I exited the religion and found a spirituality that fit the inner me. It was not Christianity, but I don't think what ever image you want to see god has, that image never intended to have the faith people have today in the church form people take. A Wiccan sees Goddess/God differently then Christianity, and we don't see people who choose another lifestyle and faith as leaving God, anymore so then leaving New York means you leaving the universe. Your in your place in this life, no matter what faith you choose to claim too.
WHY did you exit god and the bible when you exited the dubs?
by gumby 63 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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gumby
Yadayada,
When the biggest of those paradigms is gone, ie, that the JW's are the only true religion, it is a logical conclusion that if there is therefore no true religion, then perhaps there is something wrong with the bible itself (eg, it is just open to any interpretation after all), and by extension, perhaps there is no God, because why would a God of love work in such a confusing way and not have a true religion, etc, etc.
I think this is true for many. They leave the witnesses, but still have witness mentality in"assuming" there is no life saving truth in Christendom since we were convinced the doctrinal beliefs christendom had were obviously wrong. We assume there's no chance of us making it on our own....us and god....because we knew the scriptures discussed the christian churches being set up in the N.T. and figured god must have a 'people somewhere and going it alone isn't in his plan.
James, although you do not have a 'system' in your belief ......you do have a concept on many issues. Maybe these concepts are such they cannot always be put into words and some like myself still feel anything real can be explained in words........another dublike mentality some had/have......that everything must have a logical explanation.
Sunnybabe, I never saw god as bigger than the bible made him to be. I too wondered about the vast universe, but figured knowledge about it would come in gods due time to his creation. He pretty much had only earthly intrests in my book back then.
Gumby
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ontarget
Belief in the Bible is a matter of faith as almost nothing in the Bible can be proven. When I began to question my faith I found no answers, not from the WT, not from the Bible. So I have no faith in the Bible. I think that I beleive in God and other spirits because I do not believe that the earth and life could be here without creative thinking and higher power. However I am still a little mixed up about were God came from.
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gumby
Ontarget.....I do not believe that the earth and life could be here without creative thinking and higher power. However I am still a little mixed up about were God came from.
You share the feelings of many ex-jw's...myself included. Btw....welcome to the forum.
Free2....your another who went elsewhere besides the bible and it's god. Did you not believe much of what you learned about the bible when you were a witness was still true? Archeology proving the bible true etc.? Didn't it take awhile to find out if at least "some" of what you learned as a witness was true? Perhaps you too were one who never believed or took the time to learn whether the bible was true or not....I don't know, but I'd like to hear Tetra, I agree some 'get off' shedding doctrine and religion.....especially if the've thoroughly convinced themselves it isn't what they thought it was.
i will not believe anything for which there is no evidence. this is a luxury afforded us by the 20th century, that suprisingly few people take advantage of. i honestly wonder how Hume, Nietzsche and Sade did it sometimes, apart from their hunch. but this simple rule is how i can go from xianity to ufo's in a single sentence of things i dropped. and when there is no evidence for the existence of god, that cannot be explained more parsimoniously and naturally, then god is a belief i dropped.
What about ' theories' bro? The black hole for instance. Scientists haven't seen one, but surrounding evidence gives them an ' idea ' of what might be there. Couldn't the concept of a creator be the same? Gumby
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GentlyFeral
I didn't "quit God" when I realized I had to un-jaydub. Atheism, with its conviction that the universe is not looking out for us & that justice is merely a human invention, looked really scary.
I did quit the bible, though, because I realized that some of the most poisonous JW beliefs actually did originate in the bible itself. Judges 19 is only the most glaring example of the Bible's sexism, for instance. The last scripture standing was the Golden Rule.
I joined the Unitarians because I was looking for a church with a low, low bullshit tolerance. But many Unitarians nowadays are agnostic or atheist, so I had to see what the atheists had to say. That led me to the alt.talk.orgins FAQ, Richard Dawkins, textual criticism, religious history, comparative religions – which I read widely but not very deeply (I got no Greek, Hebrew, or math beyond very basic algebra).
The parts that didn't terrify me were liberating – but I really missed, mourned, the sense of being cared for and protected. I had just about convinced myself that the atheists were right – all the conventional Christian apologetics just fell over and dropped dead. I was at rest intellectually, but not very happy about it.
Then, I swear, I heard god laughing. Because it was cute, all this intellectual labor. So I'm still a theist, even though I know the atheists win on points.
gently feral
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FlyingHighNow
I'll try to keep this simple: the first time I doubted the Bible to be a 100% inspired and divinely protected book was BEFORE I ever became a witness.
