Because there are so many religions in the world and it is obvious that no matter what the truth is, a large population of people will be wrong about it. We at one time believe we had the truth and 99% of the world population were in darkness, but I wonder about folks in other religions today. Speaking with a christian friend about this and he told me," that's for God to decide, I hope I'am serving God"...The sad thing about all of this if one die and still believe in his religion, he will never know he was in the wrong religion. God can be so cruel at times.............
Do religious people fear that their religion may be wrong???
by James Mixon 49 Replies latest watchtower bible
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Simon
I think they are terrified of confronting the reality that deep down they know - it's BS.
That's why they get incredibly defensive when anyone challenges their beliefs or presents any evidence that contradicts it.
They attack the message and the messenger, anything to stay in the religious-opioid induced haze.
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Finkelstein
Most JWS that I've known fear the religion itself to what might happen to them if they stopped attending and participating.
They could be hounded by elders, they could lose their families, they could possibly die if everything the WTS says as how to appease Jah is true so they dont die.
Religion is about ridged mind control to achieve a certain objective which many times leads to empowering men to be designated controllers, for better or worse.
I do think that a lot of people who are in religions have a measure of doubt to what they're being taught but most of that indoctrination is framed on a premise is what they are being taught is wholesome and good.
Have you read the good book later ?
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James Mixon
Simon;...False Expectation Appearing Real...Spell FEAR........
Finkelstein: So it's not God they fear but the religion, GB...........
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Rainbow_Troll
Do religious people fear that their religion may be wrong? I heard the best answer to this question from the mouth of a JW:
"If I thought my religion was wrong, I would leave it and search for the right one."Speaking for myself, I was much more afraid my religion was right. Discovering that there is no malevolent omnipotent deity in charge of the universe who actually allowed things like the Catholic Inquisition and Nazi Holocaust to happen is something that, to this day, I take great consolation in. Some people say Atheism is a bleak and hopeless philosophy. Compared to what?
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garyneal
When I was religious I did not give much thought to it. I just simply feared that I was not doing enough.
I did sometimes allow my mind to wonder and thought whether or not I could've been wrong. In those situations, I always came back to Pascal's Wager and believed that even if it is not true, it is still the best way to live.
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James Mixon
Raindow; "I would leave it and search for the right one", sure you will. Where would you go if that wasn't the truth, maybe unbeliever.... garyneal: I just read Pascal's Wager, interesting.
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tor1500
Hi,
Everybody thinks their religion is right....even it they don't they stay for various reasons....most of the time the reason is the fellowshipping and like minds...then from there some of these relationships turn into nice conditional love friends....you just have to know they are your friends because you will become a witness or are a witness, if you can deal with that, you have going to the hall licked....
JW's believe they have the true religion...they are the same folks that have the mind set that they have the best car and live in the best places...even if they live in a not so great area, they think they are better than the worldly people whatever that means...worldly people, ain't we all in the world, and many of us don't do everything we see and hear....JW's have an elite'ess attitude, so even if they were in a Baptist church they would have the same attitude.....So not everyone would be attracted to the Truth because not everyone thinks so much of themselves....that's a gene....
We will never know which is right or wrong or about death, because nobody came back to say a word.
Tor
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Finkelstein
I think what also promotes cognitive dissonance in religious people is the contravening information from secular acquired knowledge up against what is taught in religious teachings and knowledge.
Which information is right and which information is wrong. ?
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David_Jay
That is the problem with religions built upon and requiring assent of belief.
Not all religions are about believing something. Judaism and Buddhism are religions of practice. You can be atheist and be one or both (I have atheist friends who practice one or the other and know of some who practice both). Doubt and wrestling with central concepts are earmarks of Judaism, and there are forms of Jewish instruction regarding how and why to do this.
Not all religions have afterlife concepts, and therefore there are no reasons to worry they are wrong. Christianity seems to be peculiar in that it demands assent of mental belief in concepts that are supposed to be transcendent and defy reason. At the same time it often claims that doubt demonstrates unfaithfulness or even failure. Obedience and unquestioning are often requisites, and eternal punishment is always looming over the faithful just in case they think something incorrectly or fail in some way.
I have no reason to fear that my religion is wrong today, but Judaism also often teaches that it has no exclusive claim on truth anyway (or that there is necessarily a definitive truth in every matter). Thus I also don't go around thinking it is "right" either. It is what I do and how I respond to the universe, but it is just as much about being a Jew as it is about being in a covenant with the God of Abraham.
While I cannot speak for all Christians, the 11 years I did try it as a JW kept me in a state of constant worry and dread. I felt that my thoughts were not my own, that if I thought the wrong thing even for a split second that if I didn't immediately pray for forgiveness and repent that God would get me, especially should Armageddon begin before I could repent fully. Even though I had the "truth" as a Witness, I was in fear that I was believing hard enough or letting even a second of doubt in. It was always scary.