Nickolas...I was a born-in JW and 28+/- years in before fading. So, they were once very real but no longer important to me in how I live my life.
How important are God and Jesus to you?
by Nickolas 59 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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THE GLADIATOR
God and Jesus as names are of no importance to me but they represent the search for truth and meaning in our lives. Although they fail to inspire me personally, that does not mean I have abandoned my spiritual journey.
We all seek more than the obvious reality of being alive while waiting to die. Whether more exists is what our search seeks to discover. It may well end in failure but it keeps us occupied and gives us hope. That may well be all we need.
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Glander
not
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LostGeneration
They are as important as my good buddies the Flying Spaghetti Monster and the Invisible Pink unicorn. I love all of my invisible friends!
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TDaze
They are mythical relics of days that should've long gone by. Neither Yahweh nor Jesus have ever existed, and yet they are being worshiped. I guess what they mean to me is that they are a symbol of the utter gullibility of mankind and the damage it can do.
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Band on the Run
Equating Jehovah with God ruined God for me. I get along much better with Christ and the Holy Spirit.
I'm just reading a book, The Meaning of Jesus, by Borg and Wright. They explain how our notion of God is very corrupted from the 1st century Jewish view. God is not out there but acitvely engaged in his creation.
When I was very ill, I recited Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer and Compline to myself as a discipline. Since I was the only reader, I changed all the Hes to Shes. Some Godds to Christ. it made a powerful difference.
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ultrabimbo
Hi Nikolas:
You seem like a reasonable individual but why do you really care what others believe or do not believe? You seem quite comfortable in your
atheism. Is that not enough for you? Do you derive some joy in questioning the faith of others
not disposed as yourself? Is this some kind of philosophical "muscle beach" for you? Just wondering?
Frank
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Nickolas
Hello Frank. My interest lies in understanding the dynamic so that I may either figure out a way to extricate my wife from the Watchtower or decide that the risk of destroying her happiness is too great and just accept things the way they are. Yes, I am comfortable in my atheism and I would very much like the two of us to be on the same page, but it might just be too much for her to bear.
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shamus100
I don't believe in god at all, but respect those that do. Bringing negative energy into people's lives and being myopic, believing that all people who are religious go to born-again camp and picket dead homosexual soldiers funerals is just plain wrong. Many people who have a belief don't ram it down your throat like jobie nitwits. ;)
But do understand that it's part of the anger phase that people need to go through exiting the cult. It's normal to be angry. I just can't get angry at a god that I don't believe ever existed. It's preposterous.
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ultrabimbo
Hi Nickolas:
That makes sense. Have you always been atheistic or is this a recent understanding of yours? Was your wife a JW when you met, or has she had a change in her thinking since you met and were married? If she is dyed in the wool JW it will be very hard to remove the cancer without damaging so much of the surrounding tissue as to make the operation unworthwhile. You may make your points and even win the battles but may lose the war as your relationship could be in tatters. It's a tough call my friend. I made the decision that I would not use a frontal assault on my wife for fear that I would damage her existing faith to the point that our relationship would suffer as much as her faith. In the long run that did not work out well for me because I lost a woman who I loved and continue to love very much. How a full frontal assault works with other relationships I don't know. It is a tough call. Whether you have strong faith in God, or do not believe that he exists, it is a part of who we are. Whatever approach you choose, be careful.
I for one believe that there is God. Whether I could convince you or anyone else is a tough question to answer. I was a JW from the time I was about 20 till I resigned from the congregation in July '06. I still have strong faith in Jehovah and his Son Jesus but my understandings of who and what they are are much different now than when I was 20. I am currently 55 years old. Perhaps we can discuss this in more detail. I will tell you that I try not to get into a lot of pointless arguments that will lead nowhere, but if we can discuss it civilly, I'm game.
Frank