I will never join another religion (been there done that) but I do attend a non-denominational church once a week. My experience is similar to Gordy's. There is no pressure, no control, no beating me over the head with the Bible. There is a sense of freedom and peace that being a JW never gave me. I'm open minded to the beliefs of others and I feel the joy of being out of the WTS and living my own life. - V Sky
How many have left the WTS and joined another church/group?
by BLISSISIGNORANCE 62 Replies latest jw friends
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GentlyFeral
Well, for seven years post-jaydub, I was Unitarian Universalist. Basically, they believe in intellectual honesty and the Golden Rule, freedom of conscience and the democratic process. A great place to hang out if you want non-judgemental company on life's journey. A safe place to have a religious breakdown, which is precisely what I needed seven years ago.
They're one of the most "hands-off" religions around when it comes to telling members what to believe. Jesus is optional; so is belief in god. Many UU's are agnostic or atheist, and they are happy to share a pew with a UU Buddhist, a UU Christian (yes, there still are some) or a UU Pagan.
One of my coolest experiences there was attending a Build Your Own Theology class with a bunch of non-theists, who were fascinated by us pagans and wanted to know how it felt to have imaginary friends in high places (my phrase, not theirs ). What surprised me was how charming they found the whole thing!
GentlyFeral
reminiscing, just a little bit -
Dawn
I don't believe in "religion" any longer. Religion is man's attempt to explain God and somehow fit ourselves into categories of "approved" and "unapproved".
I do however believe in God, and Jesus. I go to a non-denominational church because I learn a lot about the bible there, they do a lot of great charity work, and it's been a good source of healing for me. I have found a lot of love and acceptance there.
As for doctrines - some of what they teach I believe, some I don't. But there is no pressure to conform and that's the way it should be. Each person should be free to make their decision about who God is and how to worship him.
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clash_city_rockers
By God's grace alone He has led me out of the WT some 12 years ago and into his salvation by trusting him alone which God has enabled me to do. My first church I was Grace Community Church of the Valley in Sun Valley, CA pastored by a very very very famous preacher John McArthur. He is a good bible teacher for the most part but he is a dispensationalist and a quazi calvinist in his doctrine of salvation, sadly sometimes he can be a bit moralistic and less Christo-centric in his aplication. When I moved back up to bay area I attended a very strict Reformed Baptist Church that held to the 1989 London Baptist Confession but I soon left because they held to strictly to the sabbath issue (which latter in time I did become more sabaterian) Then I Joined a calvinistic independent bible-baptist church that was alot like my former church in LA (John McArthurs) it was kind of cool the paster was cool but they could'nt shake the dispensational teachings, even thought they are not truely dispensational more of a psuedo dispensationalism (Progressive Dispensationalism see Derral Bach's writtings) I was heading more and more to a covenantal reformed calvenist position expressed by the Westminster Confession of Faith. I eventually left and joined the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, a bible believing reformed calvinist church. Just read the writtings of John Murray or Robert Lewis Dabney or Gerhaudus Vos or Corneleus Van Til, or Greg Bahnson
1991-1994 Grace Community Church (John McArthur)
1995-1995 Reformed Baptist Church
1995-1999 Grace Bible Church
1999-to present Provedence Orthodox Presbyterian Church
John Murray http://www.xworld.org/DR/
Gerhaudus Vos http://www.biblicaltheology.org/
Robert Lewis Dabney http://www.gty.org/~phil/dabney.htm
Van Til & G. Bahnsan http://www.cmfnow.com
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Athanasius
I left the JWs in 1984 and for a few years didn't attend religious services. But in 1987 I I began attending other churches and synagogues. In 1991 I was received into the Episcopal Church.
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clash_city_rockers
oooooppppssss 1689 London Baptist Confession NOT 1989
check out my church I hope you can visit http://www.opc.org
GentlyFeral or is it Exuberent new age potato chips??? Was that the have God your way class up at the Starr King School of Theology in Berkeley at the GTU???
BTW I am posting at the GTU Library right now
Lets Go A's,
rock rock clash city rockers
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ozziepost
I will never join another religion (been there done that) but I do attend a non-denominational church once a week.
This is what I have found too! Unfortunately the dubs can never understand that. For them, faith is a corporate thing i.e. they can't put faith in God without the organisation whereas a christian has a personal faith in God. In a sense, it's a private thing.
Cheers, Ozzie (of the freedom lovers class)
Freedom means not having to wear a tie.
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Jimmer
After 14 years, I started attending a church. An E-Free one.
I now go to a Baptist one.
Funny, I've yet to officially join one yet. I wonder why?
Hmmm....
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Stacy Smith
Not gonna happen, not ever. Not for a million dollars or with a knife to my throat. I'm not going.
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SixofNine
There is not a person on this entire planet that knows the slightest bit more about God than me. So why would I go to a church and listen to some man or woman act as if they had some special connection or knowledge about god?
The above statement may be brash, but it is not at all arrogant.