I have been asked by several jw's why it is that I am wasting my time speaking out against the teachings of the Watchtower. I tell them that while I am am quite against any high control group or cult that blasphemes Almighty God by spreading a different Gospel than the one Jesus came to share with humanity, I was part of the jw's for many decades and I know their teachings better than those of any other group.
I also feel that coming out of that cult I can better understand the mindset of any jw and am in a singular position to try to reach them and bring them the Light of Jesus Christ so they can also find their way out of that group. A song woke me up a while back and by the way it expresses how a man might show someone else what he has been through in his life to get back to Jesus. that perhaps he can make a difference and help someone to find the Lord God.
False Dates Slideshow
Friday, September 4, 2009
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Why Do Jehovah's Witnesses Not Allow Deuteronomy 18:20-22 To Be Applied To Their Own Organization?
From their own New World Translation:
Deut. 18:20-22
20 “‘However, the prophet who presumes to speak in my name a word that I have not commanded him to speak or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet must die. 21 And in case you should say in your heart: “How shall we know the word that Jehovah has not spoken?” 22 when the prophet speaks in the name of Jehovah and the word does not occur or come true, that is the word that Jehovah did not speak. With presumptuousness the prophet spoke it. You must not get frightened at him.’
I know they claim that they are only spirit guided and not inspired and that they never claimed to be prophets. Therefore they say that this hard hitting scripture cannot be applied to them. But what about this? Page 197 of the April 1, 1972 Watchtower Magazine says under the heading of: IDENTIFYING THE “PROPHET” These questions can be answered in the affirmative. Who is this prophet? The clergy of the so-called “Christian” nations hold themselves before the people as being the ones commissioned to speak for God. But, as pointed out in the previous issue of this magazine, they have failed God and failed as proclaimers of his kingdom by approving a man-made political organization, the League of Nations (now the United Nations), as “the political expression of the Kingdom of God on earth.” However, Jehovah did not let the people of Christendom, as led by the clergy, go without being warned that the League was a counterfeit substitute for the real kingdom of God. He had a “prophet” to warn them. This “prophet” was not one man, but was a body of men and women. It was the small group of footstep followers of Jesus Christ, known at that time as International Bible Students. Today they are known as Jehovah’s Christian witnesses. They are still proclaiming a warning, and have been joined and assisted in their commissioned work by hundreds of thousands of persons who have listened to their message with belief. --(Emphasis mine)
I think that it is clear that they are calling themselves prophets in this article. An article that was written during the height of their false claims that the great tribulation would be complete by the end of 1975 and that Christ's Millennial Reign would begin immediately after. How many times does a prophet have to be wrong I wonder to qualify as a false prophet? One false claim is all it should take. GOD's reputation will not be sullied by the false claims of evil men. So, whether the Watchtower Society's leadership thinks that no one should apply Deuteronomy 18:20-22 to them or not, I believe that we are correct to not be afraid of them and in fact should disregard everything the Watchtower Society prints as being of Satan. After all, GOD will apply Deuteronomy 18:20-22 to all false prophets...The Watchtower Society included.
Source material for 1975 claims:
Audio of their governing body member Brother Franz saying that it would all be over by the end of 1975:
Text of the audio: "...So you see, we don't have much left to this year nineteen hundred and seventy-five, It's gonna end at sundown on September the fifth, and that immediately after September the fifth why the Millennial Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ MUST begin in order to fulfill the final thousand years of God's great seventh creative day. And they're expecting the Great Tribulation to occur, and the destruction of Babylon the Great, and the annihilation of the political systems of this world, and then the binding of Satan and his demons, and their abyssing to occur before this year is ended, this year nineteen hundred and seventy-five. And immediately thereafter the thousand - year Reign of the Lord Jesus Christ to begin."
Deut. 18:20-22
20 “‘However, the prophet who presumes to speak in my name a word that I have not commanded him to speak or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet must die. 21 And in case you should say in your heart: “How shall we know the word that Jehovah has not spoken?” 22 when the prophet speaks in the name of Jehovah and the word does not occur or come true, that is the word that Jehovah did not speak. With presumptuousness the prophet spoke it. You must not get frightened at him.’
