I Don't Have to Be "RIGHT" Anymore.

OnTheWayOut

For the record, I don't believe in the God of the Bible, and I find it hard to believe in the God of any religion on earth. I am closest to atheist in my beliefs if you want a traditional title, but I prefer "Rationalist." I will do God's will for me when He directly tells me what it is. Until then, I am fine on my own spiritual journey.

That said, please feel free to state your own feelings/beliefs/spiritual journey. BUT, here's the point of the thread: JW's had to feel that they were "right" and all of "Christendom" and all of "Babylon the Great" were "wrong." They may have gotten that way when J.F. Rutherford discovered that self-induced "persecution" upon his flock could be manipulated into proof that they were on the "right" path to salvation. JW's are more about being "right" than anything else. They say that holidays and the cross and the military and the flag and birthdays and YADDA YADDA YADDA are "wrong." They say that door-to-door preaching, dedication to an organization, the stake, 1914, paradise on earth, YADDA YADDA YADDA are "right."

I don't need to be right anymore. I don't have to prove the nonexistence or the existence of Sky Daddy, Thor, Jesus, Flying Spaghetti Monster, Jehovah, a trinity, Allah, whoever. I don't have to say there is sufficient evidence or a lack of evidence for evolution or for creationism.

Sure, I will comment on such threads if I want to. The threads that lend themselves to such discussions are part of my spiritual journey. But the arguments get so petty and pretty funny. Keep up the humor, don't take yourselves too seriously. Some of you believe there is only one path to salvation, but some of us don't. If your God wants me to find it, He will contact me. If not, don't worry about me, life was fun.

On the other side, some atheists, evolutionists, anti-Christians are insisting on their way of thought also. Lighten up on the creationists and Christians. If they never agree with us, does it really matter? We are above our old JW ways. We don't have to be "right" anymore. We just have to get along.

This rant was brought to you by the Invisible Pink Unicorn.

AllTimeJeff

Excellent! You sum up much of my feelings.

I am becoming an atheist sympathyzing deist.

I agree with you on the debates as a part of our growth. I also appreciate your words about a sense of humor.

I am a big believer that atheists can carry their rational to the point of running over a persons faith and spirituality. We all need to learn to understand each other....

Ex JW's could end up saving the world! (ok, that was full of crap... lets all sing Koombyya!)

Good post OTWO.

White Dove

Jerry,

Those were very good points and reminders you made.

I'm Wiccan because it touches me like no other belief system has. I am intregued (sic) by Hinduism but still need to read up on it. I'm a panthiest in that I believe the divine exists in all of us because we are divine. That paves the way for polytheism, but for me that is metaphorical only.

The gods and goddesses represent all the different hats we wear and the facets of our personality. I like to focus on a god(dess) that represents a weakness I have, so when I work with him/her it helps me to strengthen that part that was weak.

I believe in the possibility of reincarnation and previously ascended beings helping us on our life journeys. For me, reincarnation explains how we all got our instincts and how we seem to just know things without having learned them.

So, that's it in a very tiny nutshell:)

Did I break a posting rule by saying all of this?

Dovey:)

OnTheWayOut

Did I break a posting rule by saying all of this?

Not at all. Not at all. Carry on with your spiritual journey. Much philosophy agrees with some of what you say, often in unreligious terms.

KDubbz

LOL, I like some of the points you made. The whole thing is very well-written. I couldn't agree with you more. Honestly, I really don't give a crap about religions nowadays. All of them are the same. They preach the same thing which is salvation even though they got many different beliefs. The best thing I ever did in my life besides marrying my wife would be opening up my mind and discover myself. Once you do that, there are endless possibilities to what you can do in life. I just feel so damn free. I don't have to listen to same repetitive crap at meetings. I don't have to sit there disgruntled anymore.

Nothing is better than having a freedom. I still feel sorry for those who are blinded by religions.

Narkissos

Believe it or not, yesterday I started writing a post entitled "(When) Do You Need to Be Right?" which went along very similar lines... and finally gave it up. :)

Vinny

Onthewayout wrote: "I Don't Have to Be "RIGHT" Anymore."

**** And I call that progress.

I do believe in God and have jumped into plenty of spank the little atheist threads on JWD and many other sites over the years.

Life is too short to keep doing that. I also had Mormons stop by, ran into born agains, talked to a Hindu, Buddhist and many more. It's actually nice to not feel this desire to change their minds or prove them wrong any longer. Same goes with atheists and anything in between.

Comfort in my own beliefs and tolerance of other's beliefs is a good and healthy place to be, IMO.

And it sure beats living life as a JW trying to manipulate everybody you meet and know into becoming one as well and trying to prove how God has chosen JW's and nobody else.

Life is sure better and happier than spending most of your life doing that.

Progress is a good thing.

Vinny

llbh

I agree with you too. I find that there is no inherent need to be right all the time, this is quite liberating in many ways, amd leads to more questions being asked and answered.

Life is so much more fun as a result.

David

wantstoleave

Great thread!

I love anything philosophical, the deeper thinking but of course, growing up a JW, was told NOT to indulge in that kind of thinking. The more I am on this site, the more I realise how brainwashed members of the organisation are. How they all just follow a leader like lost sheep, without ever questioning or doing any research of their own. They take what is said as gospel and don't for a second think outside the square. I have always been disgusted with how they think they are the only 'right' ones, and everyone else is going to die. That anyone besides a JW is wicked and unworthy of calling a friend. That to me has never been a loving attitude, so I never adopted it. Perhaps my first 'undoing'.

I regret not taking Philosophy as a topic during my University studies, but was being a 'good girl'. I regret arguing the 'Peace/dove' association when I was a mere 5yrs old at school to the teacher. She treated me like crap from then on, but I was being a good little witness. How I longed to sing the national anthem, and feel a sense of pride and connection to my country.

But never have I thought other religions were wrong. Perhaps while a good JW, I may have seen them as misguided, but ultimately I knew God would be the judge, not me. So I've always treated people with respect. Maybe I can open my eyes even further now, and take in all the beauty around me, the good out there, and stop thinking this is the end and I'm going to die.

AK - Jeff

Beautifully stated Jerry.

I would sum my system of beliefs as Christianized Agnosticism. My cultural environs support opines that are not derogatory to those around me, most of whom accept Christianity as 'normal'. So while I don't absorb only positives from Christian thought and teaching, I don't refuse to acknowledge some positive aspects for those who do so.

I have integrated a bit of Zen philosophy into my life also, though I don't adhere to anything at all from the religious side. I believe in lifestyle that harmonizes human with nature and simplicity materially. For some of those same reasons, Wicca and Native American spirituality are appealing. Once again, not from a religious standpoint, but from a spiritual/philosophical perspective.

I agree with those who have addressed the issue of atheist vs christian on this forum. More healing takes place in peace than war, though from time to time I have been also guilty of 'taking a shot'. I am trying to work on that.

So, I have nothing that resembles 'faith' in my thinking. But I do believe that spirituality can and does exist outside of the concept of a personal being called God. As agnostic, I simply do not know if there is a single entitiy called God, I do not deny it's possibility. I have determined for now not to tie myself into knots seeking to find out what mankind has never proven or disproven in thousands of years.

On the issue of being right - yes, I agree. I don't have to be right, and I love it.

Jeff

I Don't Have to Be "RIGHT" Anymore.

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