tec, thank you.. great posts (all around)..
Just Tell Us In Plain English
by headisspinning 71 Replies latest jw friends
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TheLoveDoctor
we all got it, LOVE IS IT, LOVE IS THE WAY, we wont do it right all the time nor will any of us be perfect at it, it doesn't me lovey gushy stuff love is simple its human kindness, a smile, holding open the door, kind words, Really listening, sometimes it will require more when its neeaded, love is not stupid, to have and give and be love one does not have to be walked on, though manny times it is. also there is a fine definition of it in Corinthians. The more we allow it to grow in us, and spread it the world will IT WILL BECOME A BETTER PLACE.
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Lozhasleft
I want to try to follow what I know in my heart. It's so stupid. Why didn't I try that first. Most of what my heart says, makes sense.
See its easy really isnt it? We all have consciences which work just fine...if we listen that is....and I found that once I stopped fretting about men God's voice got clearer.
I agree with Tec - it all comes down to Jesus's basic teachings for me too.
Loz x
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Aussie Oz
this was my thoughts on the bible...
oz
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frigginconfused
I loved everyones comments here. You all really do get it. Love is the answer!
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Terry
Once there was a fellow named Nostradamus. He was a self promoter.
Superstitious people (rich people) were told he could foretell the future.
He would create purported prophecy in little four line poems.
He picked up extra cash by writing quatrains that were so vague he was chided by his clients.
"I can't understand this crap; make it plainer." they would say.
But, he didn't.
How was he successful? (He is STILL promoted as a prophet today.)
He was simply vague.
To extract MEANING from Nostradamus' quatrains you had to jump in and really work it.
1.You had to BELIEVE there was a nugget to mine and dig deep to pull it out.
2.You looked for things that were happening or had already happend and try to MATCH it with the lines of the quatrain.
3.You had to use your imagination to find a correspondency and and read into it MEANING.
Now all this may sound credulous, gullible and half-witted if you don't believe in Seers.
But, things change when you DO.
In fact, the more you believe, the better Nostradamus IS.
How is this any different from the Bible, I ask you? How is NOSTRADAMUS any different?
This from Wiki:
Most academic sources maintain that the associations made between world events and Nostradamus's quatrains are largely the result of misinterpretations or mistranslations (sometimes deliberate) or else are so tenuous as to render them useless as evidence of any genuine predictive power. Moreover, none of the sources listed offers any evidence that anyone has ever interpreted any of Nostradamus's quatrains specifically enough to allow a clear identification of any event in advance
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Mad Sweeney
I do NOT want another religion.
To me there is one word: LOVE. Apply that to every situation and we're done.
Those are contradictory statements you just made.
JWs do not even know what the love Christ taught IS. Christ taught to be kind and charitable to the poor and downtrodden and the Watchtower society interprets the scriptures to mean that he taught to give support to THEM ONLY as Christ's brothers and to further THEIR agenda for domination. Support a charity and get told that money should have gone to the Borg. Nice. That ain't love, sister.
Besides that, you might not want another religion but the religion you want doesn't want YOU. They kicked you out and aren't taking you back as you are. You would have to become a different person, one that subjects herself to them completely, one with no desire for free thought, one who slaves for their agenda with no regard for the welfare of herself or her family, and THEN, MAYBE they will CONSIDER taking you back.
And you don't want another religion? Why the <bleep> not?
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Rydor
Ever seen "The Matrix?"
There's a scene in the movie where the main character, who thinks he's been living in the real world the whole time, finally wakes up and finds himself in the REAL real world. He then asks his rescuer, "Why are my muscles so weak?" To which the man responds, "You've never used them."
I think JW's who wake up are in a similar situation. When children develop into adults, they should gradually develop a belief system, a way of viewing the world. They should develop the ability to distinguish right and wrong. Basically, a moral compass.
But those raised in the Watchtower have never had the opportunity to develop in this way, to go through this process of "self-discovery." They've been spoon-fed a pre-fabricated system of beliefs and told "This is correct. Believe this." And if there's ever any doubt about whether something is "right" or not, what do they do? Rather than use their own mind to think it over, they ask an elder, or search for a relevant Watchtower article, or call the headquarters. For a JW then, the part of their brain used to determine the "correctness" of something has, likely, never been used.
When I finally realized the truth about the Watchtower about 3 years ago, a difficult process began. I was so used to doing what was "right," and after realizing that what I thought was "right" was actually wrong, I found myself with a strong desire to seek out what was really "right." In essence, I was hoping to be handed another set of beliefs that would be the "right one." Thus I would avoid the arduous process of figuring all this stuff out on my own. I think probably a lot of Witnesses fall into this trap, since we're trained to think in terms of "sects" and "denominations." There's a tendency to reason, "Well if this organization is wrong then I'll just find the right one!" The presupposition being that there IS one true religion or organization. But the reality is there's no simple solution like that. There's no getting around it, you have to use your brain, and excercise muscles you may not have used before, in order to come to your own (hopefully sane) conclusions.
So in short, I can empathize with your feelings. You're quite normal to feel that way, and it gets better in time. :)
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White Dove
Mad Sweeney,
Love isn't religion and religion isn't love.
You can love and not have religion.
Not all Christians have a religion.
Christianity is simply a spiritual path.
If you go to church and follow their rules for your spiritual life, then you have a religion.
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