Comments on: An Elder shares his honest opinions http://ex-jw.com/elder-shares-honest-opinions#utm_source=feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=feed Internet based resources for current and former Jehovah's Witnesses Mon, 06 Feb 2012 00:11:22 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Editor http://ex-jw.com/elder-shares-honest-opinions/comment-page-3#comment-870 Editor Sun, 29 Jan 2012 20:19:20 +0000 http://ex-jw.com/?p=989#comment-870 Why don't you call your local Kingdom Hall or the Watchtower's headquarters in Patterson, NY and ask them. We know they have that information but will refuse to ever reveal it. The way we know? Ask a person who has tried to rejoin a Kingdom Hall in another city after being disfellowshipped or disassociated and hiding that fact. Within a few weeks he or she will be exposed and tossed out of the new congregation. We also know that they have a huge list of convicted and accused JW pedophiles (including some who are still active and others who serve as elders). Ask them for that list too while you're at it. Of course, we know what their answer will be: "No such lists exist..."<div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('870','Editor'); return false;">Reply</a> </div> Why don’t you call your local Kingdom Hall or the Watchtower’s headquarters in Patterson, NY and ask them. We know they have that information but will refuse to ever reveal it. The way we know? Ask a person who has tried to rejoin a Kingdom Hall in another city after being disfellowshipped or disassociated and hiding that fact. Within a few weeks he or she will be exposed and tossed out of the new congregation. We also know that they have a huge list of convicted and accused JW pedophiles (including some who are still active and others who serve as elders). Ask them for that list too while you’re at it. Of course, we know what their answer will be: “No such lists exist…”
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]]> By: Peter http://ex-jw.com/elder-shares-honest-opinions/comment-page-3#comment-854 Peter Wed, 18 Jan 2012 00:09:19 +0000 http://ex-jw.com/?p=989#comment-854 I Would Like To Know Where The Information Is Stored Of Ones That Have Been Disfellowshipped. With The Elders Or The Society Headquarters<div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('854','Peter'); return false;">Reply</a> </div> I Would Like To Know Where The Information Is Stored Of Ones That Have Been Disfellowshipped. With The Elders Or The Society Headquarters
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]]> By: Huff http://ex-jw.com/elder-shares-honest-opinions/comment-page-3#comment-842 Huff Thu, 01 Dec 2011 01:10:50 +0000 http://ex-jw.com/?p=989#comment-842 <a href='#comment-499' rel="nofollow">@Ashley</a> - Exactly..that was the best thing I've read tonight. I have a college degree, but I have a disability as well... put down no one, we all have different gifts.<div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('842','Huff'); return false;">Reply</a> </div> @Ashley – Exactly..that was the best thing I’ve read tonight. I have a college degree, but I have a disability as well… put down no one, we all have different gifts.
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]]> By: Raveen http://ex-jw.com/elder-shares-honest-opinions/comment-page-3#comment-737 Raveen Fri, 27 May 2011 20:13:46 +0000 http://ex-jw.com/?p=989#comment-737 Thank You for your toughts. I'm dyslexic and will never be able to spell well so I'll keep my thoughts short. I've been on many "apostate" sites and have found EX-JW's just trying to heal. Anger is a stage that most move on from. I hope some day you too will be able to experiance freedom from the cult. May God Bless YOU<div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('737','Raveen'); return false;">Reply</a> </div> Thank You for your toughts. I’m dyslexic and will never be able to spell well so I’ll keep my thoughts short. I’ve been on many “apostate” sites and have found EX-JW’s just trying to heal. Anger is a stage that most move on from. I hope some day you too will be able to experiance freedom from the cult. May God Bless YOU
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]]> By: Katie http://ex-jw.com/elder-shares-honest-opinions/comment-page-3#comment-735 Katie Sat, 21 May 2011 10:04:43 +0000 http://ex-jw.com/?p=989#comment-735 I was raised one of Jehovahs Witnesses and though I havent been practicing for about 6 years now, I only recently was announced at my former kingdom hall as no longer a JW. My mother has been bearing gossip and persecution for me no longer being involved, and she of course is heart broken that I am no longer involve. Its horrific to me, that my mother who I am so close to, needs love and sympathy and instead is dealing with the cliques. Shes decided to change halls, and I'm glad. Ours was particularly bad. And Im sure its common, but any time someone would talk to an elder, he would tell his wife and she would gossip and everything would get spread around and skewed without love for the person in trouble. It tore me to my core to lose my faith in a religion that Ive always seen as pure truth. To realize that Ive been lied to, and that the people I love are being lied to. If that wasnt bad enough, to lose the people that Ive loved and respected. Growing up an 'apostate' was the angry guy jumping around in a devil suit outside the convention hall. I never thought that label would be attributed to me. It is the worst insult a JW could lay on someone, and now that's me. Never mind that I do my best to serve God, that I am moral and in a loving committed marriage... I am less, and more skummy than the JW girl I grew up with who is posing half naked in front of playboy paraphernalia in all her Facebook photos. Its heart breaking knowing that my mother is lieing to her elders so that she can still have a strong relationship with me. Though I am grateful that she has chosen to keep me in her life. I am still torn up from the loss that I've experienced, I don't think that's something that any of us, even after healing or finding new and