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The testimonies of former followers


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The testimonies of former followers

To overcome the lack of evidence of their false accusations, the opponents remain the "testimony".

Former followers testify about their struggle to "get out of Jehovah's Witnesses".

Curious sentence that makes you smile. It is known that becoming a Witness is difficult: application of moral principles, change of lifestyle, personal commitment, ... No longer being Witness is very easy however: a simple letter of resignation is enough. The Witnesses also practice the excommunion of those who renounce the practices of Christianity.

What credit can be given to these testimonies, many of which are contradictory or inconsistent?

What objectivity can we expect? Do not the ex-followers in question simply have to settle accounts?

Take the example of former co-workers who either resigned because they did not feel at home in the company, or were fired because they did not fulfill their obligations.

Honestly, do you think they would be best placed to describe the company? Imagine for a moment that they will praise their former employer?

 

But their testimonials will not make the business good or bad.

There are now 7 million people in the world (the population of Switzerland) who flourish in the worship they give to God and who every day bear witness to the contrary.

It is not for nothing that Jehovah's Witnesses have finally been recognized in the Land of Berlin as a corporation under public law, a status reserved in Germany for established churches. Indeed, the judges did not take for granted the arguments that were submitted to them:

"According to the Court of Appeal, all the accusations against them [Jehovah's Witnesses] proved to be unfounded." Consequently, the respondent (the Land of Berlin) could only rely in his argument on testimonies of former members, [and] reports from antisect groups (...) Their view has not been corroborated by family courts, doctors, psychologists and expert inquiries . "

 

Die Welt, March 26, 2005, p. 3.

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Yea, I will not believe any person who says they cannot get out of JW......it is pretty easy.....

I have no problem with that statement .... EXCEPT ... your entire family and extended family is severed from you, as if cut by a knife chopping off both of your arms. ..... or as the Black Knight

I have no problem with the basic premise that if a person does not obey the rules, he has a reasonable expectation of punishment or expulsion. from whatever group you are a part of. Let's say a d

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9 hours ago, Arauna said:

Yea, I will not believe any person who says they cannot get out of JW......it is pretty easy.....

I have no problem with that statement .... EXCEPT ... your entire family and extended family is severed from you, as if cut by a knife chopping off both of your arms.

..... or as the Black Knight said in Monty Pythons movie  when his arms were cut off by King Arthur "...merely a flesh wound".

Like a smashed vase that can be re-glued together ... there are pieces that cannot ... and that is permanent.

 

 

Monty Python - The Black Knight - Tis But A Scratch.mp4
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Eph 1:10 for an administration at the full limit of the appointed times, to gather all things together in the Christ, the things in the heavens and the things on the earth. Yes, in him

To gather back what was once one, John 1:1-2 infers that the only begotten Son has to re-assimilate the accuser into himself "as one" to destroy the enemy. When light invades darkness and fullness fills emptiness, pure energy does not get destroyed but combined in the right way, it becomes what it is intended to be since the beginning. If God does not want it destroyed, it is he that will make sure that it isn't destroyed.

2Pe 3:9 Jehovah* is not slow concerning his promise,i as some people consider slowness, but he is patient with you because he does not desire anyone to be destroyed but desires all to attain to repentance.

That does not leave anyone out. Like Like The Borg in Star Trek, "Resistance is futile" everyone will be assimilated. That includes you!

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As I said before: when you join a golf club ... you know the rules. Go to the club and flagrantly break the rules by disorderly or brazen conduct and you may find yourself "outside" the club. So if this rule is OK for other clubs..... why is JW treated so bad for expecting people to follow the standards in the bible?

 

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2 hours ago, Arauna said:

So if this rule is OK for other clubs..... why is JW treated so bad for expecting people to follow the standards in the bible?

I have no problem with the basic premise that if a person does not obey the rules, he has a reasonable expectation of punishment or expulsion. from whatever group you are a part of.

Let's say a dedicated, "sworn" person, such as a Police Officer, breaks the rules about taking bribes.

He lives in the old Soviet Union, as do all of his relatives.

He should have known better, because his Father was a policeman, and his father before him. Not only that, but his mother was a police administrator in the internal affairs division of the police department. His aunts, uncles, nephews, and even his wife works for the police detective bureau as an analyst and statistician.  His two children are Police Cadets. They are all loyal to a fault to the USSR, and pledge their allegiance to it.

So ... our theoretical Police Officer breaks the rules, and gets sentenced losing his job, and three years in a Soviet Gulag.

Even in the former Soviet Union his wife, children, and relatives could still visit him, talk to him, send and receive letters, and communicate with him during his punishment.  Even Khrushchev, and others were not afraid that he would corrupt his family's public service tradition and lead them down the path of corruption and bribes.

A basic human right ... is to have the best relationship with your family possible.

When you punish a man's family and extended family for something he did ... in our case mandating the shunning of family members ... the Old Soviet Union then has the moral high ground.

Normal people EVERYWHERE understand this intuitively.

 

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5 hours ago, James Thomas Rook Jr. said:

Old Soviet Union

 

5 hours ago, James Thomas Rook Jr. said:

Let's say a dedicated, "sworn" person, such as a Police Officer, breaks the rules about taking bribes.

This is less serious "sin". Much more worst would be for him and his family, if he talk something against or opposite to official Ideology.

In that sense, i think how, family members would be forced to "shun" and cut family bonds with him, as in JW scenario.   

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14 hours ago, James Thomas Rook Jr. said:

When you punish a man's family

I think you have an issue with God and the bible -  not JWs.   Achan and his entire family died and an example made of them. Why? They condoned Achan's behaviour and went along with him - kept quiet about him stealing the gold and garment and hiding it in his tent - which was dedicated to Jehovah as firstfruits in the promised land.

