Hi.... Im a Jehovahs Witness

[Stabat Mater dolorosa]

I can imagine that those who make the effort to come to places such as these web sites, come to them not out of not having nothing else better to do? I think there is a thirst for something that they are lacking in the world they had known and we aught to find out what that thirst is before we punch them in the mouth for what we assume they are here after.

I was a JW and was brought into that by my mother before I knew anything else. She was that before I and my brother were even thought of. Both he and I were baptized into it, because we were too young to understand anything other than we wanted to please the adults around us and they wanted us baptizes, so we had our heads dipped below a pool of water and that was all the significance I put into it, because I was 7 - 8. I recognized no spiritual purpose in this activity, what so ever.

Upon reaching a level of maturity that allowed me to see the unworkable of their faith, my brother and I removed ourselves from it and from our mother as well. We can neither eat in the same house at the same time with her or sleep under the same roof as we have been disfellowshipped for the last 40 some odd years.

I don't think just because a person is apart of something that they activly choose to be there instead of being born, raised in there and have no understanding of anything beyond that. I only know that the only reason I can think of that someone would go beyond the comforts they have known is because they thirst for something different.

I, myself lost faith in God for nearly 15 years, but found the secular world just as inadequate as I did the JW. I began with reading the Bible personally, as I was not willing to have it read and deciphered for my, because of the experiences I had with the JW. I learned more in the year I read then I ever learned in the years I spent indoctrinated in the JW.

I now have been apart from the JW for 4+ decades an haven't a clue what they believe in and have no desire to do so. I lost my mom to them and have a special erge to bring as many out of there as posible.

When I see people such as they reach out beyond their curtain of ideology I think of the Parable of the Prodigal son on his partand remember the words of Christ when asked why he eat with the Sinners and Publicans.
Matthew 9:12 But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick, on ours

In my view there was an opportunity here that is now lost and it aches my soul to the very core that it is so.

I too am sorry for your losses.
I didn't know that you where born and raised a JW yourself.
Btw your nonexistent relationship with your mother is on her hands not yours, but I'm sure you're aware of that and don't blame yourself.

Your desire to help people out of the JW is admirable.



God bless

 

[Goodbook]

Ok this is an interesting thread to have on a baptist forum and people currently answering are not even baptists...lol.

It seems quite old too.

I just want to comment and say that...if someone introduced themselves as a jw to me I would not really want to talk to them as they are a known cult and will try to get your to take their bible studies. (With their altered version of the bible) I usually just say im a born again christian and already read the bible thanks. As they are bringing people another gospel, and the bible says not to invite people that do that into your homes.

 

[Goodbook]

Probably if I was feeling braver I would say you can come to our baptist church and learn from the bible there. Then you wouldnt need to go round door to door bugging people.

Or maybe I'd just pray with them.

I was recently reading about micheal jackson how he was a jw. I think its a scary religion and their influence marked him for life. But the interesting thing was they were against his thriller video, which a christian would be too, because of glorifying the occult. So there are some things we would have in common obviously but they dont know God as our heavenly Father, they call him JEHOVAH and they dont know about the holy spirit and believe strange things about Jesus and the end times.

 

[truefiction1]

The reason I asked that is because each of these had a fall from grace and I wanted your input on what that fall might have meant for them being a special case. Aaron died in the wilderness and Moses never walked into the promised land. David made adultery and allowed an innocent man to die to hide his deeds.

It means that these men made conscious, willful decisions that caused them to fall short of perfection. By repentance, however, God receives them unto Himself. Their spirits are with God. We remember these men at least once every year. The high priest Aaron is commemorated on March 12th. The Holy Prophet and God Seer Moses on September 4th, and King David on the first Sunday after the Incarnation of the Word of God is commemorated (Nativity). Psalm 51 in our Bible is the Psalm of David's repentance following his fall from grace. We read it aloud daily.

 

[AHH who-stole-my-name]

It means that these men made conscious, willful decisions that caused them to fall short of perfection. By repentance, however, God receives them unto Himself. Their spirits are with God. We remember these men at least once every year. The high priest Aaron is commemorated on March 12th. The Holy Prophet and God Seer Moses on September 4th, and King David on the first Sunday after the Incarnation of the Word of God is commemorated (Nativity). Psalm 51 in our Bible is the Psalm of David's repentance following his fall from grace. We read it aloud daily.

Ok, now we are getting to where I wanted to go with this. The Idea of Saints. I had a hard time with them until I read the term in The Bible, which I don't remember ever hearing about outside casual conversations about the thing. I want to apologize to if for the things I though about this, because i thought it was a fabrication. I didn't know it was Biblical. Were all these people, including Mary beatified into sainthood?

