Are You Afraid That Armageddon Is Going To Come Since Leaving "The Truth"?

by minimus 60 Replies latest jw friends

  • BizzyBee
    BizzyBee

    Yes. However, the two are not related in any way.

    JW definition of Armageddon from Wikipedia:

    The Witnesses believe it is evident from this text that this war is not one of nation against another with nuclear, biological, or other weapons of mass destruction, since it says that the kings of the Earth "gather together" against Christ. It is also evident that there is no way that all of the armies of the world could gather around the relatively small area that is Megiddo in modern-day Israel. Finally, Revelation 16:16 calls Har-Mageddon (Mountain of Megiddo) "the place" where these kings are gathered for this final showdown.

    I am afraid of the Armageddon that the JWs reject - nuclear, biological WMD - unleashed. If this ever happens, however, I doubt that there will be an announcement made at the congos pointing out that "this wasn't what we meant. New light just in says - haul ass!"

    Scenario: JWs destroyed in a nuclear holocaust along with everybody else. Last thoughts: "Damn! I knew I should have

    • stayed awake during last Sunday's WT study
    • made my 10 hours FS
    • placed more magazines
    • witnessed to my boss
    • not watched that porn flick
    • not had impure thoughts about that
    • not visited apostate websites
  • DesertRat
    DesertRat

    Every so often that thought still forces its way into my consciousness (AAARRGGHH!!!), but as time goes by it is less a concern because:

    1.) I realize that what does & does not happen in the world is completely independent of my spiritual leanings of the moment. As many of you undoubtedly realized long before I did, leaving the Org or not going to meetings anymore does not in itself create a worsening of world conditions (perhaps it is just that one's perception of or sensitivity to such events is changed..)

    2.) There is my deeply-held conviction (which I think will always be there to some extent) that I never should have been born in the first place, so death for any reason would be no great loss. Among the reasons for that are the fact that my parents waited 13 years before I was born (so I was not exactly a priority), my feeling that the pregnancy was merely an attempt to 'patch things up' after my father's indiscretions, & the difficult infancy (which may explain my many challenges later in life..)

    3.) I share the sentiments of LisaRose earlier in this thread--if murder at the hands of a 'loving' God is the price to pay for trying to be a more compassionate, understanding, & tolerant person post-Org, then so be it. Nor can I understand how this 'loving' God could similarly annihilate billions of kind, loving, or compassionate people worldwide just because they are not full-fledged members of a barely-century-old American religion..

    4.) Perhaps the most revealing thing to me about 9/11 was how scared my seemingly devout JW mother seemed as we watched those events unfold on worldwide TV. She paced the floor, endlessly wringing her hands, muttering 'the End is here, the End is here,' ad nauseam. I, the newly-fading ex-JW, sat there calmly thinking, 'Great!!! Now if only Jehovah is loving enough to allow me one last hike in the mountains before putting me out of my misery!!!'

    I wonder how many other JW's harbor a secret fear of the future despite all pretenses to the contrary..

    DR

  • LovesDubs
    LovesDubs

    Logically we live what we have learned. If we had been born and raised in the middle east we might be strapping on BOMBS and setting ourselves off in subways in the name of ALLAH you know?

    How does God decide who is going to win the Superbowl anyway with all those people praying for their team from both sides? How does God decide whether Israel should stay or be taken over with all those holy war members from both sides praying for their side to win and killing thousands of innocents in the process?

    The bottom line is MEN MADE THE WHOLE THING UP....every "holy" book, every sacred garment, prayer, building, sacrement, robe, necklace, bead, statue...because they have created God IN THEIR IMAGE.

    What better way to portray God than as some despot just waiting for us all to screw up so he can KILL us after spending all that time and energy designing and bringing us into being??

    I believe in a creator...and I believe mankind has villified him and so shame on us all.

  • done4good
    done4good

    ***I've been through enough personal "armageddon's" in life, that I'm finally done with wasting energy doubting myself, my worth or my ability to survive.***

    Agreed, and well said SpazNik!

    Greetings Tori, Nice post.

    btw: Can someone PM me on how to use the quote function? Thanks.

    j

  • grey matters
    grey matters

    I am not concerned about it. The world has enough real problems that need to be resolved. I don't need to spend my time dwelling on some weird, dark fantasy dreamed up by a bunch of old men in New York.

  • Seeker4
    Seeker4

    I didn't have much fear about Armageddon even when I was very active. I wonder why?

    And now, that I'm out? Even on a day like 9/11, I gave about as much thought to it being Armageddon as I do about Santa not bringing me presents at Xmas, or the Tooth Fairy. Just another fear tactic from religious people that want to control you.

    I really was disgusted at those who had fallen away who started going back to meetings because they were scared after 9/11. I thought, "How stupid and pathetic can people be??"

    S4

  • daniel-p
    daniel-p
    Daniel, I know this isn't comforting, but pretty much everyone dies with things still on their "to do" list.

    Well, I just don't want a huge fat list....

  • serendipity
    serendipity

    Welcome tori!

  • Pistoff
    Pistoff

    NO NO NO.

    Oh, and NO.

  • Arthur
    Arthur
    Perhaps the most revealing thing to me about 9/11 was how scared my seemingly devout JW mother seemed as we watched those events unfold on worldwide TV. She paced the floor, endlessly wringing her hands, muttering 'the End is here, the End is here,' ad nauseam.

    Thanks for sharing this. This is part of the point that I like to make. I don't think JWs really comprehend what they are praying for. Just think back to 9/11 - at the WTC in New York. That was an event that happened within the small area of a couple of city blocks and killed aprox. 3,000 souls. Look at what a horrifying thing it was to see this unfold on TV ( esp. people leaping to their deaths) Were any Witnesses delighted over this? No. Yet, they long to see and even pray for the event that will be millions of times bigger than this (in terms of death and destruction). They even talk about how they will sing, and cheer after it's done; just like the the Israelites did at the Red Sea.

    So, after this JW version of Armageddon happens, you will have J-dubs dancing around and cheering while the corpses of five year-old kids lay just a few feet away? That's grand.

    The truth is, I still struggle with the fears of Armageddon. Thirty years of indoctrination does not die quickly. At this point, I don't know what my future holds. But there's something that I do know for sure. I would rather die from the hands of God than to be one of those sociopathic and hearless souls who would celebrate the mass slaughter of their fellow man.

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