What Path To Understanding?

Undecided

Hi All,

I have been looking for answers to life and death as has many of you. I was wondering what is the best avenue to take. Do you just rely on intelligence, experience, some holy book, what others tell you, some miraculous heavenly voice, a dream, or are we up a creek without a paddle?

I have been a JW, am now attending a Christian church and neither has convinced me of anything. The JWs think they have all the answers, but when I examine the failure rate of their expectations their claims of having the "Truth" loses credibility. When I listen to the claims of the other faiths and see their inability to think about what they say, also make me lose any trust in their message.

This morning while I was in church, one of the members ask for prayer for a family who had lost a 6 mo. old child in a car accident. The grandmother also crashed on the way to the accident. (My wife and daughter saw the car wreck but didn't think anyone was hurt.}
That's good that they were concerned and wanted prayer.

The pastor said the child was in heaven and was OK, or words to that effect. I have to analyze everything I hear. Now, does this mean all babys and small children go to heaven when they die? If this is true wouldn't it be a blessing to have your small children die, since it assures their eternal life with God? Is this fair to all the ones who grow up and have to pass the test of life? Will the baby after being transfered to spiritual life have to grow into a mature spirit or will it remain a baby? Would it have a unique personality of it's own or be given one by God?

So often when someone dies in the congregation it is said they are with God now and everything is fine, yet at the funeral graveside they read the scripture that says when Christ returns the ones in the grave will come out and the ones alive will meet the Lord in the air.
Who are the ones in the grave, those before Christ came, and if they didn't have a chance to be saved by believing on the son, why are they resurrected? (Yes I know the explaination given by the JWs)

There are too many unexplained inconsistences in all this religious confusion. I think I will just sit in my backyard swing and think of God as something or someone we just can't understand.

Ken P.

Introspection

Hi Ken, I think you're on the right track, more so than perhaps even you realize. I do want to respectfully ask one question though, and that is did you pose your question as a purely rhetorical one?

Thomas Poole

I think you lack Bible understanding because I see you are not drawing upon the scriptures. This is okay for a time, but you should now learn "on your own" between you and God, using the Bible and prayer. You cannot depend upon a church or others for the meat of your faith and understanding.

I suggest to start with selecting specific subjects, such as perhaps could be found in a something like "The Interpreters Guide To the Bible, and so forth. Use the on-line Bibles on the internet using key words... You must have a few subjects burning in your brain, right?

For example, as a supposed Christian do you know who you are or for what that stands and really means? Examine yourself to see if you are really saved. Humble and submit yourself to God. Start at the beginning. Learn how Christ and the Holy Spirit can play a part in your life. I went back to get baptized again, and I glad I did it.

Have in mind that as a JW, you were kept in the 3rd grade. So where do you go now? No place, you now have a chance to grow up.

Stay close to your conscience while asking for God's help. Be honest about yourself and what you learn, no matter what, in the mind of Christ that you should seek.

Do you know what it means to be "in Christ" and for Christ to be in you? This is quite a revelation.

In Christ, in love.

Undecided

Hi Introspection,

I hope I spelled your name right. I hadn't really thought about it, but I think it was rhetorical. I have about decided that there is no path to understanding, and I was just giving my version of that fact.
Good point.

Ken P.

Missie Eff

Hi, Undecided.

I was very interested to read your comments as I guess that I too am at that point at the moment. Being born into the JW faith and raised in it, I left when I was 24. Three years later and I am still very confused.

I'm not that sure anymore whether or not there is an absolute route to truth. I am convinced that there is a God as I have a young son and the experience of pregnancy, birth and motherhood cannot be explained any other way.

But, I don't know whether I can trust an interpretation of an interpretation of an interpretation etc. of the bible. Even if I could talk to the men who wrote it, how could I be sure that they were able to communicate effectively what they saw in their minds. Language, by its very human nature, can be falible.

So, I'm going to keep on praying for now. I hope that the Almighty will approach me at some point. I feel reluctanct to trust other people at the moment, but something may happen to change my mind. You never know.

Good luck. Let us know how you get on.

Introspection

Hi Missie, I don't think I've seen your name here before so welcome to the board.

I wanted to add one more thing to this thread, regarding the idea of an absolute path. We all know that there are kind people from all religious paths, even non religious ones. Although I don't claim that is all of what spirituality is about, (which is of course different from understanding) I think it can be used as a gauge of a certain level of spirituality. If we accept this, then I think it can be seen that there is truth to the idea of all paths leading to the same place. I think it takes some kind of intelligence rather than just a formula you can put on paper. Of course, there is also your path, and while you might be able to generalize about stages or steps in terms of what most go through, everyone's life is different, even for those in a specific religious tradition.

Bang

Undecided:
<< I think I will just sit in my backyard swing and think of God as something or someone we just can't understand.>>

Don't be undecided, you know what He said, "do as the Samaritan". You'll find Him in the poor and needy, He's waiting.

"whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be my disciple", and with gladness, because, "no one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God"

The way is not such a mystery to us, but after dealing with one another it seems difficult to be trusting.

Bang

Celtic

I know this is fine coming from me cos I havn't done it for a while myself, but pray or tell God how it is from your perspectives. Off load your troubles to Him. Sock it at him. Give it to Him big time, do not worry, He is big enough to take it.

Back along I was pretty much in the same state as you, I prayed, well, not in that way before. "OI!! You up there, what the heck is going on down here? I mean if I was supposed to be following you, what on earth am I doing in this pickle? Give me a hand, even if you do not answer my prayer in the most obvious of ways. Please God, I just want some peace in order to think about things clearly".

I'm sure He wouldn't mind. I must pray more too, just havn't been doing enough of it lately, I just get the feeling that I've annoyed Him maybe too much, always felt that though, as long as I can ever remember.

Look after yourself my friend, many others here too have felt like this.

In encouragement

celtic

What Path To Understanding?

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