Faith in God should not be weak because of a wicked organization?! (page 2)

Ucantnome

that's kind of how i felt when i first started posting here. Leaving the organization never made a difference to me regarding how i felt about God and now reading and posting here hasn't either

Doc hit the nail on the head, especially for me as a born-in. I have tried to go to other churches after leaving but they were so demonized to me as a kid, it's very difficult and I've been out for a while.

BluePill2

I think the two concepts are linked together. Because of the concept of "God" organizations like the Catholic Church and the Watchtower are possible. It is kind of the shadow man behind the curtain. Once you disrupt your believe in a specific religion/cult you want to look further and discover that there is nothing behind the curtain.

It is the believe in "God" that makes religions possible. They have to explain their existence and how they are specially connected to the creator, etc. It's a bit complex. Human minds are complex. But I think it is the natural development, once you switch your critical thinking on. I started to disbelief the Bible being in Bethel and reading more and more on history, psychology and Bible related books. I was fully active and never visited an apostate site during that time. Then I met other Bethelites and even one Watchtower writer and they seemed to have strong disbeliefs even in things like the flood and Noah and many other Bible accounts.

Once the "Bible pilar" was demolished I could continue to research and read and think and with that God was fading and disappearing too.

If you believe in a personal deity, you have also to believe in specific sets of ideas/concepts/rules/directions and this is the base to form a religion.

Gypsy Sam

I concur with Doc's observation. I have no desire to go into any church, other than to admire architectural features.

I was thinking last week about if I have any belief in God left and the realization dawned on me that I see God and Satan as a package deal, right now. Since I absolutely do not believe in Satan, I can't make sense of believing in a god.

Watkins

I wonder... if ex-witnesses on the whole have a higher percentage of believers-turned-atheist than disaffected groups from other sects?

Isn't it the worst kind of legacy for this cult to turn once-believers into atheists?! They're doing a horrible job as a 'religion'!

Mr. Fool - I kinda get it for the born-ins especially - they never knew anything else, so to dump the wt is to dump the wt god. I believed in God before jws, maybe that's one difference... I dunno. The answers are as varied as the individuals.

w

Phizzy

I don't think you could ever get proper statistics on that dear Watkins.

But I should imagine that most who leave high-control, mind-control groups that claim they have the exclusive truth, and most cult like sects are exactly like that, such people will examine their whole belief system. I have met a number of people just like that at Humanist meetings, ex SDA etc

A true examination will lead you to the point where you simply cannot support belief in God etc in any rational, i.e non-deluded way. This does not mean one rejects possibilities, just that one sees no relevance in life for beliefs that are groundless.

You say they are doing a horrible job as a religion, yes, but the business side is still doing O.K

fulltimestudent

just thoughts!

If you believe, you believe, regardless.

Yup, you got that right, mate! Never question, just believe!

Problem is that Muslims, just believe! Problem is that Buddhists, just believe! Problem is that Hindu's, just believe!

All are RIGHT, of course, within the confines of the illusion they have created in their own mind.

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I think the WT has done such a damn good job of defaming any other (false) religion that an Ex-JW cannot conceive of going to another church, even after finding our that WTS is all wrong.

Historically, Christian churches have always done this to each other. (have you read of the Roman/Byzantium churches dislike of each other?) The current concept , that some kind of 'spiritual unity' exists outside the 'organisational structures' of various denominations is a position that evolved, in the face of evidence that certain teachings of Judaism/Christianity regarding creation, were likely NOT true. Faced with a bigger enemy (non-belief) the churches of the world started to huddle together for self protection, from an idea whose time had come

Faith in God should not be weak because of a wicked organization?!