what to believe now? (page 2)

acsot

Welcome to the board! I'm in the same boat as you - unsure of what to believe, but am I ever glad I don't have to go through the guilt trips the no-matter-how-hard-you-try-it-is-never-enough syndrome. I'd like to believe in God's grace (grace = Grace = Mouthy = the grandma on this board,maybe she can help you!) but don't even know if He/She/It/They exist anymore.

When I first realized what I believed in was a lie, for a couple of months I felt as though I was on a tightrope with this great drop into nothing on either side of me. Then I was excited about learning about all kinds of stuff, Buddhism, evolution, getting into yoga, etc. etc. That's where I'm at now and the tightrope now has safety nets all over the place and it's really kind of fun.

The "I don't know" and "I probably will never know for sure in this lifetime" scenarios are actually very liberating, it engages your thought processes, enables you to feel closer to the billions of people out there who aren't JWs, and conversations are much richer when you're trying to discover what life is all about.

And when that gets a bit mind-boggling, pour yourself a glass of Beaujolais and go outside and watch the sunset.

hooberus

Christopherceo,

1. Read the Bible.

2. Realize that God is still true even though the WT is false.

3. Learn what Christians really belive as opposed to WT distortions of what they believe.

Many people that come on here and post lost their faith in God when they lost thier faith in the WT. They now want others to follow them. You can still believe in God and the Bible. After all God and his word existed long before a 19th century religious corporation and magazine came into existance.

truthseeker1

Chris,

Listen to what is said here. This is something the JW community can never have, open discussion. You can state your beliefs, lack of beliefs, or doubts w/out fear of being kicked off (to an extent). Explore all types of teachings. Figure out for and by YOURSELF what you want to believe. I know its hard to do coming from the WT where they discourage independant thought, but thats what makes you an individual. If there is a TRUTH about everything, who can tell its the truth? Nobody, just have conviction in your beliefs. Its difficult starting over, trying to figure out what to believe, but have FUN doing it. Study the bible if you want, study other religions, study science (from scientists this time, not preachers). Decide on you own what is believable and what is just plain Bull$hit!

catchfire

Dear Chris,
First let me introduce myself. -- Hi! I'm Catchfire. I'm 18 and a follower of Jesus. I do not subscribe to the theory that Jesus second coming happend roughly 89 years ago. Anyway, since you didn't say what made you become an ex-JW, I don't fully understand your situation, but even so I have some recommendations: check out http://freeminds.org/index.html and read about Randall Watters. But remember: always keep an open mind when anyone teaches you something-- even me. I am not God (far from it.) and I don't have all the answers. I believe that God does and He can teach you... Read His Word. I see them as the Basic Intstructions Before Leaving Earth. B.i.b.l.e. As God's love letter to his creation. As a roadmap on your journey in this life. (but don't take my word for it, read the Bible on your own! If you don't have one, try an online Bible such as: http://www.biblegateway.com/
He says that "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge..."
In the NT book of James it says,"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given to him." Pray to God for wisdom and for the truth! If you want some extra prayer check out http://theprayerroom.com Remember -God thinks good thoughts for you and loves you! "For God so loved the world..." because God is "...not willing that any should perish, but thal all should come to repentance."
"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart."
Jesus says He is the Truth, the Way, and the Life. No man comes to the Father but by him. Jesus said, "As it is written, man should not live by bread alone but every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God." In other words, reading the Bible is essential to figuring out what God has to say to us and what our purpose is... etc. Humans may be deceptive, liars, confused or at the very least deceived, but God is not a liar. "God is not a man, that He should lie: neither the son of man, that he should repent; hath He said, and shall He not do it? or hath He spoken, and shall He not make it good?" God's Word will show you the way, "Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God... The Word became flesh and dwelt among us."
In 2 Timothy it says "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus."
So anyways I hope you will find Peace and confidence to know that you know the Truth.
If you want to write, my email is [email protected]
(Scripture references: Hosea 4:6, James 1:5, John 3:16, 2 Peter 3:9b, Jeremiah 29:11-13, Numbers 23:19, Psalm 119:105, John 1:1,14, 2 Timothy 2:5)
God bless.
-catchfire

scootergirl

Welcome......

If I could offer one bit of advice to those who are confused on what to believe after leaving the borg......it is this:

You don't have to replace your beliefs in one day. For some of us, it may take a lifetime to figure out what we believe. You explore different beliefs, examine different walks of life. The wonderful thing is that you get to do this with FREEDOM! You are your master.......you decide what you believe in! My advice, start exploring.......get out there and learn! What a great journey you have ahead of you!

Roo

Welcome Chris ,

i think it's overwhelming in the beginning to come to the realization that the organization doesn't have all the right answers. I was raised in the borg and they always told us what to think for so long and drill it into your head over and over. You may never find ALL the answers you're looking for......but at least you are free to explore other possibilities and make your own decisions on what to believe. It feels great to be free

artful

Welcome chris...hooberus summed it very well:

The only thing I would ad to his comments is to read what the "atheists" think as well. Keep your mind open to all ideas. Assess them for yourself, and don't expect immediate answers to everything. READ everything that you think will help you in your search for your own spiritual identity. Keep in mind that this will not be easy...but nothing worthwhile ever is (as the saying goes).

Also, a warning: The danger now is to look for someone else to provide you with a ready-made "belief system" or set of "truths". If you settle for this, it means that you have stopped looking for your own truth, and surrendered the most important part of yourself (your spiritual side) to the ideas that someone else developed for themselves.

Happy searching...be patient
Artful

Edited by - artful on 14 January 2003 18:21:38

wednesday

Elsewhere,

i have no clue. I'm not clever enough to be a trool or have duplicate accounts. I get at leat 3 ip adresse's on this computer. It's not me.

email

A big WELCOME to you Chris!!

Keep posting!!

kls

well chris its up to you to think for your self .i like to think jesus died for everyone , i never read the bible said you have to be jw to be saved and the bible talks about false propets,who has been more wrong then them considering they have direct line to god.i believe god gave everyone their own mind and the bible for guidence.allmost all religions are man made and made from greed or power or both.organized religion? no thanks i have a brain i can think for myself and make my own mistakes and fix them my self.why do jws realy care about the rest of us ?why is the watchtower so weathly and give to no charities.why cant they just say we want you to be a good person no instead they say do what we say and youll live in paradise,why do they have to dangle a carrot for people to listen? well chris its up to you if you feel something is wrong it probably is.my husband is a jw and it is hell when your on the out side and know better . if your not sure research ,research i did. jws say they want to save us well im afraid for them. just my 2 cents

what to believe now?

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