Reading the Bible Made Me Leave "The Truth" – & Christianity

by Seeker4 28 Replies latest jw friends

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  lowden

  Good thread Seeker

  I'm largely with Terry on this.

  My experience was that i only read the bible properly when i was DFed and trying to get back. What i read shocked the socks off me, when it wasn't shrouded by WT explanations. So much truly shocking stuff in there....wow!

  Reading it with clear eyes and open mind sowed seeds of doubt that grew into a hugely liberated mind. The scales have truly fallen from my eyes. The god of the OT in particular, is utterly revolting.

  I sincerely do believe it was written to control the peoples minds and thus make them subservient.

  Peace

  Lowden
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  jambon1

  Reading it with clear eyes and open mind sowed seeds of doubt that grew into a hugely liberated mind. The scales have truly fallen from my eyes. The god of the OT in particular, is utterly revolting.

  lowden:

  Thats how I feel. im disgusted that I ever bought into it.

  J
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  Seeker4

  What Terry wrote is also what I've come to understand about the Bible. I don't see it as mankind's attempt to come to understand YHWH. I see YHWH as a creation of humans - an insecure, angry, vengeful, violent psychopath. One thing I came to understand after I left the JWs is that the last thing the greatest being in the universe would need is to be worshipped.

  S4
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  wednesday

  When the WTS told us that the Greek scriptures were not for us, the other sheep, they were only for the annointed, I knew they were wrong. When they likewise told us that Christ was not our mediator, I knew they were wrong, the Bible clearly says he is.

  For me to believe what they said would require I accept something beyond what is written, and I just don't. I knew they were wrong when they changed the baptismal vows. I did not dedicate my life to an org. I dedicated my life the God and Christ.

  When they became so vicious with those at Bethel during the 70-80's I knew they were wrong. When did Bible study become a subversive activity? Is this the love that Christ talked about?

  This is not the same org. I knew in the 50-60's .It has changed dramtically, and anyone who has been in it knows that is true. They know they can't defend their beliefs using the Bible.
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  XJW4EVR

  Religion sucks. It produces evil people.

  Yes, it does. But so does atheism. Pol Pot, Mao, Stalin, Lenin, Kruschev, Castro, Ortega, and the list can go on and on.
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  under_believer

  Yes, it does. But so does atheism. Pol Pot, Mao, Stalin, Lenin, Kruschev, Castro, Ortega, and the list can go on and on.

  Waitaminute, though... it's not the same thing. Did their atheism PRODUCE them? No. They are evil people who happened to be atheists. On the other hand, religion directly PRODUCES many evil people who would not have been evil if they had not been religious.
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  tremoka

  Nothing that I studied specifically threw me out of "the truth", but I'd read one thing, and it wouldn't make sense, and I'd push it away because that was "independent thinking". And then this would happen the next week. And the next week. And I was always successful, pushing it away, because the alternative was unthinkable... until it wasn't unthinkable anymore.

  Studying Daniel's prophecy at the BS did this to me. My latest turn on has been delving into a little bit of ancient history. So I'd do my homework from other non WT sources. I found the Daniel Prophecy book profoundly 'over doing it.' I mean how the society comes up with these modern day parallels of fulfilled prophecy made no sense. I'd sit back and wonder where everyone elses heads were at. But here I was thinking oops-my independent thinking again, I better not start leaning on my own understanding!

  We have the WT calendar on the fridge. The other day, I'm filling up my water glass, as I stare at that huge deadly rock encased in Goliath's gushed head. What morbidity is that hanging in my house? Yeah so even the calendar makes me think about leaving.
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  XJW4EVR

  Yes, it does. But so does atheism. Pol Pot, Mao, Stalin, Lenin, Kruschev, Castro, Ortega, and the list can go on and on.

  
  
  Waitaminute, though... it's not the same thing. Did their atheism PRODUCE them? No. They are evil people who happened to be atheists. On the other hand, religion directly PRODUCES many evil people who would not have been evil if they had not been religious.

  Oh really? Please cite your source. I would be really interested in seeing those facts.
  
  Secondly, you are committing the fallacy of special pleading. You claim that religion directly produces evil people, but that atheistic autrocity commiters were evil that happened to be atheists. Do you see your inconsistency?
  
  I maintain that all people have the capability of evil, and that the philosophy of atheism has been responsible for the allowing of some of the most horrific acts of genocide in the history of humanity. I also claim that since evil people can mask their conversion to Christianity, which Jesus admitted would happen, tyhey used their power within the Church to commit their evil.
  
  My stance is thought out and consistent. You might want to rethink your stance.
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  under_believer

  Was your original post an admission that religion produces evil, or not? Subsequent statements by you seem to indicate the contrary.
  I cannot prove that religion produces evil any more than you can prove that irreligion does. I think I can say that much evil has been done in the name of religion, which is clearly a different thing.
  I'd rather not sit here and intellectually dry-hump with you--neither of us can prove our positions, therefore we'll have to rely on faith. Ironic, that (for me, anyways).
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  XJW4EVR

  Was your original post an admission that religion produces evil, or not? Subsequent statements by you seem to indicate the contrary.

  Yes, I believe that in certain cases it can produce evil. I should have stated that from the outset. I can point to certain religions and look at the evil that is made more potent by its teachings, eg. Islam.

  I cannot prove that religion produces evil any more than you can prove that irreligion does. I think I can say that much evil has been done in the name of religion, which is clearly a different thing.

  No, but I have run the numbers, nand it appears that irreligion is by far more fatal than religion. Have you done that?

  I'd rather not sit here and intellectually dry-hump with you--neither of us can prove our positions, therefore we'll have to rely on faith. Ironic, that (for me, anyways).

  Actually, I think my position is pretty secure in fact and not in faith. I guess that's the difference.

  I too have no desire to debate this with you.