Hi Diamond
The answer is B.
Nate
What Religion DOESN'T Use Fear Tactics and Threats?
by Nate Merit 41 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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Nate Merit
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Apostate Kate
My fear ended when Armegeddon didn't show up in 1975. Before 75 I really wasn't 100% convinced anyway. I just seemed to believe in a Creator all on my own from as far back as I can remember, and He was not in the business of making babies in 1974, only to plan on killing them in 1975 because thier parents were not JWs. I knew I had been duped and started my spiritual journey. I have never felt that fear again. My journey has included Buddhism, Scientology, (went through the first two classes), I even danced with the Hare Krishnas and ate food offered to idols, all major religions in the world. ~Kate; settled in love and grace
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Shakita
Hi Nate,
There is no question that religion uses fear tactics and threats to intimidate people. Of course, there are the rewards fo the faithful; either everlasting life on the earth or everlasting life in heaven with God and the angels. However, if one has the temerity to mess up, they will either be a crispy critter in the alleged fiery place or spend eternity in the grave.
I have been thinking about this issue for some time because it is not healthy to base a relationship on fear. As time went by and I became more concerned about WT theology and their perception of God, I became troubled by this warped relationship. Any relationship with God is based on fear. The "fear of God is the beginning of wisdom." How does fearing someone bring us close to that one? We are well aware that any human relationships that are based on fear are warped and perverted relationships. There is usually a dominant individual that expects unquestioning love and loyalty and there is the other person in the relationship that is meek and beat down. That is a very sick kind of relationship.
I remember praying to God when I was feeling overwhelmed with feelings of guilt and remorse over my alleged wrongs as a sinful human. I prayed to him: "Did you create me just to destroy me?" That is what seems to be the case. None of us can come close to pleasing the Biblical God. We are all walking on eggshells before that God. If we mess up we will face his wrath. My thoughts on this issue are this: How can I have a relationship with a God that expects me to love him or else? As long as "I love him," and prove it by my actions then I can "hope" for an approved standing with him. As soon as I mess up the supposed love between us will give way to his wrath and his punishment for my wrongs.
As a parent, how can I expect my children to be close to me of they are in constant fear of me? Can they freely approach me if their earlier experiences with me were based on fear? If I threatened my children with death if they didn't eventually meet my standards, how do you think that the authorities would view that? I could be turned into the authorities and my children taken away from me.
Rather than basing my relationships with my children on fear, I should base it on my love for them. They are far more likely to come to me with their problems if they know that I will love them unconditionally. It is love that will draw my children to me and it is fear of me that will repel them from me. So, if that is how we view things as humans, it is no surprise that we are put off by the raging, hostile, maniacal God that can't wait to destroy us when we step out of line.
Religion uses these known Biblical facts about God and uses that to their advantage. They prey on our fears because they know that it is our fear of God that will keep us coming and contributing to their coffers. Different denominations uses these fears to certain degrees. Some use more of this fear and some use less of it, but it is still there.
Since I stopped being taken in by these fear tactics, I am far calmer and less depressed than I was before. My obsession with pleasing God and fearing his retribution for my wrongs was killing me. I didn't feel close to God at all. But the WT and other high control religions uses these fears to their advantage to keep their adherents in their thrall. Any relationship based on fear is not a real relationship. It is really the earmarks of a brutal dictator that craves the total control and domination that comes with a relationship based on fear. How is that kind of relationship healthy for anyone?
Mr. Shakita
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Shakita
Islam doesn't. I agree Mininus. Islam makes me feel warm and blown up all over. Mr. Shakita
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Apostate Kate
I must be doing something wrong cause I am a Christian and I am not afraid. In fact for me it is the complete opposite.
Matthew 5:44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
Matthew 5:46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
Matthew 19:19 Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Mark 12:31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
Mark 12:33 And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself..
Luke 6:27 But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you,
Luke 6:35 But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. (no burning hell here)
John 13:34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
John 14:21 He that hath my commandments (to love), and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
John 15:9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.
John 15:10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.
Well I could go on and on. There are I believe over 300 references to love in the New Testament alone. For me being a JW was fear based because I was lied to. I never read a Watchtower that told me about the kind and gentle love of God. I am not a Christian today because of some promise of tomorrow. I am a Christian today because today I chose to live a life of love. I hate what the Watchtower did to us as kids. So basicaly my answer to this thread is; my religion does not use fear. My religion is; "taking care of widows and orphans" ~James. I can network with Christian charities and do what I can to make a difference in the world. I sure am no scholar like some of you, being simple minded has it's advantages.
