by berylblue 23 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
I would really like to know. I've always wanted so much to know the true God and to do his will, but it seems I struck out at the KH. My deep spiritual need is not being met, but I don't want to jump from the frying pan into the fire, you know?
Beryl
of the "searching for the way to worship Jehovah acceptably" class
Beryl,
With all of my heart I don't believe that joining a religion is a good thing. I am a Christian but if you asked me to join your religion, I wouldn't. Seeking God's face is a personal endeavor. Seek and you shall find, knock and the door will be opened..........right? Read your bible and pray for God's guidance.....seek him and you will find him, he meant that. I think that you would be very pleased to read Matthew 11:28. Read it slowly and listen!!! You will know what to do next. Don'e let the watchtower intimidate you! Let out your sorrow Beryl, I know that you are hurting and so does God. have faith.
Thank you for that lovely sentiment. I will read the scripture. I just want to do what the true God wants! I am so confused...it's literally painful...
Beryl
I know that it hurts. Take the time to seek Him. I really believe that you are being called and you need to heed that voice. Read the scripture that I posted and think about what he is saying to YOU. You will never regret it. He promised. Go ahead, paisano. Love to you, Dj
HEB 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
PS 27:8 My heart says of you, "Seek his face!"
Your face, LORD, I will seek.
PS 27:4 One thing I ask of the LORD,
this is what I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD
and to seek him in his temple.
DT 4:29 But if from there [i.e., the place where one was unfaithfu] you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart.
You are seeking. You are asking. You are knocking. Stand there--He will answer. You are spiritually safer doing this than you've ever been in your life.
...Once when I was utterly overwhelmed I suddenly had a certain picture in my head: I was alone on a stage, but I knew I wasn't really alone. It was absolutely quite; couldn't see any audience, since it was nearly pitch black. There was only a tiny shaft of light filtering thru some smoky air, landing only where I was standing. There was a tiny little string dangling from somewhere above, hanging just where I could reach up and hold on to it. All of my energy was spent in only standing in this light, and only hanging onto that little string... and I found peace.
It was a metaphor for me, about perseverence and faith--not doing something "heroic and strong", but merely resting (Matt. 11:28!!) as I held onto that string (somehow even being held up by it!). Whenever I get overwhelmed again, I remember this mental image. And I wait again...
bebu
You are seeking. You are asking. You are knocking. Stand there--He will answer. You are spiritually safer doing this than you've ever been in your life.
How true. Personally Mrs Ozzie and I are Christians who happen to attend a protestant (evangelical) church, but we have not joined "another religion". We are Christians. That's it.
As I've posted often, the whole idea of "joining" another religion is a left-over from the Borg mindset. They trained us to think in terms of "organisations". They've conditioned us. My advice is to clear your mind of these trappings. If you've decided/realised that you have a belief in a creator/god, then follown the advice above. No-one should be try to get you to "join" anything. If they do, then steer clear!
Cheers, Ozzie
the whole idea of "joining" another religion is a left-over from the Borg mindset. They trained us to think in terms of "organisations". They've conditioned us. My advice is to clear your mind of these trappings. If you've decided/realised that you have a belief in a creator/god, then follown the advice above. No-one should be try to get you to "join" anything. If they do, then steer clear!
Right on the button, Ozzie.
I’m actually where Beryl is now. I’ve been out of the Borg for seven weeks this coming Sunday and I haven’t had any inclination to go anywhere to worship. This made me feel somewhat uneasy. After all, I’d been going to the KH regularly for 15 L-O-N-G years and thought I was giving God my all.
Well, my "all" at the moment seems to be exhausted and so I’m just chilling out. However, I’ve read so much stuff of late – some of it actually being quite convincing that the Bible is NOT the inspired word of God. I’m not saying I believe this, but there are some strong arguments against the Bible being so and, therefore, it is difficult to know what to believe.
Did you know, for example, that the name ‘Jehovah’ is completely erroneous? So is ‘Jesus’. I’ve learnt that, at the very least, these should be Yahweh and Yeshua, respectively – and yet NO-ONE knows their true pronunciation.
Personally, I believe there is a Creator – or at least some incredible spiritual force that permeates everything. I’m leaning towards more of a native American indian/Buddhist appreciation for all life (I was a Buddhist for 10 years prior to becoming a JW. I should have stayed one as I was a LOT happier).
Yes, it’s certainly a difficult time for someone who has left the WT. Some go quite the other way and become atheists, but who can blame them after all the false teachings pushed down one’s throat?!
Beryl, I’m not one for giving you advice on this as I’m searching like you. However, I do genuinely feel that, after what we’ve been through, God knows we mean well and as long as we do good to all then he’s happy. Everyone’s opinion is just that. No-one can prove they’ve got the truth now any more than they could when they were JWs. It’s difficult, isn’t it!
At the moment I get out of bed in the morning, look out my window and appreciate all the beautiful living creatures. It’s spring here so an absolutely wonderful time of the year (they say England in spring is unbeatable – which is just as well as the Aussies beat us at everything else ).
Try not to be anxious. Be kind to all, but be wary of joining any religion just yet. Take time out to FEEL the spirit. You’ll be OK.
Love,
Dansk
No-one should be try to get you to "join" anything. If they do, then steer clear!
Well said Ozzie,
When I attended the Baptist church I learned they frowned on dancing and drinking alcohol. I asked the pastor if I wanted to have "privledges" in the church and I did these things......could I have "privledges"? The answer was no and so I asked why. He said it's something the church needs to consider some time. I told him it was no different than the witnesses in this respect and that the church has set up manmade laws and made them doctrine. He didn't seemed phased.
Gumby
I attended the Baptist church I learned they frowned on dancing and drinking alcohol
How interesting, Gumby. Mrs Ozzie and I found the same here in Oz and although Mrs Ozzie would otherwise have liked to have attended a Baptist church regularly (we do occasionally) we chose against it for similar reasons to what you have mentioned. And yes, I felt like you that "it was no different than the witnesses in this respect and that the church has set up manmade laws and made them doctrine."
Cheers, Ozzie
I still attend an occasional meeting at the KH, but beryl, I sympathize with you. My wife wants nothing to do with jws any more at all. She however deos not want to join any other religion either, or rejoin her former one, the Lutheran religion.
Recently, I thought back to the times when I felt most 'spritual', and those times were when it was just me alone reading the Bible. But, even with that, I never developed a closeness to God, because, as He is portrayed in the Bible, I cannot feel inclined to be close to such a person.
