But on your own? Not baptized or part of Jehovah's modern day people?
What choice do I have? Would I want to be baptized or associate myself with 99% of Christians who teach false doctrine? Myth and fables? Would I be baptized by someone who I think are false prophets?
So can I ask what you study intensely?
The Bible, with the help of the Watchtower Library. I explained that I thought that the JWs were the closest to the truth, but that they were false prophets. Someone made the remark that I was talking out of both sides of my mouth. Here is the reality as a whole. The Watchtower is run by a group of old men in New York called the Governing Body. Their primary concern is not Jehovah's will, it's keeping numbers up. Quite often throughout their history they have made decisions that greatly impact peoples lives. People have spent years in prison, died in need of organ transplants. lost everything they own, including their families and friends, only to have the Governing Body change it's position and then blame the ones who were foolish enough to listen to them.
But, there is also a team of writers and researchers who have a sincere interest, if only somewhat misguided due to a loyalty to a organization of men, who have accumulated over the years a great deal of accurate information on the Bible. As long as the stuff the writing team is dealing with doesn't involve the organization it's good. When they start reading themselves into prophecy it's like they go nuts. That's where the research stops and the influence of the Governing Body starts.
I notice that you have used our old NWT....did you know its been updated? The new revised edition has made some important changes.
Interesting! What passages did I use which indicated to you that I used an old NWT?
If Paul said that we must "all speak in agreement", (1 Corinthians 1:10) who is it that you are in agreement with? If you study on your own and make up your own mind about what to believe, then how are you part of the Master's household? He said he would appoint a 'faithful and discreet slave' to feed all of his fellow slaves their "food at the proper time" (Matthew 24:45).....can I ask who is feeding you?
I don't think God recommends self service.
Paul was addressing the Corinthians. Congregations met in households. They didn't have a corporation headquarters. What you are really telling me, and the world, is that "Yeah, Jesus is the only way to Jehovah, true, BUT, we are the only way to Jesus." And that's presumptuous at the least, and out right lie at the worst. Your job, like Paul's and like mine, is to plant the seed. That's all.
Is being isolated how Jesus taught us to be a disciple? Paul's words, alluded to by Hockeycowboy meant that we are supposed to associate regularly with our spiritual brothers and sisters, (Romans 1:12; Hebrews 10:24-25)......so who are your 'brothers and sisters', if I may ask?
Apparently supporting a human organization of false prophets. Where were Enoch's, John's, Melchizedek's brothers and sisters?
Hang on...I have been a Witness for 45 years and I have no memory of being told not to read the Proclaimers Book.
Must have missed the memo....
The society were admonishing the JWs for NOT reading the Proclaimers book. There wasn't an interest in it. They weren't getting it, and when they did get it they weren't reading it. The Proclaimers Book, by the way, readers, is a 600 + page history of the Watchtower.
Hmmmm....the opinions of humans really don't count you know.
Most definitely. I was merely pointing out that I took my spiritual responsibility, a personal responsibility, very serious. It was very important to me.
Was Jehovah seeing you as a brother? That is the more important question.
Jehovah doesn't think of any one as his brother. I've never heard such a thing. Friend, yes. Children, yes. Brother? No.
You see, its not about head knowledge or how good a 'student' you are....satan had more head knowledge than any human, and yet he thought more of himself than Jehovah did.....its about what is in our hearts, not about how much knowledge is in our head. (1 Corinthians 8:1) And it matters how we represent our Master. Anyone can put on a front.....and I am starting to get the impression that you were good at it....am I mistaken?
I consider that extremely insulting. I put on no front. Ever. For anyone. It would be foolish of me to think I could do so with Jehovah, and pointless to do it with anyone else.
Here is an example....you're telling us that the hypocrites stumbled you and yet here you are telling us that you lied to the brother studying with you and everyone else? And because he admitted to doing the same, that somehow made it OK? Weren't you also lying to Jehovah? Wasn't he?
There's more to it than that. Hypocrites didn't stumble me, they revealed to me the reality. I lied to the PO because I was unsure of the organization's claims. I didn't want to let them decide for me what was right and what was wrong. I doubted their claims of Jehovah's direct participation in their affairs. So I said to myself, I want to go from door to door more than anything, let's go out with them, as the PO suggested, and see what it's like. I told you what it was like.
The PO had a different scenario. He had smoked for years, before the surgeon general's warning the society allowed smoking, but publishers were not allowed to smoke. I came along much later when the policy was no smoking even for unbaptized publishers. Neither one of us were of the opinion that what we did was OK, we made mistakes. You know how the writers of the Bible were very honest and forthcoming about their mistakes. Not so much the society. Unless it becomes a legal issue or their numbers start to fall. Why is this? Because it would look like their organization isn't Jehovah's. It isn't. It doesn't work that way.
I'm sorry but I am getting a bit confused about the accounts you are giving here.....to tell you the truth, I am sick of hearing one sided stories about my brothers for the simple reason we can't hear the other side of these stories. No judgment is possible unless both sides are presented. It doesn't stop people from doing it though.
You encourage other people to investigate their denomination's shortcomings while yours forbids you to do so. Doesn't that bother you?
I guess the Jews heard some awful stories about those terrible Christians too. It was enough to make them want to kill him, even though none of them were true! Does history repeat?
You ain't them.
I will wait to hear about your issues with our beliefs......from what you have said so far, it might be interesting....
That's pretty much it. Organ transplants, vaccinations, higher education, the Standfasters (neutrality) are pretty much brief asides, covering up child molestation and false prophecy is the primary concern, other than the obvious fact that when anyone says they have the only way to God or truth even, they are lying.
