did I miss the point

DanTheMan

Sometimes I wonder if the legalism and the authoritarianism in the WT have a purpose that I intuitively understood at first, and that somehow I've become blinded of the necessity of those things.

Two things keep entering my mind -

1. Jesus likened his followers to sheep, and;

2. The Israelites got tired of the Manna.

In leaving the WT, am I like the Israelites who complained about the "contemptible bread"? Have I lost my sheeplike nature that I once had? Am I part of the Korah, Nadab, and Abiram class? Am I just a complaining rebel?

There were things I hated about being a JW, but there were things I loved too. I just feel like I've made a big mistake.

The world is nuts, and it seems like things are ready to explode.

2SYN

The big mistake most people make when signing their minds up for religion is to let some mythical entity handle all the dirty work. We humans need to start taking charge of our own destinies and paying less attention to fairy tales. Go hug a tree, then you will feel a true mystical force. Note: This post is not derogatory, I just feel that people with vexing issues like this don't spend enough time helping their fellow man!

mpatrick

Similar to a bad marriage....you know you would be better off to get out, but the fear of change and the unknown keeps you in.

I always liked the saying, "If you want your life to change, you need to change your life".

larc

Dan,

The idea of being sheeplike is way over rated, in my opinion. The people who made a difference were far from sheep. Albert Einstein went against the prevaling ideas of physics. The Wright brothers dreamed what most people ridiculed, the possibility of flight. Henry Ford dreamed of making cars available to everyone. Hershey did the same thing with choclate candy. Edison brought light into our homes. Carrier brought us air conditioning. Kettering gave us the key to the car instead of a crank on the front. The world is changed and improved by people who go against the grain, who have a different view of the world. They are not sheep by any stretch of the imagination.

Gopher

Dan,

Jesus also likened the Israelites under the Pharisee's leadership as "sheep without a shepherd", and "bruised and tossed about". There are SO MANY parallels between the JW leadership and the Pharisees, that the mind boggles.

But if we wish to be sheep of Jesus, than that would surely be different than being a sheep belonging to the Pharisee-like WT Society.

garybuss

dantheman wrote: <The world is nuts, and it seems like things are ready to explode.>

That's just on TV danth. In reality the world is just as it has always been. Just watch the animals. They go about their business without anxiety or fear of impending doom.

I worked on a house this week where the 60ish widow living there just had to go on disability due to bad health. She sits home most days and she told me that she is bored shitless. She would love some nuts and explosions but for most like me and her, the world keeps turning and will keep turning long after we are gone.

A few people are sick, a few are paranoid, and few are probably nuts. But the world is fine. Religion and politics keep wars and turmoil in the news but the media's job is to select, sensationalize, and deliver world events produced as drama and edited with flair to sell laundry detergent and automobiles and home computers.

I know more than a few people who think they are bothered by world events when they are really just bothered by watching / reading commercial media.

Then again, I may be wrong and the world may be nuts and ready to explode.

gb

The Way I See it http://www.freeminds.org/buss/buss.htm

DanTheMan

2SYN:

Yup, I am pretty immature in my self-seeking, security-craving nature.

When I was in, I always took the WT view of "worldly social efforts", that it was polishing the brass on a sinking ship. I guess I'm still carrying that idea.

Michelle, it is like divorcing an abusive, domineering mate, isn't it?

larc, I appreciate those comments. But of course my WT mind thinks of all the negatives that go along with those inventions (nuclear weapons, plane crashes, pollution and global warming, etc.)

Sentinel

Dan,

It sounds like you are still "wavering" inside. First, you haven't made a mistake. Separation from anything you are attached to is painful. You will need to allow yourself the time to take a long look at what you want out of this life and find a way to get it.

What happens to some of us is that we label ourselves as unworthy, and that can send us down a road of bad choices. Because, essentially, we are trying to punnish ourselves. Just look at some of the examples on these posts of how we have hurt ourselves. When I was active in JW's, I would often find myself doodling on paper, even when taking notes at assemblies. I remember that doodle very vividly, and it was simply.....happiness is....happiness is...

But, there was never a time during all those years in the borg, that I could make an ending to that phrase. Now I know that it's finding out what you want out of life and what you need to do in order to get it. This is not meant materially. This is "your being" inside and out. It takes a lot of work to re-program and re-boot your system, but you know what you find?

You find happiness!

Keep on Keepin' On

Karen/Sentinel

COMF

It's tough learning to be responsible for your own life. Scary, too, at first. It's tempting to throw all the burden on somebody else's shoulders and say, "I'm just a poor dumb sheep. Take care of me!"

But nothing else compares to being in charge of your own life, and doing it well (which comes with experience).

COMF

mpatrick

Yes, Dan you are right!

You are a very kind, generous and loving individual and have your whole life ahead of you....make that life worth living! Also, being young and single you have nothing holding you back from whatever you want!

You could always come for a cookout this weekend and leave your cares behind!

You know that you are always welcome in our home,

Michelle

did I miss the point

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