Srecko Sostar

Wow, someone rattle your cage ? You are joining forces with S.M. ?
You are counting me amongst violent people ? Just because i am an Ex-JW you think I'm a gangster ? 
Climb down off your high horse for a moment. If you are a JW you sure don't sound like one. 
I never said England was peaceful. I said "I'm so glad I'm here in a peaceful part of England"  I know what happens in other parts. My brother and sister live in our hometown of Reading, just 30 miles from London. I visit occasionally but only stay for the shortest of time. 
I also wasn't suggesting that S.M. practised Voodoo. I was suggesting that Voodoo was practised in the area where he lived, as he seems to know about such things. 
As for me 'following' anyone else, you are totally off course. You seem to be suggesting that anyone that is an Ex-JW must be part of a movement of some kind. How wrong you are. I am not that weak. I do not need holding up by others. I am my own man. 
I have no thoughts of JW's having firearms. i have no thoughts of JW's harming others physically. BUT i do have thoughts of the GB and JW Org harming people spiritually. 

My point is that we should have a little talk about the term "inspired".
First we should come up with an answer on what type of "inspiration" the GB speaks. As for the religious people who govern the believers, then we can safely assert that GB actually claims that they are not inspired by the divine spirit. 
In what sense of inspiration? In the sense of what is often used for written Bible text and its source, these are verses like - 2 Peter 1:19-21 and 2 Timothy 3:14-16. GB denied such divine inspiration for written and verbal text that coming from GB members mouth, or in extension, all what is produced as "spiritual food" by means, with help, through WT Company or JW Organization as god's chosen organized people who doing His will.
Now let us see something about word "inspire" (and all forms that come from this one).
few from dictionary:
 to make someone feel that they want to do something and can do it
 to make someone have a particular strong feeling or reaction
 to give someone an idea for a book, film, product, etc
to fill someone with confidence and desire to do something
If something or someone inspires something else, it causes or leads to it
 As we can see to be inspired can came from various sources. And all sources are normal (if they are normal :))))). If you as JW member listen to Conventional program and hear some bro or sis how they are happy in missionary service, how they meet many interesting people, saw beautiful scenery of nature and  many more and after you heard that you want to be missionary .... Who INSPIRED Who? Nothing is wrong to be INSPIRED. 
If you read some book, watching TV, movie and something move you aka inspired you to say something, to do something ... it means you are INSPIRED. If God from heaven tell you to say, to do something, it means you are INSPIRED.
When GB of JW say how they are not INSPIRED what that means? Not inspired by spirit of God, not inspired by other people spirit , not inspired by own spirit??
How ever they claim, state, quote how they are not inspired, they are in fact want to say how GB is not RESPONSIBLE for nothing have been said and written. That is main reason for defending themselves with phrase "we are not inspired". 
Inspiration is divine gift. And was given to all people. Or better to say some will found that and some will used that.  :))) Not only for religious purposes!!!!!!!!!!!

So exposing people for Child Abuse now becomes 'persecuting my own brothers and sisters' does it ?
Exposing the GB for their heartless rules, their false information and misguidance becomes 'persecuting my own brothers and sisters' does it ? 
Well Jesus was accused of much that wasn't true about him. So accuse me of what you will. God himself will sort out whichever Organisation HE wishes to use, be it the JW Org or not. But if it is the JW org then it will need a lot of cleaning out first. Meanwhile you can carry on being a puppet if you wish, but not a puppet for God, only a puppet for the GB. 

You talk of the Nation of Israel. They were God's chosen people. Not by their choice as individuals though. So it cannot be compared to the JW Org. The JW Org is made up of individuals that have made a choice to be in that Org. The Org is supposed to be like a New nation. A safe place, a hiding place from the storm of the world. It should be 'looked after', watched over and guided by men of pure hearts. But it isn't. It's an organisation of dictatorship with the threat of death if a person disobeys. Spiritual death at first, then physical death at Armageddon, ( if you believe what he GB says ). 
You said 'so you leave because of wrong doing of a few in power'. Let me remind you of Hitler. He was in power, but why ? Why did he have such power ?  Because people feared him and so they did as they were told. They were his puppets. Hitler could not have done as much on his own. It was because he had so much of Germany under his control and they 'did just so', obeyed his every command without thought or feeling for others. It is the same in the JW org. The Elders are in fear of the GB. The GB are the hitler of the Org. So the Elders are the puppets of the GB, and in turn the congregants are in fear of the Elders, so the congregants are the puppets of the Elders. That is why the JW Org is not pure and clean. If you pollute a river from its source, that pollution will run down through the whole river, polluting all in its path. So it is with the JW Org, the pollution starts with the GB and it runs down through. 
You are saying to me then, why not be part of this pollution ? Why not invite other people into this polluted Organisation ? 
I think you will now understand why I left it all. Well you will understand if you want to, but if you want to continue to be blind then so be it.  

