I am having trouble believing in God...

by thedepressedsoul 45 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  jgnat

  I spent a long time working out what I believe and what I don't, once I trusted my reason again.

  I don't think it is enough to work out all the things you don't believe in. To move forward, to make choices, to have a vision and a future, it pays to figure out what it is you do believe.

  Recently my interest in religion was revived by an agnostic, Haidt. His is a utilitarian morality, not absolute. What is it that people care about, because of the way we are? (Haidt rates us as 90% chimp, 10% bee).

  According to Haidt's model, religion does serve a purpose, even if it is built on myths. It unifies us to a higher cause, and people love it when we are united to a common cause. Case in point, a high school footbal game or the Battle of Britain.
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  cantleave

  Follow your logic.

  At the end of the day there is no evidence for god and science has shown the god delusion concept to be unneccesasry.
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  Shanagirl

  Hi thedepressedandalone,

  Take your time. Trust your inner voice. Right now you are questioning everything, and that is a good thing because we weren't allowed to do this as Watctower JWs. Your suddenly realizing the Jehovah you were forced to worship is not the God he really should be in your mind that knows what an all True Almighty Father in Heaven should be. When I went thru this, I had to separate that feeling I had within me from the Bible, because it just didn't add up. I began taking baby steps by just praying to Jesus Christ and His Father in Heaven, and made it a point to never use the name of Jehovah in my prayers. I read a lot of the Bible OT & NT and compared how the writings were conflicted. Then I started reading other ancient writings and the books of the Apocryphon that were never allowed to be included into the original bibile canon by he early Church Fathers. I found some answers there and in other ancient writings that helped me to reach my own personal opinion that the god of the OT God of the Bible is not the True God for me, and I am at peace with that belief now. I think ancient books banned from the bible have more answers to stories not allowed in the Bible, For instance, the Book of Enoch, The Apocryphon of John, The Origin of the World, the Hypostese of the Archons. They all have mythical lanquange but also fill in a lot of blanks about God, Christ, His followers, and how evil came out of the Shadow, which is posterior to the light of True God, and Evil became known as Yaldabaoth, who I believe brought about th real issues in the Bible Story in Genesis.

  Keep searching and you will find.

  Shana
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  Comatose

  Welcome to the board!!!! I remember exactly how you feel. It's so confusing. I needed meds actually to cope in the beginning.

  Might I suggest please you try this book - Why Evolution Is True by Jerry Coyne

  you will learn so much, and you will enjoy reading it. It's written for the average person like us.
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  Xanthippe

  Hello and welcome thedepressedsoul. Don't worry I don't miss believing in god. You are logical so you will find your way. Yes I agree surely an omniscient god could have displayed messages accross the sky instead of all that Bible translation nonsense. Keep asking the questions.
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  mynameislame

  I 100% agree with your three points.

  My current belief is that if there is a god he can't be explained in book written thousands of years ago. Especially when you consider how much more we know now than the writers of that book knew. And 10000 years from now we will probably be lauging at the things we thought were true in 2014.

  Or the reverse where the earth gets hit by a giant metorite and starts over.

  I sometimes wonder what people of the future, digging through the rubble from our time, will think when they find a treadmill or a nautilus machine.
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  bigmac

  i never believed in god--at least--not since adulthood. but if its what you need--believe in it. doesnt make you better--or worse--unless you try to preach it to me--then i just switch off.
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  steve2

  warning! Warning!! WARNING!!!!

  Active thinking brain cells are fatal to belief in "a god", and in particular one who "communicates" via ancient texts.

  Dumb down immediately, strictly limit your questions, express endless gratitude, be prepared to follow an ancient text that has been copiously mis-translated and is vulnerable to "interpretation, prioritize personal experience over evdience and you'll be a believer in no time. You just might need to periodically suppress emerging rational-minded questions. Repeating over and over and over phrases such as "God works in mysteriorus ways" and "Who am I to proudly question God or worse, deny He exists?" may stem the threatening lava flow of doubt. Good luck! Getting on your knees right now may or may not help - depending who else is in the room with you.
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  LostGeneration

  Along with your point 1, why did God stop talking? I mean he took the time to mess around with farmers, sheepherders, and random 'prophets' back in the day when ink and paper weren't really staples of society.

  Now that we have newspapers, the internet, TV, radio etc, he can't seem to utter a word? If he really wanted to let us know the shizzle, all he would have to do is take over the airwaves for a few hours and let everyone on earth know what he wants. One and done.
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  Comatose

  So god made sure that every word of the bible was faithfully preserved. It is all inspired. Except for when they removed his name. He could make sure the right books were picked and that every word was exactly as it should.... Except his name... He couldn't keep that in there.