After leaving the witnesses, I gradually began to return to the thinking I had before I was hoodwinked by the JW's. These are the reasons I doubted both times.
- The violence of the old testament.
- That god allowed polygamy in the OT and women could be stoned to death for adultry.
- Mysogny. The bible view of women and marriage is both insulting and deplorable.
- Christendom's teaching of hellfire (never, ever fell for that one, even as a child)The society's teaching of eternal destruction for what I consider trivial reasons.
- This business of blaming creation for the creator's ill-fated and bumbling attempt at making a peaceful, paradise earth.
- How easy it is to piss the bible god off
- This business that only christians will be saved, even evil christians and then they believe good people who do not accept Jesus will either die forever or go to hell.
- That my mother and grandmother allowed me to go sick for an entire year,then nearly let me die, while I was praying everyday and being a good kid. After I got out of the hospital, I had a complete crisis of faith.
- My life falling completely apart while I was taking every step to be a good jw.
That's a few of my problems with the bible.
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Beck_Melbourne
Hello Gumby
I think because I was born into it, I'd had a gut full of bible reading, god, jesus etc etc by the time I left. Which is probably why I have no interest in any of it now. For a long time I still had to come to terms with worldliness and find the best way to measure what really is wicked and what is simply just normal ordinarly day to day living.
To be honest I felt robbed and cheated when I discovered the truth about the truth. So I'm not really in any hurry to embrace the good lord at the moment - maybe one day.
~Beck~
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tetrapod.sapien
What about ' theories' bro? The black hole for instance. Scientists haven't seen one, but surrounding evidence gives them an ' idea ' of what might be there. Couldn't the concept of a creator be the same?
"and when there is no evidence for the existence of god, that cannot be explained more parsimoniously and naturally, then god is a belief i dropped." the theory for blackholes is a natural and parsimonious explanation for the evidence we see for their existence, even though we do not observe them directly. same with evolution. but creation, AND God herself have no such ability of explanatory power. this is why i shed them, ultimately. "god hypothesis", and subsequent "creation" hypothesis, are not only unfalsifiable, but they raise more questions, major questions, that are unanswerable. not that i have anything against unanswerable questions, but when the questions are like: "who is god?" and no god shows up to help scientists out, then scientists start to think "hmm... well, lets find our own answers then.", naturally. TS
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Narkissos
I had just about convinced myself that the atheists were right – all the conventional Christian apologetics just fell over and dropped dead. I was at rest intellectually, but not very happy about it.
Then, I swear, I heard god laughing. Because it was cute, all this intellectual labor.
Liked that.
God, subjective.
Like I said yesterday to my daughter, "Whom I talk to when I'm alone (and feel like talking)."
Vanishes at the first attempt at objectivation -- even the sneaking objectivation in the word "subjective" -- but next time I'm "there" s/he-it (!) is there too.
"God does not exist" may be a theological statement.
(Doubt if it'll help Gumby to figure out "where I stand"... )
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gumby
the theory for blackholes is a natural and parsimonious explanation for the evidence we see for their existence, even though we do not observe them directly. same with evolution. but creation, AND God herself have no such ability of explanatory power
First of all.....what is parsimonoius. Ain't that a friut that looks like a peach?
So.....the eyeball doesn't intrique you just a bit? Do you really believe that it and things more complicated than it.....just happened? I do not. You's been smokin too many of them funny kinda ciggarretes and ya cain't see the forest for the
plantstrees.GentlyFeral,
Then, I swear, I heard god laughing. Because it was cute, all this intellectual labor. So I'm still a theist, even though I know the atheists win on points.
I wished he woulda laughed at me too. He didn't say nuthin. He just sat there and watched me pray and cry but he/she never responded with any advise of any kind. I still believe in some kinda creator however....I just know little about them.
Flyin....I could not have made a better list of types of things that causes doubt A lack of love can ruin your spiritualityas you mentioned also.
Beck.....nice to see you again. Cute avatar too!
I still had to come to terms with worldliness and find the best way to measure what really is wicked and what is simply just normal ordinarly day to day living. To be honest I felt robbed and cheated when I discovered the truth about the truth
I'm STILL tryin to figure out rights and wrongs on certain things. We were cheated out of our independent thinking ability and we have some lost time to make up for sure!
Narkster,
Doubt if it'll help Gumby to figure out "where I stand"... )
S'ok buddy. I'll just take your word for it that you have a belief of somekind......but I can't be worrying about you and James Thomas at the same time.......it would just kill me
Gumby