Who is the 'we' in these cases ?  In Australia it seems they had been collecting information about the Pedophiles in the Org for over 50 years. And in the USA in 1997 the GB started to collect info about the same thing. Though I would think that unofficially the GB had been collecting info for as long as Australia Org had. So to presume that the GB / Org 'assumed that kids lie and elders tell the truth' seems a bit far fetched. 
And the bit about 'built into the system for decades'. Do you mean built into the JW Org from the GB ? 
And it's back to, Why wouldn't the GB and its legal departments hand over all the information to the authorities in the USA? It's not a question of the legal standing surely, it's a question of what is right in God's eyes. 
They even tried to resist here in the UK, but gave some of the info' eventually. Did they give all the info' in Australia ?  Why has each country acted differently ? It's God's standards that need to be upheld not legal standards of each country. 
And, are things the same now ? The two witness rule still applies doesn't it ?  They can accuse two adults of opposite sex of committing fornication with no witnesses, but will not believe a child or its parents when abuse has taken place. 
And it seems they don't even think about two people of the same sex having a sexual relationship. Brothers can live in a house together, go anywhere together and no questions. But if one brother and one sister should dare to go anywhere together they are accused of fornication. Very old fashioned human way of thinking. Not scriptural at all. 

There is a lot of discussion about being a good Christian Man ... but from your above comment, and your perspective, most males are woefully deficient in being a MAN. 
Having male genitalia does not make one a man ... even cows are so equipped ....
.... and CHICKENS!
 

There is a very real difference between "kicking a man when he is down" when someone has stumbled or become a victim of folly, or chance and circumstance .... and "kicking a man when he is down" who just tried to assault you ... or did in fact assault you, and in combat you prevailed and got him to the ground.
In that case, I would kick him while he was down until he completely and unquestionably had the ability to fight permanently removed from his sorry body ....  and completely ceased to be a threat to anyone.
THAT ... IS CONTEXT!

When Abram heard that his relative had been taken captive, he called out the 318 trained men born in his household and went in pursuit as far as Dan. 15 During the night Abram divided his men to attack them and he routed them, pursuing them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus. 16 He recovered all the goods and brought back his relative Lot and his possessions, together with the women and the other people.

Thanks for respond. Question is very hard to answer in full measure, with complete sincerity and openness. But, this is not environment to be completely open on every aspects of own private life. I truly appreciated your sincerity John and contribution you made by brave comments and experience you went through.  
First and only sincerity one must show, 
is in front "mirror"  when we looking own face, literal and spiritual. Would we go so far and tell some "secret" feelings and thoughts? It requires more faith and courage than of many who have been called "people of faith".
"The Truth". How widely meaning and many areas are covered in this word. 
 
 
 

When Abram heard that his relative had been taken captive, he called out the 318 trained men born in his household and went in pursuit as far as Dan. 15 During the night Abram divided his men to attack them and he routed them, pursuing them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus. 16 He recovered all the goods and brought back his relative Lot and his possessions, together with the women and the other people.

For some of us there are emotions / feelings in between Love and Hate. 
We should love our neighbours, but can't say a i do. I tend not to get involved with my neighbours, but i do consider their feelings when i do things outside of the house. So in my opinion showing consideration is a way of showing love, but in an indirect way. 
For some people, those that have had a good upbringing and have been shown love, it is probably easier to show love to others. But when life has kicked you down for more than half a century then showing love becomes more difficult.  God understands all this of course, but never expect people to understand. 
I show 'love' to some people by just completely ignoring them. Well it's better than doing them harm  .
Hate, I think we all hate something or someone at times. We are all sinners and fall short in many ways. 
But you know the things i hate, no need to repeat them again. 

oh yes, I totally understand this point. To assimilate the jw elders to police, while a very accurate analogy, is going  a bit far. Without going into the qualifications of these "police elders", they aren't even versed in the ways they are supposed to be, ie CSA. They are merely told to call someone else. I don't even buy the whole "well they are imperfect people", that is a complete cop out and a perfect excuse for the blunders they've committed. If they are not qualified, then they're not anything more than advisers. Advice is great if it is accepted and put into practice, but in reality that's all they are is advisers. 
again spiritual cops? hardly. In the end we, individuals, are held accountable for what we have done, not a group of uneducated men dictating the "standards" of an organization. While on this topic of standards, Can anyone show me in the Bible where beards are looked down upon? how about higher education? birthdays? and the list goes on. Its not found anywhere, its man made. 
 