I know they claim that they are only spirit guided and not inspired and that they never claimed to be prophets. Therefore they say that this hard hitting scripture cannot be applied to them. But what about this? Page 197 of the April 1, 1972 Watchtower Magazine says under the heading of: IDENTIFYING THE “PROPHET” These questions can be answered in the affirmative. Who is this prophet? The clergy of the so-called “Christian” nations hold themselves before the people as being the ones commissioned to speak for God. But, as pointed out in the previous issue of this magazine, they have failed God and failed as proclaimers of his kingdom by approving a man-made political organization, the League of Nations (now the United Nations), as “the political expression of the Kingdom of God on earth.” However, Jehovah did not let the people of Christendom, as led by the clergy, go without being warned that the League was a counterfeit substitute for the real kingdom of God. He had a “prophet” to warn them. This “prophet” was not one man, but was a body of men and women. It was the small group of footstep followers of Jesus Christ, known at that time as International Bible Students. Today they are known as Jehovah’s Christian witnesses. They are still proclaiming a warning, and have been joined and assisted in their commissioned work by hundreds of thousands of persons who have listened to their message with belief. --(Emphasis mine)
I think that it is clear that they are calling themselves prophets in this article. An article that was written during the height of their false claims that the great tribulation would be complete by the end of 1975 and that Christ's Millennial Reign would begin immediately after. How many times does a prophet have to be wrong I wonder to qualify as a false prophet? One false claim is all it should take. GOD's reputation will not be sullied by the false claims of evil men. So, whether the Watchtower Society's leadership thinks that no one should apply Deuteronomy 18:20-22 to them or not, I believe that we are correct to not be afraid of them and in fact should disregard everything the Watchtower Society prints as being of Satan. After all, GOD will apply Deuteronomy 18:20-22 to all false prophets...The Watchtower Society included.
Source material for 1975 claims:
Audio of their governing body member Brother Franz saying that it would all be over by the end of 1975:
Text of the audio: "...So you see, we don't have much left to this year nineteen hundred and seventy-five, It's gonna end at sundown on September the fifth, and that immediately after September the fifth why the Millennial Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ MUST begin in order to fulfill the final thousand years of God's great seventh creative day. And they're expecting the Great Tribulation to occur, and the destruction of Babylon the Great, and the annihilation of the political systems of this world, and then the binding of Satan and his demons, and their abyssing to occur before this year is ended, this year nineteen hundred and seventy-five. And immediately thereafter the thousand - year Reign of the Lord Jesus Christ to begin."
Friday, July 24, 2009
Jehovah's Witnesses & Former jw's, Are You Or Were You Ever...?
ASHAMED?
Ashamed to admit that you either are or were a jw?
I have been having a discussion with a fellow ex jw this evening over pecan pie and ice cold milk and the topic of pride and shame came up. I discovered that while my companion was well known to his classmates and neighbors as a jw and he took great pride in his role as a jw. He was hated at school but used that to puff himself up with pride he says.
This seemed foreign to me because as I was growing up in the 1960's and 1970's my being a jw caused me nothing but grief. From problems with teachers and students to neighbors making fun of me I felt a dread anytime I felt that someone new might learn of my parent's choice in religion.
Even now, when I speak to current and former coworkers I never, and I mean NEVER let them know anything about my ties to the Watchtower.
How about you? Anyone out there ever ashamed of your jw-ness?
Ashamed to admit that you either are or were a jw?
I have been having a discussion with a fellow ex jw this evening over pecan pie and ice cold milk and the topic of pride and shame came up. I discovered that while my companion was well known to his classmates and neighbors as a jw and he took great pride in his role as a jw. He was hated at school but used that to puff himself up with pride he says.
This seemed foreign to me because as I was growing up in the 1960's and 1970's my being a jw caused me nothing but grief. From problems with teachers and students to neighbors making fun of me I felt a dread anytime I felt that someone new might learn of my parent's choice in religion.
Even now, when I speak to current and former coworkers I never, and I mean NEVER let them know anything about my ties to the Watchtower.
How about you? Anyone out there ever ashamed of your jw-ness?
