Have You Renounced Everything Jehovah's Witnesses Believe In? (page 4)

minimus

"Fundamental doctrines" are rarely important, so it seems, to staying in a religion. Most Catholics that I know of either do not follow the Church's directions on sex, divorce, the infallability of the pope, etc......YET they remain Catholics. I am saddened to know that many would remain JWs simply because they want to keep friends or lifestyles intact. Even if they knew that most of the JW teachings were bullcrap, they would still remain active members. There is no reasoning with these types of people.

starfish422

Well said, Room 215!

I have rejected all of the religious crap I was taught in the JWs; but I also learned lots about poise, appearance, and public speaking. Lots of people pay hundreds of dollars to get the training I got free. Not only that, if I can knock on people's doors and speak seriously about absolute bullsh*t, I can tell anyone anything. LOL

outoftheorg

Yes, I step by step went through all the jw beliefs and mentaly destroyed any and all belief, trust, respect, fear and anything else they taught or used to control me.

Then I set up my own set of guidelines, do not steal,murder, adultry, etc, All the common rules of good conduct and living a good honest life.

Then I looked at spirituality and found all of the teachings were conflicting, only based on old mystical or confusing writings of men who existed thousands of years ago in times of ignorance and brutality.

This ignorance, brutality, hate, arrogance was demonstrated, in their records of the slaughtering of any and all that did not worship as they did.

I studied history and found it was mostly a record of the many wars and slaughter of mankind.

I found nothing on a solid footing to support a spiritual belief. It all reminded me of the phrase "smoke and mirrors".

So I freely admit that I do not have a clue about spirituality. I will live my life and no longer worry or seek some group or mystical belief or worship to guide me. Since I live in the reality of the here and now, that is how I will behave and function.

What ever happens after death, if anything, no longer concerns me. I think there may be a creator. But I doubt that we could use the label , he or she or it or anything like the bible descriptions.

It is a great relief, to live without the constant burden of worry about satisfying some hazy shifting set of beliefs designed to accomplish the unknown, in a yet to come future, in an unknown relm not in our dimension of reality.

Outoftheorg

garybuss

The Witnesses structure can be broadly divided into two sections. One is beliefs and the other is practices. The beliefs are largely directed at explaining away past failed predictions and establishing the Publishing Corporation as having the authority to make policy and enforce the practices.

The practices are all designed to farther the interests of the Book Publishing Corporation. The practice of shunning is designed to protect members from information the leaders do not want known, like the Publishing Corporation's active membership in the United Nations. The practice of meetings is to train recruiters and book sellers and allow the corporation regional directors opportunity to observe the members to see if they are in compliance with all the Corporation legislated directions, like hair grooming, following dress codes like IBM business suits for the men, and dresses rather than pants for the females.

The practice of literature distribution is so the local directors (elders and circuit managers) can see if the volunteers are complying with directions and so members can raise funds by literature distribution and gain new members by door to door recruiting.

The practice of building construction is to farther the corporation's real estate interests. If the construction practices were used to build adequate housing for members, many could move out of the substandard housing they are living in.

When one steps back and watches it's easy to see all doctrine and practices are to benefit the Corporation, often to the detriment of the members. If there is ever a conflict between a member and the corporation, in my world, the corporation has always won.

Sorry for wandering. Good thread. It has motivated some very good comments. I have enjoyed reading them all. GaryB

Cameron

I too haven't found the Trinity, immortality of the soul, hellfire, etc. in the Bible either. But the difference now is that I'm free to look at what the Bible says without any fear of noticing something that might change my mind and then get charged with apostasy for disagreeing with "God's organization." It feels good to have the freedom to feel the way Russell expressed it in the September 15, 1895 Watch Tower.....

"Believe and obey so far as you understand God's Word today."

Don

Mulan

Nope! I still don't beleive in hell, trinity.

I agree with the above. Other than those things I would have to say "yes" I've renounced all of their teachings. I am not sure about immortality of the soul. At this point, I tend to think there is evidence that the soul or "essence" of a person lives on after they die. I also think the Bible is just an interesting version of history................or maybe just legends. It has some good things, but many, many things that make me feel like they couldn't possibly have come from a god of love.

freelife

I am kinda indifferent to religon as a whole i think I am a good person I believe that there is a god but I don't feel that my every move in life should be scrutinized by a religon. I am a person of free will and that God wants me to make myself happy as long as it is not at another persons expense.

stillajwexelder

Have You Renounced Everything Jehovah's Witnesses Believe In? No way -- I accept there is no such thing as the Trinity (and no I am not trying to stir up another long boring Trinity thread) also I still do not believe in Hell Fire . I also accept the Ransom Sacrifice - I also accept that we should try and live clean moral lives

LyinEyes

I dont know what I believe yet. I not only lost faith in the JW religion, I lost faith in the Bible, in God, etc.

If the Bible isnt true, then how will I find answers as to heaven, hell, the Ransom ? Maybe the Bible is true, maybe not, maybe things have been left out that would tell us more clearly what we need to know? Was it tampered with? I just dont know.

I guess in my heart I have a tiny seed of faith and that is all I have to go on. This tiny little feeling that there is some higher power out there,,,,,,, I just dont know what he expects from us , if anything. I just hope if He does read my heart he will know that I am most definately a lost sheep.......stuck in a mud hole!!!!!!!! lol.

I do think that by our very human nature , maybe we were created this way, we are mostly good. I try to be good to my fellow man, do good things for others, and to love the best that I can.

BluesBrother

I lost faith in "The Society" . I reject all the teachings that are unique to the Borg . I mean like dates, the last days, Armageddon, New world etc . I still believe in God. I beleive in the Bible but not always as literally as I once did .. As Lyin Eyes said, I am also not sure yet what I will eventually end up believing . I read a book about Christianity being based on pagan myths, but I was not convinced.... i still get a buzz fom the scriptures

also, Like others have said better, I still believe in honesty and the good qualities that are taught , if not always practiced by the WTC

Have You Renounced Everything Jehovah's Witnesses Believe In?

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