy’s realization that he had been lied to for most of his short life shook his tender faith. His parents credulity and his trust in authority was seriously damaged.
Can you relate to this story? Many of us can. Pray that you never succumb to despair, faithlessness, or an “eat drink and be merry attitude”! This has happened to some that have read Crisis of Conscience or other similar books. It can be a “spiritual bomb” that can devastate our faith if we allow it to. Certain websites are filled with angry, bitter folks that now live up to the Society’s definition of an angry apostate and that is sad. Some of these former Witnesses are atheists as well. We understand “the why” and we pray that these ones will be able to leave the anger and resentment behind at some point. But now that we know what we know about the Watchtower Organization and the flawed doctrinal template that everything is squeezed into, what will we do? Will we give up? Will we lose heart? Hebrews 10:39 says:
Since I know this will be a controversial article let me start off by saying that this is only my opinion on what I feel the bible teaches about the Old Testament promises to Israel.
Most of the Jews of the first century A.D. did not recognize Jesus as the Messiah mainly because they misunderstood the prophecies concerning him. They thought the Messiah would lead the Jewish nation to earthly glory and domination over all other nations. They were wrong of course but these “Jewish myths” (Titus 1:14) persisted in the first century.
Surprisingly these “Jewish myths” are still around today having been revived in the last 150 yrs. or so. It is again common to find Christians who believe that the modern state of Israel was regathered by God to Palestine and became a nation in 1948. It is believed by many that those that call themselves “Israelites” according to the flesh are still God’s chosen people. Is it Israel’s hope to occupy the Promised Land and regain earthly glory?
Tags: chosen people, Israel
At the Watchtower study on November 6, 2011, you may have noticed these two paragraphs: 14 How do you react when Jehovah, the Source of spiritual enlightenment, sheds light on “the deep things of God” found in the Bible? (1 Cor. 2:10-13) We have an excellent example in the apostle Peter’s reaction when Jesus told His listeners: “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in yourselves.” Taking those words literally, many disciples said: “This speech is shocking; who can listen to it?” They “went off to the things behind.” But Peter said: “Lord, whom shall we go away to? You have sayings of everlasting life.”—John 6:53, 60, 66, 68.
15 Peter did not fully understand what Jesus said about eating His flesh and drinking
His blood. But the apostle relied on God for spiritual enlightenment. When spiritual
light on some matter gets brighter, do you try to understand the underlying Scriptural
reasons for the adjustment? (Prov. 4:18) The first-century Beroeans received the word “with the greatest eagerness of mind, carefully examining the Scriptures daily.” (Acts 17:11) Imitating them will deepen your appreciation for your privilege to serve Jehovah, to have him be your share. (The Watchtower, 9/15/2011 page 14, paragraphs 14 and 15)
If we examine the reasoning here we can see some of the conclusions that are reached by the writers of the article. Those that are familiar with commonly used scriptures by Jehovah’s Witnesses will notice Proverbs 4:18, as well as John 6:68. These verses are key to their assertion that the Organization led by the Governing Body are the sole arbiters and prophets of God on earth today. Lets analyze the quote now:
Tags: enlightenment, governing body, savior
As any JW male can attest to, there exists a pressure to “climb the theocratic ladder”. At first a JW brother is given small responsibilities like carrying mics. If he is responsible he is given bigger responsibilities until he is appointed as a ministerial servant and then an elder. Then as an elder he is encouraged to accept greater responsibility on the circuit and district level in the various depts. Also those elders who give parts on the assembly programs are looked up to.
The higher one climbs this “theocratic ladder” the more spiritual one is considered to be. This training often leads one to crave the attention or to desire prominence. Although the organization does speak against the desire for prominence, only when one goes against a procedural guideline of the Society is it considered to be a “desire for prominence” or a “lack of humility”. I have known traveling overseers who in my opinion showed a remarkable lack of humility along with a desire for prominence but nothing was said because they followed the Society’s procedures to the letter.
A desire for prominence was a problem for the apostles as well. Mark 9:33,34 – “Then they came to Capernaum. When He was in the house, He asked them, “What were you arguing about on the way?” 34 But they were silent, because on the way they had been arguing with one another about who was the greatest.”
Tags: humility, prominence
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