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Are The jw's Jehovah's Special People?
The apostrophe added to the name "Jehovah" does tend to infer ownership over the jw's. But not because they are HIS special people. They are HIS because HE owns EVERYTHING.
jw's believe that they are the one true religion and God's sole channel of communication with mankind. They speak of their organization as being "the truth". So, they believe that the only way one might survive armageddon is by joining their organization and following the man-made rules set forth by their elitist governing body.
The following is a list of criteria the Watchtower gives to determine the “one true religion.” This particular list is found on pages 26-27 of the 1996 Watchtower publication, What Does God Require of Us?:
* Avoid War and Politics
* Avoid Pagan Holidays
* Reject the Trinity Doctrine
* Reject the Immortality of the Soul and Hell
* Must Preach the Kingdom
* Must Proclaim the Name “Jehovah” for God
They claim that to be the "ONE TRUE" religion, an organization must adhere to this criteria and that theirs is the only one that does so. However, close examination shows that this criteria is not exclusive to the jw's, for the following religions also embrace these doctrines:
*Assemblies of Yahweh
*Assemblies of the Called out Ones of Ya
*House of Yahweh
*Assembly of YHWH Yeshua
*Christadelphians
Since the Watchtower Society (jw's leadership) claims that there is only one true Christian religion, how can its criteria to determine “the Truth” prove that it is the only true religion, when other religions also fulfill its criteria? It is evident by this fact that the Watchtower's religion is not unique in its beliefs and practices on what it calls “the Truth,” the criteria it gives cannot be used to determine that it is the “only true religion.”
So, if not jw's, Who is the Truth? Well, the Bible does not point us to any particular church or organization to find Truth. On the contrary, it points to a Person, rather than a religion as being “the Truth.” At John 14:6, Jesus proclaimed, “I am …the truth,” and in His prayer to the Father, He said, “Sanctify them by means of the truth; your word is truth.” (John 17:17) Who is the living “Word” who is “Truth”? John 1:14 tells us, “…the Word became flesh and resided among us, and we had a view of his glory, a glory such as belongs to an only-begotten son from a father.” (John 1:14) Not only do we see Jesus being identified in Scripture as “the Truth,” but He proclaims at John 5:39-40 that all of Scripture was written to “bear witness” about Him!
So, we can see that while the jw's set forth a criteria they claim to be exclusive to their organization and because they claim to be Jehovah's witnesses and that they are HIS special property that does not make their claims true nor does it prove they are the Truth.
jw's believe that they are the one true religion and God's sole channel of communication with mankind. They speak of their organization as being "the truth". So, they believe that the only way one might survive armageddon is by joining their organization and following the man-made rules set forth by their elitist governing body.
The following is a list of criteria the Watchtower gives to determine the “one true religion.” This particular list is found on pages 26-27 of the 1996 Watchtower publication, What Does God Require of Us?:
* Avoid War and Politics
* Avoid Pagan Holidays
* Reject the Trinity Doctrine
* Reject the Immortality of the Soul and Hell
* Must Preach the Kingdom
* Must Proclaim the Name “Jehovah” for God
They claim that to be the "ONE TRUE" religion, an organization must adhere to this criteria and that theirs is the only one that does so. However, close examination shows that this criteria is not exclusive to the jw's, for the following religions also embrace these doctrines:
*Assemblies of Yahweh
*Assemblies of the Called out Ones of Ya
*House of Yahweh
*Assembly of YHWH Yeshua
*Christadelphians
Since the Watchtower Society (jw's leadership) claims that there is only one true Christian religion, how can its criteria to determine “the Truth” prove that it is the only true religion, when other religions also fulfill its criteria? It is evident by this fact that the Watchtower's religion is not unique in its beliefs and practices on what it calls “the Truth,” the criteria it gives cannot be used to determine that it is the “only true religion.”