There are numerous scriptures in new testament which talk about having nothing to do with "brothers" who practice fornication, lying, extortion, reviling  etc. Etc.  It also says that one condones it by greeting them or eating with them. So I think  you have an issue with the bible - because JWs do what it says.  Here is my own story:

I have 3 brothers, one went to prison for 3 years for the truth, another is not a witness and the other is an apostate..    I call him Ett for short..... He has the same OCD I often recognize here on this forum. 

I was 21 years old when the youngest brother (Ett) was born. He was like a child to me..... soft natured and brilliant.  My parents were quite old when he was born so he had less discipline but went to a school for gifted children.

He came into the truth for only a brief time.  He was a smartypants.  Too smart for his own shoes - like many apostates.  

To pretend that I do not mourn him every day is a lie....... so this is so false to infer that  JWs easily shun family members.... and many critics  imply that we are heartless.....so false.   I helped raise my brother....., He was the brother/child I loved the most and I could relate to him the most because he had a gentle heart.....and a sweet disposition albeit inclined to his own way. We had a close bond.  He went with me on holiday together with my children. Later my mother got cancer.... when he was still  quite young.  I still love him (the way he was) with all my heart.

BUT: He broke his loving bond with Jehovah and his loving bond with me by reading the books of Richard Dawkins and rejecting the notion of a creator. (Dawkins became a celebrity for a while with his silly notions).  My brother became hateful against jehovah and led a loose life - like the prodical son.  He rejected all help offered to him from JWs and the  non-JWs in the family to re-evaluate his position.   (Both of the other brothers are highly educated in science and engineering  (one is a analytical chemist and science programmer the other has engineering and economic degrees.. ..... they are both brilliant in math and can argue about thermodynamics etc etc).

So please, don't any one if you here on this forum pretend it is easy for a JW to cut association with someone who's association has become pure OCD poison. I realized it was spiritual suicide....to remain in contact with him because he had OCD.... could not help himself to return to some subject against God....... it is not easy for us.

I cried a lot and I still mourn him...... but hope everyday he comes back to his senses as he sees prophecies being fulfilled. Nobody will be more pleased than I if he is prepared to clean up his hate speech against God and his moral  standards and return to my heart. 

After rejecting Jehovah he lost his girlfriend in death and many other things went wrong in his life because he no longer had Jehovah's protection. Did this make him humble? No.

I sent him money to support him for quite some time because he lost his sense to live....... a result of his choices...... I regularly ask my non-witness brother how he is because he lives in the same city.   My non-witness brother also broke off association with him for a while because he could not cope with  the OCD this apostate brother displayed against God.  He believes that God exists and as a non-witness did not view Ett as good association.

So hopefully this gives you some insight into how non-apostates feel.  Every time I study the weaknesses in the  evolution theory, philosophy or history....... I think how wonderful it could be to share this with Ett. ..... because he is a reader of eclectic subjects.... but then I remember that it is hard to have a reasonable conversation with him due to the OCD against God.   I have not spoken to him for years........ but the pain remains.

I however am determined  to not condone his behaviour or pollute myself. I am secure in my faith and bible knowledge but I had to be on guard when he was in a conversation.....  It is spiritually dangerous.    I have often spoken to elders about my struggle to keep separate......and have managed to do so for years.......  and I supported him financially when it was hard for me........ because I love him and  love and  obey Jehovah. So do not treat us as heartless...... apostacy often makes the perpetrator heartless.

 

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37 minutes ago, Arauna said:

I think you have an issue with God

First i wish to tell is, thanks for private information you shared here.

But, we all have issue with God. Fallen angel and Adam were among first free will persons who showed some doubts about God. Even people, who showed many positive atributes in Jew or Christian context, had issue with God, too.

With such history, it would be simple to say how humans always and all the time had some sort of issues with God. And how such relation and interaction could be called as "normal". Even in your experience you showed how you still love and helped your "apostate" brother despite knowledge and warning (by God and by Organization) that you have "to cut" all bonds to such person who willfully and with stubborn rejecting God's help through you and elders and congregation. By this, you also belong to group of people who have sort of "issue with God". You are not able, or not willing "to obey God's command" on this subject.

Does your behavior (feelings) proves how you respect or disrespect:

-Your conscience  

-God

-Bible

-Congregation

-Elders 

-Family bonds

-Humanity

1 hour ago, Arauna said:

He was a smartypants.  Too smart for his own shoes - like many apostates. 

too smart = apostate :))))

1 hour ago, Arauna said:

After rejecting Jehovah he lost his girlfriend in death and many other things went wrong in his life because he no longer had Jehovah's protection.

..... cause - effect .  In other words do you tell us how God was involved in his girlfriend death? And how he also suffer because God not protecting him any more? 

The last WT publication i can recall on issue of God's protection is explanation how God will not protect his servants as individuals but as a group. 

This i found as "issue". Because "the group" is made from "the individuals". No individuals = no group. Russia is example. Does God protecting now, Russian JW brotherhood as a Group or as a Individuals?

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22 minutes ago, Srecko Sostar said:

relation

You fail to see his hate for God and his poisonous attitude. It is hard to communicate realistically or objectively with such a person. Even worldly family members could not cope.......with the compulsive hate. 

Some people think they are too smart to fail - he was one of them..... to my extreme sadness. 

If person has an issue with God- it depends on the degree.... One can close yourself to access with God when it goes beyond a certain point.  I also see that people who do not really study much by themself  often leave jehovah because they are not sure or are easily deceived.  

One is not smart to reject the name of jehovah, or jehovah himself. 

Most people who leave jehovah like their own ideas more - they want independence to serve God in their own way.  

 

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