The Great Love of Your Life (page 2)

trevor

I fully appreciate the above sentiments as I was totaly involved with the WT for the first thirty years of my life many as a pioneer.Like so many others I thought 'the truth' must lay elsewhere. But this idea of finding a complete set of beliefs in a ready made package is a hang up from having once believed that such a thing existed. I no longer look for 'the truth' I simply look for truth. It is found in unexpected places and when enough pieces have been gathered, an understanding of the true reality of existence emerges.

The reason so many people reject this reality is becauce it is not what they had hoped it would be. To find truth we have to be intrepid travellers. An arranged package holiday is not the same thing. Real truth is both incovinient and offers no guarantees, no promises, no rewards no ready made answers. Those that look for more will always end up back under the control of another organisation - usually Christian based becauce the whole structure of modern christian religions lend themselves to offering a comfort based set of beliefs - provided you keep the rules. Living without the comfort of the WT or any other 'come to the Father' club takes great courage when you have been brought up to expect such support but the true reality offers far more - it is just that what it offers is different and more subtle.

trevor

amicus

Dharma,
I didn't find your question objectionable. I just felt my personal experiences shed no light on the topic being discussed.

JAVA

amicus, trevor, and Dharma--it's nice having you on this forum.

Frenchy:

. I think Rick keeps H20 open for the same reason many of us here feel compelled to come back again and again. We are seeking the truth now just as much as we were when we first began our association with the WTBS. I think that we are still looking for what we were looking for then.

That's an interesting take on truth seekers. Perhaps I'm missing the point, but are you suggesting folks who post on H2O or forums like this are still seeking the truth or they wouldn't be there?

amicus

JAVA,

it's nice having you on this forum

Thanks, it's nice having a forum like this to participate in.

Frenchy's comment pretty much sums up my situation. I don't know if at some point in time while on this "quest", I'll leave and not come back here, but it's what led me here.

mommy

Java,
I can't answer for anyone else. Personally I went through the whole withdrawl from org by myself.Myself meaning, I didn't have any other exjw's to talk with. Fortunately, I had a few good friends who have never been in the truth and understanding is limited, but were there for me if i needed them.
Now I have found this forum, and I realize how I would have benifited from this way back then.
We all can't deny the euphoria we got from being a JW. Theres nothng like knowing you are gonna live forever, there are people all over the world who love you just because of the name you carry, etc, etc. But on the other side, when we are shunned we are ALONE and hurting badly. Rejection is the hardest thing to accept. It helps to put it all out on the table in this sort of setting.
Sorry I might have missed the point here but that is why I come here.
wendy

amicus

mommy,
I have never been shunned and don't really know what it would feel like. It disturbs me though, that someone as sweet as you had to experience something that cold.
That's one of the many reason's I've strayed from the "mother" and am on this path.

JAVA

amicus:

I don't know if at some point in time while on this "quest", I'll leave and not come back here, but it's what led me here.

When I think about it, I view spiritual truth this way: "It's something that fills my spiritual void that values the question, while at the same time believes there are many possible answers or perhaps no answer at all." That works for me today, and I might change that definition before the week is through; if I do, that's okay. I guess I'll never be canonized with those words of wisdom. Maybe that's what led me here or other forums, I really don't know. I lean towards the idea of fellowship with folks who share similar experiences or history, more so than the quest of truth. However, my so-called definition could easily be why I'm here, too.

I seem to be drawn to people seeking the truth, but run like hell from anyone who claims they've found it.

Wendy:

We all can't deny the euphoria we got from being a JW. Theres nothng like knowing you are gonna live forever, there are people all over the world who love you just because of the name you carry

So true. When the lights came on, and I realized the Tower was only another high-control religion, I pondered the idea of not living forever for the first time. It was an adjustment to think about growing old and dying like everyone else. The JW euphoria can also lead to a deep valley when we face reality. The Internet is a godsend for today's "great crowd."

Edited by - JAVA on 10 January 2001 15:43:23

trevor

Hello Wendy,

You have summed up the feelings of so many who left the WT. When I left, I also left entirely off my own back. It was 15 years ago - after many years of doubt. There is a saying 'You know more that you think you know.' I think when we all look back we knew something was wrong for far longer than we would consciously admit to ourselves, at the time.

There was no support or internet forum to validate our thoughts, we just acted on our own reluctant conclusion that we had been had. The WT brainwashes it's members to belive that the brave stay and the weak leave. Bunkham! The weak stay and the brave leave. You are strong and brave and worth more than 10 sheep who say Baaaaah!

All the Best

trevor

thinkers wife

To Everyone,
There is a little bit of me here in each one of your post (O.K.) maybe a lot.
It is so comforting to me know others feel the same. It is a tough road to hoe, but well worth the effort.
This forum just helps to ease my way.
It is great to feel understood. And cared about.
It is also wonderful to know that those that had the courage to leave are intelligent thinking people who don't just curl up into a ball and die because they are no longer part of the org.
Love to you all. Keep sharing. It is so validating and encouraging.
TW

amicus

It is so comforting to me know others feel the same. It is a tough road to hoe, but well worth the effort.
This forum just helps to ease my way.
It is great to feel understood. And cared about.

I couldn't agree more.

JAVA,
I found your def of spiritual truth interesting, but what really hit home was:

I seem to be drawn to people seeking the truth, but run like hell from anyone who claims they've found it.

That fits me quite well, but I hadn't realized it until now.

The Great Love of Your Life

Share this