Positive Spirit

The Watchtower Organization I know today was not the same one that we associated with twenty years ago. Watchtower articles now tend to be task orientated and over generalize (such as, JWs are the happiest people on earth!) without much factual support, and I believe that they do not portray accurately the loving and humble nature of Jehovah and Christ. They certainly don’t portray accurately my values and beliefs and if Watchtower thinks that’s okay, then, well I can no longer give my support to such a man-made organization.
To be a Witness requires a special thinking process, one that motivates a person to urgency in these unprecedented wicked ‘last days’. Negative imagery is constantly presented to keep members in a constant depressed state about the people around and the times we live in. Global catastrophes are welcomed as ‘proof’ that few years are left before Armageddon.
“These last days are difficult to deal with. It is not easy to balance out family matters, secular activity, congregation activity, and preaching. In addition, many of you have to deal with sickness, depression, old age, and even opposition. Most of you are “loaded down.” Yearbook 2006 p.5
There is constant reference to scriptures saying “that in the last days critical times hard to deal with will be here”, that “men and impostors will advance from bad to worse” and there will be “woe for the earth and for the sea” (2 Timothy 3:1, 13; Revelation 12:12) For instance over the last 53 years, the Scripture “critical times hard to deal with” is referred to 897 times whilst the well known verse from Psalm 23:1 “Jehovah is my Shepherd. I shall lack nothing” is only mentioned 111 times in the Watchtower. The following are typical Watchtower statements.
“Two world wars, hundreds of smaller armed conflicts, famines, great earthquakes, pestilences, wave after wave of crime and violence, and a worldwide preaching campaign all together constitute a dramatic warning that human society is rapidly approaching a cataclysmic crisis.” Watchtower 1993 Mar 1 p.4
“Critical times are here. Civil strife, ethnic wars, natural disasters, and other horrific events are common place. Now more then ever, the human family needs good news.” Kingdom Ministry Apr 2005 p.1
The Reality of the times we live in is quite different. A study of history shows that now is a time of comparable peace. Human rights, particularly for women and children are far greater than ever. Medical advances mean that the life expectancy in many countries has doubled in the last 100 years and can be enjoyed with far less pain. The average person living in developed countries enjoy luxuries few Kings had access to in centuries gone by. It was stated in the March 24-28th 2005 Australian Financial Review that we are living in the healthiest, most peaceful, best period of time in all history.
Question I would like to ask, if now is considered a worst time in all of human history, which time period would you want to live in? Brothers, quit being so negative!
Phil 4:8 “ Whatever things are true, pure, lovely and of good report, think about these things.”
Leaving the Watchtower Society resulted in my experiencing the great Joy of finding just how wonderful most people are. When I was going through the trauma of leaving the ongoing offers of help from many people of every sort of background helped me through what would otherwise have been an unendurable time. I have found that people in general are loving and constantly come in contact with people that are helping others in ways both small and magnanimous; people that work for low wages because of their desire to help the sick, others working as missionaries or running micro charities with little recognition. I meet up with some former JWs who had cooled off. They expressed similar joy and found new friends and renew purpose in their lives. They are almost a different person, happier, less judgmental and more understanding of anyone holding a different views.
Getting out is difficult but freedom makes it worthwhile. (Jn 8:32)

*Excerpts from http://www.jwfacts.com 

 

Under The Watchtower Spell

Once the spell is broken, one you take a deep fresh breath outisde of the Watchtower camp, the amazingly obvious realisation becomes clear…

Of course this is a lie, of course this is ridiculous! You find you have memories of REALLY believing the claims and promises, but it seems like another life, another experience. It seems so incredibly false once you leave and it is very difficult to belive you even once accepted it! Then ther is the crazy promises from men you have never met, and you/we/I expected it all to come true.

1) The Product

Recognising this peculiar spell that was put over us is important. When I see current JW’s they are clearly wrapped up in layers of indoctrination, breathing on WATCHTOWER air, their minds have never yet enjoyed unadultarated fresh air, otherwise known as reality. The life they see is observed through a lens, with several filters. They know the filters and lens are there, they know it isn’t wise….but it feels safe. We all did it. My friends wife told me recently she did not want to hear/learn/see anything that would question her faith. This is a bizarre concept to me now, but I remember feeling exactly the same.

But what were we protecting? What were we so scared of? What exactly was the reward for being a JW, that was so amazing, we had to protect it at all logical and reasonable costs? ……thats how good a cult can be…..there was nothing even enjoyable about being a JW member,but we wanted to protect it to the point that we would cut off family and friends!

