I have never really sat down and gave thought to certian things like,if there 'really be an armageddon or paradise,resurecction,ya know those things,It scares me because you feel all secure and safe in the org,and when you go out and try to really find out,the :truth" about it,u have alot of mixed emotions,and doubts,,thats what im battling right now...i mean i know that i dont want to be a witness,but i still want to hold on to the thought of living forever and ever,..i just want to know,how do all of you feel about this???do u still believe or totally think it's bull?just share yours thoughts(i dont know what to believe anymore) Laura
Perhaps it was easier when we thought we knew all the answers. What a delusion!!
Nobody on earth really knows the answers for sure. My thought is to fully embrace and enjoy each day as it comes (view it as a "blessing" if you want). And then as far as the "hereafter", I await whatever the answer to the mystery is. Do we live on, or do we come back, or what? Whenever it's important to know, we'll sure find out!
"Not knowing" isn't the worst thing. Sometimes it's the only honest thing.
The WTS isn't the only religious teaching that holds out the possibility of immortality. Most of the world's religions teach that we are immortal beings currently inhabiting a flesh body on a very temporary basis. Moreover, they teach that it is our birthright and is ours without all the pre-conditions that the WTS requires. I don't know if there will be an amagedon, but I'm confident that I will survive the experience. As A Course in Miracles puts it, "God Himself is incomplete without you".
This is the first time posting on this site. I had to write and tell you not to throw the baby out with the bathwater. Jesus is the answer and He will give you the assurance you are looking for. God bless!
As JWs we were taught to put our lives on hold in "this system" so that we could live them in "the new system." So, we never followed our dreams, we never allowed ourselves to simple live. Every day was filled with rules, regulations, and things to do to prepare us for what was to come.
No one really knows for sure what is in store for us. All we know for sure is that we are here....now....and we must live our lives in the best way possible. Fulfill our dreams, reach out and make a difference TODAY. Enjoy what God has given us.
I agree with the other posters. We just cannot know what the future holds. It's hard to give that up.
I read an interesting book, that had this quote, that says a lot, I think. Live your life NOW. This is the REAL life. Don't put anything on hold, thinking you will live forever.
"The current culture is now headed for environmental cataclysm, because this (current religions) ideology has served to disconnect human beings from the earth, to constantly focus their attention, not on this life and this reality, but on an afterlife and another world altogether."
Yes, I know what you mean, as dubs we know all the answers, and suddenly you are faced to question the world as you have known it all these years.
I myself have found peace in knowing that I don't know all the answers. Life is constant source for wonder to me, I am constantly amazed by the mystery it really is, and I love it that way.