What do you believe in now?

by YoSista 30 Replies latest jw friends

  • cantgetout
    cantgetout

    Hi,

    I am new here two and have the same question. For instance, I have a Christmas tree for the 1st time in my house.I have been in "the truth" for my entire life (52 yrs). I still believe that Jehovah is God and most doctrine taught. But I have lost my faith in the congregation and Society. Too many imperfect men trying to act perfect. I am starving for Spiritual food. I watch tv evangilists trying to find some. I do enjoy listening to Fredrick Price and the Lakewood Church in Texas. They read alot from the Bible but are not judgemental, in fact they are encouraging.

    I have on large concern. My father died a faithful witness 3 years ago. I really want to see him again. He would be so upset if I werent in the new world to meet him. What do I do?

    Thanks,

    cantgetout

  • YoSista
    YoSista

    Poppers, I think that is just it, going from 18 years of organized religion to nothing is like bunging jumping without a rope. I need detox of a sort. These last couple of days have been absolute hell. I just can't turn back. My husband is JW, and my entire family. This will change my life and those around me forever with the decisons I am going to make. We have two children, I want to raise them to have good, moral standards, yet not to be closed minded and judgmental., I want them to experience the world, and figure it out for themselves, I just have no idea how I am going to do that, when I don't even know what direction to point them in.

    I am looking for answers and I am looking for someone to tell me what to do, can you tell I hane no idea how to think for myself yet?!

  • Undecided
    Undecided

    I have spent alot of time thinking about why we are here and why the universe is so large and I can't find an answer. It sure doesn't seem as though a God is interested in us at all, when you consider how nature works. Why all the parasites, viruses, old age, suffering in the world if there is a loving God that gives a damn. I hope you can find some answer that will satisfy your desire to know. I just don't know anything anymore other than we are alive and have to do the best we can to enjoy what life we have now. What the future holds nobody knows, it's just a matter of faith in something we can't prove.

    I believe in nothing. I question everything I see.

    Ken P.

  • acadian
    acadian


    Welcome to the board Yosista,

    Here's what I believe... Hurt no one, and there's more than meets the eye. (Cosmic Consciousness/Awareness)

    Here's some question for you

    Are you among the few who can question your own most cherished beliefs?

    Are you among the few who can listen to beliefs and ideas of others which are in conflict with your own, not to find fault with these, but to examine them for any possible value to yourself?

    Are you among the few who can conceive of the possibility of a Universe which is itself a living, conscious being that is aware of all of its parts, loves them all, and whose parts may change but never die?

    Are you among the few who can imagine your soul to be a cell in the body of that Universal Being? A soul or cell that is the image of the Universal Creator, even as your own cells contain the DNA coded image of yourself?

    Are you among the few who look beyond the teacher of the message to the message itself, to study its value in your life?

    Are you among the few who can conceive of surrendering yourself to die into a universal consciousness, to live in this world but be not of it, knowing yourself to be a Universal Being expressing through the physical body but not being trapped in it or owing your conscious existence to it; are you capable of seeing the body as your carriage, while being aware that you as driver of the carriage may come and go from it if you desire?

    If so, you are ready for Cosmic Awareness.

    It never tells us what to believe, it suggests and indicates areas for us to look for likely truths. Above all else, above any other g uidance It offers, It suggests that we question, doubt, explore, to discover for ourselves, to study different religions, sciences, psychologies and various fields of learning but to never assume we KNOW anything, for when we think we KNOW, we cease to be open to further learning except when that learning supports our assumed knowledge.

    Ninety percent of all religious teachings are designed to manipulate minds and emotions to catch, hold and extract energy and devotion from its followers, while only 10 percent of such teachings are truly priceless and valuable to one's social, physical and spiritual welfare.

    So I encourage you to search out the highest and the best in every religion or science, to take the 10 percent that is priceless and throw the rest away as the garbage which it is, for it clutters our living space if we keep it around. Cosmic Awareness has created some profound changes in our consciousness.

    We have come from a variety of religious backgrounds: Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Jehovah's Witnesses, Buddhist, Spiritualist, Atheist, Agnostic and others, and all have been enriched by Cosmic Awareness. We realize that while Cosmic Awareness is ready to accept everyone, not everyone is ready to accept Cosmic Awareness.

    As heat turns ice to water, water to steam and steam to air, so Cosmic Awareness melts one's crystallized thought patterns into emotions, ideas, feelings, expanded consciousness and finally Into the Universal spirit of the virgin-born purity of the Christ of Crystal Clear Consciousness which is the Heavenly or Universal Spirit of God.

