Why Do People Abandon the Christian Faith? (page 6)

leavingwt

Cofty:

I left christianity when I realised I was making the same lame excuses for god that I used to make for the "F&DS"

That is an interesting way of explaining it. Thank you.

In some ways, the WTS did me a big favour. Before I became a JW back in 1982, my upbringing was pretty a-religious. My folks were non-practising Catholics and I became more committed to Catholicism when I went to University in 1981. I didn't really think much about the issues and it didn't have much impact on my daily life. Becoming a JW meant I had to evaluate my religious beliefs and because I hadn't done much research, didn't know how to and wasn't very switched on, it wasn't difficult to turn me away. It was however extremely damaging to my education, family life; friends and career. The WTS did a pretty good job of trashing other organised religions so when I finally got booted out in 1986/87 I think..I was a whole lot better informed and in some ways innoculated against organised religion. I knew what to ask and where to look.

I think it must be very difficult for those brought up as witnesses and programmed from birth to turn away.Thankfully many do although I sometimes wonder how many stay and suffer in silence or blank out their doubts. Maintaining two frameworks could be very damaging psychologically I would think

Following my velocitous extramuralisation (for Blackadder fans) the process of evaulating the WTS began (because at that time I thought it was "The Truth") and I have to say I learned a great deal over many years, not just about the WTS but about other belief systems.

I suspect the reasons people leave the faith of their youth are the same for many organised religions. Most look pretty similar to me. They are simply not relevant to the followers who leave them or there is some other kind of disconnect which occurs in the persons life; a bereavement; poor treatment; a lingering doubt that grows; questions that cannot be answered; a decay of certainty etc. Either the adherent never believed in the first place or there is insufficient foundation inherent in the belief system to resist critical examination and a need to rely on "faith" when the answers run out.

Mall Cop

Hi Leavingwt! "Abandon The Christian Faith" The christian faith is part of the religious realm. A realm in which it becomes very hard to find "Authenic Faith."

When one studies religious history and it's traditions one learns that all religions are susceptible to corruptions.

How then does one find "Authenic Faith?"

Many Reglions make "Absolute Truth Claims", demand absolute blind obedience, establish the "Ideal" time, the end justifies any means and history shows that they all have and had their "Holy Wars.'

People not only abandon the christian faith, they abandon their own cultural faith that they were born into.

You ask why, my response answers part of the question because there are many other reasons why.

Blueblades

leavingwt

GromitSK:

I suspect the reasons people leave the faith of their youth are the same for many organised religions. Most look pretty similar to me. They are simply not relevant to the followers who leave them or there is some other kind of disconnect which occurs in the persons life; a bereavement; poor treatment; a lingering doubt that grows; questions that cannot be answered; a decay of certainty etc. Either the adherent never believed in the first place or there is insufficient foundation inherent in the belief system to resist critical examination and a need to rely on "faith" when the answers run out.

Thank you. Interesting points.

Mall Cop / Blueblades:

People not only abandon the christian faith, they abandon their own cultural faith that they were born into.

This is true. Thank you.

donny

It always amazes me, the people who leave the Witnesses because of the false prophecies, but don't seem to mind the false prophecies in the NT itself; who object to the GB discouraging marriage and having children, but turn a blind eye to Jesus and Paul doing the same; who dislike the anti-intellectualism of the Watchtower, yet have no problem with Paul ridiculing the 'wisdom of the world'; who object to the GB claiming a special right from God to tell people what to do with their lives, but seem to think it was alright for Paul to issue injuctions: 'yet not I, but the Lord', speaking in God's name

Slimboy,

I thought about this as I left. My first reaction after leaving was to go explore other churches. As I did, I decided to put the same test I had done on the Witnesses on these other churches. Although they were not as whacky as the JW's, they did not hold up to the scrutiny that I had placed upon them. I eventually concluded that if there is a creator God, then he/she/it is off doing other things and is not communicating with anyone here.

Donny

LongHairGal

feenx,

You are so right in your observation that JWs treat each other badly and come out looking even less 'christian' than people from other religions. I was very well aware of this and despised them. I reason that they are this way because the religion is a performance-based religion (knocking on doors) and they are constantly scrutinizing each other and imagining they are 'approved' because they do more than somebody else. The religion also offers petty rewards for conformity or 'reaching out' and encourages people to look for approval from others (everybody claps when so-and-so is announced as a pioneer, etc.). I always found this to be pathetic.

Add to all this the fact that their religion has the magic name of the christian God and you have a recipe for arrogance and modern-day pharisees.

breathing

i dont think anyone will have the perfect truth, but to me, now, its the extremity thats so off putting, i can cope with mainstream religion (probably cos i wasnt brought up in them) cos they just dont seem to demand so much of ones life in their way of doing things, they TOLERATE so much more in the way of difference and are willing to compromise,

they seem too depend so much less on interpretation of the "book" but more on providing a sense of a haven and sense of a community in a difficult life, willing to live with difficult questions, to accept criticism,

yes they have their faults but you can take it or leave it without losing everything!

no ANSWER really just a mis fit but a much less hurtful fit than that of the jw,

extreme fundamentalism seems to me to be the equal of drugs, alcohol or substance used to blot out reality, instead of learning to live WITH the broad range of reality,

think ive gone off the thread point here but hope you can forgiveme,

B

jaguarbass

I learned back in the 80's that religion, church, the kingdom hall is spiritual kindergarden, the begining

of the journey.

GromitSK

More like a Spiritual Young Offender Detention Centre.

Why Do People Abandon the Christian Faith?

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