by Joliette 33 Replies latest jw friends
After coming out of the WTS, there is a lot to figure out -- who Jesus is, whether you believe salvation is solely by faith or part faith and part works, whether you are prepared to surrender your life to Christ...
I believe that all these issues are things to be settled before you decide to get baptized because they are the foundation on which Christian baptism needs to be based.
My suggestion to you would be that you not commit to anything (religion / belief system / multi-level-marketing ploy) until you find one that satisfies YOU that it is in line with YOUR values, YOUR ethics and YOUR sense of right and wrong.
Any group that is unwilling or unable to answer your questions, whether it be about doctrine, expectations, or even its charitable work in the community, is operating on a non-transparent basis and should make you think twice before getting more deeply involved.
My suggestion to you would be that you not commit to anything (religion / belief system / multi-level-marketing ploy) until you find one that satisfies
YOU that it is in line with YOUR values, YOUR ethics and YOUR sense of right and wrong.
Scully...I love your opinions. But I find this WRONG. Me-ism is not Christianity. If I was to find a belief system (and yes I saw the humanist viewpoint in referral to "multi-level marketing") that was right for ME, then I would choose NO religion. And that is what humanists choose.
But what God says is right for us and what WE say is right for us is rarely the same thing. Not trying to sound disrespectful of you! I just mean, that what WE would choose for ourselves may be something that is NOT right for ourselves. How many humans think that drugs, alcohol, or sex is the BEST thing for them? They are wrong? But what God says is best for us...it's never wrong.
then what if one day you really wonder is there really a god. Its really amazing when u really meditate on the idea and reason on other viewpoints
And that, TLD, is when your life's path is truly chosen by you instead of nominated for you.
You could get baptized in the name of The Flying Spaghetti Monster! Ultimately it doesn’t really matter. Religion is the opium of the people, and Jesus has been dead a long time. A church that validates the kind of lifestyle you want to lead would be good though..
Why seek out a church to validate the way YOU want to live?
That puts YOU at the center of your life rather than Jesus.
If that's the way you want to go, why do you need a church?
First figure out what you believe and THEN decide whether and/or where you want to get baptized.
You could get baptized in the name of The Flying Spaghetti Monster! Ultimately it doesn’t really matter. Religion is the opium of the people, and Jesus has been dead a long time.
And by bringing up the "Flying Spaghetti Monster" you are just following the ideas of a nerd in Grad school that wanted to mock the idea of God.
Seriously, there is nothing holy or special with non-believers. I'm not hijacking the thread. But she asked "How and why should it happen". That has nothing to do with you atheists that want to mock anyone with different beliefs than yours. The mockers are what I like to call "Atheist Jehovah's Witnesses" because that is how you are acting.
what God says is best for us...it's never wrong.
Really?
Then I guess you agree with the directive (as an example) in Deuteronomy 22:28, 29
"If a man finds a girl who is a virgin, who is not engaged, and seizes her and lies with her and they are discovered, then the man who lay with her shall give to the girl’s father fifty shekels of silver, and she shall become his wife because he has violated her; he cannot divorce her all his days."
that allows for this unfortunate rape victim to have to marry her rapist and have no escape from him for the rest of her life - because "what God says is best for us...it's never wrong" is okay by your standards, your morals and your values?
And, for what it's worth, I'm an atheist / humanist. I'm not offended that you feel that having a religiously-grounded belief system is important to the development of morality, because about 15 years ago, I was just newly escaped from the JWs and at the time felt much the same as you do now. I've since learned that it is entirely possible to develop a strong moral position that encourages compassion for others, justice and fairness without needing to have a religious cattle-prod (with its attendant system of rewards/punishments) as a motivation.
My point to the OP is that it seems obvious to me that she has a pretty darn good moral compass already, and has the capacity to discern which belief systems match the values she currently holds, and if she doesn't find anything that fits, there's nothing wrong with shopping around for something that does.
When I was just 13 I was baptised into the JW cult. By the time I was 15 I was a regular pioneer. This is not a misprint! How baptism happens is easy. You just need a swimming costume, a pool and a strong man to dunk you.
Why should it happen? It would be more accurate to rephrase this question to: Why does it happen?
Either way there is no logical reason why someone should need to commit themself to God. If God exists then we are already a part of him or her. As living creatures we are already committed and must assume that God is as committed to us we are him or her. If not we are up the river without a paddle.
>>>You could get baptized in the name of The Flying Spaghetti Monster
Nope not too familar with him...lol, he sounds pretty scary.
Thank you guys for your answers giving me a lot to think about.
