Has anyone felt like leaving God altogether? (page 6)

Mulan

My brother who left the Borg, in 1977, says that God is the biggest lie of all. He keeps hammering that at me, but I don't think I believe that, at this time. I think God is there, but he isn't as restrictive as religion makes him out to be. I believe he is all accepting, like any loving parent would be. But, I still don't really know. I don't pray either. Well, sometimes, but not the way others do. It occurred to me a few years back that prayer works like goal setting, and I do believe in goal setting. Set your goal, work towards it, keep focused, and it will happen. It just does. Same with prayer, right? So, maybe it's all the same thing. Just a thought.

Undecided

Good question,

I have developed a different concept of God in my life. He's not like the Christian God that I used to think about and believe in. I think of him as creating the universe but is not available to us humans as a person. We see him only as nature reveals his work and sometimes that's not too pretty, but at other times it's fantastic.

I see love as the most compelling force in the human realm. If we could just follow it's rule mankind would be a happy family, but that will never happen as seen by man's history and present state. All we can do is love those we associate with and hope it will provide us happiness until we die, after that who knows what happens, we can only have hope for something more, but right now I really doubt it.

That's my two cents worth of what reality is to me.

Ken P.

outnfree

Wow, Ken!

That's just about where I am now. Reading the Bible anew without the scales put over my eyes and mind by years of Watchtower indoctrination, AND with the insight of others' comments about the bloodthirstiness of Yahweh (even down to sacrificing his own only Son!), AND yet with the realization of all the marvelously designed things in the world around me, I'm just at the point of believing that the Judeo-Christian God is not the correct concept. He is not a Father-figure.

Rather, I believe that there was a Creator, but that he is simply uninterested in humankinds' affairs. Perhaps as an Artist creates a wonderful work on a canvas, pronounces Himself satisfied, and then moves on to the next endeavor which is so much more satisfying to contemplate than that which has already been finished....

So we have been left to ourselves. And as you say, "love is the most compelling force in the human realm." The reason people are drawn to Jesus is because of his message of love. (Jehovah's Witnesses always told us that Jehovah was loving because Jesus perfectly reflected his Father, but .... NOT! As someone mentioned above, Jehovah has serious personality flaws!) One could do worse than try to imitate the guiding principles that shine out from Christ's message. But there are other sources of fine principles that work as well. Expressing love can sometimes get you hurt, but will never be wrong.

It is extremely distressing to me these days to hear Christians pronounce a myopic, fundamental viewpoint based on a culturally-received orthodox understanding of the Bible, when I now clearly see that the Bible is not the inerrant Word of God.

Thanks for opening this thread, looking. It's been a very good thing for me to read all the replies.

outnfree

esther

Kes, since I don't believe that the bible is God's word, how can I believe that Jesus was God's son, or our saviour?
Jang, when I said that Paul was like the WTBTS, I didn't just mean his view of women, but also his views on marriage and his statements about the end of the world being just around the corner. I think he would fit in well with the GB.
esther

Jang

Esther, I only used that one example of what Paul said .... as I said, This stuff about marriage is also in the same catagory, as is the postion of women in the church etc.

The letters of Paul are probably the worst represented writings because they have been used by men to keep women under.

Katherine Bushnells book, God's Word To Women was a real eye opener on this subject. You can see more about this at : http://www.godswordtowomen.org/gwtwbook.htm

I have a couple of copies of it here too ....

I recommend that we women read it even if we never believe again oly because it helps break the power of the borgs interpretion over us faster ....

JanG
CAIC Website: http://caic.org.au/zjws.htm
Personal Webpage: http://uq.net.au/~zzjgroen/

jurs

i believe in God ,Jesus and the bible. i do, i guess, because i simply want to believe. i looked in the phone book , to find a church. i X'd off any churches considered cults, expecting me to get saved, those that thought they were the only true religion, and those that had some preacher pace back and forth on a platform, working up a sweat, talking about hellfire and then asking for a donation. that certainly narrowed my search. i'm currently at a methodist church and am pleased so far. but i don't think organized religion is necessary. jurs

think41self

Wow,

I have enjoyed reading everyone's thoughts on this subject, even those I don't agree with..except Kes. Fanatics of any kind are a big turn off for me, and I personally don't even read your posts! They are anathema to me! [8>]

I too went through a period where I thought the Witnesses must have the truth, and that caused me extreme cognitive dissonance! Then when I really examined the bible with an open and reasoning mind, I failed to see any reason to have faith or even belief in it or its God.

I don't know what power created this earth, or at least set it in motion. And I don't feel the need to have all the answers anymore. No one has any proof that they have the right ones anyway. But I am at peace with the philosophy others have expressed, too. To do good to others, and take responsibility for yourself and your environment. I am currently reading "The Tibetan Book of the Dead", and it is fascinating to explore Eastern philosophies(not religions).I am like an idea sponge right now. I reserve the right to examine any idea for myself and discard it or keep it based on my own powers of reason.

Safe4kids....you go girl...you expressed how I feel very well!

Esther....I'm with you, I think the Apostle Paul was one screwed up woman hater with serious control issues who probably never had a good lay in his life....and I don't care what other translators might say!

And that's all I have to say about that....for now.

think41self

gro

instead of a "father" as Judao Christians promote, perhaps the older idea of a great mother from whom all life flowed, can fill the need of a spiritual originater for at least some of us.

COMF

My brother...says that God is the biggest lie of all. He keeps hammering that at me

Meaning no offense to your brother, Mulan: he hasn't got it yet. Or at least, not in my view. The absence of God is not something that has to be hammered at anyone. It's the kind of thing you can just quietly know, and go calmly about your business among those who are still stumbling in blindness, trying to appease their gods. If asked (as in the case of this thread), then you share your thinking. But unlike the convert-or-die imperative of the religious, there is no imperative to convert people to this line of thought. It doesn't make it one whit more right or wrong if one person more or less believes it. It doesn't matter who believes it. It simply is, that's all.

Wishing your brother some serenity before long,

COMF

DannyBear

Safe4kids,

Who says God has to be loving and active in our lives??

Maybe that whole senario or thinking goes right back to religon. Man keeps telling God how to act. Why is the thought that God may well have an entirely different agenda, than man says he does, so very difficult to consider?

Maybe man just doesn't get it.

Danny

Has anyone felt like leaving God altogether?

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