If you are going to begin with the assumption that there is a god, how does it follow that he chose to communicate with humans with ONLY the bible?
Millions of Jews believe the Torah is gods inspired word, likewise the Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, they all have their "holy" scriptures and ALL believe it is gods word....
To truly remove the filters of the Watchtower would, as other posters have suggested, require you to begin by erasing your presuppositions about what your god has chosen to inspire and considering all possible "holy" books and all possible religious philosophies. Otherwise, you have simply replaced one filter with another.
This would be one reason why I often recommend folks read a different translation (maybe something like "The Message", since it's so colloquial) as a novel, and see how they relate to the main character[s]. Rather than start at Genesis, starting at Matthew (or IMHO even better is John), since that's the section that was really about Christianity - after all we did once claim to be Christians as JWs
It's amazing how such a reading can sometimes free the mind from some of the JW preconceptions we once held.
For similar reasons I recommend that folks attend a church service or two. It banishes the notion that such buildings are full of demonz
Has anyone else had the same experience? Has anyone found new meaning in the scriptures when you've removed the filter?
Yes! I found it so hard to read the Bible when they 1st kicked me out . Then I read Romans!!!! Boy did I understand !!! I try to examine it daily ( as I was ordered to do in the WT) but it is NOT a chore I enjoy it. Have to be honest though when I read the Old Testament Dont always get the point.Start with the New is my advice But the JW Concordance is worth keeping - also I have gone through four Bibles in 20 years & can I tell you a secret???? all of them fell apart after much reading BUT THEIR bible has been thrown at me ( hubby) dropped- examined & it is still altogether ...Have to commend those Bethel boys they sure make a sturdy Bible - pity it is twisted.....
I could make a whole list of things that seemed so clear when I was able to read them in context with an open mind.
2 examples
1----------The F & D Slave is an illustration that does NOT require a fulfillment and is speaking of Jesus judgement at his 2nd coming. No application to 1919ish. That took away their 'stick' as far as I'm concerned.
2----------Jesus did NOT say that the wars, famines, etc were a sign of his presence. The exact opposite is true. They were going to happen , but they were NOT to be used to indicate when he would return.
I was amazed ,as I continued my research, to find that others have written in books and posts on this board these very things that I was able to discover on my own by simply being willing to challange what I was taught for 45 years.
WTT, since the Wt doctrine is based on the same "belief that the Bible is inspired from our creator", what makes you so certain you have not simply exchanged your past "filter" for a new one of a slightly lighter shade?
Might "a lighter shade" itself be an improvement? Proverbs 4:18 , after all.
Amazing that most of us have had the same experience. Once you remove your Watchtower bifocals the entire meaning of the scriptures change. Passages that you did not understand earlier take on a new meaning.
I think the most important thing to do is to first convert your NWT to toilet paper. Then read a translation like, NIV or even the colloquial 'Good News Bible'. I found that doing so helped me see the Bible in a different light. JWs are familiar with the wordings of certain scriptures in the NWT. That should change. You should read the scriptures in different words.
Investing in a commentary and Bible dictionary also helps. It helps to detoxify you from the WT poison. One more thing I found helpful is to take a long break. Just go 'cold turkey'. Stop reading any religious literature for some time 'flush' out your system, let the old doctrines fade from your memory until you CANNOT explain WT theology at the drop of a hat, and then start anew.
