Heres my reflection on this issue from someone who has just recently went through such a transition.
First off, yes it's hard to rebuild faith in a God that was put on an equal scale with a human organization. I remember when I first struggled with the thought that the Watchtower could possibly be wrong, I prayed for help from God to steer me in the right direction and if what I was learning was wrong then to show me my error. Somehow or something kept me pursuing further and further, as I only prayed to know the truth. It was a very difficult period, and honestly I struggled with feelings of apathy. I felt that their can't be a God because he had to have an organization or at least some physical presence on earth and I could no longer accept the watchtower, so I could no longer accept God. I struggled with this for sometime but I thought about it and began to see organized religion as a crutch. Its a crutch in the sence that it spells out all the answers in black and white, does all the thinking for you, and gives you a purpose in life whether it is correct or not. To me it was the easy way as no thinking was required. I began to reflect on what a personal relationship with God and his son truly means. Does it mean depending on imperfect men for all the answers to life, or rather does it mean doing our own leg work and searching his word for our own answers? Who is the truth and the life? An organization of humans or is it Christ as the scriptures so clearly spell out?
I began to think about the road that is broad and spacious and the one that is cramped and narrow. Is the cramped narrow road the one where you have all answers given to you by imperfect men or does it involve effort on each individuals part to make the truth their own. I believe that the narrow road signifies ones who don't rely on a crutch for their salvation but rather rely on Christ and his Father. I admit it is much easier to have all the supposed answers then to rely on faith alone, but what does God truly require of us? I can understand why many feel apathetic when leaving such high pressure-all questions answered organizations, its an enormous task to be responsible for ones own salvation, rather then ride the curtails of a large group. In all honesty though our salvation rests in Christ and not in being part of a group, as the scriptures state in Acts chapter 4:12 "Their is no salvation in anyone else, for their is not another name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved." No group or organization today can or rightfully has authourity to claim that it is the key to salvation as we are warned in 1st Corinthians chapter 3:11 "For no man can lay any other foundation than what is laid, which is Jesus Christ." The key thought is as a witness you are taught to view an organization as critical to salvation, and this is one of the major detrimental attacks on faith in God. Faith in God becomes blended with faith in the Watchtower to the point that the two are no longer distinguishable but become one. So when one leaves the watchtower they feel they must also leave God or cease belief in a creator. Its disheartening to see it happen to individuals but I hope in time they may rehabilitate their faith in God aside from a legalistic organization. I feel its unfair to peg God in the same hole as the watchtower, please remember God was not behind the hyprocrisy and injustice, it was men who had no authortiy to place themselves in the position they have.
God is not so far off that you need to belong to a group to be his follower, remember that he searches hearts, not numbers and affiliations. The first century congregations were not legalistic and organized, they were only united in brotherhood of love on the basis of Christ's sacrifice. Their were no leaders for all were to be brothers, as only Christ was the rightful leader, no governing body's to lord it over ones, bible trained conciences were to be guides not an implemented regime of rules, love was to prevail not prejudice, arrogance, and judgemental attitudes. Centralized authority did not even exist until the second century as ones struggled for power within the congregations, and began to implement structured doctrines, forcing their ideals upon ones bible trained consciences. This has continued down till our day and parallels the Watchtowers approach. They on one hand give lip service to a personal relationship with God and on the other hand force ones to conform to their ideals and make that relationship a binding contract with the Watchtower Organization. This in no way coincides with any scriptural backing. They have essentially took the stand of the pharisee's and other 2cd century religious authority figures. In no way had Jesus ever promoted such an idea of a authority structure as exists today. His message was freedom not religious oppression, and he suffered the same persecutions as ones today who endevor to worship through spirit and truth. He was attacked by religious authority as a heritic and a blashphemer, much the same as ones today who seek a sole personal relationship with him outside of and religious authoritive organization.
I have managed to rebuild my faith in God and his son, and feel fully confident putting my trust in Christ and his Father alone. I do not need the easy road of a large number orgnization to stimulate feelings of eliteism and rightness through a strength in numbers, rather I choose the hard road of sole trust in God and his promises. For this I have much greater satisfaction and fullness then I ever did as a Witness, and my wish would be that ones who exit the Organization would also be able to seperate the two and place honour, love, faith, and trust where it truly belongs, in God and his son, Christ Jesus, the only truth and the only life that we as humans can depend on. Please don't lose faith in our only saviour and true head over the injustices of human authority, but rather take delight that as Christ was persecuted so will we as we strive to follow his example. Don't let a Organization in sheeps clothing ruin the precious relationship offered to each and every person, as we are all important to him no matter how small we may seem in the whole realm of things.
Ticker
