₦airaland Forum

MaxInDHouse:
Cornelboy, you like this Àjàlá travel guy o!

Consider his missionary journey but unlike Paul he's not being faithful to any course:

©https://www.nairaland.com/7267762/experience-eckankar-religion
Journey to the land of Eckankar.

©https://www.nairaland.com/7253447/experience-olumba-obu-ooo
Journey to the land of Olumba.

©https://www.nairaland.com/7279788/experience-wind-change-temple-universe
Journey to the land of temple universe.

©https://www.nairaland.com/7296359/experience-jehovahs-witnesses-organization
Journey to JW organization.

Just that he ended his story from where he supposed to start!

and how is it ur business? Did i use ur own head,hands,leg to explore the religions?

cornelboy:
Templee333, are you sure that you can find and know about the true God by attending different cults?

If you really want to know about God and his Messiah, you should start studying the Bible, God's word.
That's very essential for your salvation John 17:3.

can u,please,define the term cult? And what makes u think u know the true God? What salvation are u refering to?

MUSIC
We were taught not to sing or listen to religious songs of other churches.But what i didn't understnd was why JW had no probem singing & listening to "worldly song" like Timaya & P-square,no matter how dirty the lyrics were.In a JW traditional marriage or Wedding receptions we were free to play worldly songs except Christian hymns & praises.A christian artist is considered a satanist. If ur radio or tv station starts a church song or program u had to change the station.But when 2face,J martins played,there's no problem. That issue caused arguments between me & other brothers many times because i didn't welcome the idea of accepting worldly songs but reject christian songs. JW loved & enjoyed naija music more than their Kingdom melodies & i didn't like it that way.In their audio player lists u'd see naija music more than their kingdom song. Kingdom songs were dull & uninteresting to them. But i couldn't keep up with the hypocrisy of it all. I had to learn to love Kingdom songs...

QUESTION YOUNG PEOPLE ASK
Since i grew up to be much different frm the people in my environment,i had no confidant.People around me didn't take spiritual things serious so i didnt seek their advice on how to live my life or make decisions,rather,i turned to JW publications to seek advice on how to live my life.I read the bible everyday & had finished the whole bible frm cover to cover many times.The JW book " questions young people ask,answers that work" volume 1 & 2,were my best advisers. I made sure to read books & magazines that were published even b4 i was born & i knew "Jehovah's will" more than the average JW. Sometimes i went into a quiet place in a nearby bush to read & ponder Jhvh's thought. I devour many experiences of brothers & sisters who served Jehvh with their whole heart & wanted to be like them.I ignored what everyone said & listened to the Faithful & Discrete Slave alone.I made many strange decisions because of what i fed my mind with.I was a stranger among my people...

SOME SECRETS WE KNEW
We knew some deep truth that weren't revealed to other churches because they didnt worship the true God.The identities of GOG OF MAGOG,BABYLON THE GREAT,THE MAN WITH INK HORN IN THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL,WILD BEAST OF REVELATION & ITS SEVEN HEADS,LITTLE FLOCK AND OTHER SHEEP were unknown to non JW because they didnt serve the true God. But since we humbled ourselves,Jehovah revealed them to us. But if u look at it,all the terms above in capitals has been explained & reexplained differently frm time to time by the GB. All the explanations are meaningles & irelevant,yet the JW think they have some special knowledge that others don't have. I took time to study those shit so & felt special for knowing the sacred secret of God.

ALWAYS GUILTY
I don't knw if other JW felt that way but i always thought i was a sinner even when i didn't knw the exact sin i'd commited. Even tho many JW didnt give serious attention to all the "sins" that JW taught us to avoid,i took them serious.I wasn't so competent in telling lies like other brothers because it made me feel guilty.I didnt cheat on exams because we were taught not to do so & when i told other JW at school to stop cheating they considered me a fool. Despite all my effort to lead an exemplary life as a JW i still felt guilty as if i was worse than others...

...after my baptism i was made to undstnd that i'm no longer a child,i could be disfellowshiped or reproved if i broke any of "Jehovah's law". There were many privileges of service opened to a baptized brother in the cong. U could rove mic or control the sound system; read paragraphs in cong bible study & watchtower study; become an aux or regular pioneer,etc. There were many brothers in my cong so privileges were hot cake. I didn't bother competing with them because relationship with Jehovah was more important than any privilege.I was far to brilliant & answered tough questions in meetings correctly.Also,I was a skillful reader who handled bible reading with dramatic effect. I was the centre of everyone's attention & that meant envy & jealousy for other young ones in the cong. I once heard that the Cordinator said in their elders meeting that i was fit to be a MS if not for my age.
"if only he is a bit older",he said...

