by Seraphim23 103 Replies latest jw friends
Well perhaps the word shocked was wrong. Surprised may have been better or even disappointed.
Cofty your understanding of the Christian God is the fundamentalist one. There are those who are not that way.
Scotoma I appreciate your view but it’s not one I share. God might well have something to do with future scenarios I don’t know, but it seems clear human life on earth is not a long term strategy for God.
My fellow X's shock me??
Not as much as the conduct and attitudes of some dubs do....... I just have to be around at a family gathering to be inwardly screming to get out.
Surprised may have been better or even disappointed.
Surprised? Sometimes.
Disappointed? Nah, I reserved that for family members. Disappointment to me means I have some sort of stick in the fire. Most folks here are adults and I'm no den mother.
Cofty your understanding of the Christian God is the fundamentalist one. There are those who are not that way.
No it isn't. I live in the UK where fundamentalism is a tiny minority view. Liberal and conservative Anglicanism is the norm.
I gues it depends on how you define it.
No not at all. As far as cursing goes I cursed just as f***ing much when I was in as I do now.
Might I also add that anyone that is shocked by someone's actions short of murder, rape, pedophilia, or extreme religious faith is pitiful and needs to get a life.
I have learnt not to be judgemental. If someone has lost their belief system and their friends and family then it is likely they will manifest symptoms similar to bereavement. Anger is unsurprising and a hostile reaction to religion is not unexpected. To assume that these are not valid responses to the pain and rejection they are suffering and to suggest that everyone has to be well mannered and respectful is a little unrealistic. As has been said we do not know all that has happened to another individual.
Everyone has the right to reach their own conclusions about God and to make their own choices. I do not find it offensive when people offer alternative points of view. Rather I find the debate stimulating and refreshing. Conformity is not condusive to robust challenges and after all isn't it better to revisit ideas and beliefs and find out how they stand up to scrutiny rather than blindly follow without question.
We are individuals we choose how we behave, sometimes we react instinctively but we share the pain of being tainted by an organisation that cares more for itself than for the people it claims to serve. I have been inspired by many of the examples of ex witnesses here and elsewhere and the only shock I feel is that the organisation is still able to do damage to so mahy lives and there are still people out there who blindly follow it.
Maybe coming from a community of people that are mainly polite+ who say little that is critical to each others faces, contributes to your being surprised at how honestly people can speak in 'the real world'.. Possibly combined with a naive view that everyone is 'christian' and 'loving' every day, like some Assembly drama.. Trust me, if you just ignore the idiotic a**wipes, the insulting braindead morons and the name-callers (see what i did there?).. you'll notice more love and care for each other(relative to the anonymity of internet communication) here on Jwn than I see in the fake smiles at any Kingdom Hall. This is the only place I can speak my mind, the rest of my life is fear and being controlled.
Seraphim:
You have no need to feel defensive. I completely understand your reaction. Thanks for bringing it up.
There are more that read these posts than the few who engage in the discussions. Hopefully they
can overlook some of the things we say and remember that our behavior is mostly reactive and motivated by frustration.
None of know exactly how we will be viewing things a year from now. And no one will know a hundred years from today.
Good point.
