by chappy 23 Replies latest jw friends
Hello, Chappy:
I believe in God, in the ransom, but not in organized religion. I don't think there is anything wrong with association with Christians in an organized religion for fellowship as long as one does not get into the mindset of being "in the truth".
~Bin
May you have peace!
At the risk of offending those who believe political correctness trumps truth, I must say to you that all "religions" are "false lights" set up by the Adversary to "mislead, if possible, even the chosen ones." How is that? In that there is only one True Light, the Son of God. God... is a Spirit... and does not dwell in handmade temples... but in the "Body" of His Christ, people who are "living stones" that make up the "temple of God." The Head of this Body is His Son, my Lord, JAHESHUA MISCHAJAH, and it is only through that One that one can "enter" into the spirit realm in a "right" way (all others who enter some other way are thieves and plunderers). While it is true that one can enter into the spirit realm with him, he is the "Door", the "Narrow Gate," the "Way," through which all... who are seeking the face of the True God... must enter.
You might ask "If ALL religions are false, why did God set up Judaism?" Well, actually, He didnt. He did set up a "form of worship" for the Israelites to follow, due to their LACK OF FAITH (which later became "Judaism" as a result of the false prophets); however, had the Israelites been able to exercise faith in Him and simply follow the True Light that He sent before them... my Lord... without grumbling, complaining, murmuring... or doubting... (which really shouldn't have been a problem, given the plagues they saw upon Egypt)... He would never had had need to set up the "system" they had to follow as a result. Because they couldn't walk by faith... when they were being set free from slavery... and follow the "guide" He gave them, His Son... but needed to walk by SIGHT... because they lacked faith... He gave them a different "guide", a system which RE-ENSLAVED them... almost worse than they had before! Why? It was what they manifested that they wanted!
John 8:32; John 14:6; John 8:36
And that is what religion does: enslaves those who attach themselves to it. Enslaves them and leads them AWAY from the True God... rather than to Him. For they have no AUTHORITY: although "all authority" has been given my Lord... they seat themselves in the "seat of Moses," attempting to act as mediators, teachers, guides, leaders... when in fact we already have one: Christ - the true "mediator" between earthling man and God... the only true "rabbi/teacher"... true "shepherd/guide"... true "leader/king."
Matthew 23:2, 3, 10; John 13:13
Unfortunately, it is our fear of being "lost"... of being "alone,"... of being "different from the crowd"... of not "belonging"... to our peers... more so than to God... that drives us toward religion: there, it appears that we can find others who, for the most part, believe as we do. Because we need that, don't we, that knowledge that there are others that believe as we do? We need VERIFICATION that we are "sane" and "normal". And, unfortunately, such verification must come from our peers, earthling man, mustn't it?
That it can and should come from God Himself... is just too much to expect, isn't it, for who is "worthy" of that? In truth, dear one... none of us are. But that is the VERY jist of the words "mercy" and "grace"... of UNDESERVED kindness. We DON'T deserve it; but He... is merciful... even when we are not.
Ultimately, however, if we are TRULY seeking God... we come to realize that while we have a few things in common with those in religion, we have much more that is not. And we begin to see the "routine" of religion... and in many cases, the fallacy of it. Which eventually leads us to know that God's Spirit is not there. For some of us, it is manifest immediately. For others of us, it takes years, even a lifetime. We all get it, eventually; whether we ACCEPT it when we do, is another thing entirely; usually, we simply make excuses for what we know is true: God's Spirit is NOT leading such institutions.
Problem is, we have built a lifetime on the foundation of our belief in a religious system and to admit that that system is not what we thought it was brings us to two places that is very difficult to be: the fact that we were WRONG, perhaps our entire life (oh, Lordy! How can that BE?!!), and NOW where do we go (and if where I've been is wrong, how do I know the next place won't be?!!) If God does exist... and He is not here... where the heck do we go to find Him?
