Ex Jehovah's Witness here...

[carol_marie]

I am trying to find a reason not to investigate them more and all I hear is that they are too prudent, or restrictive or many different was of saying that they basically deprive themselves in the interest of trying to be God fearing, or Jehovah fearing however you put it.

Reasons not to investigate them more:

1. Unlike the Catholic Church which was founded by Jesus Christ, they are a group founded by a man, Charles T. Russell, who had such outlandish beliefs that even the JW’s themselves try to distance themselves from him.
2. They have rewritten the Bible (they call it the New World Translation) to support their otherwise unsubstantiated beliefs.
3. They do not believe that Jesus was God - but instead, they’ve invented this story that He was an angel - or a “god” but not THE God (hence the small “g”) and when He was on earth He was only a man.
4. They do not believe YOU have a heavenly hope - but rather, heaven is reserved for 144,000 - a literal number that they’ve taken out of the book of Revelation, although the rest of that same verse they translate figurativly. (makes no sense whatsoever)
5. If you sin, your JW family & friends are obligated to turn you into the elders and the elders will decide if you are forgiven. Even if you repent and ask for God’s forgiveness, the elders get the final “say” if God has forgiven you. Normally they decide that after you are truly sorry, it still takes Jehovah-God at least 6 months to forgive you, and sometimes even a year or more.

(Side note to Catholics: Can you even imagine a Priest saying after your confession: Check back with me in 6 months and I’ll let you know if God has forgiven you?!)

1. They are, according to the book of Dueteronomy - false prophets because NOTHING they have predicted has come true. Most recently, the generation they said wouldn’t pass away, has passed away - so that prediction which was on the inside cover of the AWAKE magazine for years & years has recently been changed. Eventually the JW at your door will claim the AWAKE magazine never said such a thing.
2. If you choose to become a JW, your entire life will be comprised of JW’s - all others will be considered “bad associations” and even if you begin to question the Society, it is almost impossible to leave because you are so brainwashed into thinking that all of the twisted things you’ve been taught are true.
3. No Christmas, Easter, Valentines Day, Birthdays; no voting, no friends who aren’t JW’s, no wearing a beard (if you are a guy) or anything but a dress to meetings (if you are a woman), no college, no career aspirations (worldly pursuits),
   No reading any religious literature that isn’t published by the Watchtower, no blood transfusions, no deciding which Church you will attend (you are assigned a Kingdom Hall) and no deciding which “meeting” you’ll attend on Sunday at that Kingdom Hall (you’re assigned a time).

Do you need more reasons? This is only the tip of the iceberg.

 

[GungHo]

Do you need more reasons? This is only the tip of the iceberg.

And the evil lies below. Did I mention that my wife is still a “true beliver?” So I live in a truely Orwellian world. I’m not allowed to discuss my “apostate” thinking with her, so even when I mention the fact that “inspired” and “spirit directed” were the same thing, I was told to keep those thoughts to myself.

Someone touched on the 1914 thing, and I wanted to expand on it. When I was young (around 1970 or so) we were taught that “this generation” will by no means pass away…and will be alive to see the end. The generation they were talking about was at first…Those old enough to see and “understand” the events of 1914. So this means those that were born around 1895 would still be alive to see the end. THEN…(as those people died off) it was changed to those that were about 10 years old…then to those who were just BORN in that year. NOW it has been changed to something that even loyal JW’s can’t understand, or explain to me. But they just except it like good little automatons. The Society has also made MANY predictions about when the end would come…with 1975 probably being the best known. They may have slyly not put the date in print, but they did repeat it from the platform many times. I even heard the District Overseer at a convention use the words…“just stay alive 'till 75.” But today, they will not admit that they did this. As Orwell says…“those that control the past, control the future.” The Society knows this well, and have been in overtime replacing all their old books with new, and not making mention of all the changes they have made. New people coming in are not taught about the old teachings, and the old ones risk being DF’ed for “apostasy” if they question anything.

They are also fond of saying that the “light gets brighter and brighter.” But in fact their “light” is flickering on and off.

