Ok i started thinking tonight which is always a bad idea after i've had a long, really pressuring, day at work. But i've been in this sort of confused uncomfortable state lately about whether i believe in god or not. I finally got past the actual guilt of having these questions because i knew that was just what was drilled into my skull in my past. I know it's ok to question but its so frustrating to not know what you beleive. that just sounds silly to me. I started thinking about things like spirits and demons and stuff and i believe in demons because something happend to my sister that was obviously demons messing with her. so the question came up in my head that confused me even more. if i believe in demons do i have to believe in god? because i can't see demons but because of something my sister experienced i know they exist. But i don't know if i want to believe in god. I think the bible is bull now. so what do i do now? Damn.
now i'm even more confused...
by Missanna 21 Replies latest jw experiences
-
-
BR25
I believe in god, but it is hard to answer your question. I believe with anything you experience in life you have to believe in it for it to happen. Good or bad. I think alot of things are more mental like superstition and so forth. I know witchcraft works for some people, but it would never work for me because I dont believe deeply in it. So with demons it could be something just affecting the mind or it could be that they are real and so is god.
One way to answer your question is how did your sister overcome her demons and if she did how did she overcome it? Who did she turn to? how long did it take? These questions might answer your own questions.
-
BR25
Sorry for the first question. I ask the same question twice in the same sentence
-
Arthur
I believe in God, and I consider myself a Christian. I went through a period very similar to yours. When I first left the organization, I didn't know what I believed. I was very frustrated, confused, and at times, anxious. I continued to pray for guidance despite my confusion. I now feel somewhat confident in my faith, but realize that I don't know a lot of the answers. I try to avoid dogmaticism and keep an open mind. But, I feel closer to God and a stronger faith than I ever did in the Watchtower.
I think that there is overwhelming evidence that there are spirit forces. I have a very close friend who dabbled in witchcraft many years ago, and she told me of how she had been repeatedly harassed by invisible forces. I have also heard others personally share similar experiences. I think one area that the Bible does provide very good advice is in avoiding all forms of spiritism (mediums, black magic, witchcraft, voodoo, etc, etc.) I have never known or heard of anyone benefiting from practicing these things.
Personally, I do have faith in the Bible, but I don't believe in inerrancy. I believe that many accounts in the Old Testament were allegorical (garden of eden, Noah, Balaam, Jonah, Job, Samson) and intended to be literary works which teach moral lessons. Some of them are obviously mythological and paint God as insecure, jealous, arbitrary, and cruel.
Whatever your jorney takes you, I would be patient. It takes a lot of time. Have you read the book "Combatting Cult Mind Control" by Steven Hassan? If you haven't, I strongly recommend it. It does an excellent job in explaining and untangling the indoctrination and mind control that groups like the Watchtower used. This book is a very good starting point. I think the biggest hurdle is overcoming the image of Jehovah as this cruel, angry, punishing God that we were raised with.
The best prayer that I ever uttered was "God, direct me and show me what to do". I feel that I was lead to a wonderful church with wonderful people. They truly manifest Christian love that the Bible talks about. But, that is just me. I realize that you will have your individual path. Your path needs to be your own, and not someone elses.
-
5go
if i believe in demons do i have to believe in god? because i can't see demons but because of something my sister experienced i know they exist. But i don't know if i want to believe in god. I think the bible is bull now. so what do i do now? Damn.
Simular to the problem I had, get conseling it is in your head. Your mind is playing logic games right now as your core belief paradigm is collapsing. It got pretty bad with me I was thinking god was calling me to correct his people. Fortunately I snapped out of it not before I lost a lot of friends. Though I would of lost them anyway on my eventual exit. So not so bad for me after all.
Pretty soon you will probaly try drugs or booze to get them to go a way big mistake.
-
Mrs Smith
Give yourself time to heal. Don't get involved with anything until you have had time to let go of all the WBTS mind control. You don't have to go from one set of rules straight into another. It took me 5 years after leaving the JWs before I started to look at other religions. I am now a Christian and enjoying reading the bible with an open mind for the first time. Remember there is always good and evil, so if you believe in demons you have to believe in angels or some other good forces to balance it out. This is only my humble opinion take it or leave it.
-
RollerDave
Just deciding in the vaguest terms what you believe or want to know is a start.
I found that God isn't so hard to believe in once you realize that you've never met him before and seek him out.
But take your time figuring all this stuff out, don't forget that you no longer have the WTS cracking the whip, you can relax.
Try to resist the temptation to rush out and try all the things you were forbidden to do by the WTS, not everything they said was bull.
