If its not the way. Which way is? (page 3)

yknot

Welcome !

In Xianity Jesus is the Way.

In other faiths there are other paths and other personalities.

To those who profess no divine faith.... there is humanism.

I think the Golden Rule is a good place to start...........

Welcome. I have some of the same instincts to answer your question as others did... I know that feeling when i first left of "where do you go"? which i'm sure you now know is an incorrect quote.... But.. if it makes you feel better.. this is the one thing i found. I'm NOT a member, but I always thought, if i did feel the need, i would look them up.

These are the people that actually FOLLOWED what Russell taught. What the witnesses are today is just the small amout of people that didn't leave when Rutherford came along and changed all the rules. The people that still follow Russell seem to believe everything ie. paridise earth, no trinity, no war... etc. all the basics without all the dogma and rituals and hardcore ass crap that Rutherford so loved. They actually LOVE for you to question the faith! CRAZY!!

Anyway.. i would first do one thing, go to wikipedia and research russell all you can, then read everything about rutherford, then you'll see the different dinamics and how it all changed... here's the link to russell first... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Taze_Russell then read rutherford.. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Franklin_Rutherford THEN go to the Bible Students... YES, they still have the name that "we had".. actually, then you realize, they TOOK the name and Rutherford had to come up with something else to call his religion. Here they are.... http://www.biblestudents.com/ they have a few websites, since they're not SO into one big headquarters... http://biblestudents.net/

Anyway... researching all that made me feel like wow.. there ARE other places that believe the "good stuff" i felt. Made me feel better, I havn't gone there or done anything, i just needed to know it existed at that point in my healing. Hope this helps. Hope i dont have to take too much slack for showing you this!

OnTheWayOut

No disrespect to passwordprotected, but this may not work for you:

Mary, the first and most important step is to realise this;

Jesus is the way, the truth and the life.

I think you need to heed some good advice in these answers. You need to get over WTS.
As far as which way is the truth, you will have to take your own path.

As you have been trying to get over WTS, you realize that "the real truth" is not so easy to
identify and trying to do so is confusing.

Well, take a deep breathe. Trust yourself now that you are putting one big lie behind you.
If God were the God of the New Testament, then He would be very forgiving and patient and
understanding. He would know you have come out of the WTS and are searching for your own
spiritual path. He wouldn't say you need to find it before it's too late.

If your path takes you to church-shopping so be it. If you are repelled by churches so be it.
If you do research in one direction or the other, trust yourself.

I will not claim that I have "the truth" now. Heck, I was in the dangerous mind-control cult of JW's
for nearly 20 years, so what do I know? I do know what path I took. I won't describe it so you
would think I was saying to copy it. But I went where my head wanted to go. My heart followed
for awhile. I started reading about cults and JW's doctrines and kept reading about what others
were reading. I made trips to the library and the bookstore and amazon.com. I researched
whatever interested me. I still do.

Not that you will get onto any path I am on, but I have detoured a bit into philosophy, particularly
eastern philosophy. The type that has nothing to do with religion. Eastern philosophy does not
depend on religious beliefs. One thing it has taught me is that old cliche'- that it is not about the
destination, it's about the journey.

My journey is mostly centered on knowledge and thoughts, yours might be more feelings and
interactions with others, or perhaps centered on good deeds. I know that my spiritual journey will
make turns and go to other places. I won't sweat so much about it.

Is there one definite truth, similar to what the JW's teach us? If there really is, I think it's not our
faults if we don't discover it.

OUTLAW

Don`tcha just love having the Newbies back!!..LOL!!..........................Maryacclaim...No one worries about replacing what was in the toilet,after it`s flushed!!...LOL!!...............................................OUTLAW

rebel8

Congratulations! You already know the truth:

Behave in a morally good way
Be polite
It's disrespectful to waste the "gift" of life--use it to contribute to society in a positive way, live a life worth living (satisfying, happy, balanced, healthy)

Jim_TX

First - welcome to the forum. Hang around - and grow in your knowledge.

I was trying to find the right words to use to reply to this... and think I have a way to explain how you might be viewing things.

Ever see the movie 'Pleasantville'? If you have - then this analogy may make sense. If not... rent it - watch it. Great movie.

In the movie - two characters are thrown into a 50's television sitcom that is in Black-n-White. But - that's not the analogy.

What I think the JWs - and their views are like - is like the black-n-white sitcom. They see no color. Everything is orderly. Nothing out of the ordinary happens. Prim and proper. Black-n-white.

Then these two characters come along - and some folks start seeing colors. Or they start appearing in color. Perhaps only red lips. But a little color.

Of course - never having seen this - or experienced it before - they don't know how to react to it. Some try to hide it with black-n-white makeup - so as to not have to deal with it - or have anyone else notice that they are 'different'.

The movie progresses to eventually everyone seeing colors.

The point? As a JW - you are indoctrinated to only seeing black-n-white. It is either right - or - wrong. Good or evil. (There's even a scripture about 'lukewarm' being a bad thing.) So, as a JW - no one is allowed to see colors. If they do - then they must be bad - and 'out they go!'.

There is nothing wrong with color. That is what is out there in what the JWs call 'the world' - or 'worldly' - or whatever the updated term is.

Enjoy life. It is full of colors meant to be enjoyed. Not just black-n-white.

Regards,

Jim TX

hamsterbait

Perfectville is a very good answer to the original question of this thread.

At the end the Mother turns to her husband and asks "What's going to happen now?" and he answers "I don't know."

In philosophy your question is know as an error of FALSE DICHOTOMY.

It implies that if you cannot find a valid alternative to A then it must be true.

Reword it "If oranges are not apples then where else can I get apples?"

The fact that you have not yet found out enough to make your own mind up does not compel you to continue accepting what the WTBTS terrorises its followers into believing. This is done by:

Instilling a fear of everlasting death.

Asking questions which hide a death threat "What will you do to Keep Living?" (Obey them)

Making it clear that those who challenge them are Apostates and will be shunned losing family still in.

Demonising outside sources of information.

Controlling whom you can be friends with.

Life is so exciting once you embrace the uncertainty as a blessing. Finding out is the best part of getting there. Nobody is born knowing all the answers. You listen and look touch and taste and you are ALWAYS free to decide for yourself what is true or wrong or cannot be answered. In this way, given a life, you will build a faith.

Read the history of the WT - this is all the founders did. Now they are lying about it.

HB

rebel8

Congratulations! You already know the truth:

Behave in a morally good way
Be polite
It's disrespectful to waste the "gift" of life--use it to contribute to society in a positive way, live a life worth living (satisfying, happy, balanced, healthy)

I forgot to add:

No one really knows, or can ever know, how we got here, if we have a purpose, and if/where we're headed after we die. That being the case, live according to the 1st 3 principles. If God makes Himself known some day, He'll approve of how you have spent your time.

TERRIC

mary, there are many people in this world who will try to convince you that there is only one way to worship god. if there is anything i've learned since i left the jw's it's that each of us has our own path to follow in this life and it is up to the individual to find what resonates as truth for them. this is a life long journey for most of us, and we learn as we live each day of our lives. i think jimmypage made some very good points as guidance for you. take your time, enjoy your new life and enjoy the journey that IS life.

terri

Chalam

Mary, the first and most important step is to realise this;

Jesus is the way, the truth and the life.

I agree :)

Welcome!

All the best,

Stephen

If its not the way. Which way is?

yknot

New light for you

OnTheWayOut

OUTLAW

rebel8

Jim_TX

hamsterbait

rebel8

TERRIC

Chalam

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