true faith will completely forget. I see a lot of true love for God in that religion, you have to have it to endure everything a JW does for their belief in 'truth'. And I am grateful that they instilled in me a passionate love for God and the bible, despite what ever 'damage' I may have endured. I also see how in some of the more ideal situations they can be an example of how a true Christian community should be, giving without a price tag. I am also SO glad that being a JW as a kid kept me from getting into as much trouble as I probably would have. But above all right now... I am angry. I am angry at being lied to my whole life. Finding out they intentionally mistranslate their bibles to suit their beliefs. That they are false prophets and keep truth from people who genuinely want to be close to God. That you are punished for wanting honesty. I could go into specific personal issues Ive experienced in that religion but ultimately, people are imperfect. I cant expect anything more, especially from people who don't know what they are doing or truly believe they are doing what is right. I am devout Catholic now. And it was a difficult transition but with a lot of doctrinal research I am in love. I am not looking to convert anybody to Catholicism, but there is this really great site that I'm linking http://www.towerwatch.com/Witnessing/101_questions.htm that goes into specific issues regarding JW beliefs and how they contradict the bible and even their own teachings. I found it to be exactly what I needed, it covered a lot of bases and answered a lot of my questions (for the most part its strictly about JW, not Catholicism, so don't be afraid haha). Maybe it will help someone else out there if you haven't seen it already. It can be used with the NWT because its specifically set up as a confrontation tool. Though I have no intention of using it in the same way, it still helped me, and maybe when the time is right I can use the information to get my mom out of their trap (as it is she thinks I'm nuts). I send my love to the people that are enduring what we've been through, and the loss of loved ones. JW have a way of burrowing into your brain till you obstinately don't want to see truth. I want to vomit the lies they have fed me.<div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('735','Katie'); return false;">Reply</a> </div> I was raised one of Jehovahs Witnesses and though I havent been practicing for about 6 years now, I only recently was announced at my former kingdom hall as no longer a JW. My mother has been bearing gossip and persecution for me no longer being involved, and she of course is heart broken that I am no longer involve. Its horrific to me, that my mother who I am so close to, needs love and sympathy and instead is dealing with the cliques. Shes decided to change halls, and I’m glad. Ours was particularly bad. And Im sure its common, but any time someone would talk to an elder, he would tell his wife and she would gossip and everything would get spread around and skewed without love for the person in trouble. It tore me to my core to lose my faith in a religion that Ive always seen as pure truth. To realize that Ive been lied to, and that the people I love are being lied to. If that wasnt bad enough, to lose the people that Ive loved and respected.
Growing up an ‘apostate’ was the angry guy jumping around in a devil suit outside the convention hall. I never thought that label would be attributed to me. It is the worst insult a JW could lay on someone, and now that’s me. Never mind that I do my best to serve God, that I am moral and in a loving committed marriage… I am less, and more skummy than the JW girl I grew up with who is posing half naked in front of playboy paraphernalia in all her Facebook photos. Its heart breaking knowing that my mother is lieing to her elders so that she can still have a strong relationship with me. Though I am grateful that she has chosen to keep me in her life. I am still torn up from the loss that I’ve experienced, I don’t think that’s something that any of us, even after healing or finding new and true faith will completely forget. I see a lot of true love for God in that religion, you have to have it to endure everything a JW does for their belief in ‘truth’. And I am grateful that they instilled in me a passionate love for God and the bible, despite what ever ‘damage’ I may have endured. I also see how in some of the more ideal situations they can be an example of how a true Christian community should be, giving without a price tag. I am also SO glad that being a JW as a kid kept me from getting into as much trouble as I probably would have. But above all right now…
I am angry. I am angry at being lied to my whole life. Finding out they intentionally mistranslate their bibles to suit their beliefs. That they are false prophets and keep truth from people who genuinely want to be close to God. That you are punished for wanting honesty. I could go into specific personal issues Ive experienced in that religion but ultimately, people are imperfect. I cant expect anything more, especially from people who don’t know what they are doing or truly believe they are doing what is right. I am devout Catholic now. And it was a difficult transition but with a lot of doctrinal research I am in love.
I am not looking to convert anybody to Catholicism, but there is this really great site that I’m linking
http://www.towerwatch.com/Witnessing/101_questions.htm
that goes into specific issues regarding JW beliefs and how they contradict the bible and even their own teachings. I found it to be exactly what I needed, it covered a lot of bases and answered a lot of my questions (for the most part its strictly about JW, not Catholicism, so don’t be afraid haha). Maybe it will help someone else out there if you haven’t seen it already. It can be used with the NWT because its specifically set up as a confrontation tool. Though I have no intention of using it in the same way, it still helped me, and maybe when the time is right I can use the information to get my mom out of their trap (as it is she thinks I’m nuts).