Is the Beatification process the same today as when it was started and does anyone know when it began?

 

[AHH who-stole-my-name]

Ok this is an interesting thread to have on a baptist forum and people currently answering are not even baptists...lol.

It seems quite old too.

I just reported the fact that the thread was not created by a Baptist and as such should be moved to the general Theologists section, so we can continue without disturbing you.

I just want to comment and say that...if someone introduced themselves as a jw to me I would not really want to talk to them as they are a known cult and will try to get your to take their bible studies. (With their altered version of the bible) I usually just say im a born again christian and already read the bible thanks. As they are bringing people another gospel, and the bible says not to invite people that do that into your homes.

I would match their talk as we are all in this for humanity. If you would proselytize to Atheists why would you not do the same to JW. Those withing that cult are lost in a fog of deceit and think they are on the right path. I would save them if I could, but that's me. I hate what is going on there. You don't have to have them where you don't want them.

Are we not fishers of men?

 

[Bluelion]

Actually, we read that Bible story aloud in the Church on special occasions honoring the Theotokos, because it does not mean what you are suggesting that it means, but rather, it means the exact opposite of that. For Mary always did the will of Christ's Father in heaven (Luke 1:38), thus epitomizing what it means to be a member of Christ's family, so she was not really a sinner just like the rest of us, even though she is among the rest of us as one saved by Christ. This what I say is in the Bible for certain. For "He has regarded the low estate of His handmade. Henceforth all generations shall call me blessed" (Luke 1:48).

But the Theotokos has no need for a one such as myself to defend her position in the life of the Church. Christ Himself has continued to honor her throughout the age of the Church by answering her intercessions in our behalf. Even mine personally, just the way He honored her when He turned water into wine at the wedding in Cana, upon the request of her whom some say He dies not honor.

Yeah that is not what God says but all have fall short. Yes Mary is a sinner like the rest of us and Yes she needed Jesus to die for her sins. No she is not a god and you dishonor Jesus with your worship of her because Jesus was the only one who was with out sin, now you are lifting her up to God status. Now Faith is right you do worship her. You have an idle before God. Mary will not bless you in this but will convict you when you stand before God. What does Luke 1:48 have to do with Mary being God status? she says she is a servant. Nothing you quoted backs up what you said.

The Verse I said mean Just how I used them, to say they don't does not prove they are not, you have to show how they do not mean that and what they do mean. That is how you argue in a academic setting.

It's funny you go off on the JW and you worship a false god, even if it is Beloved Mary.

 

[Bluelion]

That may be so, but: "And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God." (Luke 1:30).

You know who else found favor with God, Moses, Joseph, Jacob, Abraham king David and just about everyone in the bible, and Guess what I found favor with God too through Jesus. Like I said God has no favorites. Those are Gods words even.

 

[Bluelion]

God's servants are "honored", not in the way that the world understands honor, but in the way that God sees honor. Christ honors those who confess Him (Luke 12:8), and Christ has the mind of God (Matthew 11:27), and we have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16).

ahh no we do not have the mind of Jesus it is something that most be worked at and is spoke of in great detail in Phi 2:4 it starts.

 

[truefiction1]

Ok, now we are getting to where I wanted to go with this. The Idea of Saints. I had a hard time with them until I read the term in The Bible, which I don't remember ever hearing about outside casual conversations about the thing. I want to apologize to if for the things I though about this, because i thought it was a fabrication. I didn't know it was Biblical. Were all these people, including Mary beatified into sainthood?

Is the Beatification process the same today as when it was started and does anyone know when it began?

I'm not able to answer because I don't know for sure when it actually started. If I speculate, I'd say that it likely started as a simple practice which then got built up into something more as time went on and persecution of Christians by the Roman empire, which didn't happen until early in the 4th century.

 

[MarkRohfrietsch]

Admin Hat...

I'm closing this thread for a number of reasons:

1. This thread was long dead, and now resurrected.
2. This thread was started in fellowship and met with mean spiritedness; the original poster was brow-beaten and never ever returned to Christian Forums (you guys missed a great opportunity to share your faith).
3. This thread continues to be off topic, not only to the original post, but also to your forum; these discussions should be taken to appropriate forums when discussing other faiths.

Also, from me, an outsider looking in; when you freely attack an outsider that is not here to debate, and they can not defend themselves because you are hiding behind the Congregational rule it looks weak and cowardly. You guys can do better than that.

Mark
CF Admiin