Crisis of Conscience (page 2)

GermanXJW

EmptyInside, I kind of relate to what you are writing and your screenname. I used to be a fourth gen JW and a turning point was when I tried to preach to an Evangelical and he told me about Ray Franz. Firstly, I read the book in public libraries, later I bought it. It is a difficult point in life if you do not know anything else (like I did, too) but after that there is freedom!

AwSnap

Changing can be very scary. Just remember: you're the one who decides what path to follow...and you are not alone. We have all gone down that path of scary feelings and being out of the comfort zone. Ray Franz's book was very comforting to me as I left the witnesses because I was sick and tired of feeling sick and tired. Good luck with your journey

sooner7nc

It's kind of intimidating when you take control isn't it? Hang in there though, because your horizons have just got infinitely broader. I know it may be cliche, but one poem was, and is, always on my mind when I stress about this kind of thing, "Invictus" by Henley. It ends like this...

...It matters not how strait the gate

How charged with punishment the scroll

I am the master of my fate

I am the captain of my soul.

Will Power

emptyInside:

Ray has a follow-up book: In Search of Christian Freedom.

This will help you hang on to your belief in god while you sort out the lies you were fed by the WT

Congratulations, and enjoy the freedom on your journey.

wp

Gayle

I understand your concerns. Take one day at a time. Changes are perplexing sometimes but it gets sweeter as time goes on as you learn to have your own free mind and personal conscience. I left many years ago and have never regretted it. When I read Ray's book I would go through parts and well up with many conclusions of thoughts that I had personally had seen or considered for so long but only would pushed them back in my mind. The relief is overwhelming.

I am now a "simple" Christian, the kind of Christian that I once would be frustrated with, the kind that felt comfort to be a good hearted, loving and do good kind. Actually, the trinity or not, is a non-issue to me. To me, nobody knows God to argue over such, I leave that for my next life to "know." In the meantime, my trinity belief is love, joy, and peace. Issues fitting into those qualities is enough for me.

So many best wishes in your true life future!

poppers

Why not simply let all beliefs drop entirely - they are just that, beliefs. There is no religion or "holy book" that can be absolutely certain when it comes to "God", hence, the multitude of religions and philosophies. It doesn't follow that since there are so many out there that one of them must be true. If anything, that highlights the uncertainty of what "God" is and of what God requires. All of them are just a bunch of ideas that people are conditioned to believe and accept, based primarily on the accident of where you were born and raised.

Instead of creating an identity out of some belief system find out what is present and real when no belief system is clung to. Live your life in the simplicity of now, where life is actually lived and experienced, rather than tethering the mind to ideas created by other people, ideas that are born of the past. Find out what is true now. This kind of truth is present when all other ideas and beliefs drop away. The mind may feel uncertain about "now" because minds need to know, and that is why they look for a different religion when they become dissatisfied, but are "you" the mind? Who are "you" when there is nothing for the mind to cling to and believe? Do not be afraid of finding emptiness - that's what minds fear most, and it is that fear that drives mind to find something to hang on to. Find out what's present when there is nothing for mind to hang on to, including ideas of what emptiness might be. Granted, this is scary for the mind, but mind is what is getting in the way of finding peace now.

Cthulhu

I remember when I first read Ray's book...it actually made things worse temporarily. My belief in the nonsense had already faded, but this book put the nail in the organizations coffin as far as I was concerned, which was great, apart from the fact that I then knew I had a choice to make: Leave and give up the vast majority of the people I had been trained to think were my unconditional friends or stick around knowing full well that a) this religion was wrong on all major doctrines and prophesies and b) the "best friends I could have" wouldn't even think of talking to me if they knew my true feelings. So, I chose to walk away and do a quick fade. The really neat thing about that is you find out who your real friends are. When you've "turned your back on Jehovah," there will be a hand full that do not turn their backs on you, and that's because they are the genuine friends, the only ones that really mattered in the first place.

At least that's how it went for me. I wish you well and I hope that, in the long run, the book makes things clearer, if not easier.

blondie

wrong topic

Crisis of Conscience

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