I send my love to the people that are enduring what we’ve been through, and the loss of loved ones. JW have a way of burrowing into your brain till you obstinately don’t want to see truth. I want to vomit the lies they have fed me.

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]]> By: Charlene http://ex-jw.com/elder-shares-honest-opinions/comment-page-3#comment-734 Charlene Tue, 17 May 2011 00:06:01 +0000 http://ex-jw.com/?p=989#comment-734 I was a JW for many years, living with an abusive "head of household". My husband embraced this concept because in his mind it justified the mistreatment of his family. Elders reproved me for divorcing him but he was never reproved or counseled. It seems to me that women are at the bottom of the totem pole when it comes to being taken seriously. There are no women on the Governing Body which doesn’t really make sense to me because women are allowed to be of the heavenly class. I, like the elder who wrote this article, keep my thoughts and feelings to myself. Why you may ask? It is because I have a grown son who is active in the religion with his wife and children. If I speak out publicly he would most likely be told to disassociate himself from me. So I say nothing and I get to keep my relationship with my son. One day, I pray that my son can be released from this religion by the powers of his own mind.<div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('734','Charlene'); return false;">Reply</a> </div> I was a JW for many years, living with an abusive “head of household”. My husband embraced this concept because in his mind it justified the mistreatment of his family. Elders reproved me for divorcing him but he was never reproved or counseled. It seems to me that women are at the bottom of the totem pole when it comes to being taken seriously. There are no women on the Governing Body which doesn’t really make sense to me because women are allowed to be of the heavenly class.
I, like the elder who wrote this article, keep my thoughts and feelings to myself. Why you may ask? It is because I have a grown son who is active in the religion with his wife and children. If I speak out publicly he would most likely be told to disassociate himself from me. So I say nothing and I get to keep my relationship with my son.
One day, I pray that my son can be released from this religion by the powers of his own mind.
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]]> By: Charlotte http://ex-jw.com/elder-shares-honest-opinions/comment-page-3#comment-718 Charlotte Fri, 15 Apr 2011 12:52:07 +0000 http://ex-jw.com/?p=989#comment-718 Dear Morgan Thank you for the wordfamine link. Sadly this does not surprise me and quite explains the insecurities of the governing body that renders them opposed to any other witness gaining an education for themselves. As quite rightly say, hypocrites who are indeed closing the heavenly kingdom's doors on their adherents. God bless you for sharing this information/link.<div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('718','Charlotte'); return false;">Reply</a> </div> Dear Morgan

Thank you for the wordfamine link.

Sadly this does not surprise me and quite explains the insecurities of the governing body that renders them opposed to any other witness gaining an education for themselves. As quite rightly say, hypocrites who are indeed closing the heavenly kingdom’s doors on their adherents.

God bless you for sharing this information/link.

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]]> By: Morgan MacIntosh http://ex-jw.com/elder-shares-honest-opinions/comment-page-2#comment-715 Morgan MacIntosh Thu, 14 Apr 2011 02:25:22 +0000 http://ex-jw.com/?p=989#comment-715 I am not surprised at all to learn that the NWT doesn't stand up to other Bibles. http://www.freeminds.org/doctrine/publications/the-new-world-translation-and-its-critics.html http://www.wordfamine.com/NewWorldTranslation.html All this is rather eye-opening when not bound by the baseless fears inculcated into every JW by the Governing Body. Jesus told his followers to keep knocking and it would be opened. To his opponents (Pharisees/Governing Body) he said "you shut the kingdom of the heavens up before men. Neither do you yourselves go in, nor do you allow anyone else to go in. Hypocrites!"<div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('715','Morgan MacIntosh'); return false;">Reply</a> </div> I am not surprised at all to learn that the NWT doesn’t stand up to other Bibles.
http://www.freeminds.org/doctrine/publications/the-new-world-translation-and-its-critics.html

http://www.wordfamine.com/NewWorldTranslation.html

All this is rather eye-opening when not bound by the baseless fears inculcated into every JW by the Governing Body. Jesus told his followers to keep knocking and it would be opened. To his opponents (Pharisees/Governing Body) he said “you shut the kingdom of the heavens up before men. Neither do you yourselves go in, nor do you allow anyone else to go in. Hypocrites!”

