by quellycatface 21 Replies latest jw friends
I'm not I like the "happy clappy" bits and pieces in church (C of E). It's just not me. The local school choir came in today and did 2 songs and one was a rap song about Easter.... That's so not me.
I like serious but not hellfire preaching.
Any ideas where to next??
Read 'The God Delusion' by Richard Dawkins, quelly.
So are you giving up your church?
I have no idea as I am still thinking about whether or not I want to go, and your are helping me. Keep us infrmed of your experiences. Kate xx
i was in a kingdom hall today, serious bible study a great upbuilding talk and great people. Totally me
When i believed in god I really did find church a million times more upbuilding than the kingdom hall.
Churches are actually worshipful whereas JW meetings are more about why you should feel guilty, why you need to give more money and time to the corporation. You only need to read between the lines.
Most xtians I spoke to say that individuals find the church that suits them.
Perhaps go to evensong?
emeth -
I've been going to kingdom halls for over thirty years, and at least the last fifteen of those I've found zero real Bble study. The material is so elementary and presented in such an elementary way as to be insulting. I've felt like I was wasting my time, so I started reading the Bible, Koine Greek books, etc. during meetings.
You say the talks are upbuilding. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt on that one. Maybe they are where you are (not in U.S.), but the ones I've heard the last few decades are anything but upbuilding. They are deplorable and irritating. The speakers have bad grammar, they don't make sense, they're boring, they're unrealistic, they're corny, etc. Speakers don't know how to develop a theme.
I have not seen "great people" at kingdom halls. I've seen some who, I think, really think they are doing right and have the truth, but that makes them no different from Pentecostals or Baptists or Catholics who really think they have the truth. At kingdom halls, I find most to be one or a combination of the following: naive, ignorant, delusional, GB and org idolizing, self-righteous, smug, lazy, crazy, unloving, lacking in intelligence.
My and I feel the same way about meetings. They actually make us mad. They weaken our faith in the org. We like JWs better when we don't go to meetings.
Perhaps you need to go back to the beginning and examine what it is you are looking to have a church fulfill for you. Then go from there.
In my discussions with various believers (friends and family who are not JWs) inevitably they get a preacher who is the 'you're a sinner and nothing without God/Christ' . This starts them on the road of questioning and ultimately disconnecting in various ways from their church. My brother's ex's mother said to me that she is starting to question a lot after a new preacher came and tried to heap guilt on them all.
As you get older, learn more, experience more, you realize what my cousin (who was a JW but got disfellowshipped) says:
"It's all Bull Shiite."
Have you looked into house church or simple church?
Every member functioning.
Spiritually active, not passive.
No hierarchy.
No denominationalism.
No sectarianism.
How to Explain Simple Organic Church in 2 Minutes on a Napkin
It might just be that it is so different from your experience as a JW, because they are the opposite of happy and clappy, right? They took out the happy and the clappy and ended up with dry, boring and sad. You can look for another church, but why not attend for a bit more to see if you get more comfortable? Sometimes a different church in the same denomination will feel more comfortable also.
It all depends on your reason for attending I guess. What is it you hope to get out of it? Why do you feel you need to belong to a church?