...Our old baptism pool wasn't in front of the platform as it is now. It was located far frm the auditorium & a small building erected beside it where we changed our clothes. The baptism pool was just a swimming pool with a different name,only that we were told not to swim inside it. Photographers were present & flashed their camera light here & there. When I stepped out of the water i was snapped but i didn't look back at the photographer. Brothers & sisters shook my hand & told me "welcome". If only i knew what i was getting myself into!

...baptism candidates often sit at auditorium B, directly opposite the platform on Saturday morning. I was told that ATTENDANTS standing beside the the baptism candidates are monitoring their behaviour & could report ur behaviour to the office & disqualify u 4 baptism even few minutes b4 the real thing. So that very morning I behaved myself & tried my best not to sleep so that i won't be disqualified. I can't remember anything that was said in the baptism talk.My mind wasn't at ease that day. It was until we were told to stand up & answ the 2 questns that i came alive again. After replying 2 resounding "yes" & the prayer that followed,the music started.It was either 206 or 207 in the songbook "sing praises to Jehovah". A tingling sensation ran down my spine when the ATTENDANT approched me & said,
"pick up ur bag & get ready,we're abt to move"
The song was "To Whom Do U Belong"
I picked the plastic bag that had my clothes inside & joined the line. We proceeded to the baptism pool...

Ezlynn:
It's not been easy especially with the naira devaluation, aside my main hustle I make extra income on the side trading crypto on yellowcard at the best rates with zero fee.

What exactly is this crypto,hw does it work?

MY BAPTISM
It's a mandate in JW that parent should teach them the truth.Thus,both father & mother had study the bible with me for years b4 they said i should baptize. I don't realy knw why i felt reluctant abt baptism then.Whatever the case,my father took us (my elder bro & me) to the elders to interview us so as to knw if we're qualified 4 baptism. My mom was present in the interview also.After few questions,the elders decided that I was qualified while my brother wasn't because he dressed like worldly people to meetings. I had to answer numerous questions frm the "organize" book. The questions were divided into 3 sections & 3 different elders were assigned to guide me in each section the question & answr task. District convention was at hand & i had to get ready for my baptism.I can't really recall the convention's theme but it must have been "godly obedience", or maybe not. What i can remember very well is the date: 22/11/2008...

.

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PRAYER
When people say that JW don't pray,it's because of some rigid rules that they place on prayer.You get to understand that JW don't close their eyes or say Amen if a non JW prays.They don't pray when preaching frm house to house.An unbaptized JW cant pray when baptized JW are around.A sister can't pray in the presence of brothers.Most JW pray only when they want to eat. Many don't even knw how to pray because it's the elders & MS that often pray in the Kingdom Hall. One of the things that made me diff frm other JW was that i prayed so often.There was a time i was laughed at by a group of brothers because i said we should pray b4 studying the watchtower at our lodge (not Kingdom Hall), they looked at me as someone who didn't know anything. One of them asked: do we use to pray when we want to conduct morning text? Is it not after the text that we pray? Why should watchtower be different? JW have so many rules abt prayer,yet they will tell u that u are free to pray at all times...

...I hardly made frnds because i considered all non JW as bad companions.Inside the cong, i didn't fit in because my lifetyle & preferences were diff frm most JW. I wasn't the type who hide my identity as a JW,so i was knwn everywhere i went. School was constant argument when i tried to do what the JW call "informal witnessing" & student gathered around to attack me with questions & i dealt with them tirelessly. That was how i earned the reputation of a "young pastor". Since people don't like to make frnds with "holy holy" person,I was so lonely & sometimes despised even among my fellow JW. I earned the reputation of a "young pator" in my schl & community.Since the title "pastor" is frowned upon in JW, i had to correct them that i'm a publisher not a pastor. It's good to note that the founder of JW appeared in Newspapers as "Pastor Russel" & yet JW today have a bad feeling abt the title.

GROWING UP AS A JW
I was raised up to believe that the bible is the word of God & that it alone has the final say in everything.Worse still, I believed that it's only JW publications that explain the bible correctly.As a result,I decided to follow the direction of The GB by using their publications to have a personal bible study ev'ry week.I was the type who studied & swallowed what the JW publications said without questioning them. I knew & applied what the GB taught more than my local elders & those who've been JW b4 me.I considered bro/sis who didn't take the GB teachings seriously as weak. Honestly speaking,most of the JWs that i knew were hypocrites who preached what they didn't practice. I was totally diff from all JW that i knew & they all noticed that. I wanted 2 b the perfect example of a "Jehvh's servant" who didn't use imperfection to spoil my relationship with Jehv. I was the type who felt guilty for ev'ry little mistake i made.I rarely went anywhere without my bible...

Hello guys! Happy Sunday. I hope some of u are going to church/shrine/Kingdom Hall or whatever u choose. Still...congratulations to those who've seen no use of going to all the entertainment centres listed above & choose to watch tv at home or spend ur day in something else. As for me, i'll go to church & pass some JW on their way to KH,they won't greet me because i'm an apostate!... My parent & siblings are preparing to go to KH right now!

