My experience:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05PM9_bblmI
SNG
ex JW atheists
by Bobhere 39 Replies latest jw friends
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seattleniceguy
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AllAlongTheWatchtower
Well, I can only speak for myself, from a somewhat different perspective, as I am an ex-WWCG atheist. I was DFed from the WWCG at 13 at the same time I became a ward of the state. I began attending church services with my parents in WWCG again when I was around 14, because when I moved back home I had no choice. At that time, I guess you'd say I was a "questioning believer". I still thought the church had the truth, I just couldn't resolve many of my questions. Mostly scientific/theistic clash questions like evidence (or lack thereof) of a flood, what about the dinosaurs, if Adam and Eve are the mother and father of us all then why aren't we all a bunch of drooling 6-fingered web-toed genetic rejects, etc.
By the time I was 16 I was a ward of the state again, and at that point I was agnostic. I still believed in god but I had rejected god as portrayed by the WWCG. There were a few things I grew up believing that I just couldn't let go of though, like Saturday being the "proper" day of worship rather than Sunday. "...and on the seventh day, he rested" had been drilled into my head so much that I just couldn't accept any church which didn't hold that as a tenet. I did actually investigate several other religions, but the churches with a seventh day belief are few and far between, and pretty far out on the fringes for the most part too. I went through them all, one by one, and rejected them. The only one that seemed to "have it right" as far as I was concerned at the time, was the Jewish religion, but since most Jewish people are also Jews by birth, that seemed a bit problematic.
As a result of investigating all these different religions, I was also doing a fair amount of reading of the bible on my own, without the influence of the WWCG. I began having even more trouble with scientific questions than I had previously, it was all starting to unravel. Somewhere around when I turned 17, I decided I was atheist, and have remained so ever since. A few friends or well meaning acqaintances over the years have given me the self-righteous know-it-all lecture of "Well, you aren't REALLY atheist, you just had a bad experience'. Nothing raises my hackles more than that statement, which I completely resent. In my search for what was right, with a few exceptions, I had done far more study and research than almost any of these people, and had far more knowledge of the bible. I feel like I actually WORKED to be atheist, rather than just falling into it out of resentment, and any statement to the contrary is an insult, and denies all that inner turmoil I went through.
Furthermore, I had come to the conclusion that even if I was wrong, if god really did all the things that are attributed to him, then god had a lot to answer for, and was morally repugnant to me. Things like the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, the flood, what supposedly is in store for us in Revelations...god as portrayed in the bible is like a little boy with an antfarm and a magnifying glass, gleefully zapping humanity with a ray of light whenever we displease him. What astounds me about all this is when I hear people pray, and say things like "Our loving father, who art in heaven" and things of that nature. Loving?! Please!! So, I'm quite sure that should I turn out to be wrong, a room is reserved for me on one of the deepest levels of hell, but I'm fine with that. Because if god wants to fry me cajun style for eternity because I think his morals suck, it pretty much validates what I think of him.
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nicolaou
I know we were sold a lie in believing God was only dealing with the WT
Well done, but how do you know that? What reasoning and evidence did you use to reach that conclusion? Examine the processes that have led you thus far and then simply continue with them.
The path that leads away from the Watchtower does not stop at God's door, it leaves him behind also and carries the travellers upon it through a wonderful land.
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tetrapod.sapien
bobhere,
you assume that there is only one God to reject. but there are actually many. trust me, most atheists have gone through most of them.
Well the answer to this is simple. When one joins the JW's they are taught to reject all other religions, and all other gods. Once a JW decides to leave, then there really isnt any other belief system left that works for them, they are left godless. Not all is lost as some XJW's will still seek out God in various ways. I imagine alot of the atheists/agnostics have been hurt so bad by their experience that it makes them doubt that a God of love exists.
junction guy, sorry, but it is not as simple as you say. you make it sound like atheists have done no leg work while theists have gone the distance and proved god(s) to themselves. and i can immediately identify the fallacy in such a thought. plus, the JWs rejection of other Gods and belief systems was, to say the least, totally LAME. when i left, i had to unlearn that lame stuff, and develop real critical tools. after i did that, is when i went looking for God. i am an atheist still because i haven't found one yet. not only can i find no physical reason to believe in gods (especially the xian one), but i can find no spiritual reasons either.
i hope that clears some stuff up for you bobhere. cheers, tetra -
Highlander
“I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours.” [Stephen F Roberts
One of my favorite quotes.
