Do you still believe in God?

by FormerlySandL 162 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

  • Doubtfully Yours
    Doubtfully Yours

    I believe in higher powers, evil supernatural forces among us, people possessed/guided by these evil forces, people guided by 'good' supernatural forces.

    In essence, do not believe that we humans understand forces/powers above ours. We make guesses based on ancient writings, but none is certain.

    DY

  • FormerlySandL
    FormerlySandL

    While Acts25v9 has not put up a covincing and satisfactory reason for me personally to believe in God, I have to say that despite the abuse and name calling, they have given courteous, respectful replies and not stooped to retaliating angrily.

    It seems that if you have a different opinion or you make a mistake on this forum some members here are so intolerant and try to bully you out of town.

    I agree in principle with most of the replies against Acts25v9 but not the way it's given.

    There is a lot of anger and bitterness on this site by a small but noisy minority who quickly resort to swearing and name calling rather than have a grown up debate.

    To any new visitors it just reinforces all the things that we are warned about at the kh about sites like this which is a shame for those of us looking for answers and coming to terms with leaving the organisation.

  • Giordano
    Giordano

    Back to the topic. Start your own post Act 529.

    never thought I would admit it, but I don't.

    I might superstitiously have some kind of doubt but digging a bit deeper in my heart I really don't believe in God.

    As a human I could never just sit and watch people be tortured, live years of abuse, suffer from illness and disabilities and all the other awful things people have to endure day after day without doing something about it

    Based on your motivation as mentioned in your account/story.......

    I think my friend you may be a humanist.

      Humanism is a philosophical and ethical stance that emphasizes the value and agency of human beings, individually and collectively, and generally prefers critical thinking and evidence (rationalism, empiricism) over acceptance of dogma or superstition.

      When my wife and I left the JW I found that the way I behaved towards people didn't change with my lack of spiritual beliefs. I still applied ethics and compassion....I was still interested in helping people, in treating people fairly, in forgiving and being forgiven. I still wanted to do some good and leave this life with the world in a little tiny way in better shape.

      I didn't need the WTBT$ to tell me how I was supposed to act or what to believe.

      As a very young child pre JW years I believed in Santa Claus somewhere along the years I stopped believing in Santa Claus. Maybe because at Xmas time one saw many Santa's who all looked the same. Or maybe I was stumbled when the Santa who visited our family gathering was revealed to be my drunk Uncle when he stumbled into the Christmas tree.

      I believed in God until I didn't. I think we call it growing up. But if a person needs to believe I am find with that.

  • freemindfade
    freemindfade
    I never thought I would admit it, but I don't.

    Its a liberating feeling isn't it?.

    There will always be things we don't understand (yet), but to superstitiously label them all with 'God' is a mistake.

    & Acts5v29, with all due respect, stop reading the Goat Herder's Guide to the galaxy and pick up some other books, you have the abrahamic mind virus...bad

  • LoveUniHateExams
    LoveUniHateExams

    the Goat Herder's Guide to the galaxy

    Never heard that one before!

  • Finkelstein
    Finkelstein

    One can believe that the sociological behavior directions given or offered by the Jesus God was advantageous to humanity, in spite of this god most likely Inherently imagined by man himself, so the we can see that mankind envisions and conceptualizes the gods we think we need.

  • TheListener
    TheListener

    SandL the forum has changed a lot in the last few years. Years ago there were a number of threads on witness theology and how incorrect they are/were. There were a lot of threads on the Bible and how the witnesses misinterpret it. As I was coming out of the witnesses this board was invaluable.

    The board was really helpful to me because I felt that I needed to study each belief I had grown up with and understand if it was right or wrong and how. It's one thing to read an article or book on witness teachings and how they're wrong but it is so much more helpful (at least to me) to be able to ask questions, research and share information with others. If you look at some of my older threads you'll see me struggling with the idea of grace, the biblical timeline, birthdays, the cross/stake, Noah's supposed preaching, etc.

    The board is still a very helpful place to those leaving the witnesses to turn to but it's just a bit more argumentative and secular now. We, and I'm in this group now too, seem to be more interested in the latest WT news and it's slow demise than we are discussing the theology and how it's incorrect. It's probably just a natural progression.

  • nicolaou
    nicolaou
    It seems that if you have a different opinion or you make a mistake on this forum some members here are so intolerant and try to bully you out of town.

    There is occasional bullying but Simon (this board's owner and administrator) stamps down on it when it's brought to his attention. Notwithstanding that you did receive some harsh comments yesterday, could it be that you misinterpret blunt and straightforward honesty as intolerance or bullying?

    Don't give up posting S&L, it will be to your benefit and you may find us to be rather nice under the gruffness and rough edges.

  • Crazyguy
    Crazyguy

    Its interesting that in the old testament people didn't have to have faith but supposedly got proof from seeing God or seeing a miracle to prove he was real. Then in the new testament after the apostles died off it has become all about faith. So there is now more people on the planet then ever before and more religions, yet God does nothing and we are all supposed to just have faith and believe.

    Well after the tsunami that hit a few years back then the Haitian earthquake and now having a daughter that's experiences some of the highest levels of pain any human has. I have no faith, fuck God, he's a piece of shit if he exists, for he does nothing for mankinds plight and suffering. I have more love in my left testicle then he does is his entire being again if he exists at all. I don't believe as you can tell and the Bible God is the worst of all the God's.

  • FormerlySandL
    FormerlySandL

    Hi Nicolaou

    Nope. I deserved the criticism I received initially, although despite my holding my hands up and admitting and rectifying my mistake, it still went on.

    Im not sure some of the comments are just 'blunt and straightforward' honesty as they border on the abusive. It's quite unsettling to be on the receiving end of them.

    on the whole my experience here has had a more positive impact on me than a negative one and people like you and many others are supportive. I'll be sticking around and hopefully in time can help people who were just as bewildered with their new life choice as I was :)

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