 

[Jaypeeto4]

Welcome, GungHo !!
I too am an ex JW, now happily a Catholic.
Enjoy your visits to these Forums !!
God bless,
Jaypeeto4 (aka Jaypeeto3)

 

[GungHo]

At the last convention I went to, I decided to try and open a few eyes. Since Witnesses are taught not to read “apostate” literature, I thought I would true humor. So I printed up and left a bunch of these behind in mens rooms stalls. Austin Powers fans will probably get a hoot out of “my bio.”…

The details of my life are quite inconsequential. My father was a relentlessly self-improving used car salesman from Belgium, who was a loyal Jehovah’s Witness Elder. He had low-grade narcolepsy and a penchant for buggery. My mother was a fifteen-year-old French prostitute named Chloe with webbed feet. She was studying to be a Witness when they married. She already had two bastard sons and they also had webbed feet, along with a very limited IQ. I never was able to see eye to eye with them, as they never matured mentally. - Or grew taller than 4 feet. They also suffered from an extremely bad body odor. (They grew up to become Elders in the local congregation like my father. Or “Glorious Ones” as they liked to call themselves.) When my father was not giving talks at the Kingdom Hall, studying the Watchtower, or going door to door, he would womanize, he would drink, he would watch porn on the Internet, and he would make outrageous claims like he invented the question mark. Sometimes he would accuse chestnuts of being lazy, the sort of general malaise that only the genius possesses and the insane lament. My childhood was typical; summers in Rangoon, luge lessons. In the spring we’d make meat helmets and attend District Conventions. When I was insolent I was placed in a burlap bag and beaten with reeds, pretty standard really, this was taught by the Witnesses, as a way to prepare the young for the way the world would treat them. At the age of 12 I received my first scribe. At the age of fourteen, the wife of the Presiding Overseer whose name was Vilma, ritualistically shaved my testicles. There really is nothing like a shorn scrotum, it’s breathtaking, I suggest you try it.

P.S. Please do some research online about Jehovah’s Witnesses with an open mind. - I was a loyal Witness for more than 35 years, and finally came to understand that they do NOT have the truth. Please do not waste 35 years of your life like I did.

 

[scylla]

I think you will fit in with these forums…

We like to discuss and have fun so feel free to start threads and get comfy.
Congrats on getting out, I have spent the last few weeks talking to some JW’s who haven’t come around anymore as I think I am too tough a nut for them.

It makes me sad as they wont read anything I have even when I agree to read anything they have for the same amount of time. If they had truth wouldn’t they be free to read anything?
Heck I talk to pastors as a hobby, why if they had the truth would they be worried about examining their faith and others?

God Bless and welcome to the forums
Scylla

 

[Nan_S]

I can’t say that I am. Religiously scarred maybe. But I did just recently order several copies of a real Bible…the KJV. I have already seen for myself how the NWT is a complete crock.

May God bless you and fill you with His peace and strength.

Have you ever seen an old movie starring Richard Burton, called The Robe? It’s the story of how the centurion who crucified Christ finally became a Christian himself. It has a sequel called Demetrius and the Gladiators. Both are excellent portrayals of “why would anyone want to be a Christian?” They should be available for rent on DVD.

I also have a few books you may want to look at. I’m going to suggest a Catholic catechism and certain study bibles.

Now, I’m not trying to recruit you - far from it. But I’d like you to take a look particularly at the Catechism because it is the best, most comprehensive morals guide I have ever seen. You’ve told us you are feeling lost in darkness. This will shed a lot of light if you let it, even if you aren’t considering taking a serious look at the Catholic church.

First, the Catechism of the Catholic Church at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) website

Second, the just-released United States Catholic Catechism for Adults, which is a slightly easier read.

(Both of these are also listed at amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com)

And the bibles. I’ve selected these because of their readability, and their extensive explanations of the text. (Yes, my Catholic friends, two of them are NIVs. No rotten tomatoes, please. They’re still good bibles for a Christian inquirer)

The Catholic Answer Bible, a New American Bible (Catholic) which is brimming full of “what does this mean?” and “why do they do that?” references. The New American Bible is considered by many to be one of the most readable, and most accurate, modern translations.

The NIV Study Bible, which, although it is missing the deuterocanonical books (apocrypha), has a good concordance and extensive cross-references, along with a very balanced perspective in its footnotes and explanations.

The [NIV Disciple’s Study Bible](http://niv Disciple’s Study Bible), the same translation as the one above, but with footnotes and explanations that are more geared to Life Application than to academic study.

If I may be so bold, don’t worry about your wife. That she has not “turned you in” speaks volumes about her love for you, and possibly some unspoken discomfort she may have about the JWs. Your kind and prayerful attitude will speak far louder than any words you may use.

God bless,
Nan

 

[Allweather]

And the bibles. I’ve selected these because of their readability, and their extensive explanations of the text. (Yes, my Catholic friends, two of them are NIVs. No rotten tomatoes, please. They’re still good bibles for a Christian inquirer)
Nan

I like the NIV, too, though I don’t use it all that much anymore, having gotten to like the New American Bible a little better.

