by lookingnow22 82 Replies latest jw friends
I know that the answer is yes, but it would help me to hear your sentiments on this.
After you decided that the WBTS, and thus JW's were not God's chosen earthly organization did you feel like you wanted to leave and forget God altogether?
Thanks again,
Looking
lookignow22,
My sentiment is that, if you are going to think that God is not using the JW's, then he is not using nobody. That means hell for all of us.
Well Fred,
Thanks for your thoughts. And that's crossed my mind several times. If not the WBTS, then who? And I know that most of you will say no organization. But please, just your feelings if you've had this thought of leaving God.
Looking
I hung onto the god concept a few years after I left the cult. In time, though, experience and my research have led me to the inevitable conclusion that I don't need a god for anything. I don't believe in the concept of sin and salvation so all that religiobabble is unnecessary in my life. I don't need an imaginary friend to rely on in times of trouble.
Prayer is as useful as muttering to myself. It vents some steam but accomplishes nothing. I gave that up too.
I just wish I had gotten a clue when I was younger. I wasted a lot of life working a useless salvation program. At least with Amway I woulda had some soap to show for the time & money spent...
But of course that is assuming that god exists in the form that religion tells us.
Surely if he/she/it does exist they could do a better job of telling us mere humans just how we should live and what kind of adulation they require to keep their egos suitably inflated.
Maybe if there is something there they dont actually want to be 'found' by us, instead we could be some sort of biological experiment that is merely being observed at the moment.
As I feel now I dont trust any religion having seen how just one group can twist and manipulate an ancient book to mislead and entrap millions.
But I could think differantly in a years time.
Lookingnow asked:
I know that the answer is yes, but it would help me to hear your sentiments on this. After you decided that the WBTS, and thus JW's were not God's chosen earthly organization did you feel like you wanted to leave and forget God altogether?
I am struggling mightily with this of late. I have not altogether physically departed the organization but my heart is far far removed from it. I don't want to "leave" Jehovah as well and yet I feel so bitterly betrayed by the organization and angry with Jehovah that I have not found a way to pray to him with any constancy or to seek Him and his guidance in my life in these difficult days. I cannot come to a satisfactory answer as to why He would have allowed me and loved ones to be so deceived by an organization that has caused so much irreversible damage and despair in my family. Although I have unshakeable faith that Jehovah exists, my trust and confidence is shattered that He cares anything about me personally or my family. (I can't tell you how hard it is for me to believe I just admitted that. I usually can't and don't, even to myself.)
My dear spouse and a close friend who have both also begun to have serious doubts and misgivings about the WBTS and GB still, however, manage to enjoy a fierce assurance of God's love. I regret deeply that I have begun to seriously waver in such conviction.
So I, too, am anxious to hear the responses others make to this inquiry.
AMNESIAN - after swallowing so many lies, now the forgetful hearer
"Has anyone felt like leaving God altogether?"
That's a good example of a poor question, because people who actually believe in the Christian God usually don't think that they leave God. Those who stick with their God do so because, after coming to believe in him, either they love him or they're too afraid of his wrath to leave him.
On the other hand, people who no longer believe that such a Go exists cannot, by definition, think that they're "leaving God". You cannot leave something you don't think exists. For them your question is like asking, "Do you feel bad about leaving the Tooth Fairy?"
Some people who still believe in the Christian God do actually consciously leave him, but I think they do mainly for what many consider selfish reasons, such as to pursue fame, fortune, sex or whatever, despite still believing in this God. They don't really care about serious matters, and they expect to live short but interesting lives. Such people rarely are serious enough to post to a discussion board like this, and so you won't find them here to comment on your question.
AlanF
It was a long slow process but I have "left" God altogether. I suspect it was a long and painful process because of a lifetime of brainwashing that I needed a "relationship" with God. I've come to the logical conclusion that an all powerful God doesn't need my acknowledgement,praise,worship,begging,pledges of alligence,etc. in order to exist and I suspect that is why He,She, or It doesn't bother to communicate clearly and conclusively with humans if such a being(beings) exists at all. All we have is some old writings from a couple of thousand years ago and from this we're supposed to have faith that only these writings were inspired and have the keys to our salvation.
Why is the Bible more valid than any other ancient writings? It became clear to me that only because of my European-American culture is Christianity considered the "True" religion among all others. God obviously doesn't need me and if I need Him He needs to let me know directly instead of relying on Earthly "authorities" speaking in His name and "correctly" interpreting these ancient books. I think it is healthy to give up our illogical and outdated God concepts. We must rely on ourselves because I suspect that if you listen to religious experts you are still following men instead of God and I'd rather face any judgements with only myself to blame rather than pointing at some religion or their leaders and blaming them. All God gave us is each other so He shouldn't expect too much more than that we were decent humans who tried to help each other and figured things out for ourselves.
Lookingnow22
How you are feeling is perfectly natural.Personally I have gone through many stages in the 10 years I have been out. Including a stage of defiance and anger toward God.
When I first left I needed Him the most but felt that my prayers would be unheard thanks to WT teaching.This left a huge void.
Then 6 years ago I met my hubby who is a moslem and when we talked about God I was surprised how similar our feelings were. I decided that it did not matter if you prayed to Jehovah or Allah or whatever as long as you acknowledged that God exists and you respected that.
There are remote corners of the world where the Bible or Koran etc have never even been heard of.Usually it is found that these people end up worshipping something because presumably they feel a spiritual need of some sort.
The trouble with us is that we have so many paths and Gods to choose from.Maybe you remain convinced the Bible is inspired by God...so that's narrowed it down to Christianity anyway.Doesn't make it any easier does it?
But what about Atheism? Sorry it's only flitted past my mind once or twice and it just didn't do it for me.Too far removed from my whole life up till now. After all we wouldn't have been JW's for all those years if we didn't have a love for God would we?
Nowadays when I pray I tend to just say "Father" but I still think "Jehovah". Force of habit.
I do not need religion and am doubtful if I will ever join any sort of religious following again.But as for retuning to God..well I realise I never really left.
Free
If you recall that to our way of thinking as JWs, God = Bible = Organization = Governing Body = Organization = Bible = God .
When we leave we are angry at the Org and the GB and included in this is God and the Bible because they are part of the same equation.
Separating them takes time but we have to if we are going to recover. Even if we end up being athiests, we have to separate God out of the equation and make a separate decision about Him.
JanG