When I think of what I valued as a JW, ethey were norhing to do with actually being a JW..it was the people in it and the unfulfilled promises that had value. This is a big realization, promises have no value until they come true. The watchtower offered NO evidence at all of everlasting life and a paradise, amazingly there were not even any bible verses saying it…but we swallowed it all up because….WE WANTED IT TO BE TRUE. As for people, outside of JW land, people, friends and family are just as awesome and valuable.

I appreciate this manipulation of perspective best describes those who have grown up a JW, but in reality once you are a JW for a couple of years, the WT lifestyle and constant indoctrination, hypnotises the newer members soon enough.

2) The Sales Pitch

That feeling of not quite having access to your full capacity, is a lasting memory of being a JW. The same feeling comes over me when I am being sold something. A sales pitch! Your brain is bamboozled with amazing promises and imagiery, fantastic customer references, the promise feels nice, looks nice, smells nice and you convince yourself there is no logical reason not to own this product! In fact you need it!

Then you leave the shop……BOOM…… you don’t need this plastic piece of crap, oh and of course it doesn’t bring you happiness…it’s just a phone!

Now imagine a sales pitch that never ends…..that lasts decades….

I really don’t think the psychology, salesmanship and command over thought is that different in Watchtower, it is just a never ending salespitch. It is tiring, mentally draining and leads to constant pining for the promises given, if only you just keep on working, keep on giving to the society. Once on this treadmill, it is very hard to get off. Once you have given half a decade of your life to it, why quit now…after alll

3) how stupid would it be to quit with NOW after so long and with the reward soooooo close!

Imagine quitting just before it came! This threat is a HUGE element to keeping members in. It is repeated in Watchtower literature constantly! How dumb were those that returned to Jerusalem after tiring of waiting! This questionable event, is burnt in the mind of most JW’s…30 years wait then they returned..and died! How stupid! Are you stupid?…..

It reminds me of an acquaintance with an apparent gambling habit. This person has spent hours on fruit machines in our company at uni, ignoring the people he is out socialising with, for the delights of flashing lights and ….HOPE. He poured his money into one machine one night that I was with him. He kept staring at the machine, the idea of winning the money and getting what he deserved was consuming him. He kept saying he couldn’t let someone else use the machine and win his money, he had to return to the machine, several times an hour. We left the pub and all said goodbye. This guy was depressed and his mind was fixated on that machine, as we all went our seperate ways, I noticed he went back into the pub. He was physically in need of that win. The human instinct of weighing up the energy we have put into a task and the likelyhood of reward is exploited to the full. It is a calculation most living things make.

Giving much into something with no return is an awful feeling……the cure is to keep chasing, to live in denial, to pretend we have won already…in a way…(“well at least it was a good way to live”)… or we take the pain and frustratioon the chin and start investing in something that has reward.

The next day my gambling ‘pal’ said he couldn’t stop thinking about someone else coming along and winning his money after all the money and playing he had put into that machine.

4) The Cost

This element of human psychology is used in cults for sure. Cults with an element of time, threat and a promise of survival. It plays on all our human instincts. Survival, family, group protection. It has been shown that gamblers get addicted not to winning, but the biggest high comes from almost winning. The threat of walking away from the million dollar pay off, keeps them going back.

It doesn’t take much to see how this fits well to the world of Watchtower. Add this potent pull to the cost of leaving the Watchtower fruit machine, not just the money you have already put into it, i.e. your life so far, but also all of your family and friends.

5) The Reward

This whole system works to put a spell over people. We all went to meetings, three times a week. We talked of the promises, we saw pictures of what we hoped to win painted in thousands of pictures, like a cheap fruit machine displaying images of coins and banknotes, fancy cars etc. But with Watchtower, it got darker, we became immune to seeing pictures of genocide and global destruction and even looked at the pictures longingly, praying for the day they came, so we could have our cabin and acres. The previous owners long dead at god’s hand for swearing, drinking and having sex.

There is the day you leave the Watchtower, then there is the day you look back dismayed at what you once agreed to, said yes to, believed in, taught your kids, told your friends… The potent power of that spell becomes clear when you look at old articles, old literature and you are stunned that a younger you accepted it without question. It is confusing, it is frightenng and it is even a little bit funny.