So, if not jw's, Who is the Truth? Well, the Bible does not point us to any particular church or organization to find Truth. On the contrary, it points to a Person, rather than a religion as being “the Truth.” At John 14:6, Jesus proclaimed, “I am …the truth,” and in His prayer to the Father, He said, “Sanctify them by means of the truth; your word is truth.” (John 17:17) Who is the living “Word” who is “Truth”? John 1:14 tells us, “…the Word became flesh and resided among us, and we had a view of his glory, a glory such as belongs to an only-begotten son from a father.” (John 1:14) Not only do we see Jesus being identified in Scripture as “the Truth,” but He proclaims at John 5:39-40 that all of Scripture was written to “bear witness” about Him!
So, we can see that while the jw's set forth a criteria they claim to be exclusive to their organization and because they claim to be Jehovah's witnesses and that they are HIS special property that does not make their claims true nor does it prove they are the Truth.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
How To Deal With Troubles And Lack Of Faith
This sort of thing happens to most of us a few times during the course of our lives. I have lost homes and jobs and felt like I was at my rope's end and all I could do was tie that rope's end into a noose and slip it over my head. But my faith kept me going. I was one of Jehovah's Witnesses.
Then one day my faith was gone when I saw the Watchtower as it truly is. An unfeeling cult and an evil publishing corporation. I was devastated. All the years my folks had put into learning the so-called truth and raising me in the organization had been a complete and total waste of time and an utter loss to me.
I was ashamed of being so totally fooled and for having hurt members of my family who had been shunned by the organization because they simply questioned the teachings of this group of men. Besides that I didn't know where to go because I felt like there must be no God and I sank into an ever deepening depression.
Finally I decided to open up the Bible alone and not use any of the watchtower Society's Bible filtering literature and pray to God for the Holy Spirit to open my eyes so I could understand what HIS WORD was trying to do with me.
I abandoned the Watchtower's false Jesus who they claim is Archangel Michael and their false Gospel and I accepted the Jesus of the Bible into my heart and gave myself totally over to Him as His slave. My eyes have been opened and I am now saved by the Grace of God through the shed Blood of our Lord Jesus.
My ministry as a jw was always hit and miss and I never felt like I was ever doing enough due to the hounding of the elders. I also never felt like I could wholeheartedly teach anyone without holding back some of the truths about their truth that were never to be disclosed before the person was already in so deep that they had nowhere else to go.
Today after about 8 months as a Christian minister I am happy in my service to my Lord and my community. I help spread the Word of GOD and I also share anti-cult information and minister to Jehovah's Witnesses to expose the false teachings of the Watchtower Society so they might have their eyes opened by Christ Jesus and come to our Lord for sayings of everlasting life.
So, in a nutshell, when I feel like my faith is gone I reach way down and find a way to kneel and approach my loving Father in heaven and tell HIM that I NEED HIM. I NEED HIS help, His hand on my shoulder, and His Spirit to keep me strong and to be able to endure the ugly things and distractions of this old and dying world.
Then one day my faith was gone when I saw the Watchtower as it truly is. An unfeeling cult and an evil publishing corporation. I was devastated. All the years my folks had put into learning the so-called truth and raising me in the organization had been a complete and total waste of time and an utter loss to me.
I was ashamed of being so totally fooled and for having hurt members of my family who had been shunned by the organization because they simply questioned the teachings of this group of men. Besides that I didn't know where to go because I felt like there must be no God and I sank into an ever deepening depression.
Finally I decided to open up the Bible alone and not use any of the watchtower Society's Bible filtering literature and pray to God for the Holy Spirit to open my eyes so I could understand what HIS WORD was trying to do with me.
I abandoned the Watchtower's false Jesus who they claim is Archangel Michael and their false Gospel and I accepted the Jesus of the Bible into my heart and gave myself totally over to Him as His slave. My eyes have been opened and I am now saved by the Grace of God through the shed Blood of our Lord Jesus.
My ministry as a jw was always hit and miss and I never felt like I was ever doing enough due to the hounding of the elders. I also never felt like I could wholeheartedly teach anyone without holding back some of the truths about their truth that were never to be disclosed before the person was already in so deep that they had nowhere else to go.
Today after about 8 months as a Christian minister I am happy in my service to my Lord and my community. I help spread the Word of GOD and I also share anti-cult information and minister to Jehovah's Witnesses to expose the false teachings of the Watchtower Society so they might have their eyes opened by Christ Jesus and come to our Lord for sayings of everlasting life.