The truth, dear one, is that God is not far off from any of us... and to "reach" Him we do not need to know about a "where"... but about a "whom." Just as Peter asked, "Lord, WHOM will we go away to?" Peter said this because he knew that there was only One Way to get to God: through the Son of God... the Door... the Narrow Gate.
All one needs to do is seek... ask... and knock... in FAITH... and if one TRULY wants it... that Door/Gate WILL be "opened" to such one.
I bid you peace... and freedom!
A slave of Christ,
SJ
Just to give old slave a little wad to stick in her corncob pipe!
Carmel
"It is evident and clear to the wise men of nations - those wise men who are the wooers of absolute reality - that the purpose of the divine messengers and the revelation of the heavenly books and the establishment of the religion of God has been none other than to create amity and justice between the children of the races. True religion is the foundation of spiritual union, the union of thought, the union of susceptibilities, the unity of customs and the ideal chain binding together all the children of men. Through its practical realization, the minds and souls will receive development by divine instruction; they will become assisted to investigate reality, attain to a lofty station of wisdom and establish the basis of a divine civilization.
There are two kinds of civilization, - material civilization which serves the physical world and divine civilization which renders service to the world of morality. The founders of the material, practical civilization are the scientists and investigators and the establishers of divine civilization are the celestial universal teachers.
True religion is the basis of divine civilization. Material civilization is like unto the body; divine civilization is like unto the spirit. A body without the spirit is dead, although it may be clothed in the utmost beauty and comeliness.
In short, by religion we mean those necessary bonds which have power to unify. This has ever been the essence of the religion of God. This is the eternal bestowal of God! This is the object of divine teachings and laws! This is the light of the everlasting life! Alas! A thousand times alas! that this solid foundation is abandoned and forgotten and the leaders of religions have fabricated a set of superstitions and rituals which are at complete variance with the underlying thought. As these man-made ideas differ from each other they cause dissension which breeds strife and ends in war and bloodshed; the blood of innocent people is spilled, their possessions are pillaged and their children become captives and orphans.
Thus religion which was destined to become the cause of friendship has become the cause of enmity. Religion, which was meant to be sweet honey, is changed into bitter poison. Religion, the function of which was to illumine humanity, has become the factor of obscuration and gloom. Religion, which was to confer the consciousness of everlasting life, has become the fiendish instrument of death. As long as these superstitions are in the hands and these nets of dissimulation and hypocrisy in the fingers, religion will be the most harmful agency on this planet. These superannuated traditions, which are inherited unto the present day, must be abandoned, and thus free from past superstitions we must investigate the original intention. The basis on which they have fabricated the superstructures will be seen to be one, and that one, absolute reality; and as reality is indivisible, complete unity and amity will be instituted and the true religion of God will become unveiled in all its beauty and sublimity in the assemblage of the world."
(Abdu'l-Baha, Divine Philosophy, p. 160)
Chappy! You can check my profile if you want!
caveman
Hello, I really like your question. I do believe there is a God. I also do follow certain parts of the bible. The fruitages of the spirit are stencilled on my daughters wall for her to learn and to remind me when I am feeling stressed/depressed. Love of neighbour is a very good example to all. I feel. God gave us the freedom. The freedom of expression, choice, to love, to hate. He gave it to us freely. I love God with all of my heart. I have researched evolution vs creation and definately feel and think that there is a creator from the evidence I have found. Not from the JW's creation book but from the internet and other research. I do not feel that I have to go to a church or kingdom hall to have a relationship with God or to please him as he has given us his standards in the bible. Some confusing, some simple. I treat others how I would like to be treated. If they don't treat me the same that is up to them and they are accountable in the end. I love God and I always will. No one can change that. I didn't feel as close to Jehovah God as a so called Witness as I do now. Sad but true. I wish that all witnesses could feel as blessed and as close to Jehovah as I do now. It's truly a wonderful experience. panther
Hi, Chappy!