NO! I AM NOT WORTHY
The annual memorial of JW is another event that captivated our young minds.We went around inviting people to the memorial.Non witnesses nicknamed the occasion as the "no! I'm not worthy" feast.There's a rumour among the non witnesses that when the memorial bread & wine (emblems) were passed to each individual JW,he'd say:
"no! i'm not worthy,take it away"
There's another rumour that the emblems were poison & we often had to answr many questn when inviting people to Memorial.Another amazing thing is that when memorial was over,the emblems were thrown away & dogs were worthy to feast on them.Perhaps the dogs & fowls that partook of the leftover emblems were more worthier than humans.

THE SISTER THAT EVERY CHILD FEARED
There's an elderly sister in the cong that took it as her task to yank every children ears after meeting,saying they slept or disturbed during meeting.All the children in the cong feared her & often run away frm her.She was also knwn as a very wicked woman in her community.She was the type who'd curse children that fetched firehood around her land. It was this sister that Jehovah finally chose to rule with christ after so many years of no remnant in our cong. Even our cong elders doubted Jhv's choice on this wicked woman. Non witnesses who heard that she's the only one that partook of "The Lord's Evening Meal" in the whole cong swore they could never become witnesses if Jhvh was so naive to choose such a woman. Many bro/sis in the cong didnt support Jhvh's choice on that woman.We kids began to think that if grew up with a reputation as "ear yankers" we could be chosen to rule with christ too.

144000 ANNOINTED CHRISTIAN
These 144000 annointed (JW only) are the ones who shall go to heaven & rule for 1000 yrs...COMING LATER

tctrills:
Is it really that bad

you might not really understand JW except u pass through it. Even JW who aren't faithful members of the organization still hardly understand it.Only most devoted members know how terribly bad it is when they are honest enough to admit it. But unfortunately, an active member often closes his reasoning ability & deny reality in other to continue his race for life in the one & only true religion.

...JW worship d almighty Jehovah who never change & follow the direction of Jesus who's the same yesterday,today & forever.However,the doctrines & beliefs of JW are ever changing.In the days of Russel,all JW were annointed & will rule with christ in heaven while non JW will remain on earth; all annointed christians were the faithful & discrete slave that Jesus foretold; Jehvh was to take all JW to heaven in Oct.1914; The millions who lived in 1914 & thereabout were never going to die. I can't just go on listing them. But the unchangeable Jehovah eventually changed his mind & Russel,Rutherford,Knor all died without going to heaven. All the beliefs above were revealed to them by Jhvh's Holy Spirit,but now the spirit has changed & they have different beliefs which will still change in the future...

tctrills:
This stories are very revealing.
Question: What happens if a CO is rude to you and you insult him back?

we dared not insult a CO. I remember once we travelled a very long distance to rehearsal at Ass.Hall. We had a demonstration & bro Tony condemned all our presentation over & over again.Finally, he got angry & told us to come again next week. The brother (an elder) who sponsored the demonstration tried to explain that our distance is far & he'd be busy next week.Bro Tony cut in & scolded the elder. The elder pleaded with him. But later on our way back,the elder complained of how rude the CO is & never considered all his labour to transport this crew here. "Must he be insulting people anyhow just because he's a CO?",he mumured. But he didn't respond when the CO insulted him.

Courz:
I have never seen this happen. COs can shout and be rude to JWs and JWs will be quiet and say nothing. After the CO is gone, they can open their mouth. But if that happens, I believe the JW that talks back will be disfellowshiped because that is regarded as Brazen conduct. Anyone is free to correct me if I am wrong.

even when a CO talked disrespectfuly to a brother who's older than him,he'd be afraid of offending the CO & never retaliate. We took him like a god which must always be pleased & not be offended.Even when he's clearly at fault,we took the blame.

tctrills:
Thank you Templee333 for your well-told story. I wish we all could be as calm and cool-headed as you have been despite the name-calling and provocation.
You have a beautiful story that tells the imperfections of men and their organizations. Good men, Yes. But when humans depend on their wisdom to comprehend eternal truths, they build walls that would crack.
Your story shed light on the cracks of the JW organization. It also told their good side, Their commitment to belief, and the way they introduce their kids early to their gospel.
I wish other Christians do not view this as a declaration of war against the JW. He without sin should cast the first stone.

one problem with JW is that they claim to be better than everyone else & know everything.

THE CELESTIAL CHARIOT
The GB of JW often apply Ezekiel chp.1 to their organization moving in response to divine spirit.Thus,their organization needs changes frm time to time.The NWT has been revised & its text edited many times since it's first released. Their song book has been changed & unchanged & rechanged many times. Their Watchtower & Awake! & the "Our Kingdom Ministry" & many other publications has been changed & bear different names many times.When their leaders realize how absurd some of their publications are,they replace it with new ones & stop using the faulty ones. Some of their old publications carry messages that are directly opposite of what they publish today. All these owe to the movement of Ezekiel's celestial chariot. Thanks to the chariot!

