I can't claim to know all the answers myself, but I do know that for many years after leaving the Jehovah's Witnesses that my view of other religions and philosophies was still being measured by Witness definitions.
For the majority of religious people outside the control of the JWs, their religion is not chosen to find answers. It is practiced out of either love for the deity or the principle at the center of it (for not all religions are god-centric; i.e. Buddhism and Shinto). The religions of Christianity like Catholicism and mainstream Protestantism teach that God, while knowable, is mostly a mystery on this end.
But the search for answers is a central earmark for certain persons—namely most of us—who were attracted to the Watchtower. Whereas other religious experiences, especially those of Christendom, are based on a “let go” type of theology, the Witness brand of religion feeds into the need that we may have for having control of our destiny, for knowing things for certain, for having absolute answers.
Being a Witness had little to do with their doctrine, for it changed constantly and dramatically. It has more to do with fulfilling this need for answers. Other religious systems look quite unappealing when we hope to lean upon ourselves and our own understanding and measure things according to our ability to reason. These things are all good, I’m not cutting these down by any means, but they are strikingly opposite of other religious experience in generally which seeks to transcend human ability to reason and give up claim to control of one’s destiny, something quite universal in both Eastern and Western thought.
While I cannot say this is true with you, Simon, or necessarily anyone on this board, but I have learned that this can be a personality trait which, if not balanced correctly, could require professional assistance to deal with. Granted, even those who practice these religions of “let go and let God,” so to speak, don’t do it as blindly as one thinks. They do use reason to come to their conclusions and make their choices. But they realize they are choosing something or someone who doesn’t give them definitive answers, like God did with Job.
Life can’t be predicted or controlled. I can’t say who of us will live to see another day and who will not, who will get a horrible disease and who will live healthy till death. Unlike the religion of Jehovah’s Witnesses, other religions reflect this reality. It may not be appealing, but it’s honest.
But you did hit the nail on the head when you quoted “who.” Religions are generally about “who” and not “what.” If centered in humanity it is still just as much about a person as the Judeo-Christian and Islamic faiths are. These religions are about loving a deity and loving others, not about having all our questions answered. True, the Witnesses may have taught us to scorn these types of systems, but if we are searching for some type of spirituality or religion, these same systems are considered top of the list.
Just as when you are in love with somebody and someone is in love with you, that experience goes far beyond the satisfaction we get from finding data or evidence or reason. Love’s not tangible as these things are, but it is far more powerful. Maybe, just maybe we are still under the Tower’s power if we are thinking we should be finding answers. When it comes to worshiping a God who is supposed to be the personification of love itself, perhaps looking with the mind instead of using the heart is missing the point.
I wouldn’t put it past the Witnesses to muddle that up as well and make that hard to accept even after we leave their mind control.
