Greetings tmj4477,
The cartoon person with the mouth open reminds me that tmj is Dr speak for temporal mandibular joint syndrome. Jaw hinge disease usually caused by teeth grinding in one's sleep. That was assigned to you, yes? This may be a long read but is about a four year experience.
I was Catholic from wee to three, but my mother became a JW and forced us to change with volcanic behavior. My Dad almost got baptized but his friend's wife gave him an earful in Polish. He changed his mind. I liked going to Church. I distinctly remember NOT liking going to the Hall but "they had the truth" I was told. WRONG. They said the were the truth. 45 years later I was washed up. I wore a beard been to university took voice in the music college then got invited to sing on TV in Nashville but the sister who helped me practice got yanked away even though her kids worked as musicians for non-JW orchestras. Blah blah blah I was destroyed by their non-stop, no limits abuse.
I stepped back. For a good while I knew that God was dealing with me personally and told me that they were not what they said they were and I should not blame him for what they did. I still got mad at him. It was trained to believe the WT was God’s earthly representatives and it was diffi-cult to free my mind. Then I learned by accident that they had joined the United Nations and all the alarms went off in my head. I was even afraid to read of their duplicity in child abuse and the UN NGO thing and their bizarre teachings since that was apostate and I had been taught to fear becoming demonized by getting information from opposers.
I had to free my conscience and abandon the limits they taught and used to hold me prisoner.
WOW. I love being a Christian.
My first Church visit happened this way. I tried to find a certain non-denominational church that caught my attention and stopped at a little Grace Bible Church to ask directions for future use. I got them but wasn’t familiar with that area and was invited to stay. I was wearing painting rags. I did and was accepted as I was by a group of the most wonderful people I ever met. (The WT told that the Devil used the trick of using nice smiling people to attract one! I once asked an elder if that meant God‘s people would be recognized by their mean looks.)
After a dozen Churches I started going to a local Southern Baptist Church that always had a packed parking lot just for Sunday School. I have been baptized there and a two year member. It is not the denomination. Many of my friends are from other backgrounds and we agree that the religious brand name is irrelevant. We learn truth and have love. The balanced non-judgmentalism but respectful, decent behavior is seriously non-WT.
The Watchtower teaches one to judge and condemn and demand that one lie in court or refuse to testify against another JW even if that’s contempt and gets one in jail even if the guy is a child rapist. And so-on and so-on.
Every Church except one impressed me as being filled with friendly, beautiful people, the Church of the Nazarene here. Since then I have been to many of their services and think the religion is OK but the emphasis on righteousness is an over-compensation for flawed people to hide that they are still imperfect. One group had a slogan that they were the perfect church for people who weren’t. Nice group, bring ear plugs and expect to stay past noon. The Seventh Day Adventists have a similar set of doctrines to the WT such as No Hellfire, immortal soul, and so-on and promote healthy living and diet. SDA live ten years longer than other religions members with vegetarian SDA living close to a hundred years. But I love the Southern Baptist group I am part of. We are flawed people who love each other. We trust, study, live the Bible and pray and pray and pray.
Prayer is very powerful. God listens. God loves us. He wants to hear us ask and responds. If you don’t think you should ask to be healed of a disease or for your business to succeed and later get to ask Jesus why you were so sick and lost your business would you be shocked if he asked you why you didn’t ask for his care and intervention. Ask, there are no rules on what to ask for (except for immoral desires and such of course) HE WANTS to help us become happy and successful and to ask about anything.
Being a Christian is a relationship with a person, Jesus Christ. It is not a religion. I recommend that you just go to different Churches. If Jesus is taught there the group will reflect that and be loving and enjoyable to be with. You might experience culture shock when you sing one song after another with drums and guitars. Or watch soloists or hear the choir do it up. Some preachers are loud some aren’t but if Jesus is taught there the group will be loving and friendly. A few fundamentalist Church groups here have check lists and judge one’s appearance and it is noticeable that they aren’t warm. One insists that the King James Version is verily the Word of God in the very words Jesus spoke in 16 th century English and all. I don’t feel comfortable there, KJV only is Watchtower like with the WT New World Translation only (terrible translation), add check list of dresses on women, number of earrings, tie and jacket …. That is religion - just rules.
The Mass is another story, one doesn’t go to Catholic Church for social reasons. I go to be alone with God with 500 others. The Mass covers all the points one needs for life, asking for forgiveness, everlasting life, saying the Lord’s prayer, hearing the Bible read (three long passages on Weekends) admitting one is faulted but if Jesus only says the word “I shall be healed”. Father Johnson and Father Charles are good preachers and know what they are talking about. Catholic Mass is very respectful of communion. When Mary is appealed to, the prayer is to the Father in the Name of Jesus asking for her prayers and / or that of the Saints. I expect that if the Father told them of such request that they would pray for us. There is prayer in heaven. God lives in a heaven above heaven.
My Deacon and Baptist friend’s son is a Catholic monk. We talk freely and are friends. I watched a video on the Monk Thomas Merton and went to Mass as an observer after. I felt peace from the top of my head to the bottom of my feet and can not explain it any other way than I felt the presence of God. Now I love going to Mass on Saturday at 4pm and I go to Cornerstone Baptist the rest of the week. I freed my conscience and will not lose my freedom to care for my fellow man as he comes to God, Jesus.
Pray. Have no fear of any man or “true for you but not for me” slogan ideas from another. A rabbi wrote that it is forbidden to fear anyone or anything other than G-D. That actually makes me fearless in any situation. Bias, prejudice, negativity will limit your relationship with Jesus. The Jewish Rabbis revered as wise sages are ok as are many TV prophecy preachers. Satisfy yourself that the Watchtower is wrong, evil, lying, deceitful, dishonest with doctrine if you doubt that you should leave. Most JW’s know where the lies are and are taught that that’s theocratic teaching . I knew they rewrote John 3:16 to support salvation by works. I knew that Ephesians 2:8 - 10 said,
For it is by free grace (God's unmerited favor) that you are saved (delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ's salvation) through [your] faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [of your own doing, it came not through your own striving], but it is the gift of God;
Not because of works [not the fulfillment of the Law's demands], lest any man should boast. [It is not the result of what anyone can possibly do, so no one can pride himself in it or take glory to himself.]
For we are God's [own] handiwork (His workmanship), recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live]. - (Amplified Version)
I discerned that it can’t be both salvation by works and “not because of works”. But it took me nine months to overcome all the Watchtower contradictions of salvation only by faith and only by faith in Jesus. Faith saves, being good just happens because we love God and he empowers us. You can’t buy salvation or earn it.
Pray. Distrust all Watchtower teachings. Get rid of New World translations and Watchtower books - those are rubbish. Pray.
Read some of my other posts. Freeminds . org is good. Pray.
Pray AND listen. God is always at work all around you.
I’ll pray for you now and whenever I think of you and others who visit here.
God Bless you, amen,
Paul