But mostly it is just…..OBVIOUSLY A LIE……

 

Excerpt from http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/watchtower/scandals/280046/1/It-is-so-obviously-a-lie-now#.U3umCdoaySM

1914-2014

1914 has it’s roots in the Adventist teaching. Based in a wrong date of 607 BC as date for J destruction. Early bible students are totally unaware about Jesus coming in the Yr 1914. This teaching only started in 1930s-1940. Thanks Rutherford for this teaching.

Luke 16:10

Those who is faithful in little is also faithful in much. Thanks for the New Light. We are finally Awake now. Please stop claiming that these new light is from Jehovah or from Holy Spirit. This is just not right.

Awake!

Please look with an open mind like the Boreans because you owe your freedom to yourself.
Quit being miserable and you will enjoy the life that God wants you to lead.
Trust your gut feel and instinct. Something is very wrong with the WT Organization.
Can’t you smell what the GB is cooking?

BOOKS
COC- The key book that woke many up by its sincere and heartfelt writing. Lots of scans from WT documents and very reasonably and humbly written. Not spiteful at all.
Search for Christian Freedom- Deep research and very heavy in content on WT interpretations.
Journey to God’s House- Experience from a sincere brother who want to serve God. Landed in Bethel and rubbed shoulders with GB members. Super humorous and witty.
Captives of Concept- Clear and to the point research on why all JWs think WT is Jehovah’s organization. Provide many evidences from Society’s own publications. 100% informative.

WEBSITES
http://www.jwfacts.com Good comprehensive site on info from Society’s own publications. Watchtower’s greatest enemies is their own publications and the internet
http://www.jwsurvey.org Please take the yearly survey and you see many brothers and sisters share your concerns and angst
http://www.jehovahs-witness.net – Interesting forum, especially part on personal experiences.
http://www.jehovahswitnessrecovery.com – Many of those who are born-in had left with scars in their lives.
http://meletivivlon.com/discussion/1914-2/apollos-vs-jw/ – In-depth discussion on 607 and 1914 teaching. Scholastic.

All the above are written/ hosted by former JWs, Elders and Bethelites, who had woken up. Many are brought up in the truth and are second or third generation JWs. They see it all.

We are not the only ones who blog about our experiences of leaving the Watchtower organization. Many brother and sisters are doing the same and their experiences are eerily similar too.

FEELINGS
Generally, while leaving the organization, one will encounter these different stages of feelings:
1. Fear of the Unknown (Initially yes, but all turn out very well, better than expected)
2. Cheated (Many felt angry and deceived by WT, especially when you examine their past history)
3. Guilt ( As one faded sister admitted. She has yet to know TTATT )
4. Sadness ( for leaving your community of friends, whose friendships are conditional)
5. Anxiety ( Especially preparing the DA letter and handling it over to our solemn faced elder)
6. Joy ( Real happiness of being released from the Watchtower bonds and return to Christ and forging new friendships which are unconditional. Gain back your life!)
7. Satisfaction ( At peace with yourself, as you strive to use your remaining time and God given talents to bring joy and positive contribution to Society and your neighbors & friends)

Leaving The Watchtower

Another brother who has awaken from the deception. His own words at reddit. I quote:

“I’ve come to a crisis of conscience and I’ve decided that I will no longer be one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. I’m posting this here because I’ve had numerous discussions with many people here on this sub, although it was a long time ago, some of you may remember me.
You may be curious why I’ve decided to leave, basically I guess it boils down to three issues.
1) In all of the thousands upon thousands of ancient Christian manuscripts that we have, not one of them uses the name Jehovah, the first translations of the Christian scriptures to ever use the name Jehovah (or something similar) were written around the 15th century. I can only see two conclusions from this, either they have all been altered, which leaves me with a very uncomfortable feeling because then how can I trust that the entire body of Christian scripture has not also been drastically altered, or the alternative, that the name Jehovah was important for Jews, but wasn’t meant to be all that important for Christians, and the name of Jesus was meant to replace it in importance.
2) Blood, there is a scripture (1 Samuel 14:33) where King Saul’s men slaughter and eat animals with the blood, the Law was very clear that they should be put to death, yet they were not, apparently they were excused because they were extremely tired and hungry. Given that situation, I don’t see how a person could be asked not to take a blood transfusion when their life is in danger.
3) The Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses tries to rewrite their own history on a regular basis. They regularly hold the mistakes of other religions up to the light and accuse them, but when it comes to their own mistakes they do their best to hide them, and then erase them from their history. I’m convinced that If God raised up a prophet like Jeremiah and sent him to the Watchtower today, they would label him an apostate and disfellowship him, even if he could do miracles, they would attribute the power to demons and not God.
4) (bonus!) The Watchtower is basically interested in two things, gaining converts, and acquiring land to build more places of worship, their accumulated wealth is worth hundreds of millions of dollars, perhaps billions. Jesus had no place to rest his head, and said that whenever two were gathered there he would be, so no fancy meeting place was required, and he also placed a strong mandate upon his followers to care for the poor and to feed the hungry and less fortunate.
I’ve moved on with my life now. I haven’t been disfellowshipped, but I’ve told the elders that I no longer have faith in this religion and have no intention of ever returning.”

