JW's are told that they have a faith unlike any other. What is the faith that the typical Witness has???
What Is The Foundation Of Faith Belonging To a Jehovah's Witness?
by minimus 25 Replies latest jw friends
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iiz2cool
Misguided.
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blondie
They would like to think it is faith in God and Christ, but when a crisis hits their life they do not run to the Bible and to God in prayer, but to the elders and the WT publications or they rely on themselves.
Blondie
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Flowerpetal
Shallow and superficial. They miss the importance of just what Jesus did for mankind, not even thinking about the pain he went thru--sure they talk about it, write about--but do they ever think about it? I know because I was like that too--until several years ago. Not that I had one of those experiences that "born-again" Christians say they have, but something changed... All JWs think about is that the end is coming soon, it can't be that much longer, this system stinks, etc., etc., etc.
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Phantom Stranger
Ah, back to question marks, I see, min :)
The typical Witness believes that if they play the game by the rules the WTS has given them, any lack of material success, any weakness of familial relationships, any narrowness of experience or ignorance about the world around them, any pain of loss, or any personal fears of change and growth - all these will be made OK, even praised as "doing good works", and will result in a future paradise where these nagging fears, doubts, pains, and failures will be erased - sort of a "do-over".
I believe that much of the "faith" that Witnesses have is really a fear response. Many of them want to avoid the pain ahd hurt that is a part of life, and being a Witness encourages much of that pain to be denied and ignored - to be discounted as "not real". It seems that a large obstacle for leaving the WTS, and a challenge to deal with once someone has left, is how to manage the pains and hurts that all humans experience, but which Witnesses are ill-prepared to handle.
Life is pain, highness - anyone who says differently is selling something. The Dread Pirate Roberts.
Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional. purported Buddhist saying (also used by many personal growth writers and groups).
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happy man
"never deny anyone the appearance of happiness he own, you dont now hes secret sorros."
A very good thing to think about
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JamesThomas
"Faith unlike any other". As most all of us know here, this statement goes beyond words. It is a sense you have as a Witness that you are of the only-true-faith. It is a further refinement on the basic belief of Christianity's ownership of God (shrinking and belittling the Source of the universe to fit a mental image or theological mold; which other religions do as well). It is a statement and sense of gross exclusivity. One probably common to most cults. It is a statement of imprisonment. It is a term used to control others. It makes enemies out of everyone who is not exactly like you. It is not a spiritual statement at all, but one that breeds greed and fear. Sadly, this is what the "faith that belongs to Jehovah's Witnesses" is based on. JamesT
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garybuss
The whole Witness idea is that this life is lived as an application for the next. That's not so different from many other religions. -
minimus
JW faith is built upon lies, fear and inept prophesying. The Watchtower teaches people to believe in the "channel", the "faithful and discreet slave class". History PROVES that the Watchtower Society bases their faith on imperfect men, not God.
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Soledad
Phantom Stranger summed it up very well. Witnesses' faith is a response to fear. they can't handle reality, so they choose to kind of "drop out" of society (general society that is, not WT society).