Hold Me, Thrill Me

by Hold Me-Thrill Me 45 Replies latest jw friends

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  Hold Me-Thrill Me

  FayeDunaway,

  The GB lacks humility thus they do not apologize for their wrong teachings and the sin of putting faithful men out of their religion.

  They are the epitome of the Pharisees in Jesus' day. More law than love.
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  FayeDunaway

  So true, hm tm.
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  quest81

  They are the epitome of the Pharisees in Jesus' day. More law than love.

  Exactly. It's a pity how current JWs fail to see this.
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  flipper

  HOLDME-THRILL ME- Welcome to the board indeed ! Nice to have you here. I was born in the JW organization and in it from birth until age 44 over 11 years ago when I left. I too had to face the hard truth of being lied to and acknowledging the arrogance and injustices committed by men leading the WT organization- men I was told I could trust and had my best " interests " at heart and were supposed to offer me life eternal. That too was a lie.

  Like yourself I read Crisis of Conscience by Ray Franz - but the 3 books that REALLY assisted me in losing the mind control and indoctrination of the Jehovah's Witnesses were Steve Hassan's 3 books on cult mind control : 1 . Combatting Cult Mind Control 2. Releasing the Bonds - Empowering People to Think for Themselves 3. Freedom of Mind - Helping Loved Ones Leave Controlling people, Cults and Beliefs. Steve Hassan's website is : www.freedomofmind.com. How these books helped me was in showing me HOW the WT Society affected me psychologically and emotionally in a negative way. It helped me to see the intrusive, deceptive, manipulating methods that mind control cults like Jehovah's Witnesses, Scientology, and Mormons use in getting the upper hand controlling members lives. I feel it would really benefit you- I highly recommend looking into Hassan's books. It really helped me- especially having been raised a JW from birth as it was all I used to know. Boy- did my eyes and mind get opened up these last 11 years ! LOL. Take care Hold Me- nice having you here
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  OnTheWayOut

  Greetings to you, HMTM. People are free to do as they see fit, including going to Jehovah's Witnesses even when they know it's not the absolute truth that it says it is. And I am certainly not one to advocate other churches, but non-trinitarians, according to Wiki include: Modern nontrinitarian Christian groups or denominations include Christadelphians, Christian Scientists, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Dawn Bible Students, Friends General Conference, Iglesia ni Cristo, Jehovah's Witnesses, Living Church of God, Oneness Pentecostals, Members Church of God International, Unitarian Universalist Christians, The Way International, The Church of God International and the United Church of God.

  I think you might serve yourself to read the Steve Hassan books that Flipper mentioned. Also, consider what kind of reception you would get from Jehovah's Witness members in the congregation if they heard some of your radical thinking (radical to them) against the teachings or the Governing Body. While I cannot recommend other churches, there are some on that list that allow you to think/speak/feel as you like. Also, Buddhism and Taoism allow you to do the same.

  If you want "Jesus," you can't really follow Buddha, but you could go to the way Buddhism was meant to be and still is when advocates follow their own private path of enlightenment. They really were not supposed to follow anyone, but to become their own Buddha. In other words, you can meditate and apply any part of your Jesus belief to your life without some organized religion to visit on weekends.

  I can't quite claim the title of "Non-Christian, Non-Buddhist, Atheist Zen" but that's pretty close.
  Here's some commonalities between Jesus and Buddha:
  

• Be humble
• Be compassionate (a possible translation of sympathy through mourning)
• Live simply (a possible translation of meek)
• Be ethical (a possible translation of righteous)
• Be merciful
• Be pure of heart
• Be a peacemaker
• Do not live in fear to do what is right
• Be an example to others (“the light of the world”)
• Do not murder (the Buddhist First Precept)
• Do not commit adultery (The Buddhist Third Precept)
• Sin is not only found in action but in intention (the Buddhist concept of volitional action creating karma)
• Keep your promises (The Buddhist Fourth Precept)
• Turn the other cheek (The Buddhist concept of compassion or karuna)
• Do charity because it is in your heart to do so (the concept of dana)
• Do not judge ( The Buddhist concept of the three poisons: hatred, greed and delusion)
• Always be seeking and questioning ( “seek and you will find .. “)
• Beware of false prophets and judge them by the fruit they bare (the sutta of the Kalamas)