I believe in a Creator God/Goddess and I think religion is far too limiting. Nonetheless, I sometimes attend church services -- for some reason I am drawn to participating in communion, perhaps because as a JW we couldn't "partake" unless we were VERY special?
I found what I think is a lovely quotation, because I think many exiting JWs wonder where they should go, if there is a "right" way to worship, etc. It's from the Babylonia Talmud, and I like it because of how the JW religion always used the fear of Armageddon to keep its members hopping:
"You shall live by them, but you shall not die because of them." -- Yoma 85b
Much of what religion teaches is good, but God/dess is greater than puny man-made rules. The Creator truly is Love, and life on this planet is but one small part of our eternal existence, in my opinion.
outnfree
i'm not sure if there's a god, i think that would make me an "(a)theist". i would believe in one religion as being the truth, if i'd see some nearly-invisible being come down from the clouds (or from wherever), telling me to join cult this-or-that. this hasn't happened so far, giving me two options: "there is no god" or "god(s) exist(s) but he/they don't want me to know him/them". as both options have the same evidence i can't decide wich one is true.
I don't beleive that someone nessecarily has to go to a church, although I would like to start going to a church again. I don't know if there are many kinds of religions/churches that God does not approve of, I would say religions that are plain cultish like the JW's would be one of them, though.
~Sarah
Hi Chappy,
For those here who still profess belief in God I'd like to know if religion is still an important/necessary part of that belief system. No, religion itself isn't necessary. If so, do you attend religious services? I attend some gatherings which are "religious", but not the conventional church type. Where possible, it is outdoors in nature. Which religion/belief system do you ascribe to? Wicca If none, how do you worship or maintain a relationship with God? God and Goddess are not separate from us, IMHO. However we may choose to reach into ourselves to contact that divine part of us. I attend rituals and I meditate to find answers which were already there but were not in my conscious mind. I am starting to believe more and more that we are all just an evolving universe and that whilst there are beings in spirit and beings in flesh, we're all essentially part of the one whole which is growing and developing. The energy is just moving and changing, that's all. Do you feel that God looks "more favorably" on any particular belief system? Are there any that He rejects? I don't see God as an old man on a throne in the sky, so I don't think that God judges. I do think that the best thing for the universe is for us to nurture love rather than sow hatred. Also, it isn't good to be destructive toward self or others for those same reasons.
Sirona
Hi chappy, you asked:
For those here who still profess belief in God I'd like to know if religion is still an important/necessary part of that belief system. If so, do you attend religious services? Which religion/belief system do you ascribe to? If none, how do you worship or maintain a relationship with God? Do you feel that God looks "more favorably" on any particular belief system? Are there any that He rejects?
I do have an absolute belief in God and in a personal one-on-one relationship with Him through Jesus Christ. Having that relationship (an actual event, not wishful thinking, whereby God made me His child)is developed and maintained by faith through the power of the Holy Spirit. Religions are human-made institutions created for the express purpose of man's attempt to please some perceived higher power. It is in essence man's creation of god. Like Little Toe said, religion can be a stepping stone to belief in God and salvation, but religion in any form will not "save you." You have to step outside the box (leave the city if you will) and approach Christ directly. And a person must leave all of their "baggage" in the city, because any approach to Christ must be from a pure heart (a condition only God bring about). Baggage includes, but is not limited to, self and any preconceived perceptions and/or ideas that an individual places between themselves and God. A person must stand before God "just as they are" with no personas.
Belief systems are human creations. Various truths can be present in many of them. But that will not "save you" either. God rejects them out of hand as a means of salvation. Anyone that believes they can follow a certain set of beliefs (religion) and that God will somehow be indebted to them, is walking in darkness. Like AGuest said, God has provided a way. It is the narrow road. It is Christ Himself.
When God makes a person His child and places them into the Body of Christ, their very life is derived from Him. There is no other way.
PB
