Is this normal? (page 2)

ex-nj-jw

I've been out for 24 years and still feel that way. I'm Queen of the eyerolling whenever I hear "God has blessed me so much", or "I'm so blessed".

VanillaMocha73

I still have a close (or even closer) relationship with God, but I cringe every time I hear him called 'Jehovah'.

Lady Lee

As you see from the above comments you are perfectly normal.

When people have been controlled so much it is easy to swing to the opposite and not want anythingto do with something that hints of a similar control.

It's sort of like telling your kid that sex is bad bad bad so they save it until they leave home and then go discover it after they have their freedom. At first they don't know how to define their own limits because they were always made for them.

Also like kids who go off to college and university and don't have to answer to parents anymore and go party-wild.

Eventually we all settle down to something that is comfortable.

After 22 years out I can have a discussion about religion as long as the person is not trying to push their views down my throat. That still makes me gag.

When I took the Alpha Course (which I found very interesting and no one was trying to push their views on me) Iknow I had a hard time separating soirituality and religion. I also had an issue with believing that if I accepted one religion that meant I had to accept every single thing they believed. It took a while to realize most religions don't bother with every thing their church teaches. It really isn't all or nothing.

SixofNine

Just my opinion, but I think it is much healthier to confront the god question head on, intellectually, rather than avoiding it emotionally. Presumably "God" has been a big, maybe the biggest, part of who-you-are for your entire life; suddenly avoiding "god" (and in the interest of full disclosure, I'm an atheist), it seems to me, is not healthy.

Believe me, I understand how you can be so completely turned off by other people's unasked for thoughts on god; what I'd recommend is that you confront directly your own thoughts on god.

marsh

Trying to make sense of your life/beliefs after being indoctrinated for so long can be very hard.It is a long journey out of the Watchtower,I have heard many stories as I expect all of you have .What is normal? how to be normal? you go up/down with your emotions.The inability to trust again is huge for some.There are also many who mean well and want to help you.I would say 'baby steps' .I had some very bad experiences ,some my own fault,some not.But the Lord helped me through it all.I would say Trust in the Lord not man, or organisations.

Peace.

Undecided

After examining religion it all seems so contrived by humans to try to face death and hope for some future. Which one can you believe? They are so different in doctrines but seem to try to explain the will of some God by their understanding of some prophet's writings. No one knows what God is really like, if there is one.

Ken P.

IP_SEC

Hi Four me,

I got to wonder if you've given up on god why wonder why you worry about "normal"

parakeet

FourMs, it's only natural that when one throws off the trappings of the WTS/JWs, one tends to discard everything they teach. The god they believe in is vicious, petty, and murderous. It's hard to decide what parts of their teachings are worth keeping when the whole of their belief is based on intolerance and hate.

When I left the JWs almost 30 years ago, I felt the same way you did. To make sure I wasn't throwing out the baby with the bathwater, I embarked on a study of other religious beliefs by reading as many books as I could and attending different churches and temples. My conclusion after several years was that atheism (with a little Buddhism and neopagan belief thrown in) was what I was most comfortable with. You will also find your way. Give yourself a little time, keep an open mind, and do some research. Good luck to you.

FourMs

I got to wonder if you've given up on god why wonder why you worry about "normal"

IP_SEC: I think it was maybe more the “abandonment” issue – leaving behind everything I ever knew. I think that is what I was wondering about as far as being “normal”. The whole thing on god, well, I find myself leaning towards being an atheist. I just wasn’t so sure how that could be and wondered if anyone else made such a drastic decision…

(btw – it’s FourMs, not “Four me”… but that’s ok, people get my real name mixed up all the time so I’m used to it.)

Thanks everyone for all the input. Have a great day...

FourMs

lesterd

Yup, the brainwashing you had has preempted a view to another mention of god, as being false, bad, condemned. Thats a tactic that leads those who fall away to go back, because its the only thing they know. You made you dedication to an organinzation and what thier concept of god is. When you wake up to the fact that there is only one person that stands between you and your GOD, then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free from those feelings.

The borg answer to you religious affiliation is "I'm an ordained minister of Jehovahs WItnesses". They have short circuted the truth, made the organization, one to be dedicated and baptized too, not Jehovah. It took me a long time to recognize that my ordination was from God and not man. I am still an ordained minister, but not of the borg any more.

I did some preaching in the Morman church, funeral, the bishop was so impressed by what he heard he offered me a "high preist" position if I would join. I told him I already was a high preist, he questioned me about that statement and I simple asked him, "who stands between him and God? Jesus, was his answer. Then what postition does that leave you in, I asked? When you allow the borg to stand between you and Christ, who can you blame for the representation you get before God?

Is this normal?

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