DISTRICT OVERSEERS
District overseers(DO) were higher in rank than CO.I knew very little abt these men because none ever visited our Cong.It was the responsibility of any cong which the DO chose to visit to care for them along with the CO & their wives. They had to take care of these 4 men & women & their high demands. The DO travelled around circuits & organized assemblies & conventions. I'd only see them at the platform giving talks but was never closed to any of them. I didn't really understand the nature of their work. They were always present at reg pioneers meeting a day b4 a circuit assembly.COs were subjected to DOs. There are no more District Overseers in JW organization.Maybe they've come to realize that DOs aren't really necesary.

...Field ministry with the CO was another opportunity to spent time with these "imperfect" men & see their flaws.We'd write our names in the list of those that will preach with CO.There's one CO who never bothered walking with everyone in the list,he'd just choose one person & walked with him throughout the day,maybe because he was tired of tolerating our nonsense.A CO once sent back brothers who came to field without properly shaving their beard.I once walked with a CO who spent abt an hour talking with a householder abt the performances of masqurades in the past instead of preaching the Kingdom message. A CO who walk with u in the field service may coax u to tell him ur personal & family problem,pretending to be caring. But his real motive is to gather informations & experiences to spice up his lectures during the week or next week in his next cong,or these info could help him know the next person to remove frm his post as an elder,MS or reg pioneer. No CO ever solved an individual or family problem...

CO & THEIR WIVES
COs don't joke with their wives. Bro Tony didnt want his wife to have anything doing with a brother in the cong. If a brother had to carry the wife in his bike, he made sure that a big gap seperated the two,with her preaching bag filling the gap so that sister's body will not touch brother. If both bro & sis Tony had to sit at the same bike,then brother must be in the middle so as to prevent sister's body touching the rider. U could have a big problem if some CO caught u (a brother) talking to their wife in low tone or being in the same room with her where there's no one else in the room. Even staying outside with some CO wife required that u don't go too close like sitting in the same bench or face to face like when two people are playing "WHOT" game. But i wonder why some CO commit adultery if they respect the sanctity of marriage that much! Mind u,some CO wives insult their husbands even in front of brothers & do it more at closed doors...MORE STORIES LATER

...this bro Tony didn't settle for less.Poor publishers who drink borehole water must contribute to buy him bottle water.We had to fueled & repaired his car even when no brother in our cong owned a car. But he never drove this car around because brothers had to use their bikes to gave him a ride througout the weeks wherever he went. All these wouldn't be an issue if JW publications don't heavily condemn christendom religious leaders for oppresing their poor members & making a fortune out of them. But Watchtower never talk abt their own leaders behaviour. Is that not hypocrisy of the highest order? However, some CO are considerate & doesn't demand too much frm the cong. The behaviour of a CO depends entirely on his personality & not the organization who claim to change people's life. Wicked people continue to be wicked no matter how long they've been in the JW org. They aren't different frm every other religion on that aspect.Their only excuse is "imperfection"...

BEHAVIOURS OF COs
Some COs I knew were kind & friendly,but some were hot tempered & rude.Since COs change circuits frm time to time,we often endured the rude ones & prayed they should move to another circuit soon. One of such was brother Tony (not real name), he didn't take nonsense frm anyone. He often chose to stay in the home of the richest brother & the finest house.He didn't ever joke with his bills to the congregation,he billed them heavily. His list was something like this:
Barbing=N1500
Petrol(for his car)=N 7000
Mosquito coil=N1000
Toilet soap=800
Feeding=N12000
Laundry=N2000
...And the list continues.
After all these,he'd still condemn the congregation 4 not taking good care of him.Every circuit complained abt this particular CO. He was so discontented with whatever the cong did for him & the elders 're the ones he held responsibly in their final meeting of Sunday b4 leaving the cong. The cong were always owing him some money...

WEEK OF INCREASING ACTIVITIES
We also called it circuit week.It's the week that a Circuit Overseer (CO) visits ur congregation.These visits are done at least every 6 months & are likely to be twice a year. The CO writes to congregations to inform of his visit weeks in advance.B4 his visit u'll be given ur Publisher Record Card to check ur activites over the months.A place will be arranged for him to stay in a brothers house for that week.That week will be preaching everyday frm Wednesday to Saturday.He'll have a lot of talks to deliver & meetings with different sets in the cong. The week is indeed full of activity & u can make a lot of hours! The CO likely arrives on Monday & commences his activity on Tuesday. He'll review every publisher's card & marks those who are iregular or inactive.These ones will have to answ questions b4 the CO...