Love to all, and utmost respect~Kate
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Nate Merit
Dear Mr. Shakita
Your thoughtful and intelligent post is much appreciated. I wish the world was filled with reasonable folks such as yourself.
I can only concur with the thoughts you expressed so well, and add that my own father is a miniature version of the raging, mercurial, arbitrary, despotic, irrational, unreasonable, violent Screwball in the Sky we find in the Bible Ergo, it was an easy thing for me at age fifteen to extrapolate from my earthly father to my heavenly father. Since my earthly father is a nutjob, why not my heavenly father? It made sense to a fifteen year old boy.
I have no use for Biblegod Joe Hovah, nor for any personal God at all. I don't even like the word "God" because it cannot be cleansed of its silly anthropomorphic connotations.
The universe is all there is, ever was, and ever will be. It is eternally oscillating, being born in a Big Bang, then dying in a Big Crunch, then being reborn like the mythological Phoenix. There is nothing "outside" and such notions are foolishness.
I am convinced that mystics have intuited the eternally dying and rising nature of the universe, and have expressed this intuition in such myths as the Phoenix as well as the many myths of the dying and rising Godman. Since the universe is in fact eternal, and has been eternally dying and rising, then every conceivable universe has already been played out an infinite number of times. You and I have existed an infinite number of times throughout eternity. Mystics (and even non-mystics) have intuited this, hence the notion of "immortality" has arisen.
The best thing a person can do is simply to relax, let go, enjoy life, and let the universe do what its been doing forever, and will continue to do forever, and I will see you in another fresh universe an infinite number of times.
As to the true Holy of Holies, the deepest Secret of all, it is wisely kept secret, as far as is humanly possible. As the Bible says (in one of its rare moments of truth and clarity): "Cast ye not your pearls before swine, nor give what is holy unto dogs, lest they tample them underfoot, then turn about and rend thee." For anyone reading this who would like help in discovering the true "Holy of Holies" within themselves, feel free to email me at [email protected]
Nathan -
Nate Merit
Hello Apostate Kate
When I was a "born-again Christian" as you are, I too was 100% sure of my own salvation, 100% sure that God loved me, and 100% sure that Jesus Christ was the only Way. I was 100% certain that everyone else who did not know Jesus Christ would be thrown into the Lake of Fire.
I saw other people as "souls" to be saved, rather than a whole persons. Nothing really mattered except getting the gospel to everyone. I waited patiently for the Second Coming when my specialness as one of God's Elect would be revealed to All, and my life of service to Jesus would be Vindicated, Justified, before all the world that had thought me nothing more than a religious crank. Little did they know what Glory awaited me, and what a terrible mistake their own lives had been! Hallelujah! Glory!
Yes, I was all wrapped up in my smug snug religious rug. I was among the ranks of the "chosen" the "special" just as you are. I was one of the "saved" just as you are. I was not among the ranks of the "damned."
Thank you for posting Kate. Say hi to Jesus for me.
Nate -
Nate Merit
My response to you was actually motivated by a reply from someone else, not you. You, on the contrary, come across as quite genuine and caring, not at all the prick I was when I was a mainstream Christian.
All good things to you dear Kate,
Nathan -
Apostate Kate
When I was a "born-again Christian" as you are, I too was 100% sure of my own salvation, 100% sure that God loved me, and 100% sure that Jesus Christ was the only Way. I was 100% certain that everyone else who did not know Jesus Christ would be thrown into the Lake of Fire.
Our experiences are totally opposite and you know what? That is the beautiful aspect of being human. I could get to know you, you could get to know me, and with love we should be able to have mutual respect and admiration for each other.
After life as a JW I feel very strongly that we must be true to ourselves. Otherwise we are empty just as some of us were as JWs. I was missing a part of myself as a JW.
I feel no need to get out and make people experience what I have, or believe what I do. That is assuming people are too stupid to think and read for themselves. ~Love, Kate "To Thine Own Self Be True"
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Nate Merit
You must not have noticed the P.S. I wrote to you, or the PM I sent you. I mixed up your reply with someone else's, and actually responded to that individual, not yourself.
Nate
