by juni 46 Replies latest jw friends
i beleive i still do, i am still keeping the same morals as when i was in the org, although it mite be harder but thats not the point, you could say theyve been burned into my brain so i have no choice, but now i keep them for the right reasons, not because i mite get disfellowshipped.
Sam87
Shooting Star said:
I also am disappointed that there is some kind of assumption being made that only JW's lead moral honest lives. WRONG! I know people who are not JW's who are supremely honest, moral and kind
I hope you don't feel I made that assumption. Actually I have found more honest, moral and kind people in that awful "world". I'd work for a "worldly person" any day over a JW.
JWs have this attitude that they can screw you over and you're supposed to take it and be forgiving because they are your spiritual brother.
SCREW THAT IDEA!!
Juni
"DO YOU STILL HAVE PERSONAL INTEGRITY?"
Once I left the JWs, I developed personal integrity.
HI Juni: I have not had the time to read all the posts but from what I've seen I think some are making this a semantics lesson and that is not what you intended.
I get your point: do we have integrity (stand for something) and are we moral (whichever moral code we choose to follow). For me the answer is YES. Because of my integrity I can no longer support a hypocritical org.
And as for morals, I don't intend to be immoral simply because I am no longer accountable to the org. I don't judge others who think differently ,but personally I think some things are inherently wrong or at least detrimental such as: aduletery, promiscuity, foul language, smoking. drugs,drunkeness as a hobby, etc. I too found Butter's reaction to the person df'd for adultery disturbing. I also find disturbing some of the accounts of "apostafests" and the like. I feel uncomfortable when I see former witnesses glorifiying loose behavior. For me, leaving the WT does not translate to doing "whatever". Others obviously feel differently, and that is their right, but I would not want others to think that just because we come to this forum we condone anything others do or say.
I was born into the JW system and didn't realize the many hypocracies until the day I was baptized. It all came into focus when I realized I was being lied to and there was a pattern of behavior that was fundamentally dishonest. The underlying opportunistic nature of self serving individuals in a system that rewards the most effective deceivers reinforces behavior that eventually leads to cognitive dissonance, mental health problems, anger, discord and eventually psychological disaster. Hence, so many JWs with serious mental disorders. Having left at the tender age of 14, I've been fortunate to have fewer long lasting scars and have been exposed to influences that were healthy and nuturing. End result... a more ethical and moral person than what I would have become as a UU.
carm
I pose a question.
Who is more "moral".
The person who lives acording to an enforced ethic that promises a reward of eternal life or a punishment of death if not followed?
or
The person that lives acording to a self imposed ethic that has no idea if there is a reward or punishment or punishement sytem in place?
What if they both lived in accordance with the same ethic?
If there is a reward or punishment should the person who was unaware of it be punished for not knowing?
Should the person that lives under fear of punishment be rewarded for thier following the rules?
Ash
I have personal integrity. More now than then. I think going from door to door telling people untruths(while you don't fully believe it)shows less integrity.(I admire people who manage to be JWs and NOT be an effective witness for the org!) My conscience bothers me if I accidentally take home a pen that is intended to wander off with customers. I didn't learn integrity from the org. I learned it from watching my dad. And sometimes my mom. From reading the Bible, being raised in a nation that respects christian values. From the podium though, I learned that honesty has as much to do with who you are offering it to as anything else. Some people deserved it, others, not so much. I admire the renegade JWs who boldly claim that they smell a bad odor when the WT says something stinky.
