by James Jackson 30 Replies latest jw experiences
JJ, DOC,
Why dump Paradise along with junk? If there is nothing more to believe in we might as well be dead. Life is then an exercise in futility.
WT has lots of stuff wrong but what Bible says about creation being evidence of God is still true as far as I'm concerned.
what Bible says about creation being evidence of God is still true
Ironically its the one thing we can prove beyond all doubt they had entirely wrong.
James - Believe in humanity. We all need to get over our jaded opinion of human potential.
I would recommend to you "The Better Angels of our Nature" by Steven Pinker.
James - Believe in God. I would recommend the Bible.
cofty - You are a laugh riot. "prove beyond all doubt" Lol
James Jackson ; I was almost identicial to you . I watched a video called "The Secrets of Solomons Temple " by Micheal Rood . I learned more in that short time than at many meetings . Check it out , Use your Bible To Verify what is said . It may help you to believe in something far greater than what the org ever offered.
Fade to black, I do believe we all are capable of doing something passionatly. It's such a foreign concept among the religion, it's hard to talk about, it's like you are talking a different language, lol. They have people so brainwashed that anything other than the ministry and meetings is a waste of time. What it really is is a waste of human potential, it is only by doing what we love that we reach our full potential.
I highly recommend the book "Simple Abundance" by Susan Ban Breathnatch. It is a little thought for each day of the year to get you to develop your talents and live a better, more fulfilled life. Although it is not religious, it helped me on my journey out of the Watchtower. By becoming my authentic self, I realized that no one in the religion was, and that it was not the right place for me.
Believe in today. Believe in tomorrow. Believe in yourself. Believe in your ability to do whatever it is you wish or desire (you may not accomplish everything you try but you will not accomplish anything you don't attempt). And quit worrying about it all. I know that is easier said than done, but try to just live life and appreciate all that the JW world took from you. It is never too late to live an interesting and full life. And start NOW.
Hi,
As many here have said, believe in yourself & that God & Jesus love you. You were on a witness treadmill, & when it came to a stop, boom, what now ? Being a witness there is always much to do...that's if you want to. It's the type of worship for busy people, can't stand to be alone. I can imagine it's difficult to find something to do once you have dedicated your life to preaching & teaching. It's a big world out there, take your time & just don't jump into something just to have something to do. When you were a witness or should I say that you still are, what was your attitude towards others ? This may have a ring of truth but it's not the whole truth & nothing but the truth, did you lose family & friends because of it ? Were you a forceful servant of Jehovah, why I ask is because maybe you have some old friends that you use to know that you can contact again & take it from there. But what I'm seeing from most sites about witnesses who leave they are lonely, why because they ran away those who were close to them because of the truth, now that they know TTATT, they have nobody. I am a witness & have witness friends, inactive witness friends & friends (small family) but my non-witness friends and I are still close, they don't care how I worship, they are not interested in being a JW, but we are not judging each other. We respect each others religion. Come to think of it, on the road to being a witness they never go in the way, so they can't make me leave, only me can make me leave. Watch your association, that should be applied to whether you are in the truth or not...My parents told me that one...Anyway. Reach out to your old friends & family, it's never too late.
Legacy
JJ - I think that's a pretty normal reaction. The WTS is a high control religion and it just takes awhile to realize that you don't need them. Give it some time.
James, nice to meet you. Please take my opinion here seriously or not, my motive is to give you something to think about, not something to believe in. But, I have the very best of intentions with my limited perspective.....
I saw you were an elder and likely were overworked, very busy, and probably saw one or two unpleasant things on JC's through the years. The only way any elder can sincerely justify this activity is through "belief", and that they have a mission, a purpose, and thus, soldier on. That is why you will likely meet with some resistence regarding the value of trying to find a new "belief" to replace the old one.
Be patient. Take some time. It's ok, and you're ok. The doubt and the vacuum you are experiencing is normal and to be expected.
May I suggest that what you really need is to fill the purpose and the mission that you had? That in of itself is very honorable, and while it likely does entail having a belief system of sorts, I would start with purpose, as opposed to beliefs. What are you good at? What difference can you make in YOUR world? Start small, start organically, and let it grow naturally. Discover what and who you are now without the polyester clothing of JW dogma, and that will turn into something good.
This is totally just one mans opinion, but I strongly believe that exiting JW's who were pioneers, MS, Elders, and up are/were very mission oriented, and caught a very specific kind of narcissistic virus that JW leadership spreads. It's the idea that YOU can really make a difference and change the entire WORLD, and be on par with Abraham, Moses, David, the 12 Apostles, Paul the @$$hole, etc.
And then you leave, realizing how small you are, maybe not as powerful, but most certainly not powerless.
You are not powerless. Find out who you are, love yourself, love your family, and the rest will take care of itself. But be patient. It does take time. :)
In the absence of beliefs, what is left? Reality.
From what I have learned, the moments that matter most are those when I am kind.
The moments of petting and playing with pets, family and friends. The moments I take the enchanting spider outside instead of harm it.
The moments I forget about everything and just silently embrace the present and smile at all life as it visits me.
In the end what will matter most? Our beliefs? Our anger? Our money? Our dreams? Or the appreciative and precious smile we shared with the person who put our groceries in a bag.
In the end what matters most, our those moments when we are kind. Don't need no beliefs for that.