isn't this where parents and the Bible come in? It is.
Integrity is learned by following the morals instilled in you from either your dedication to the Bible/God, your parents (family), friends, observation, etc. Even then, some choose to disregard those morals and thus do not have it. 
that is wishful thinking. We already know people are flawed. Sure we all make mistakes, get speeding tickets, lie, cheat, steal, etc. Its our human nature, but to give authority to a group of men who are no more trained than I is absurd. To be held accountable and receive discipline in the magnitude that is dished out, merely based on standards imposed by men, is just plain foolishness. I guess that may also be why the gb doesn't want people to go and receive higher education, to learn to think for themselves. 
I apologize if I may offend anyone with my statements here, but it is "the truth". 
 

I left the JW Org at the beginning of this year due to the massive amount of Child Abuse / Pedophilia that has been and still is allowed to go on in the JW Org. 
All you say about serving God, be it Yahweh or Jehovah, had no connection to the JW Org. This is something I'm trying to get into people's heads. The JW Org does not 'own' God. God, through Jesus Christ is available to anyone, not just through your GB. 
The GB have in fact put themselves in the place of Jesus Christ. They have said many times in the past, and it has been shown here on this website, that the GB have said, people can only be saved through Armageddon by being part of JW Org and by doing exactly what the GB say. Now that is putting themselves in the place of Jesus and its totally wrong. 

Yes but some pretend to have authority, so they demand attention. Whereas others are just honest in their thoughts and comments. 

1) study it
many JW study Bible, but how it is possible that also many of them not saw "errors" in doctrines for all this decades. How is possible that many JW accepted so many teaching and instructions that was later been abandoned? Well it seems how something is/was lacking in our personal Bible study for all these years "in the truth".
2) accept the logic as facts  
as we all are witnesses to that too, wrong logic can deceive us.
3) holy spirit opens our minds and hearts wide to understand 
do you talking, in this statement, about "to be inspired" by God? If you are, than this is contrariwise, in opposition to GB claim how them, as anointed ones, are not inspired by holy spirit. If anointed are not inspired, how non-anointed can be inspired? To confuse and make foggy on all this, that same GB teaching how, despite the fact they are "not inspired by spirit", they are "guided by spirit". :)) 
4) unique above all, is how the Bible's teachings are accepted by millions of people in just the same way
It is "unique" too, how people in some periods of time accepted also some teachings and was been deceived. Modern examples are; Nazi ideology and era when millions of German people followed Fuhrer, or Communism ideology in east Europe or more better example is China people or North Korea. Millions of people accepted teachings in same way. Capitalism is also unique ideology for millions worldwide.   

thanks for respond 

What in this words told by Jesus need some extra context with some special interpretation, that is not visible while reader reading it? - “You have heard that it was said, ...."
Those who listened Jesus at moment he gave sermon knew well WHO told them;
1) You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.
2) You shall not commit adultery
3) Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.
4) Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made
5) Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.
6) Love your neighbor  and hate your enemy.
It is noticeable how Jesus have extra appendix on every of this listed, quoted things he made. Did he go beyond already said and written? He gave some  additional explanation? He gave not just an explanation, but even a guide that differs from what they were taught.
All this 6 points you can find in Ten commands and Mosaic Law. But one you would not find - "hate your enemy". But Bible have idea of hating. Not only hating bad things in general or bad deeds made by people. Bible talking about hate that is directed towards other people. 
General idea of "hating" is visible in book Ec. 3:8. ...a time to love and a time to hate. 
Very specific way of hating is visible in;
Psalm 139:21,22 ....Do not I hate them, O Lord, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee? I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies.
Hosea 9:15 Every evil of theirs is in Gilgal; there I began to hate them 
Luke 14:26 “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters— yes, even his own life— he cannot be My disciple.
In sermon, Jesus talking about NOT HATING enemy but also about HATING family members. 
You can talk about so called CONTEXT how much you wish and want, but what is said - it is said, and how it was said -it was said. WTJWorg in some of Bible verses  found basis for shunning, avoiding and ignoring those who disagree about WT doctrines.      
In one moment Jesus making corrections about Mosaic Law and oral teaching, oral law. In next moment he has told something that WT scholars using for own Oral laws and commands and instructions.
Do you still want continue to insist on so called Context? What Context, when whole  Bible can be used for particular interest of  governing elite. :))) Each group will find its context and claim how that is A Context. :))