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LtCmd.Lore
Well obviously I don't speak for all atheists but I simply stopped believing in god as I got older, I believed in him when I was nine... as most nine year olds believe in santa.
I didn't really think about it untill I was 14, I just didn't have any reason to. And then, I'm not sure why, I think I learned something in school that didn't jive with the flood story... So I did a bunch of research, starting with the borgs stuff, and I wasn't satisfied with their super vauge answers. So I looked it up on the INTERNET and realised that it was completely obsurd to believe in the flood, without believing in evolution (Ironicaly the animals would have to evolve WAY faster than scientists think they did in order to make the story work.)
I was shocked, but I liked what I learned. So every week during our bible reading I would look for something that I wanted to check the next time I had the chance, and pretty much every time I checked, the bible was wrong, or at least neaded a heck of a lot of explaining to make it believable.
And then there were the little things that just didn't make sense, like: How did the apostles know what Jesus prayed about when they were all sleeping? What the heck is up with the talking donkey... didn't that warrant an explanation of some kind? Why did god nead to confuse the laungages unless he felt threatened? (Which is just what the bible says...) Why did god ALWAYS punish other people for someones mistakes? Like David multiple times, Akan, Pharaoh, Adams decendants, etc. There's a pile of things that are unexplained and off the wall.
By the time I was 15, I was completely convinced that the bible was balogney... Then I researched evolution and found out that it makes WAY more sense then the society let on. And as it turns out, there a perfectly acceptable scientific explanation for darn near everything!
And since I have never seen any reason to believe in any kind of god at all, I simply don't believe in god. Now that I'm 17 I'm officialy and atheist.
So I'm not an atheist by default, (Even though I was technicaly born that way.) It took a long time and a LOT of learning and research.
I definately reccomend that everyone look at this site... even if for no other reason that to see how atheists think... Because we definately have a different thought pattern than most people: (Well I do anyway.)
http://www.ebonmusings.org/atheism/
I wanted to say a lot more, but I have GOT to go to bed. I'll probably be back tomorrow.
LtCmd.Lore
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helncon
I guess i fall in this catorgory.
After being out of the JW since 1994 and never really worried about any kind of religion not believing anything.
Only now in this last month i have really realised what the JW are really about and now i really have no faith after so many years as a JW and having it shoved down my throat you really think that exjw really want to be told by another religion what they should do, this is not me.
I have no qualms in regards to my children who attend sunday school and they themselves can choose which direction with regards to religion that they wish to take.
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Mackin
I was born into a JW family. As a kid I believed in God but as I got older and learned to think for myself I realised that God was an invention of the human mind.
But I was locked into the JW organisation, I had no friends outside of the JW's and virtually all my relatives were JW's too. The ones that were not had ceased to have very much to do with us loopy JW's. So It was easier to feign belief and go with the flow.
I must add that I pioneered, was appointed an MS, accepted for Bethel, appointed an elder, was the Presiding Overseer in my congregation, gave talks at Circuit assembly's and District conventions, led the congregation and even conventions in prayer and I never believed in God!
You could say I was being somewhat dishonest, and you'd be right, but I was deeply "locked in" to the organisation that I didn't have the courage to back out. I still feel bad about it sometimes.
Kinda puts to the lie the belief that elders and MS are appointed by holy spirit eh. Why would the holy spirit appoint someone who didn't believe in God?
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lonelysheep
Mackin,
Thank you for sharing that.
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Crumpet
What is this "God" you think others are rejecting? The murderous-anthropomorphic-tribal-war-deity found within the pages of the bible? Is this what you mean?
james thomas - if you weren't already married I'd be proposin' right now!