just one question

beepers

I am an inactive witness. The problem I'm having is that I have a 1 year old daughter. Not that she's the problem, but JW's believe that only JW's will survive armageddon. If I'm not then she will die also.
However, what's the point of living forever if none of the rest of my family won't be there. (I was the only JW in the family)
If anyone could give me an idea on how to get over these feelings I would really appreciate it. Thanks

r51785

If the JW's track record in forecasting Armageddon is any help to you, you're daughter will be asking this same question someday about her one year old grandaughter.

jst2laws

Hello Beepers,
I am soon to become an inactive Witness as you are. This is after 36 years as an appointed servant in their organization. Trying not to sound like an evangelist in this forum, Christ died not only for JW's but for 'the whole world'. It is not just JW's but any who believe in him will live for ever, if you remember John 3:16.

I believed and taught the WT dogma all those years to recently find out they took a few simple points of fact (trinity, hell fire, immortal soul,...)and then took over our belief processes and had us believing that our children would die if we didn't accept everything they said.

Relax, Beepers. You dont have to do anything beyond what God requires in Romans 5:1.
Jst2laws

Sozo

I experienced the same fear and I was getting ready to run back to the organization until I was shown grounded facts that the organization was false. Once I accepted that fact I was able to ask what or who is truth was when I began reading the New Testiment and Jesus says there is a free gift from God and that is salvation. It is ours if we want it. If we want it then we must ask Jesus into our heart by confessing to Him that He is Lord/Savior.

The first step is to know and accept that the JWs organization is false. The next step is to ask God to reveal Himself and He will show you the way -

The most incredible thing to me is the freedom, experiencing the joy of life and accepting the fact that I am a sinner, I do make mistakes and I don't go to any elder or pastor to confess I go only to God to confess. If I go to a pastor because of a struggle its done by choice of my conviction and the pastor I go to will be one that I know is a safe person who will encourage me.

Everything the JWs have taught is so opposite of God's truth. Once you accept His love for you and His promises your life will never be the same far beyond any JW experience you could imagine.

Introspection

Beepers, I think a balance of knowledge and experiencing the feelings you have in reaction to these is essential. You can read books such as Crisis of Conscience or what have you, (or just research and educate yourself on related topics) but also ask yourself what's causing you to feel a certain way. Once you understand why you feel what you feel about a certain idea, it is more likely to dissolve - be it fear or some other emotion.

OlderTom

Hi Beepers

You got some good advice above. Let me add what I have learned over the years.

No one has any guarantees about what comes after death so why worry about something you can do nothing about.

Enjoy your life NOW. Go out and smell the roses NOW.
Go play with your child NOW.
Enjoy all that life has to offer NOW and let tomorrow take care of itself.

Now some of the selfrightous JDubs and tree huggers will no doubt accuse me of doing drugs and getting drunk. Wrong! I do none of these things but I enjoy life every day. I don't need to wait for my god to destroy 6 000 000 000 people to make me happy.

You have only ONE guarateed life, make the most of it.

beepers

Thank you everyone for all of your helpfull advice.

ballistic

I'M SO GLAD YOU BOUGHT UP THIS TOPIC!

When I was growing up, I was always told I'd be thrown out of the house if I turned away from the truth, and although I stayed in it, my sister ACTUALLY WAS thrown out and put into the care of the authorities for not wishing to be a JW.
I have heard similar stories from other witness children. (So much for them supporting the UNs backing for religious freedom)
Anyway, I got thinking... The Jehovah's Witnesses preach that it is God that does the choosing, it is HE that searches people's hearts and beeing coosen does not simply depend on you being born into a JW family.
This being the case, why do witnesses have children at all, when the rules of probability would predict that their offspring are very likely to be killed at armageddon?
Afterall, who wants to live forever, when love must die?

This plays on my mind a lot. I agree that many witness children do take up the religion, but that in itself is in conflict with their belief that God is choosing and that the condition of the heart is not related to upbringing or socio-economic background or inherited through genes.

ashitaka

Welcome to being inactive. It's the beginning of peace.

Esmeralda

Welcome to the board, Beepers. You have taken a big step toward a much better life for yourself and your daugther.

When my daughter was a year old, I was struggling with just the same issues that you are now. I agonized over whether I was doing the right thing, divorcing my JW husband who treated me terribly and leaving the organization. All my family are JW's, so I lost most of them when I left.

You are in a much better position being that you don't have any family who are JW's. I hope you will be able to stay/get in touch with them and build that connection, it will help you to ease out of the organization.

Everyone who leaves the Borg, especially those with children, go through the phase you are in. If you take the fine advice the others offered and research the organization, finding its real roots and the fact that its teachings are totally baseless, the guilt and fear will, over time, go away.

Keep talking, that will help too.

essie

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