    Then speaking as that Crystal Consciousness, one can truly say: "I and the Father, are One." Its time has come, ready or not. Cosmic Awareness asks not that you sacrifice, not that you believe, not that you bow in worship to It, but that you love one another, serve one another, and that you become aware -- cosmically aware.

    There's more to life than meets the eye, may your journey of Discovery be fruitful.

    Kind Regards

    Acadian

  • serendipity
    serendipity

    Hi Yosista & cant get out, welcome to the forum!

    I'm not sure that I'm leaving the JW's, but I definitely have my own viewpoints. I confirmed my belief in God and the authenticity of the Bible. I read the Greek Scriptures using different translations. (The New Living Translation, New Century and The Message are my favorites.) It became obvious to me that God is more merciful than the WTBTS portrays. And that THE most important things are to love God wholeheartedly and to love your neighbor as yourself (which means you love yourself).

    I would advise you to branch out in your reading and do a lot of praying. I believe God will show you the way, eventually. And be patient.

  • drew sagan
    drew sagan

    After a few months of fighting with myself I finally came to a conclusion. I believe that the Bible does contain Gods message for mankind. In reviewing the teachings and history of Jesus I'm left to feel that DOCTRINE is not the main issue of a Christians life.


    Jesus never told people after he healed them physically that now they needed to spend 3 months going over publications to understand EVERYTHING! Instead he put more emphasis on FAITH.


    There are so many Christian religions with good and bad in them. This tells me that what Jesus had in mind for his Church is bigger than any man made organization. Instead, it is the common bond of those who truely put faith and believe in him and his message, living their lives in such a way that proves it has affected their heart. This goes beyond any organizational boundry.


    Simply put faith in Jesus and you will be saved. Continue to live your life in a way that proves you believe it. Continue to study the Bible and learn about God, but don't judge others because of their own opinions on matters that arn't spoken of in scripture.


    AND BY ALL MEANS DON'T say that what you believe is the truth because God appointed you as his sole channel of guidance to mankind.

  • JamesThomas
    JamesThomas

    Welcome to the forum, YoSista.

    I don't even know what direction to point them in.

    Look again at what Poppers had to say. Why not be present in the moment for a change? Why continue giving ultimate significance to a belief system, or words in a book, or some little deities too small to be present? Why not stop all the mind games and drama, and just be silently attentive to the vibrancy of life in and around you, and see what you have missed. See if there is a shoreline or bottom to it.

    Truth, is not found in the abstracts of words and thoughts, and religions. Truth, is what is real and actual, right now.

    Investigate within, and really notice the difference between the vibrancy and joy of meeting life without thought, interpretation and judgments, verses living a mental interpretation and story of life told by the continual blabberings of the mind. Step out of the minds make-believe which does not feed you, and into truth.

    You may find the book: The Power of Now, by Ekhart Tolle, to be helpful. He offers no new beliefs, or no little deities to lean on. But rather helps you see the luscious wholeness of your own true being.

    Perhaps, what the word G-O-D, points to, is not so diminutive as to be absent, or "other".

    j

  • Mysterious
    Mysterious

    I believe in helping other people, in taking care of the environment, and in making sure your actions don't cause any harm. I don't believe in god, christ or salvation. I think the important thing is making an impact in this life and while we can't be sure what happens when we die I don't believe anything does other than bodily decomposition.

  • AlmostAtheist
    AlmostAtheist

    Hiya!

    Your story sounds so familiar to me! I became an atheist, and realized that being an atheist and a JW at the same time wasn't gonna fly, so I told my wife I wanted to leave the Watchtower. She was thrilled, as she was baptized at a young age and never really bought it all herself.

    Now, heading into two years later, my wife is a pagan. She likes the openness of it, she's free to chart her own spiritual course.

    From a morals standpoint, pagans say, "Do no harm." You can't get much more moral than that!

    Atheists say, "Be happy". There's all sorts of situational morality built into that as well. If you steal, you'll feel bad because you took something from someone else. You're not happy. If you get caught, you'll suffer a penalty which will surely decrease your happiness. So I don't steal. Most morals you'd want to teach anyone can be extrapolated from "do no harm" and "be happy".

    Be happy!

    Dave

  • fullofdoubtnow
    fullofdoubtnow

    Hi yosista, and welcome

    I only recently left the org, but I have done a lot of research into all the main wt doctrines, both before I left and since, and I find myself agreeing with very little that they teach now. I still believe in God, but not the kind of vengeful God the jws worship. I have no desire to worship any kind of god at the moment, so I certainly won't be joining any other religion anytime soon.

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