Did doctrine matter to you? Does it matter to most dubs now?

by nicolaou 25 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

• 

  nicolaou

  Minimus started a great thread a few days ago asking What Was "IT" That Finally Made You Leave The "Truth"?

  The replies showed that, for the most part, it was the unloving, uncaring attitude displayed by most of the 'brothers & sisters' - elders particularly. Some posters even made the point that this lack of love drove them out despite them harbouring fears that they might actually be leaving the Truth. Who here doesn't recognise and sympathise with those sentiments?

  But here's my question. Did anyone quit the JW's because of doctrine?

  Though I certainly saw the lack of genuine love for myself, the hypocrisy, gossip and the 'old boy network', none of that ever knocked my belief that this was 'Jehovah's Organisation'. I rationalised it all away on the basis that we are all imperfect. I figured that no amount of imperfect, sinful, human behaviour should cause me to lose trust in 'Jehovah's theocratic arrangement'.

  What did it for me was when I actually started to make a close examination of Bible teachings compared to Watchtower teachings. (There was a catalyst for this which I don't need to go into now.) I could make both sets of teaching harmonise if I followed WT reasoning, but there lay the problem - it was all so forced and circuitous.

  Examples: Daniel Ch 4, the 'other sheep', the literalness of the 144,000 and many others. Of course I found I couldn't have a free and open discussion about these things with my Mum or 'brothers and sisters'. I began to feel isolated and was soon on my way out.

  For me doctrine mattered - a lot!

  [edited to correct spelling error in title]
• 

  shamus

  This is an excellent question, and I thank you for bringing it up.

  I, too, thought that it was Jehovahs Organization. I "made the truth my own" by going through the pages of the study book "You Can Live Forever In Paradise On Earth", didn't think about it too much, b/c it was pretty basic. I was never ever religious... plus, my depression made my mind go numb most of the time.

  So, I made the troof my own, got baptised, yada yada yada... believing it all. However, questions did not start to arise for me until after I left.

  I had no idea on any bible teachings... I just took what they said for granted. After I got help for my depression, I realized why my depression was so bad; b/c everyone in the kingdumb hall was fighting. They were horrible horrible people, and it wasn't just one congregation... it was ALL OF THEM! Remember that scripture that said "all will know my followers if they have love amongst themselves". I couldn't rationalize the kingdumb hall and that scripture... EVER. Although they spoke of "persecution" the only dammed persecution that I had was from INSIDE THE KINGDOM HALL! So, it was a combination of doctrine and lack of love... that made it apperant to me that something was horribly wrong.

  When I finally left the borg, I was an emotional wreck... not b/c of my depression but b/c of the negative talk... you're not doing enough... if somethings wrong in the hall, it's you're fault... you're not doing enough... when I left that horrible atmosphere, my life went up! I was happy!

  From that point on, I found this website and really started to question everything that they had taught. I figured that I was just too "weak" for the truth, LOL! Now that my eyes are wide open, I see the flaws in they're teachings... and they're everywhere. Once I really researched these things I KNEW IN MY HEART that it wasn't the truth. That is something that I still feel and will always feel.

  "You strain out the gnat yet drink the whole camel". Fitting words for a destructive cult.
• 

  Dark Knight

  I think there are two types of JW's.

  The ones were doctine is really important. These are the ones that like to understand why the society writes the things it does.

  The other type just accept whatever doctrine they are fed. What's important to them is the social aspect of the religion.

  Cheers

  DK
• 

  link

  Dark Knight,

  You miss out a third! The ones that make it up as they go along. All my family seem to do this and the mind boggles at the things that they come up with.

  There were computers and space ships before the flood. There will be hail stones as big as soccer balls at armageddon etc. etc.You could devote a whole thread to the stupid things they say.

  David Icke eat your heart out!

  link
• 

  dmouse

  Actually it was neither - my congregation wasn't too bad as far as I was aware, and I was never that interested in the Society's convoluted explanations of scripture that were likely to change in a few years anyway (as the light got brighter)

  It was my own personal issues with belief in God that did it for me, issues totally unconnected with the JWs. Once my belief in a supernatural deity collapsed all religion became irrelevant.

  Of course it also didn't help that I was deeply interested in general history and science so I knew the Society were lying about certain things (evolution, signs of the times).
• 

  Euphemism

  Yeah, doctrine mattered a lot to me. What finally made me leave was the lack of love... not any particular incident that I saw, but rather, I realized that the lack of love was actually embodied in the doctrine. But I wasn't able to free my mind enough to see that until I'd recognized that most of the major doctrines (1914, f&ds, two classes of christians, etc) were bunk.
• 

  caligirl

  I remember sitting there when I was in my early teens and thinking that what they were saying did not make sense, and did not follow the bible (taking things out of context, etc) I saw also that love was conditional based on my personal experiences and that of others. Overall, I just knew that something was very wrong there and that I did not think I wanted to be a part of it. Yet it still took me 10 years to make the final break. I am finding that I am now much more interested in the doctrinal disagreements than I was when I left. It was reading ISOCF a few years ago that really tripped my interest in why the doctrinal beliefs of witnesses are so screwed up. Now I want to learn what I can on doctrinal issues in hopes of one day freeing my parents.

  In regards to how witnesses in general feel about doctrine, I don't know-just theories and opinions. In my opinion, no one hears much beyond "Do what we tell you or die" which is why I think you can tell an active witness about something clearly stated in their literature and they can look at you with that deer in the headlights look because they just hear the "go out and preach, we have it right because we say no one else does and you must believe." My feeling is that the average witness does not pay attention to any point not reiterrated by a question at the end of the paragraph, which is why they can print one understanding of a scripture one week, and totally change it the next without anyone noticing.
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  wednesday

  a B&R here(born and raised). I accepted their version of the bible b/c they said so. i never checked it out, b/c. why would they lie to us? Eventually i did read a bit of the bible on my own, and began to have a few questions. I stifled them. I left the org b/c they were unloving, and only later questioned the doctrines. But the doctrines did matter to me while in. I was proud we did not believe in a things like Hellfire and the Trinity. I thought to WTS made good sense. I thought they made up the prophecy stuff as they went, but what the hey, did i have a better explanation?

  I'm currently reading 'The Battle for God" by Karen Armstrong, and i am amazed how similar all the worlds religions really are.
• 

  Poztate

  It was changes in doctrine and policy that opened my eyes to the truth over 20 years ago.

  I don't think the average Dub thinks too much about doctrine anymore.For one thing the schedule is so hectic with meeting,service,assemblies etc that most are just content to absorb the pablum of the week.It takes a lot of extra effort to examine doctrine and compare it with the past.

  In addition to that research and "independant thinking" are frowned upon and would I am sure be viewed with suspicion in the increasingly paranoid world of the JW.It is much easier to go along mindlessly with the crowd than to start thinking for yourself.
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  Rick Aust

  I left because of doctrine. But it was the lack of love that started me to question and look, I found it all on the internet.

  Thanks you Internet.