A few months ago I picked up a Zondervan NIV titled The Archaeological Study Bible. It is full of really cool articles and photos, maps, drawings about the archaeology of the Bible. The only thing I don’t like about it is that the typeface is very small for an old man like me, and sometimes the graphics obscure the text. I wouldn’t consider it a daily use bible, but it is good for reference, especially if you want to expand your knowledge of the places and things of the bible.

 

[Chris_LaRock]

I can’t say that I am. Religiously scarred maybe. But I did just recently order several copies of a real Bible…the KJV. I have already seen for myself how the NWT is a complete crock.

It’s interesting to read the Kingdom Interlinear and see how the NWT text contridicts the Greek text it was supposedly translated from.

Welcome aboard!

 

[Rolltide]

As a former Jehovah’s Witness, if you’re going to continue to read the Bible, you’re going to have to completely relearn it to work out all the JW doctrine. I would suggest the Ignatius Study Bible by Scott Hahn and Curtis Mitch. It uses the RSV-CE 2nd ed. and while incomplete, it is a great study Bible. Most of the New Testament is now complete, but it’s published in about 11 volumes. The last 2 or 3 are done but not out yet, and they’re all due to be released this year, I believe. I would also suggest the wonderful (but expensive) Navarre Study Bible, available in 10 volumes. It uses the RSV-CE, and it’s complete. You might want to check a library for this one, because each volume is $40 each. For serious study, rather than reflection, I’d go with the Ignatius Study Bible.

 

[Catholic_Dude]

GungHo,

So what is your story? What eventually led you out of the JWs? Also did you lose all faith in God or just in the JWs.

 

[colliric]

Welcome Gung Ho!

Now, the KJV is a great improvement from the NWT–and a good for the time translation–but it is (except for the most recent, approved for Catholic version) incomplete.

You need a Bible that does contain the Deuterocannonical texts that were in the Septuagint, the OT (Tanach) that is most cited and refered to in the NT

The RVSE Catholic edition is very good–but a Duoay-Rheims, or even a NAB will work too

what is the “approved for catholic version” of the KJV?

more info please.

i’m guessing it’s the so called “1611 version”? the one with the “Apocrypha”?

This was one version I saw in a catholic book shop in the new books section:
amazon.com/Bible-Penguin-Classics/dp/0141441518/ref=cm_lm_fullview_prod_5/103-4267298-5522231

is that the one?

i was quite surprised to see a KJV for sale in a catholic shop in the “New” .

 

[Grace_Angel]

Mentally or physically?

Physically I’m in the Pacific Northwest. Mentally, I feel free for the first time in my life. But being raised a JW has scarred me in more than one way. For one, I just don’t know WHAT to believe in. And right now, all I see is blackness at death.

It was also very hard to to come to grips with the fact that the end was not just around the corner…or as they say now “so close you can touch it with your tonge.” I was raised to not worry about the future, because “the end” will come first. I was told not to worry about doing well in school because “the end” would be here soon. Don’t go to college…higher education is the work of Satan. Then it was don’t worry about the draft. Then don’t worry about getting a good job. Then wait to get married in the “new system.” Don’t buy a house. Why buy property. All you really need to to do is go out in “service” more. GEEZ!!! It is a wonder I amounted to anything at all!

Hello Gungho, one thing you havent waited for or lost is your sense of humour. Well done. With that after a time you will find your way on the right road. Rememer, at the moment you ar at the Y junction, yhou can go right side or left side. Up till now have been a JW, thats up to the Y now with time, prayer ,grace, friendship with new friends who also love you and the Lord, you will make decision which side (left or right) you want to go towards. Another thing, its never ever ever lights out. darkness.
God Bless and keep you covered and protected.
Grace Angel.
Goodnite from Australia.:angel1:

 

[jschwehm]

Hi Gungho:

Welcome to the board.

I am an ex-JW. I was raised as a JW since I was five years old. I pioneered and served at Bethel. My wife and I left the JWs in 1996. We entered the Catholic Church in 2003 and now we run an apostolate known as The Fellowship of Catholic Ex-Jehovah’s Witnesses. Feel free to visit our website at www.catholicxjw.com

I have audio files you might like to listen to, conversion stories, and articles on the Catholic faith there for free. If you have any questions feel free to post them on this board or email me at jschwehm@catholicxjw.com

God’s blessings to you,

Jeff Schwehm

 

[disappointed1]

P.S. Please do some research online about Jehovah’s Witnesses with an open mind. - I was a loyal Witness for more than 35 years, and finally came to understand that they do NOT have the truth. Please do not waste 35 years of your life like I did.

