Why I Hate Religion (page 3)

dm6

Anyone wanna have a stab at me for agreeing with him lol?

haters gonna hate i guess.

Christ Alone

If he is a god/son of god and not a fictitious human, then he has done a poor job reigning in his followers who act in his name.

You prove my point. Those that claim to be followers and act in His name are instead following religion and not Him. He never said he would "reign" in his followers or those that claim to follow Him. He gave an open invitation to come to Him to be refreshed. He never forced anyone to come to Him and will not do that today.

As far as my story goes, it's this:

I was raised as a JW from birth. My parents were very strict and were the sort of JWs that believe EVERYTHING the WT says hook line and sinker. I was not allowed to question any of it. Dating, masterbation, facial hair, doctine, etc... None of it was up for discussion. While my parents would say things like, "The GB never claims to be inspired!", the actual reality was that JWs DO view them as being inspired. Whatever they say is law. And anyone that questions it is up for removal.

Anyway, I grew up in it and eventually quit high school to regular pioneer. I was seen as a role model for the congregation. Much like the guy in this video, I was seen as a good JW kid, but at the same time was addicted to things like porn and booze.

I eventually went to Bethel and served there for 3 years. It was a great eye opener. If you think the rules in the congregation are extreme, they are 100X more intense at Bethel. Literally everything you do is governed. From the way you do your laundry to way you walk and dress, to what you can read and watch on tv, it all had a rule behind it. I'm sure someone has posted the new boys bethel handbook on here before. That only gives you a GLIMPSE of what the reality is.

I came back from bethel VERY disillusioned by what I saw there. There was so much hypocrisy. So much lack of any sort of real faith. It was a corporation. Actually it was more than that. It was a religious compound type life headed by a multi-billion dollar corporation. They GB are NOT volunteers. They are extremely wealthy men that drive the best cars, have the most amazing penthouses, and live like kings.

When I was back, I still went to meetings and service. But it was hard. I eventually got married, shoved the doubts down and tried to be a "good" JW. Just as my wife was pregnant with my 2nd son I came across Crises of Conscience and In Search of Christian Freedom. I devoured those books. It was finally an answer to the things I had seen growing up and especially at bethel. I tried to share what I had read with her, but she completely shut off.

Unfortunately I was not as tactful and skillful as I should have been. I asked her how she just couldn't see this?!? Why did she refuse to research the 1 thing that she believes above all other things? I really turned her off and she began calling me an apostate.

One thing that I turned to during this horrible time was the Bible. I begged God to show me the real truth of His word, and not what men wanted me to see. Suddenly I began to see the Bible in a very different way. The things I had been made to believe from birth were completely not true. And it wasn't something difficult to see. With the right heart condition, they were very simple truths. Salvation through Grace and not works was a HUGE realization.

2 years ago I prayed to Jesus for the first time. I told Him that I realized that I could never be good enough for His righteousness. I could never totally fulfill what was good. But I told Him that I love and accept Him and His sacrifice. I asked Him to be my Lord and to lead me.

It was the single best moment of my life. Ever since then the truths of the Bible have been more real to me. They are things that I deeply adore. And if I come off too much, I apologize. But they have transformed my life, and given me something that I will never lose. Jesus died for my sins. We all said that as JWs. But the truth is that He died for the past sins, the present sins, and the future sins. His sacrifice was good enough for them all. There is no work that I can do to earn salvation. And there is no work that I can do that can lose my salvation either. Also, as JWs, we were never allowed to go directly to Jesus. But I've seen the Bible say something very different. Jesus said to "Come to ME" (Mat 11:28) He even said, " You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life. (John 5:39,40)

In my life, now, my wife is still a JW. She is inactive and rarely goes to meetings. So I praise God for that. But we have very different beliefs. Our kids are in the middle a bit. They are not allowed to celebrate holidays. They are taught about Jehovah and nothing about Jesus. They are told about paradise earth, but not heaven.

So it is still a hard road. But the Lord is good enough and and we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)

botchtowersociety

There's a rather unsettling censorship going on in this thread.

Christ Alone

Also as far as the other posters claiming that Jesus started a religion are concerned, think about this.

If we believe that Jesus always existed, He was present in the Old Testament. When He came to earth, He did not give DIFFERENT direction. He expanded on things, but He did not change things. In the Old Testament, God is referred to as YHWH or as the WT likes to "translate" it, Jehovah. If Jehovah is the name for God and Jesus is the image of God on earth, then when the Old Testament talks about Jehovah, it is also referring to Jesus. Jesus said that before Abraham was "I AM". That is the name for God in the Old Testament.

The point is, that if we believe in God (the Jewish and/or Christian God) then there is no need for "religion". There is a need for a relationship with God and not a structured organization of men telling you what you can and cannot do. Jesus said He would send the Holy Spirit to be our teacher. He would instruct us. Not some men in a religion.

We can get caught up in definitions as to what religion is. But the fact is, Christianity and religion are 2 very different things.

Also to poopsiecakes, I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. But I will say it. Salvation is being saved from the consequences that come from unforgiven sin. Unless we go to Jesus, confess our sins, and accept His sacrifice for them, then we have chosen our own destiny which is spiritual death.

ALSO, last thing here, I am out of posts for the day (really, the limit is 10?!?), but I'm not sure what you guys are saying about me being someone else... I read the other thread started by Sweet Baby Cheezits too. I guess I see similarities, but I don't know who this Dan is. Also, I didn't serve at Patterson, I served in Brooklyn. But whatever. It's nice to know that other people have some of the same experiences, I guess.

james_woods

There's a rather unsettling censorship going on in this thread.

??? - Or, perhaps the lack thereof? But I admit that I am fascinated by the notion that "Jesus did not start a religion".

nicolaou

"I am not ashamed in my faith in Christ. And it has gotten me through the hell of leaving the WT. And He continues to help me through the trials that I am going through with my wife being stuck. So I will continue to post things that I feel will help Christians and others that are disillusioned about Christianity because of the WT. And I will not be ashamed about it."

Fair enough mate. Keep posting your own thoughts and, in fairness, read and consider the thoughts and opinions of others.

Nic'

poopsiecakes

Nice post up there. I agree 100% with your assessment of the GB being viewed as inspired by JW's, even though they say the opposite. Actions speak louder than words etc...

There is no work that I can do to earn salvation. And there is no work that I can do that can lose my salvation either.

Salvation from what?

designs

This needs to be on a Billboard somewhere.

botchtowersociety

We can get caught up in definitions as to what religion is. But the fact is, Christianity and religion are 2 very different things.

Christianity (from the Ancient Greek word Χριστ?ς , Khristos , " Christ ", literally "anointed one") is a monotheistic religion [1] based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings. [2] Adherents of the Christian faith are known as Christians . [3]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity?PHPSESSID=4213f3b244def39ca4caa49cc3dfeb8f

Religion is a collection of cultural systems , belief systems , and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. [1] Many religions have narratives , symbols , traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to explain the origin of life or the universe . They tend to derive morality , ethics , religious laws or a preferred lifestyle from their ideas about the cosmos and human nature .

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion

Q.E.D.

SweetBabyCheezits

Christ Alone: While we, as Christians, do believe that Jesus is the ONLY way, truth, and life, we do NOT believe that you have to belong to our personal denomination or religion. All that believe in Jesus alone are saved, no matter the denomination.

Oh, good, I thought for a second you were gonna start spouting some ridiculous self-righteous religious fundamentalist dogma and claim that those who don't accept your god risk missing out on some grand reward. Whew! Thank you for clearing that up!

Unrelated, whatever happened to Brother Dan?

Why I Hate Religion

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