The first “ring of truth” may be authentic; the succeeding peals could be deadly.
“Will a bird fall into a snare on the earth, where there is no trap for it?
Will a snare spring up from the earth, if it has caught nothing at all?”  Amos 3:5 
‘For among My people are found wicked men;
They lie in wait as one who sets snares;
They set a trap;
They catch men.”  Jer 5:26
Of what importance is loyalty to Jehovahˈs organization?   If we truly appreciate Jehovah’s earthly organization, we will remain loyal to it, knowing that the organization is his.  w73 7/1 pp. 401-407
Now is the time to flee from doomed Christendom and find refuge in Jehovah’s organization. w50 7/1 pp. 195-198
“refuge in Jehovah’s organization”?
Please, see the logic: 
 “Who will you compare me or make me equal to?
Who will you measure Me with,
so that we should be like each other? 
Remember what happened long ago,
for I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and no one is like Me."  Isa 46:5,9
 
"God, hear my voice when I am in anguish.
Protect my life from the terror of the enemy.
2 Hide me from the scheming of wicked people,
from the mob of evildoers,
3 who sharpen their tongues like swords
and aim bitter words like arrows,
4 shooting from concealed places at the blameless.
They shoot at him suddenly and are not afraid.
5 They adopt an evil plan;
they talk about hiding traps and say,
“Who will see them?” 
6 They devise crimes and say,
“We have perfected a secret plan.”
The inner man and the heart are mysterious.
7 But God will shoot them with arrows;
suddenly, they will be wounded.
8 They will be made to stumble;
their own tongues work against them.
All who see them will shake their heads.
9 Then everyone will fear
and will tell about God’s work,
for they will understand what he has done.
10 The righteous one rejoices in the Lord
and takes refuge in Him;
all those who are upright in heart
will offer praise.”  Ps 64
 
 
 

1) study it
many JW study Bible, but how it is possible that also many of them not saw "errors" in doctrines for all this decades. How is possible that many JW accepted so many teaching and instructions that was later been abandoned? Well it seems how something is/was lacking in our personal Bible study for all these years "in the truth".
2) accept the logic as facts  
as we all are witnesses to that too, wrong logic can deceive us.
3) holy spirit opens our minds and hearts wide to understand 
do you talking, in this statement, about "to be inspired" by God? If you are, than this is contrariwise, in opposition to GB claim how them, as anointed ones, are not inspired by holy spirit. If anointed are not inspired, how non-anointed can be inspired? To confuse and make foggy on all this, that same GB teaching how, despite the fact they are "not inspired by spirit", they are "guided by spirit". :)) 
4) unique above all, is how the Bible's teachings are accepted by millions of people in just the same way
It is "unique" too, how people in some periods of time accepted also some teachings and was been deceived. Modern examples are; Nazi ideology and era when millions of German people followed Fuhrer, or Communism ideology in east Europe or more better example is China people or North Korea. Millions of people accepted teachings in same way. Capitalism is also unique ideology for millions worldwide.   

