Not Sure What I Believe In Anymore

by nuthouse escapee 69 Replies latest jw friends

  • NewChapter
    NewChapter

    The athiests will tell you needing or creating a god is being weak-minded.

    OH! RVW None of the atheists on the board have said any such thing, and neither will I.

    I am an atheist. I'm really not into philosophy because I find it a lot like religion. There are many different thoughts and good arguments for and against all. But I know that many here have been helped quite a bit and find a lot of meaning in it. But if I were to advise you on something enlightening to read or take a class on, I'd recommend Culutral Anthropology. It is such an eye opener. We live in a world that was crafted from Judea/Christian values, and we tend to think those are good values. But learn about other cultures and their history. Learn about their religions and morals. See how relative it all is to the environment a group is living in. Learn to not be ethnocentric.

    For instance, we grew up in a world where sexual morality meant certain things. There is flexibility there, but number of past sexual partners, status of relationships, number of current partners all play a role. So we may tend to think that love is necessary, monogomy a no brainer, and being with a lot of people is a character flaw. But then you look at other cultures who view sex very differently, and they are actually MORAL in their culture to not follow these rules, because it is what is expected of their culture, and it expands your mind. Why is THIS version of morality and gods correct? When you really search to see how others have struggled with questions and answers, you get a bigger picture and better understanding of what compels some to believe. When you see how big the world really is, including its history, it becomes more unlikely that these people right here actually stumbled on some truth.

    I don't know what you will conclude in the end, but you owe it to yourself to delve deeply into it. Brush up on your critical thinking skills and listen to many viewpoints. Break them down. Rip them apart. At the other end you will know you came to your conclusion after educating yourself to how people work. The great thing is that no decision is etched in stone. As you move forward and new evidence or unfamiliar thoughts are thrown at you, you simply reeavaluate where you stand and see if it is still sound. I won't tell you to pray or have faith or pray for faith. Faith is not necessary, because it has a tendency to dismiss anything that doesn't flush with it. I will tell you to read, read, read and learn, learn, learn and think, think, think. It takes courage. It really does. Tearing apart deeply held ideas is scary, but if they are sound, they will survive.

    NC

  • iamwhoiam
    iamwhoiam

    tell me...what do you feel when the thought of wanting to believe in something comes up? where do you feel it? how do you respond to it?

  • braincleaned
    braincleaned

    There are two main reasons why I concluded that my Christian faith was false, and why I'm an atheist today (there are many more, but here are two heavy hitters for me):

    First, it had to do with the character of the Biblical God. I could no more find any good excuse for the violent genocides against pagan people, the stoning of peers who made mistakes in disobeying Him, and the condoning and even encouragement of slavery. There is more, but that's the gist of it. Anyone today, has more morality and love than that.

    Second, was the fact of evolution. Simply put, if Adam & Eve were perfect and were the originators of sin, then Jesus' ransom sacrifice is moot. I claim you can't sustain both beliefs. Evolution endangers the very reason Jesus had to save us. Noteworthy is that he believed in Adam & Eve as literal himself.

    In a nutshell, that's my story and conclusion.
    Below there is a wonderful exposé on what evolution is, by larry Coyne. Hard to dismiss the reality of natural selection.

    Jerry Coyne: "Why Evolution Is True"youtu.behttp://socraticmama.com/ [Inspiration & Support for Secular Families] Jerry explains 'Why Evolution is True' at the Atheist Alliance International 2009 confe...

  • DesirousOfChange
    DesirousOfChange

    I guess what I'm really asking is whether or not there are others on the board who are still on the fence or undecided as to what they believe. I know no one can tell someone what or if to believe but I hope I'm not alone in my confusion or it really speaks volumes regarding my mental state and decision making abilities. -Leslie -

    This is one of the most interesting strings I have read. I can relate personally to post after post after post. I share the pain deep down that I feel when I read so many of these replies.

    It seems evident that MANY of us are in, or have been in, this dilema. (I'm encouraged by those of you who seem to have gotten past it!) I find myself there right now too. It was all SO EASY before choosing the "Red Pill". Everything was Black & White in WT World. I didn't have to think about all these things, someone else had done it all for me. The future (my future) was great! I had (or was given) all the answers I needed to know. At least that's what I thought.

    Now all of a sudden, my life &/or my world is in turmoil! Upside down! I don't have ANY of the answers anymore. All or at least most of the convenient answers that I once believed I have now discovered to be LIES. Now, I only have questions. And, no, I've never been diagnosed bi-polar, or with depression, or with any mental health issues. But I sure the hell find myself "depressed" a lot now. But I'm angry a lot too. I feel deceived. I feel stupid. I feel gullible. I feel betrayed. I feel I'm too old to just start over on most things in life, thus I feel that most of my good years have been stolen!