WOW, that was a lot of information. I didn’t expect so much. I guess i struggle with some of it. Some of it I am not sure I follow or believe even,(like that JW"S teach to put their kids in a burlap sack and beat them). I am researching. I am just suprised you picked the Catholic faith. Don’t they have thier own religion? Are you saying that Jesus was a Catholic. I have done a little research on the Trinity topic. I am assuming that is what you meant by the whole Jesus is God and not god thing. I have a little trouble believing in the Trinity I must admit. It just doesn’t make sense to me. I never believed it so it is not something I picked up from JW’s or anything. But it fundamentally does not make sense. If God and Jesus where the same who resurrected Jesus when he was dead for 3 days. Why does Jesus never make claim’s be being equal to God and who did he pray to. I am taking what you say under consideration. I am a searcher right now. I am not getting out my check book on this Catholic thing though. I think there are issues there. I shouldn’t even bring them up right now but, they impose things on their patrons that the bible doesn’t support. Like no marraige for priest and their view on contraception. Aren’t thoughs some of the issues that you mentioned for the JW’s? I won’t even mention how they have handled the misconduct of many of their Priest. Is the priest the same as an Elder or Glorious One?

 

[Chris_LaRock]

This might help. The audio testimonies are interesting.

jwinfoline.com/index.htm

 

[disappointed1]

Reasons not to investigate them more:

1. Unlike the Catholic Church which was founded by Jesus Christ, they are a group founded by a man, Charles T. Russell, who had such outlandish beliefs that even the JW’s themselves try to distance themselves from him.

Ok, I took you up on this. I was already aware of the man Charles Russel and one thing I think you have them on is that the Catholic Church has been around alot longer but man I am shocked at the orgin of the Catholic Church. First of all, where did you get that it was founded by Christ? I tried to find that, I could not. Christ died in about 33 A.D. or thereabouts. He should have been in his early 30’s. The Catholic Religion came into existense some 280 years later if I am not mistaken. The sad part is that it seems to have taken a bunch of pagan beliefs and tried to make them Christian. I don’t know I fundamentally have an issue with that. I am looking for truth not convenience. I truth says something is bad I want no part of it, that’s why I have issue with the Catholics. They were founded on pagan worship. Adopting them and making them Christian Friendly sort of gives me a weird feeling. I guess I am curious how you settleed on Catholicism. I am trying to sort out the things you mentioned about JWs. Other people have different things to say about the same things and they sound a little different…still searching

 

[GungHo]

If they had truth wouldn’t they be free to read anything?

You may not believe this, but JW’s are taught (or at least were when I was young) to NOT just read the Bible by itself. You needed the Societies publications to understand it, or get this…you might start beliveing in the Trinity.

BTW, another one of the things I came to understand is that they try to just keep you to tired to think for yourself. 5 meetings per week (and you are expected to spend about an hour preparing for each one) and at the very LEAST 10 hours of knocking on doors each month. Then you are supposed to do “personal” study, and have a study with your family. Ohh, and your supposed to read “their” Bible for about 20 minutes every day. Then of course add to this keeping a roof over your head, food on the table, and gas in the car. BTW, if you do not raise your hand and comment at each meeting, sooner or later this will get noticed, and you will be labeled week. And if you have any “previledges” may lose them.

 

[disappointed1]

Hi Gungho:

I am an ex-JW. I was raised as a JW since I was five years old. I pioneered and served at Bethel. My wife and I left the JWs in 1996. We entered the Catholic Church in 2003 and now we run an apostolate known as The Fellowship of Catholic Ex-Jehovah’s Witnesses. Feel free to visit our website at www.catholicxjw.com

I just don’t get it. If you were trying to get away from rules and false doctrine, why Catholicism. Don’t they have like their entire whole other book of rules that are supposed to be more holy that the bible. Traditions or whatever you want to call them. I am trying to understand but cannot.

 

[GungHo]

If I may be so bold, don’t worry about your wife. That she has not “turned you in” speaks volumes about her love for you, and possibly some unspoken discomfort she may have about the JWs. Your kind and prayerful attitude will speak far louder than any words you may use.

Thank you for the suggestions on Bibles, (I have saved the links, and found a few new ones) and for the above comment. What do you think about the Revised Standard Version Catholic Bible?

 

[Rolltide]

Thank you for the suggestions on Bibles, (I have saved the links, and found a few new ones) and for the above comment. What do you think about the Revised Standard Version Catholic Bible?

Well, although no Bible translation is perfect, I think you’ll find that it’s a good balance between a literal translation and a literary translation. It doesn’t contain inclusive language, and most people on here would probably tell you it’s a pretty good choice, even if they might have another that’s their particular favorite. It’s probably the most recommended version to start with.