So, in a nutshell, when I feel like my faith is gone I reach way down and find a way to kneel and approach my loving Father in heaven and tell HIM that I NEED HIM. I NEED HIS help, His hand on my shoulder, and His Spirit to keep me strong and to be able to endure the ugly things and distractions of this old and dying world.
The Truth About 1975
When someone trumps the Bible with something men write they define their organization as a cult. When that organization makes false predictions for the end of times they become a false prophet. When an organization claims that God cleansed His house in 1918 and that house still reeks of hypocrisy,lies, and sexual abuses 91 years later, then that house was either not cleansed or was never God's house to begin with.
In the past their leadership has lied to the jw's. Sadly some things never
change. In 1975 they lied to them and now they are lying to them again at their district conventions this summer about the generation who saw 1914 and the 1975 Armageddon scare at their district conventions. Here is something the Watchtower Society does not want them to hear.
"...So you see, we don't have much left to this year nineteen hundred and seventy-five, It's gonna end at sundown on September the fifth, and that immediately after September the fifth why the Millennial Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ MUST begin in order to fulfill the final thousand years of God's great seventh creative day. And they're expecting the Great Tribulation to occur, and the destruction of Babylon the Great, and the annihilation of the political systems of this world, and then the binding of Satan and his demons, and their abyssing to occur before this year is ended, this year nineteen hundred and seventy-five. And immediately thereafter the thousand - year Reign of the Lord Jesus Christ to begin."
Don't believe me? That's ok, because I located an audio recording of these words taken from the public discourse February 10th, 1975 at a convention in Los Angeles, CA. Listen to it and decide for yourself....
Thanks and credit go to JW Media Films for this video!
http://www.youtube.com/user/JWMediaFilms
In the past their leadership has lied to the jw's. Sadly some things never
change. In 1975 they lied to them and now they are lying to them again at their district conventions this summer about the generation who saw 1914 and the 1975 Armageddon scare at their district conventions. Here is something the Watchtower Society does not want them to hear.
"...So you see, we don't have much left to this year nineteen hundred and seventy-five, It's gonna end at sundown on September the fifth, and that immediately after September the fifth why the Millennial Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ MUST begin in order to fulfill the final thousand years of God's great seventh creative day. And they're expecting the Great Tribulation to occur, and the destruction of Babylon the Great, and the annihilation of the political systems of this world, and then the binding of Satan and his demons, and their abyssing to occur before this year is ended, this year nineteen hundred and seventy-five. And immediately thereafter the thousand - year Reign of the Lord Jesus Christ to begin."
Don't believe me? That's ok, because I located an audio recording of these words taken from the public discourse February 10th, 1975 at a convention in Los Angeles, CA. Listen to it and decide for yourself....
Thanks and credit go to JW Media Films for this video!
http://www.youtube.com/user/JWMediaFilms
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Jehovah's Witnesses Misquote Their Cited Sources
The latest example I have uncovered has to do with misquoting the historian Tacitus regarding the Crucifixion of Christians.
"The historian Tacitus reports: “They [Christians] died by methods of mockery; some were covered with the skins of wild beasts and then torn by dogs, some were [impaled]* " (Revelation Its Grand Climax at Hand Page 101).
* footnote
"Compare New World Translation Reference Bible, page 1577, appendix 5C, “Torture Stake.” "------
Here is what Tacitus actually wrote:
They died by methods of mockery; some were covered with the skins of wild beasts and then torn by dogs, some were CRUCIFIED, [Emphasis Mine] (Tacitus, Annals xv.44).
Why Do Jehovah's Witnesses Misquote From Cited Sources? Could it be in hopes that people won't actually look up the citation and just accept their false word on the matter and be more easily converted into a cult member?
"The historian Tacitus reports: “They [Christians] died by methods of mockery; some were covered with the skins of wild beasts and then torn by dogs, some were [impaled]* " (Revelation Its Grand Climax at Hand Page 101).