    And now to top it off, I am forced to start over completely with determining what the very "core" things are that I believe in? Because the old ones just don't "add up" anymore! Why now? Plus, nearly everything in my life was connected to all those old core beliefs. Family. Friends. Social network. Peace of mind. Self-worth. Life goals. Vision of the future. You get my drift?

    THIS SUCKS!

    Doc

  • cobaltcupcake
    cobaltcupcake

    Spirituality comes from within. You'll figure it out. Just relax.

    http://scottleblog.wordpress.com

    The Odd Life of Jehovah's Witnesses

  • scotoma
    scotoma

    We are ordinary human beings. Ordinary human beings communicate with words. If there is a god who created us with the ability to communicate with words then he has an obligation to speak to us in clear simple language. I'm sorry but Jesus Christ may have the title "the word of God" but he came and went 2000 years ago. To me if there is a god the ball is in his court. Until then you are entitled to pretend you hear some deity speaking to you but don't do anything it says.

  • nuthouse escapee
    nuthouse escapee

    WOW. Never expected this many responses, I am over-whelmed, and grateful. I will reply but it is going to take a while.

    Panhandlegirl: Thanks for the book recommendation, I will check that out. Fear of being zapped is part of the problem for me as well. I know the JW's are wrong but...

    Empty Inside: It was so much easier being told what to believe. I do enjoy thinking for myself though.

    Aware: I also thank the 'unknown entity'. I have actually prayed for him/her/it/them to forgive my ignorance.

    Inbetween: (good handle BTW) It just doesn't make sense that a loving creator would allow all the suffering. Boy were we arrogant as JW's thinking we knew it all.

    King Solomon: apt description "idling in neutral". Also liked your description of a "Frankenstein" system of belief. Pretty much describes my current belief system.

    What Happened: That's the rub isn't it. If he/she is there why doesn't he/she fix it. The JW answer to why God allows suffering just doesn't cut it.

  • NomadSoul
    NomadSoul

    Meanwhile, take this time of uncertainty to improve yourself. Start a hobby or take a new class. Visit a new place. Challenge yourself.

  • nuthouse escapee
    nuthouse escapee

    Still Thinking: I will check that website out and also Carl Sagan's book.

    RIP: oops. I guess the JW assumption about atheists is still in our head. We are just babes in our journey so I think/hope they will forgive us and not "tear us a new one". lol

    CoC: thankyou for your response

    J. Hofer: I guess it is a matter of accepting that we don't know what happened and probably never will.

    Black Sheep: LOL, thanks

    Smiddy: It certainly was a shock to realize that everything was based on lies. I now believe that the Bible has pearls of wisdom (as you stated), but is just a collection of writings thrown together that try to explain the culture of its time and perhaps also an excuse for engaging in horrific acts in the name of a god.

    Xanthippe: Wait for me. lol. I'm now on that same road. JW > Christian > ? (current point in journey)

  • nuthouse escapee
    nuthouse escapee

    The Gladiator: I also have been exploring the idea of other dimensions. My husband & I have experienced some strange things. I have mental health issues, he does not. If it was just me I would figure it may be some form of psychological problem. I was reading an interesting article on Planetary Ascension occuring this year due to the Grand Procession of the Universe and planetary positions.

    Phizzy: I'm more worried about my brain exploding than falling out. lol. The WT. idea of education is a joke. It wasn't until I got out of there that I realized just how much I didn't know! Talk about feeling like a dolt. I am grateful for the opportunity to freely contemplate the possibilities.

    Yadda Yadda 2: Thanks for your response. That makes sense.

    Never a JW: Thanks for your response.

    Found Sheep: It was so much easier to believe in the fantasy than face reality. As I mentioned to another poster, I find it hard to believe in God for the same reasons.

    New Chapter: Didn't mean to offend our Atheist friends. I also shared RIP's view. The response from the atheists have been an eye-opener and not at all what the WT. programmed us to think. Please accept my sincere apology.

    I have been looking into other belief systems and find it interesting. The god's of the period reflected the culture and morals of the people who created them. I have 2 good friends who are pagan. They are very spiritual, have good morals, and an appreciation for all living things.

    I've been working on honing my critical thinking skills, or as some call it, getting out my BS detector. My brain must have started working while still in the WT. organization or I wouldn't be here and asking questions. I will no longer blindly accept anything without doing the research. The more I learn, the more I realize how little I know. lol

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