Drugs still have all the pitfalls they had when you were a JW, as does sexual abandon, it's just become your responsibility to plot a safe course rather than follow maps provided. Take some time to let the novelty wear off and plot your course to avoid landmines.
It can be confusing to suddenly be responsible for one's self, but in the end, it is very rewarding!
Take heart,
Roller
-
WTWizard
Here is one explanation for demon possession. There are many things that people have a poor understanding of. This has always been the case. And they attributed it to God. Lightning is a perfect example. They didn't know what it was, so they attributed it to God's wrath. Then some brave scientist risked his life to find out that lightning was static electricity. One less thing for God to use to beat on people.
Many weird experiences that people take as demon attacks actually originate in the right brain. People will have some flash of intuition, or some incomplete integration of some experience that stems from this. Dreams are the most common right-brain phenomenon that we all have. Notice that most dreams are disjointed: there might be a story, but no logical flow of events from one to another. Often you will have a dream where the same thing produces different results. This is an illustration of right-brain integration. With the logical left brain down, things become more disjointed.
Now add to this mix the programming from the Watchtower Society. Among their control tactics, they threaten people with demon attacks. You read a Watchtower article about how a brother was attacked by demons until he threw away all his thrash-metal albums. Another one describes a disfellowshipped person as being attacked by a demon until he struggled to call out "Jehovah help me!" That is the key word that they use to release the person from this attack. The Society's explanation is that the person is doing something wrong, and the angels that are supposed to be protecting them have fled.
I believe that this is nothing more than a post-hypnotic suggestion. You hear all the time about how we need the angels to protect us from the demons, and if we do something wrong, we will lose that protection. You hear it from the platform all the time. The format is also similar to a hypnotic suggestion: the song and prayer, the way the talks are so boring, the microphone passers, the two people on the platform--all are analogs of a hypnotic session! And when you are constantly bombarded with the post-hypnotic suggestion, the right brain will kick in when you do the trigger action (which in this case is doing something that disobeys the Watchtower Society). The right brain is then triggered to set up weird sensations and attribute it to the demons. This creates the illusion that you need the angels' protection and that the only way to get it is by obeying the Watchtower Society.
It is perfectly normal for those who have recently left the Watchtower Society or those who are weak in the "truth" to have these sensations. You are still affected by the programming. There is a way out of it: further disobeying the Watchtower Society and studying science. In particular, you should study the science of cults, hypnosis, and the occult. You need not practice it; it's enough to just study it. That will give you insight on how it all works. Remember: the Watchtower Society has programmed you to expect demon troubles if you do study the occult. This is to deter you from doing this. They know that, if you learn about it enough, you will find that your right brain is responsible for a lot of what is called demon attacks. And once you learn about the causes, you will find fewer "demon attacks". And the ones you still have, at least you will have insight on it.
Just when you thought it was safe to look at Watchtower publications, I have found something at www.sixscreensofthewatchtower.com that might make you want to throw away those Watchtower publications like you did your rock and rap CDs. Look at Screen 5, and watch the videos. You will notice that many of the publications from the Watchtower Society actually have subliminal images of things that you would not expect. Remember, this is no accident. Every droplet of ink has to be approved by the Governing Body before it ends up in these magazines. Definitely check out that page before reading any more Watchtower publications. Just remember, your computer keyboard is not puke-proof.
-
jwfacts
But i don't know if i want to believe in god. I think the bible is bull now. so what do i do now?
This is an interesting link, as whether or not the Bible is bull has not bearing on whether or not there is a God. A similar link is made by JWs who regularly say that when a person leaves the Watchtower Society that they have left Jehovah.
Different people take the literalness of the Bible differently. The fundamental belief structure of JWs certainly makes the Bible look like a joke. However writers such as Joseph Campbell show how much of the "Myth" within the Bible contains important lessons that are similar amongst all religious groups (hindu, Muslim, Buddhist etc).
There appears to be a very strong religious desire inside humans. You can continue to believe in a God or higher power without having to sucumb to the ridiculous and controlling lies of many religious groups. I now realise that I will never 'know' all the answers, nor as a human do I expect to be able to understand what God truly is like, yet am totally at peace about God and and the afterlife.
-
Marcel
if i believe in demons do i have to believe in god?
Missanna, thats exactly my biggest problem ever. Okay, i never experienced MYSELF something supernatural. But ive heard so many stories about it that its hard to not believe in it. Yours adds to that pile.
Sometimes im like going back to the dubs despite all my doubts, just because it drives me crazy.
i dont feel like searching for "another truth" for now, but evil spirits make me feel uncomfortable to being lazy.
May i ask, WHAT happened to your sister?