* footnote
"Compare New World Translation Reference Bible, page 1577, appendix 5C, “Torture Stake.” "------
Here is what Tacitus actually wrote:
They died by methods of mockery; some were covered with the skins of wild beasts and then torn by dogs, some were CRUCIFIED, [Emphasis Mine] (Tacitus, Annals xv.44).
Why Do Jehovah's Witnesses Misquote From Cited Sources? Could it be in hopes that people won't actually look up the citation and just accept their false word on the matter and be more easily converted into a cult member?
Saturday, May 30, 2009
More Watchtower Double Standards And Hypocrisy
Page 29 of the July 2009 Awake! Magazine has an article dealing with freedom to choose your own religion and asks if it’s wrong to change your religion. It even makes this strong statement:
"No one should be forced to worship in a way that he finds unacceptable or be made to choose between his beliefs and his family" This new article exposes a glaring double standard. They print up this sort of thing to make themselves seem like they are decent just like Satan transforms himself into an angel of light. The problem is that they do not allow their own members such freedoms.
They demand strict loyalty and anyone who chooses another path is excommunicated and shunned even by close family. They do not allow for anyone to leave the group in good standing. If you leave you are demonized as an apostate or immoral or some other unsavory label is attached to you.
"But the disfellowshipped relative should be made to appreciate that his status has changed, that he is no longer welcome in the home nor is he a preferred companion." (Watchtower 6/1/1970 Questions from the readers section on page 352)
Now you jw's are gonna say this is an old article. But it's on your 2008 CD ROM and if it served one of your purposes it would not be an old article.....---
"After hearing a talk at a circuit assembly, a brother and his fleshly sister realized that they needed to make adjustments in the way they treated their mother, who lived elsewhere and who had been disfellowshipped for six years. Immediately after the assembly, the man called his mother, and after assuring her of their love, he explained that they could no longer talk to her unless there were important family matters requiring contact. Shortly thereafter, his mother began attending meetings and was eventually reinstated. Also, her unbelieving husband began studying and in time was baptized." (Our Kingdom Ministry August 2002 Page 3)---
Notice how the mother was PRESSURED by the loss of her children to return? This is a form of abuse and is very evident in most cults.
As usual, the Watchtower Society printing sweetness and smiles while enforcing harsh rules and mind control techniques. How hypocritical! Do not be misled by the syrupy droolings coming of the Society's lips. They are like the Pharisees of Jesus Day. Whitewashed graves full of vile things and dead men's bones.....
"No one should be forced to worship in a way that he finds unacceptable or be made to choose between his beliefs and his family" This new article exposes a glaring double standard. They print up this sort of thing to make themselves seem like they are decent just like Satan transforms himself into an angel of light. The problem is that they do not allow their own members such freedoms.
They demand strict loyalty and anyone who chooses another path is excommunicated and shunned even by close family. They do not allow for anyone to leave the group in good standing. If you leave you are demonized as an apostate or immoral or some other unsavory label is attached to you.
"But the disfellowshipped relative should be made to appreciate that his status has changed, that he is no longer welcome in the home nor is he a preferred companion." (Watchtower 6/1/1970 Questions from the readers section on page 352)
Now you jw's are gonna say this is an old article. But it's on your 2008 CD ROM and if it served one of your purposes it would not be an old article.....---
"After hearing a talk at a circuit assembly, a brother and his fleshly sister realized that they needed to make adjustments in the way they treated their mother, who lived elsewhere and who had been disfellowshipped for six years. Immediately after the assembly, the man called his mother, and after assuring her of their love, he explained that they could no longer talk to her unless there were important family matters requiring contact. Shortly thereafter, his mother began attending meetings and was eventually reinstated. Also, her unbelieving husband began studying and in time was baptized." (Our Kingdom Ministry August 2002 Page 3)---
Notice how the mother was PRESSURED by the loss of her children to return? This is a form of abuse and is very evident in most cults.
As usual, the Watchtower Society printing sweetness and smiles while enforcing harsh rules and mind control techniques. How hypocritical! Do not be misled by the syrupy droolings coming of the Society's lips. They are like the Pharisees of Jesus Day. Whitewashed graves full of vile things and dead men's bones.....
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