BLOOD TRANSFUSIONS
Watchtower Teaching WT forbids blood transfusions because of Genesis 9:4 ‘But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat’.
The WT teaches that a blood transfusion is the same as eating blood, because it resembles intravenous feeding. This doctrine was invented in 1944.
Bible Teaching and Historical facts:
1) Thousands of JWs and their children have died because they followed this WT error.
QUESTION: Would you really allow your baby to die because of this WT instruction?
2) Most JWs are unaware that their leaders have a history of making medical prohibitions,then later changing their minds to allow them. Examples include:
(i) Vaccinations were forbidden by the WT from 1931 to 1952. JWs had to refuse vaccinations because the WT taught that ‘vaccination is a direct violation of the everlasting covenant that God made’ (Golden Age, 4 Feb 1931, p 293).
Awake of 22 Aug 1965 admitted that vaccinations have caused a decrease in diseases(p.20)
QUESTION: How did the parents of children who died from not being vaccinated, feel when the WT reversed its view in 1952? How many of these children died needlessly?
(ii) Organ transplants were allowed by the WT up to 1967, but were forbidden in 1967 saying that ‘organ transplants amounted to cannibalism and are not appropriate for Christians’ (WT, 15 Nov 1967, p 702-4, and Awake 8 June 1968, p 21). Hence all organ
transplants were forbidden for 13 years, during which time many JWs died needlessly.
Then in 1980, the WT changed its mind to allow them saying that ‘organ transplants are not necessarily cannibalistic’ (WT, 15 March 1980, p 31).
(iii) Blood plasma and blood particles were forbidden to be used by JW haemophiliacs (Awake, 22 Feb 1975, p 30). Shortly after, the WT changed its mind to permit certain blood particles to be used, but failed to put it into print for 3 years until 15 June 1978, p
30 (WT). Only those haemophiliacs who phoned WT headquarters from 1975-78 discovered the change. Others were left to suffer and die.
QUESTION: How long before the WT changes its view on blood transfusions?
QUESTION: Why does the WT keep changing its mind on medical issues?
QUESTION: Is it right for an infallible prophet of God organisation (such as the WT claims to be) to keep changing its mind.
(iv) In 1984, they allowed for a bone-marrow transplant. Bone marrow is the very source of blood. However, they would disfellowship you for receiving a bloodtransfusion.
3) In Genesis 9:4 the context is God forbidding the eating of animal blood (as pagans did), not the transfusion of human blood. A blood transfusion is not intravenous feeding, because the blood so given does not function as food. When one gives a transfusion, it is not a loss of life, but a transference of life from one person to another. It replenishes and saves a life.
QUESTION: Since blood is not taken in as food to digest, but as life sustaining fluid, is it not clear that transfusion is different from eating?
4) Leviticus 3:17 ‘You must not eat any fat or any blood at all.’ (NWT)
QUESTION: Why do WT leaders forbid blood transfusions but allow the eating of fat? Why not forbid both? The WT is not consistently interpreting the Bible. Leviticus 17:11,12: ‘For the life of the flesh is in the blood’. Blood transfusion does not function as food, but simply transfers life from one person to another as an act of mercy.
Key: Leviticus 3:17 prohibits eating animal blood, not transfusing human blood.
QUESTION: Where is loss of salvation mentioned in Acts 15:9,11 for receiving a blood transfusion?
Key: Acts 15:28,29. A blood transfusion uses blood for the same purpose that God intended, (as a life-giving agent in the bloodstream). Drinking blood is not God’s intended purpose for
blood
Conclusion: Even though JWs try to support blood transfusions with Scripture, their real reason for believing it is blind obedience to the WT. If the WT organisation lifted its ban on blood transfusions, JWs would freely accept them if needed.
For the WT to admit they were wrong would cause too great a stir in their ranks. Therefore any changes must be presented as ‘new light’ in order to make it appear that ‘Jehovah’ is making the changes, rather than a few men on the governing body.
 

There is a LOT of money, prestiege, accolades, and status  to be had  in making yourself into a fortune teller, Shaman, Witch Doctor, Snake-Oil Salesman, Prophet, Prognosticator, Savant, Priest, Counselor, Governing Body, or Elder.
A LOT of money!
Technically ... it may not be yours ... but you control it ... without any accountability whatsoever, to those footing the bill.
Not your "followers".
Not even the IRS.
... even if you have taken a vow of poverty ... you fly Business Class, and stay in very fine hotels, sleep warm, eat well, and have a staff to do anything you want done.
It is a VERY FINE OCCUPATION, much to be sought after, .... if you can keep up the razzle-dazzle .... and keep down your gag reflex.

At what moment "The Truth" has ceased to be "The Truth"?
 
In a nutshell .... "The Truth" has ceased to be "The Truth", when best guesses, and opinions are represented as exclusive direction and revelations from God ...... without qualifying clearly and unambiguously that they are ONLY best guesses, and considered opinions.
There is of course a VERY serious problem with being direct and honest with people with whom you publish your opinions to ... IF ... if  you DO NOT represent your thinking as the directed " Voice of God" ...
.... they will not give you money, and you will miss meals, and sleep cold at night ... or have to get a REAL job... and you will not be revered as a wise person (or persons).
The next thing on the list is that you have to seriously disparage getting more than a basic education to those you are deluding ... for fear that they will become smarter than you, and figure this out.
... and you lose MONEY!
 
 
 

ohh dear god....you talking as some subversive element.....Bible say how secular authority is "god's public servant". 
“Rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God’s servant for your good.” - Romans
What sort of gospel you preaching? :)))) 

Agree with your explanations how more important, or if we can say also, only important thing is, what we are, who we are, what sort of person we are and want to be.
If it is so, and how almost all of us here agree with such view, i believe, then all such Corporative and  Organizational  preparing and sharing of so called spiritual food ( read WT publications and talks) is/are almost unnecessary, meaningless or redundant. Why? Because of never ending process of going beyond what is written, and striving to keep members in obedience to man (WT Corporation), not to God. 

Double honor?? For what "hard work of teaching" dear Insider? For repeated wrong interpretations? For new "clarifications" that will come to be called "previous errors", "wrong expectations" and other phrases in WT terminology?  :))  
Every, each time this "new clarification" make JW members to have, not new clarification, but NEW HOPE, because "this time this must be true" ..in mind (read fantasy) of person only. :))