in the words of the osoalmighty nick cave,"bring it on"!
How many of you are still affected by "Armageddon?"
by Soledad 24 Replies latest jw friends
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Sunspot
I stopped thinking about it soon after I left the WTS. Somehow, living every moment as if it was the last one, and struggling to fit what the WTS wanted for me (being out in service to THEM and placing THEIR literature, or going to THEIR MEETINGS to learn HOW to place their literature) I was so burnt out by the time I wrote my DA letter.
I am inclined to think it WILL happen, but I do not fret or worry about my "status" with the Lord, since I have become a Christian and recognize that He died so that ALL could have chance at everlasting life. Living in FEAR of "not pleasing him" as we did as JWs....is a distant memory now. I feel pity for the JWs that exist under this constant terror as perpetrated by their "religious leaders" to keep them in line delivering their literature for them.
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daytona27
I just want it to come so all of this will be over.
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ESTEE
I figure I'm past the Armageddon lies. If it didn't happen in 1914 and it didn't happen in 1975, it is a load of crap to keep people in bondage.
But every once in awhile I have a nightmare about demons. Wake up screaming.
ESTEE
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Eyes Open
This reply is actually a copy-and-paste job from the entertainment forum, but I'll say it here too as reading your comments makes me very sad that some of you still worry. If something bothers you, do all you can to educate yourself about the issue and hopefully your fear will lessen/go.
First, here's the generic prayer which I came across in "Leaving Jehovah's Witnesses", which is a very good document:
http://members.aol.com/beyondjw/xj.htm
I find that with greater understanding comes deeper satisfaction.
I find that gaps and dead ends in my understanding discomfort me.
I find that if I'm afraid, further seeking reveals misunderstanding.
I believe that it will always be thus.
This is my faith.
I desire to seek truth
Not for fear of loss
Not for want of gain
Not for need of words
And will endeavour to pursue it
No matter what it is
No matter who says it
No matter what I already believe.
This I affirm.
Here's my personal experience:
On an intellectual level I have no worries about what the society says; Armageddon itself creates the same level of fear in me as does being invaded by aliens (which I now actually consider more likely, come to think of it). However, I know there will be situations in life that test me, and that may take some time for me to conquer, due to those thought patterns ingrained from childhood. That's not because I'm fearful of being judged by Yahweh; that's because I'm worried about having the feelings of guilt.
I don't know what study you've done, but I'd like to recommend a book, particularly chapter four:
How to Read the Bible: History, Prophecy, Literature - Why Modern Readers Need to Know the Difference, and What It Means for Faith Today by Steven L. McKenzie
I found it ultimately very liberating to read. It doesn't deal with Jehovah's Witnesses specifically (which only added to its power for me), but it does mention the movement that inspired their eschatology: the Millerites. It then goes on to take a few chapters from Daniel and Revelation and explain why they were written, and what they actually mean. I've since spent a lot of time studying Daniel and Revelation with a view to their social contexts, and taking the positive action to learn about them properly has meant that the idea of them having anything to do with our time in a literal way is now completely ludicrous to me. The interpretations in the relevant WT books are then seen as the contrived nonsense they are, and other bible doomsday prophets are seen to be the same.
The book doesn't decry all faith, but it does negate certain erroneous applications of literature. Can't recommend it enough, and it was certainly time well spent for me.
If you want recommendations on commentaries which deal with Daniel and Revelation specifically that I also found helpful, just say.