by HiddenPimo 17 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
Marcus Aurelius: a model of reasonableness!
When we leave the cult sometimes to start with we still hang on to some of the ideas which have helped us in the past, it is perfectly normal. Changing our minds to become self determined in what we do is unfamiliar and we learn to adjust to the new way of thinking, not running on the old tram rails our old religion taught us.
Thinking for ourselves outside of other peoples laws and rules is more rewarding.
One great thing about the attacks on your faith is that you still get to believe what you want and express it here. I don't have the God delusion any longer, but that doesn't make you a fool for believing it. Now if you did what we all did and sold magazines for a corporation in God's name then we were all guilty of being fools.
I agree with Smiddy3.
There's a WEALTH of information from many years of commentary, discussions, quotes, and articles.
Sure, many of us don't necessarily agree about God (people like cofty think I'm nuts Love you bro) but so long as we all remain respectful of each other we should all be fine and well.
I just don't appreciate people coming on a thread about God and interjecting their opinion on the nonexistence of him. If a thread topic is asking about the existence of God okay, cool, state your opinion or stance. It should be respected as I'd expect people to respect my belief in God.
He should have had a chat with me. I could have saved him some time.
Strobel is very much like reading JW literature. --Or any other Christian apologetic for that matter.
I still struggle with the fact that the universe has no end to it.
In other words there's a lot of things that blow my mind and I can't explain.
Since disavowing the JWs version of events I have put God into the same box, full of quandaries and perplexities that I find difficult to comprehend.
To each his own, if you believe I am OK with that, if you don't believe I am OK with that also.
As for Lee Strobel, if you wanna sell more Christian books, you need a new angle that people haven't tried.
An atheist investigative reporter out to prove Christianity wrong winds up a Christian.
Kinda sorta the new angle people will buy.
I tried looking at one of his "The Case For..." books. It was full of strawman arguments and seemed to accept what the Bible said without question. As far as a man joining a belief after investigating it because his wife joined the belief, we are all aware of that happening all the time in JW's, so it must be common in other Christian religions.
I get that some here will circle the wagons around welcoming or rejecting someone because of their atheism or lack of it. That is sad. We can have our belief arguments but they should not change our support for each other.
Deprogramming myself from JW brainwashing has really affected my view of God. Just like the people I've preached to my entire life, I cannot for the life of me understand why a loving God would allow suffering. When a mass shooting occurs, everybody always says that they will pray for the victims and their families. What's the point? If God cared he wouldn't have let it happen in the first place. He is ostensibly all-knowing and all-powerful, yet he does nothing to help us.
This reminds me of the time my dog had puppies. It was a hot summer day, and one of her pups somehow managed to get herself stuck in a cinder block. When I walked out and saw her, I could tell that she was in distress. There's no telling how long she had been there, and I knew she needed water. So did I just fold my arms and say something stupid like, "I work in mysterious ways. I have a plan for her, she just doesn't know it yet. I'm allowing her to go through this so she'll become a stronger puppy,"? No. I actually bent over, picked her up, and gave her water. It was very easy for me to do. Had I not intervened, she would've died of dehydration. You would think that it would be just as easy for God to stop a mass shooting, or cancer, or plane crashes, or famine, or rape, or serial killers, but nope. He works in mysterious ways...(if he even exists.)
If you find yourself with feelings for a Deity, try practicing sublimation; drink hrb tea and spend more time in service, take cold showers.
Oh, you said
Nevermind!
