Ones that weren't born in the truth, what truth freed you?

[Ostria]

Like, what did you learn that gave you a huge sigh of relief? For me it was James 1:13. Learning that Jehovah doesn't punish you for doing bad. That is a HUGE misconception in Christendom (I think im using that term right. The other 'Christ based' denominations). To the point where if a natural disaster happens you'll see people in comment section of videos saying "God is mad at them" and so on and so forth.

 

When I was pregnant with my son in 2020 i lived in constant fear of something going wrong, everytime I said or did something unbiblical and if i got sick shortly after i was constantly wondrring if God was taking my baby away, i know that sounds crazy but i was raised to always prepare for the worst case scanario and it's actually made me a huge wreck 😂😭.

 

My family also has a belief that if you lose someone close to you (normally parents and children) early in life, that means that you (the parent or child of the parent or child) did NOT do well by the person and God decided to take them from you. When i lost my mom before she hit 60, i figured it was a punishment for me. My mom and I didnt have the best relationship when i was growing up, and over all i could have been a better person, so i blamed myself often and so did some family members, actually anytime anything bad happened with my mom i was always reminded if i was a better daughter it wouldnt have happened.

 

So.... How about yall?

[Friends just call me Ross]

I was born and raised a Catholic. 

Attended parochial school for eight years.

Was a great academic education

and a pitiful PITIFUL spiritual education.

 

What I saw with my eyes, mind and heart

did not add up to the malarkey I was force fed in the Catholic realm.

 

I was looking for The Truth...a faith that made sense with what I could see and feel was real.

 

I had stopped attending Catholic services 

and was listening to the rock opera "Jesus Christ Superstar". 

 

I mentioned to some friends I went horseback riding with

that I did not believe that Jesus was God.   God cannot die.  Jesus died.  Duh.

 

They told me that Jesus was NOT God 

and then they showed me Psalm 83:18. 

 

I had known Jehovah my whole life...just did not know Him by His NAME.

 

I immediately knew that I had found THE TRUTH.  

 

I was in the Kingdom Hall the next morning...front row....baptized six months later

...and have never looked back. 💜

[Tia]

Sis -

I have always loved your comments!  so flavored, you remind me of my fleshly sis - it is native like -

there is also an older sister in my KH who use to be Catholic so many years ago - and she has excellent comments and speaks similar to you! 

wow...it just shows Jehovah knows exactly who belongs to Him.  

 

 

[Ludwika]

I was also raised in the Catholic church, for me it was very quick, on the 3rd study. For the first time I understood "let your kingdom come" actually meant something! I'd parroted those words since childhood and never realised their meaning! God's kingdom was coming! It was a lightbulb moment. 

[Amygdala]

I think it‘s the former Catholic group roll-call here. 😅 My moment was learning about living forever on a paradise earth. Also calling God by his real name made God so much more real to me, and everything about his personality moved me. Welcome to the club! 😉 

[Ostria]

Yeah its wild how many Witnesses are former Catholics. The lady that found me was also a fomer Catholic.

 

When i learned about Jehovah's name and saw that it was also in the KJV (version most of my family recognizes as the real bible). I showed it to my grandma all hyped about it. She told me she knew, when i asked her why no one uses it, she said that they dont want to be associated with Jehovah's Witnesses. Dang, can you imagine being scared to use God's name because you dont want to be associated with his witnesses; but you'll proudly call yourself a democrat tsk tsk.

 

Side note, my aunt was curious about me becoming a witness, we talked a bit about it. When i told her that we don't vote. She. Flipped. Snickerdoodles.

 

I guess thats another thing i got freed from (pulls out social media and exposes people freaking out about the whole 2024 election) i dont have to care about this anymore ( dances). Though, i never voted because personally there hasnt been anyone i felt up to my standards to vote for (would have voted for Kanye for the memes 🤣). 

[Ludwika]

2 hours ago, Ostria said:

Snickerdoodles.

That's a word to add to my vocabulary 😂

[Ostria]

13 minutes ago, Ludwika said:

That's a word to add to my vocabulary 😂

They are the best cookie in the world, next to oatmeal raisin

[Ludwika]

15 minutes ago, Ostria said:

They are the best cookie in the world, next to oatmeal raisin

Our biscuit manufacturers are not blessed with imagination it appears when choosing names for their product! I love it! 😻 

[Mike047]

For me, it was learning the name of God, and realising that it had been 'hidden' by the mainstream churches for centuries. Also learning that a future life in a paradise earth, is God's intention for most of humankind. 

 

We have always been well fed and are so well fed now, too, consider:

 

May Jehovah be praised eternally!