Matthew 24:14 vs. Giving

Field service has been grossly overemphasized. Coupled with the 1914 teaching (which is based on erroneous date for Jerusalem’s destruction), many JWs are stressed out and overworked in the field peddling the Watchtower’s Gospel.
Scriptures like Matt 24:14 and 28:19 has been used to substantiate field service and is one of the most quoted, if not THE most quoted scriptures by JWs.

How about giving the poor? Lets see what the bible has to say on this matter.

Few topics are addressed more often in Scripture than the poor ( but rarely in the Watchtower) and the way God’s people are to minister to them. Ministry to the needy is clearly part of Christian lifestyle.

God Cares Greatly About the Poor and Hungry
Isaiah 58:6-7 – “Isn’t the fast I choose: To break the chains of wickedness, to untie the ropes of the yoke, to set the oppressed free, and to tear off every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, to bring the poor and homeless into your house, to clothe the naked when you see him, and to not ignore your own flesh and blood?”
Luke 6:20-21 – “Then looking up at His disciples, He said: Blessed are you who are poor, because the kingdom of God is yours.”
Deuteronomy 24:19-21 – “When you reap the harvest in your field, and you forget a sheaf in the field, do not go back to get it. It is to be left for the foreign resident, the fatherless, and the widow, so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. When you knock down the fruit from your olive tree, you must not go over the branches again. What remains will be for the foreign resident, the fatherless, and the widow. When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, you must not glean what is left. What remains will be for the foreign resident, the fatherless, and the widow.”
Leviticus 19:9-10 – “When you reap the harvest of your land, you are not to reap to the very edge of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. You must not strip your vineyard bare or gather its fallen grapes. Leave them for the poor and the foreign resident; I am the Lord your God.”
Ministry to Those needy ones
Luke 3:11 – “He replied to them, ‘The one who has two shirts must share with someone who has none, and the one who has food must do the same.’”
Galatians 2:10 – “[They asked] only that we would remember the poor, which I made every effort to do.”
Ministry to the Poor Is a Service to Jehovah
Matthew 25:35-40 – “‘For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you took care of Me; I was in prison and you visited Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You something to drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or without clothes and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and visit You?’ And the King will answer them, ‘I assure you: Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did me.”
Proverbs 21:13 – “The one who shuts his ears to the cry of the poor will himself also call out and not be answered.”
Ministry to Those in Need Demonstrates the Reality of Being a Follower of Jesus Christ.
James 2:15-17 – “If a brother or sister is without clothes and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,” but you don’t give them what the body needs, what good is it? In the same way faith, if it doesn’t have works, is dead by itself.”
1 John 3:17-18 – “If anyone has this world’s goods and sees his brother in need but shuts off his compassion from him, how can God’s love reside in him? Little children, we must not love in word or speech, but in deed and truth.”

The Bible shows that Jesus fed the hungry (Luke 6:1-5; 9:10-17) and associated with the poor. God’s Word is clear that we are to minister to the poor and needy as part of our Christian lifestyle. Gleaning is a spiritual discipline that will lead to a greater sensitivity for those in need and ultimately a greater sensitivity to God. Caring for those in need is an opportunity and a privilege as well as an moral obligation.

We do not want to miss the point of Christianity.
We are not called to spend our lives in silly arguments and proving whose point is right.
Our blog is merely our private diary, where we laid own our thought processes and rant about our past experience in the Organization. We had been wondering why did we not use our time more wisely like feeding the poor, encouraging someone in need, giving hope to the hopeless? Isn’t it more beneficial ways to show love instead of knocking on empty doors, spreading the Watchtower’s gospel?

Sadly, we had not done many charitable act during our time in the Borg. We did visited old folks home and hospital as part of volunteers work but with a relentless schedule of meetings, assemblies and field service, it is tough even to find time for yourselves. With our dissociation from the Organization, we hope we can give back to the Society of “worldly” people, that one that Jehovah loves to much (John 3:16).