Suspicious

by Suspicious 122 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

• 

  problemaddict

  Suspicious re-read your own comments. You are in effect saying that if the bible has writen something that didn't happen, then you can't trust it.

  I mean........duh. Right?

  Bart Ehrman is a good place ot start if you are interested in testing the bible. But lets just say the bible is solid in your view. You are not on an athiest web site, you are on a JW recovery and support website (amongst other things). Perhaps you need to test the inspired utterances you have come to know as truth up to this point? It is after all why you came here and not to an athiest site correct?

  Feel free to PM me if you want to talk further.

  Good luck my man!
• 

  jgnat

  We have similar testimonials today.

  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Near-death_experience
• 

  DesirousOfChange

  This is one of the best string of comments I've ever read in two years!

  Two points of advice:

  PROCEED SLOWLY! and STFU!

  Doc
• 

  Suspicious

  Now i see why there's a posting limit lol. I've been looking up all those links half the day. One end im pulled towards the bible on the other im pulled towards the facts of science questioning gods existance. It's hard keeping all this in. If feel every jw needs to know this because a lot are struggling thinking they are doing right. This is seriously life changing. My entire outlook on life is transforming. I think i need to take the advice and slow down. Im spending so much time going over every little detail. I knew something seemed suspicious. Will curiousity really kill the cat though? What if jws are right? Is it bad i find this form of studying more enjoyable than personal studies? I feel guilty and lost now. :( Thank you guys for the help and please bare with me.
• 

  FlyingHighNow

  Suspicious, every JW, I don't care who it is, every JW has a growing list of "things that make you go hmmm." It's there in the back of the mind. JW's may pretend they don't have the lists, but they only fool themselves. It's when the list gets too long and heavy to carry and pretend away, that JWs finally take notice and begin to be freed from the intellectual chains of the WTBTS.
• 

  jhine

  suspicious , welcome , it is great that you are questioning . I have never been a JW and I'm not sure about labelling myself a born again Christian , this has a "flavour " attatched to it that makes some people buck against it . No offence Cofty , now that you are no longer one you possibly understand what I mean .

  I am a member of the Church of England (Anglican ) We tend to not be too strict about anything , following your own path with the Lord under the guidence of the Holy Spirit pretty much sums us up ! so very different to what you are used to .

  I visit this sight because I know some Witnesses and enjoy debating with them , yes they know that I do not believe the WT teaching and am constantly telling them that the GB are lets say , less than honest sometimes , but they realise that I do have Bible knowledge and to my shame find it refreshing to have someone from another belief system who does regularly read the Bible and can talk to them on a level playing field .

  Many on this sight are now atheist and it does seem to be the case that when people find out the truth about the Watchtower it destroys their faith altogether .

  I am not saying that you should follow any path other than your own , but just joining in with those who say find out all that you can , if possible laying aside the preconcieved ideas that have been planted in your thinking by the org. It must be hard to realise that something that you have held dear for so long is maybe not what you thought , perhaps like finding out that your partner has been unfaithful . However that does not mean that all people are incapable of fidelity , its a matter of finding the right one .

  God bless you in your search for truth
• 

  Vidqun

  Hi Suspicious and welcome! I have always contended that the Society should have had teams of bright, educated young men (and woman) keeping up with advances in Biblical Studies and Scientific Research. We have an example of young computer hackers that are employed by government agencies to counteract cyber attacks. But seeing that the Society is set in its ways and do not believe in Higher Education that would be impossible. So they will gradually fall behind, becoming an anachronism and the laughing stock of the world. No young person in his right mind would want to associate with such a pathetic lot. There will be fewer young people to take over the leadership positions, and they will die a slow death.
• 

  sarahsmile

  Hello.
• 

  AnnOMaly

  Man so is the paradise hope false?

  Some quick points to ponder on. The Bible never uses the term 'paradise earth.' Two out of the three times the NT mentions 'paradise,' the WTS recognizes that it's referring to heaven. Why assume an earthly application in one instance out of the three? Having said that, the Bible clearly teaches that there will be a 'new' (or renewed) earth. Again, you would need to find out how other theologians have understood these Scriptures. To start you off, check out Albert Barnes's Commentary and Dr. Constable's Bible Study Notes. Also look at N.T. Wright's and J. R. Middleton's perspectives on where believers will spend eternity - in a nutshell, 'heaven' is always to do with the 'intermediate' state before resurrection, rather than where believers stay forever.

  What of the resurrection accounts in the Bible then? If that's all not true then the Bible is not worthy of trust?

  This is the apostle Paul's argument in 1 Cor. 15.

  As far as the Bible goes, whether you believe its origin is from God or not, it's still worth reading it for yourself (as you would any piece of literature) to find out what its messages really were, to whom they were directed, and their historical context, rather than submitting to a new religious movement's modern-day spin on them.
• 

  passwordprotected

  Hi Suspicious.

  Like you, I was a born in. Progressed through the ranks, married in the "faith", had two kids and was raising them as good JWs. Eventually I was appointed as an elder.

  My waking up process is documented on this very website, if you're interested.

  I wanted to hold on to the idea of a loving, heavenly "Father" god, and wanted to hold onto the Bible as being the way to learn about life, morals, the condition of the dead etc.

  After leaving the Watchtower, my wife and I joined a local church and were baptised. We threw ourselves into our new faith.

  However, I began to struggle with the notions of an all-powerful god, the accuracy of the Bible and the idea of faith itself, namely faith leads people to claim to KNOW stuff, which is the exact opposite of what faith is supposed to be.

  My research eventually led me to being very comfortable to state I DO NOT KNOW whether there's a god or not.

  I DO KNOW that the Bible is a collection of books, poems, fables and history collected together in one volume many, many years after it was supposedly written.

  I DO KNOW that the Gospels were written decades after Jesus is supposed to have wandered Galilea.

  I DO KNOW that there's virtually no evidence outside of the Gospels that Jesus even existed.

  I DO KNOW that losing faith is a great thing, not something to be feared (as I once did).

  My advice to you is not to pin your future decisions on the Bible being true and reliable or that there is an all-powerful creator god, but to find a path that brings you happiness in life, without having to have all of life's questions figured out (the way religion often promises).

  Enjoy.

  [edited for spelling]