Other Religions

by rain 32 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  Celia

  RELIGION is a drug induced coma that is a real high....until you start coming down. Because down is much much lower than we can imagine. The higher you go up....the farther you fall to the ground.

  Karl Marx said : Religion is the Opium of the masses....

  these masses must be kept in ckeck. What better way than a powerful organization (Catholic Church, Watch Tower Society....etc) that controls the masses by telling them what to think, what to do, what not to think, what not to do... and if you don't obey, you go to hell, or you die...

  Funny, isn't it, that the JWs adopted the Catholic/Protestan Bible (with minor changes to fit their own peculiar doctrines), a collection of books chosen by the early Catholic Church leaders, who changed many passages to make it fit their own peculiar beliefs.... why were some books chosen to be part of the Bible and others rejected?

  I just read Holy Blood, Holy Grail - great research, and it makes a lot of sense. Anyone else read it?
• 

  Cicatrix

  Hi Rain,
  
  I haven't technically joined another religion (I have committment issues now, lol), but I do often go to a nearby Unitarian Universalist church.
  
  
  When I first left the JWs, I had nothing to do with religion at all. But I realized that I have had a need for spirituality in my life since I was a child, and that I do enjoy religious ritual occasionally. What I no longer have any tolerance for is absolutism or intolerance of others.
  
  
  I learned about the Unitarian Universalists on this board, actually, and I decided to give that church a try. I've found the members of the particular church I go to, to be tolerant and open minded. Each member is allowed to define and practice their faith, and their choice is respected by other members.
  
  
  Not only is independent thinking tolerated, it is encouraged. The first sermon I heard, the minister said that we should read all things critically. Respectful debate is the norm, not the exception.
  
  
  One of the principles of the church is that the inherent dignity of all people should be recognised, and it is. The church community I have joined welcomes everyone who can agree with their seven tenets, and these tenents are just basic commonsense things that nearly everyone can agree on. Therefore, members of ALL religions or no religion are welcome (there are several atheists who attend), persons of all sexual orientations,races,ages,political ideologies,etc.
  
  
  This church works for me. If there wasn't a UU church in my area, I'm not sure I would go to church at all, though. After the absolutism of the WTS, I'm a much more educated about what I do and do not want as far as religion is concerned.
  
  Edited to add: And alot of my education came from members of this board. Thank you all!
• 

  RR

  I didn't join another church AFTER I left the JW's, I left the JW's FOR another Church.

  RR
• 

  dh

  I personally have never joined any other religion, and though I've spent a lot of time reading about other religions and even discussing them, I'm pretty sure I would never consider joining any of them. I appreciate that some may argue that my JW upbringing has spoiled my view of religion, I don't think that's the case though, even if I had been born Catholic I would probably have wound up the same way. I just do not feel there is anything sufficient enough in any god or any religion for me to put my faith in, and certainly nothing I would worship.

  Maybe one day I will change and 'see the light', in a moment of weakness perhaps, when I am about to die, but I do not think that day will ever come, and I don't think it matters whether I follow a church or a god, or if I follow my own will for me to fulfill my role in this world, when my role is done, it's done, religion gives false hope, I prefer to live with no hope than lies.
• 

  Xena

  I'm curious Terry, have you been to other churches outside the dubs? If so which ones?

  Initially upon leaving the dubs I believed all religions were like them....or if not like them, the way they (the dubs) had defined them (churches/religion) for me. I have found out differently....you can believe differently and still be accepted...you can question...and there is a lot of love to be found in them. I haven't personally subscribed to a religion or church...I'm more of a seeker at this point, but it is proving to be an interesting and enlightening journey.
• 

  Balsam

  Terry I think your example was perfect. I didn't realize it though, since I had never been in love passionately. When I married my husband we were friends, and thought we might make a go of it being married. No love involved, respect is all . But I did fall in love with the Jehovah Witness form of religion. I was passionate about to the point of being sickening when I started studying. When I learned that the WTS was not what it appeared 29 years later,it was like finding out my husband was in love with men and not me. It was instant turn off. Oh by the way my ex is not gay, it is just an extreme example of how I felt. I felt betrayed by the WTS in every way. My rage eventally calmed down and now I just view it as a wasted time. A lesson learned.

  As for turning to other religions, yes I did go on a quest that proved fruitless so far. My skeptical mind keeps me at arms length of it as I investigate each one throughly. It is quite interesting though, the research. No more passionate love affairs with religion for me anymore.

  Ruth
• 

  Terry

  I'm curious Terry, have you been to other churches outside the dubs? If so which ones?

  _______________________________________________________________________________

  Baptist, Methodist, Scientology, Unitarian, Bible Students (C.T.Russell's original group), Christadelphian, Philosophy debates, American Atheist seminars, and regular reader of Farrell Till's debates.

  That's about it.
• 

  Xena

  Reading about them doesn't count Terry

  I'm just curious because my own experience has shown a lot of tolerance...when I interact on a personal level. I'll be the first to admit my experiece isn't extensive as I have just begun recently to have an interest again in spiritual things. I do realize too that everyone's experience is going to be different. Just wondering what perspective you were coming from.

  So in your interaction you have found most people in churches to be non tolerant of viewpoints other than their own? All individual thinking stifled? Granted their are extreamists in religions just as in any area of life, do you find them to be the majority in your experience?

  And is this just mainstream Christianity in general? Or would you include other religions?
• 

  BrendaCloutier

  "Organized Religion" hasn't been of any interest to me since leaving. I see too many with superiority complexes similar to the JW's.

  It doesn't require an organization to explore and experience spirituality. I learned this one in AA. I had to get a boost (boot) up on the higher power thing through an organization. For me, my life and health depended on it.

  It was thru AA that I met many indians (for those who are PC = Native Americans) and explored several flavours of their spirituality. This in turn opened me up to the posibility that there are many, many paths to "god" as there are people... neigh breaths. The key is to act on what you have come to believe.

  For me, my belief is that the ultimate universal power is love, where love is a verb. The core of the 4 loves we were taught as JWs: sexual (hormone driven), brotherly (platonic), familial (my family doesn't understand the word unless it has conditions attached), and godly. I think I gots 'em right.

  An excellent book on this is by Rev. Henry Drummond called "The Greatest Thing In The World" and is based on Corinthians.

  Acting on Love means: Smiling when you don't feel like it (for me it's most of the time because of chronic pain). Treating everyone with respect until they prove they're not worthy, then respecting them enough to walk away even if ya wanna bust their chops. Giving a dollar to a street person when it's your last one for a while. Giving a couple of quarters to a businessman who's cellphone has died and he doesn't have change for the phonebooth and telling him to pass it on. Picking up someone elses trash or wiping down the counter in the women's rest room. Complimenting that awesome purple and orange spiked roach (mohawk) on that guy's head. Or the kewl tat on her arm. Driving easy and letting that *U#$ in even if they're a butthead because I've done the same thing. Or asking to get a closer look at a specific pair of earrings on a young man with multiple piercings, but that pair is really awesome (his mom got them in Pakistan). Or cracking jokes with the check-out person, or teller at the bank.

  Basically, just being a nice person, every chance you get, whether you know them or not, because you may not get another chance and you just might miss out on something neat! Besides, it feels good.

  Hugs

  Brenda
• 

  LittleToe

  Brenda:
  That works pretty well for me, for the most part

  http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/6/78087/1.ashx