[Witness1970]

13 hours ago, Ostria said:

Snickerdoodles

Sheldon used it in the Big Bang Theory.  Along with Bazinga.

23 minutes ago, Mike047 said:

For me, it was learning the name of God, and realising that it had been 'hidden' by the mainstream churches for centuries. Also learning that a future life in a paradise earth, is God's intention for most of humankind. 

 

We have always been well fed and are so well fed now, too, consider:

 

May Jehovah be praised eternally!

I am sending that to some friends!

[Ostria]

1 hour ago, Witness1970 said:

Sheldon used it in the Big Bang Theory.  Along with Bazinga.

I am sending that to some friends!

Oh no, not TBBT. I dont think theres a show I dislike more than that.... that..... Thing (looks at tbbt in disgust like it just sneezed in the potato salad at a pot luck and thought it was okay)

[Pikachu]

While I don't have a particular scripture, I loved learning about Bible principles. My parents weren't in the truth, and I studied as an older elementary school student / tween. I just loved learning about Jehovah's thoughts on sexual conduct, how we treat others, blood, etc. I felt freed because I didn't need to think and wonder if these things were right or wrong. I could think of other things like what I wanted to do when I grew up, what kind of work did I want to do, etc. The Bible decided that moral matters for me and answered the philosophical questions like 'Why do we die?'. It was also fantastic to know that Jehovah was like a parent and wanted us to go to meetings /service at certain times.These anchors were great as I transitioned into a young adult, and then when I got married. When I got married, my life was thrown upside down. I've never lived on my own before in a new country, but I felt that Jehovah always held my hand. I know there was at least Saturday service, and the meetings, and that was the only stable thing in my life.

[Ostria]

13 minutes ago, Pikachu said:

While I don't have a particular scripture, I loved learning about Bible principles. My parents weren't in the truth, and I studied as an older elementary school student / tween. I just loved learning about Jehovah's thoughts on sexual conduct, how we treat others, blood, etc. I felt freed because I didn't need to think and wonder if these things were right or wrong. I could think of other things like what I wanted to do when I grew up, what kind of work did I want to do, etc. The Bible decided that moral matters for me and answered the philosophical questions like 'Why do we die?'. It was also fantastic to know that Jehovah was like a parent and wanted us to go to meetings /service at certain times.These anchors were great as I transitioned into a young adult, and then when I got married. When I got married, my life was thrown upside down. I've never lived on my own before in a new country, but I felt that Jehovah always held my hand. I know there was at least Saturday service, and the meetings, and that was the only stable thing in my life.

Not gonna lie. I look at my life now and look at the kids at my congregation and im jealous of them and i think about how different my life would have been if someone in my high school had been a witness and tried to grab me. My teen/ young adult life was so chaotic.

 

Are things stable with you now after you got married? I had to marry my long time boyfriend to become a witness. We had met in 2012, started dating in 2013, had a small break in 2018-2019, got back together in late 2019, then got married feb this year. We talked about marriage for years but he started watching youtbe and facrboom videos with men getting married, then getting divorced and losing everything so it discouraged him from marriage. However what changed his mind is that his company will give me more money if he passes away if we were married 🥴.

[Pikachu]

I'm not sure about your circumstances, but I married in 2011. I was 18 years old at the time. Since then, I've had 9 children, and I'm pregnant with number 10. My life is still stable, but my husband is also a believer of Jehovah. We both go to meetings twice a week, have family worship, go out in service on Saturdays, etc. These things have been in my life for about 20 years!

Although you married someone who isn't a worshiper of Jehovah, He is still a stabilizer in our lives. Whether or not our spouses worship Jehovah, we still have regular meetings, conventions, assemblies, service, etc. When I was a child/teen, I went to the meetings myself and found encouragement in having regular association with the Witnesses 3 or 4 times a week.

[Ostria]

57 minutes ago, Pikachu said:

I'm not sure about your circumstances, but I married in 2011. I was 18 years old at the time. Since then, I've had 9 children, and I'm pregnant with number 10. 

TEN KIDS?!?!?! MY DREAM!! I was an only child, so having a big family was a goal of mine, sadly that didnt happen. Seems imma just have one. My husband doesnt even believe in any religion, however he hopes that Valhalla exists🥴. However i hope i can change enough in my life to change him, but he is pretty against the view of blood and holidays that we hold. Imma just keep hoping and praying that things will go well in the future

[blueyellow]

Free will.

[Joey]

I still remember reading the title of the red book...

"You Can Live Forever in Paradise on Earth"

I thought to myself I can live forever?! 

It just really caught my attention and the beautiful pictures of paradise in the book.