by Tornintwo 35 Replies latest jw friends
I feel somewhat ambivalent to the memorial time this year - because everyday is his memorial.
I won't sit in a KH, to be head counted.
I won't listen to a convoluted interpretation and discussion of scriptures,
Something extraordinary happened when Christ reached into our physical unverse and dimension.....it was a game changer.
Celebrate him in your heart.
Atomant, your an alcoholic in remission, well done you, that takes serious courage. Big Hug for you.
Hi TorninTwo.... My husband felt like you the first year we left...He had to go... just to see..... He did not believe it to be the truth, but something, something, drew him.... I went with him, as an observer... Kind of interesting to watch as a 'nonbeliever'...
We went to a congregation that was not "ours" that we had helped build, so some people may have recognized us.... We entered "late"... as in just before the song..... We listened to the meaningless, repetitive talk, and watched the wine go by.... then the bread.... (or is it the other way round?)
But, to sit there and listen and realize.... Jesus did not say you had to "go to a Kingdom Hall" to remember him", and that if you did "celebrate" (does the Bible say 'Celebrate" or is the WT just trying to make JWs feel like they get tot 'celebrate' something???) at home, with your family "you are not remembering him" and "only those going nto heaaven should partake"...... Jesus did not have all those caveats, did he?
Maybe you can just go down close to the K Hall, sit in your car, close enough to observe, and look at how everyone is dressed.... They are thinking about how their brand new "memorial" clothes look.... and perhaps, "whose house they will go to afterwards" for refreshments.
The "memorial of Christ's death'?
Tornintwo,
Never a JW, but walked away from religion at 50 for good. I had been a member of the same church since the age of 12 even married there. That was the year my life fell apart. I had 2 dependent kids and an abusive husband. On 6/1 I was diagnosed with cancer and butt head husband response was thanks for telling me and turned around walked away from me, never showed up at the hospital.
When I went to the pastor and said I was ill. and my husband just upped the abuse, his response was sorry your going through this. Never heard another word from any member of the church. I have never returned.
I believe very strongly in a Supreme Being which I call God and Jesus. After much research I now believe ALL religions are man made, if God had created Religion he would have created ONE. Think of all the wars that would have never have happened. The more I think about it the less I believe in the Bible, there are some good points in the Bible like living a good truthful life with high morals. Loving one another. Help one another.
The way I worship God is sitting in one of God's beautiful nature environments (prefer sunrise on the east coast) and listening to several hours of wonderful Gospel music which reflect the gifts that God has given very special people. This allows me a wonderful time to meditate on all the great things that I have in my life. God and I also take a little time to talk about some of these crazy people in my life too.
Just reading the above posts, regarding the bible - I was thinking of the scripture Hebrews 4:12
We choose what we want to hear from the 'bible' - one person will read and hear that many will burn in endless torment....and they is all they want to read from the scripture. It satisfies them.
Another will read and 'hear' that the one who is eternal Father of all things, rejects and destroys those who don't listen to 7 men in Brooklyn in our modern day....never mind the millions who pray to him and honour him in their lives.
Jesus made some observations regarding the Pharisees - he hated that they looked to keep the letter of the law and not seek the spirit of the law.
It's our journey, our search - keep searching he said, keep knocking.....
As witnesses, we learnt to read every biblical word with a view to wrenching out a meaning, letter by letter and word by word and we ended up with our man made religion of legalism, foolish conjecturing, mulling over the letter and muddling the 'spirit' of the word.
Seems to me, we are all on a journey, our own unique yet interdependent journey - and our place is reach out and hold another's hands, help our fellow up off the floor when he falls....
The life story of Jesus changed everything - whether we like it or not.
The story being that he dived into our dimension and brought us closer to something we have called 'glory' - that 'thing' humans have yearned for, completeness with the divine.
Whether he is a mere fabrication of the human heart's wishful thinking or truly our Lord - we don't need to sit inside Kingdom Hall to reach out to him, or think on him.
Hey, regarding my previous post - have had a heavy duty weekend emotionally re life and family and needed some restorative meditation time - and I wrote from 'that' meditative place - on retrospect it sounds a bit out of place.....
Anyway - take care everyone. If Christ/the divine has meaning to you, then that's all that matters between him and you.
Actually Alive I like your post it does give me something to ponder. I agree with you,in life it is our perception of things that shapes our beliefs. We can read the bible and all come away with something different.
to answer the original question - no nothing pulls me back to this religion. It is a false religion so there is no pull for me to go back to hateful people trying to control my life.
Thanks for all of your helpful responses.
Hey Alive, it's all good, found your post very interesting, actually.
I like that we all have different views and can share them respectfully, finding our own 'truth'.
I agree if God wanted us to believe and worship in a certain very specific way then he should have made it much, much clearer, as it is as clear as mud right now! The witnesses love to boast about they have the right interpretation, having researched honestly and logically scriptures in the bible to interpret other scriptures, then you just have to examine their generation teaching, or see them clinging to 1914-607 despite all evidence to the contrary, or the ridiculous Revelation book interpretations....(this trumpet blast corresponded to a convention in Ohio etc....) to see they haven't a clue and there are ulterior motives to promote their leadership.
I think I agree with those that have posted that to acknowledge the time of year from home, perhaps read the relevant scriptures, meditate, say thank you, should be enough. I think I was thinking attending might give me 'closure' but alternatively it might open up a can of worms.
I don't believe any of it, haven't contributed any funds for almost 3 yrs, haven't done service for over 3 years. When I go to a meeting it makes me physically sick to my stomach. I'm no longer comfortable in my old congregation I get a lot of weird stares like I'm the elusive yeti. I avoid the folks from my congregation, I've literally DF them from my life, I only see family still in. So why go?
Well they hold me hostage due to my family. If I don't go, my family will definitely find out. The elders will place me in a shepherding status to see whats happening. It will elevate more hostility from my family still in. I will create a lot of unneeded attention, so it easier to go and pretend. I just go and pretend it has meaning, that I might return, that i'm not an apostate. If they only knew? If they only knew how I really feel, that I participate on a internet forum that exposes all there lies, that I condemn their faith as complete bullshit. If they only knew? Would they want me there? What a tangled web we weave, indeed.
Torn, churches not only celebrate the resurrection (Easter) they also celebrate his death. Look up churches in your area online and see what they are doing this week. It could be Maundy Thursday or Good Friday or might have another name, but it will say. I can't express to you enough how much more meaningful these celebrations are than the witness memorial. The witness memorial seems like nothing compared to them. You don't have to just stay home, you can do this socially, and you can even partake for the first time if you go to a protestant church.