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]]> By: cate http://ex-jw.com/elder-shares-honest-opinions/comment-page-2#comment-705 cate Tue, 08 Mar 2011 13:25:12 +0000 http://ex-jw.com/?p=989#comment-705 read john 3:16-to all JW's.. Also John 17:2.. I do hope and pray that you will realize that Jesus is the way,the truth and life..Accept Jesus now and LIVE LIKE HIM for HE is coming..WAKE UP! WAKE UP!! Read your BIBLE,not the WT and you will find the truth..<div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('705','cate'); return false;">Reply</a> </div> read john 3:16-to all JW’s.. Also John 17:2.. I do hope and pray that you will realize that Jesus is the way,the truth and life..Accept Jesus now and LIVE LIKE HIM for HE is coming..WAKE UP! WAKE UP!! Read your BIBLE,not the WT and you will find the truth..
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]]> By: Charlotte http://ex-jw.com/elder-shares-honest-opinions/comment-page-2#comment-704 Charlotte Wed, 02 Mar 2011 16:55:20 +0000 http://ex-jw.com/?p=989#comment-704 Dear all I was born and bred a JW and was a regular auxiliary pioneer often topping the 90 hour mark per month but did not want to apply for regular pioneering in case any particular month I could not do the full 90 hours. Please do the best thing you have ever done for God and yourselves and become born again (which merely means having the Holy Spirit dwelling in you which many scriptures state Christians have), saved Christians. In my studies when I started to have doubts of the GB's flip-flopping teachings (I do not mean to be disrespectful here, but it is true) I gathered many translations around me and compared them with the NWT and the differences were staggering to say the least. All of the other translations stated the same thing, but the NWT was different from them all on a number of issues. Please go to Randy Watters Freeminds.org and read his experiences as a Bethel lad and a few of the things going on in Bethel which should not. I know it is not easy and I was cut off from my family but God says if we lose family for His sake, he will more than compensate and I now have a wonderful Christian church family and fantastic friends. Revelation states that the great crowd are in heaven before the throne of God. The 144,000 is not a literal number, it is a multiple of 12 (which stands for perfect totality) which means that it is the entire church of God that will be in heaven. The Bible’s words are for you and I personally and not some mystical 144,000. I am praying you will all become saved and true Christians and that I have the pleasure of meeting you all in heaven and in eternity. I hope you all go to a local Bible teaching church and flourish. God bless and keep you. Get out and make a real and tangible relationship with God and Jesus plus the future of living in heaven the reality for you it really is!<div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('704','Charlotte'); return false;">Reply</a> </div> Dear all

I was born and bred a JW and was a regular auxiliary pioneer often topping the 90 hour mark per month but did not want to apply for regular pioneering in case any particular month I could not do the full 90 hours.

Please do the best thing you have ever done for God and yourselves and become born again (which merely means having the Holy Spirit dwelling in you which many scriptures state Christians have), saved Christians.

In my studies when I started to have doubts of the GB’s flip-flopping teachings (I do not mean to be disrespectful here, but it is true) I gathered many translations around me and compared them with the NWT and the differences were staggering to say the least. All of the other translations stated the same thing, but the NWT was different from them all on a number of issues.

Please go to Randy Watters Freeminds.org and read his experiences as a Bethel lad and a few of the things going on in Bethel which should not.

I know it is not easy and I was cut off from my family but God says if we lose family for His sake, he will more than compensate and I now have a wonderful Christian church family and fantastic friends.

Revelation states that the great crowd are in heaven before the throne of God. The 144,000 is not a literal number, it is a multiple of 12 (which stands for perfect totality) which means that it is the entire church of God that will be in heaven.

The Bible’s words are for you and I personally and not some mystical 144,000.

I am praying you will all become saved and true Christians and that I have the pleasure of meeting you all in heaven and in eternity.

I hope you all go to a local Bible teaching church and flourish.

God bless and keep you. Get out and make a real and tangible relationship with God and Jesus plus the future of living in heaven the reality for you it really is!

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