a recent post displayed a letter written by a current elder.
it got me thinking about active jw's in general, and i am quite curious, in a genuine and sincere manner, how one deals with curiosity and sincere questions and/or concerns about the organization.
in my experience, as with the people i grew up with who now are also out of the organization, we experienced extreme supression while inside.
I remember the horrified silence I got the first time I said "I don't agree with that - it's just their (governing body) opinioin. You can't possibly tell me with a straight face that the bible actually says that." I was a teenager in the ministry.
Another time:
"God's standards are hard enough to follow without yours added to the mix, thank you very much."
i was disfellowshipped in 1995. even though i lost my friends and family, i felt like i had been finally set free and was happy for many years.
while i was a jehovah's witness, i always felt so miserable.
i never felt like i was doing enough to please jehovah.
To the OP, welcome!
But in answer to your question, no, I have never had a moments concern that JW's are actually correct. I let go of more beliefs than you did. I can't help you too much. I feel like if one believes the bible is true then one can make a case for almost anything. Some of the JW interpretations are marginally better than others - but many of them are much worse than others.
In my strong opinion, no real consensus exsits among the authors of the bible. Focus on this:
1. There is no good reason to believe Jehovah's Witnesses have special access to truth.
2. There are good reasons to not be a Jehovah's Witnesses.
3. At least some things they teach are patently false.
4. At least some things they teach are bad.
5. No good thing they teach is unique to them - all good things about Jehovah's Witnesses can be found in other religions if you choose to.
Go see a talk therapist or counselor. You are probably dealing with anxiety or depression which is underlying this change. It could be a ratoinal choice for you to be a JW if you want to do so for friends / family. This does not sound like what you are dealing with.
any of the rhetoric, demands, conciliation, etc., etc., remind you of anything?
wasn't this all how this war started in iraq?
(or the justification for it, anyway?
No, with an if - and Yes with a but to the OP. I'm strongly against neo-isolationism. The bottom line is that the West does not trust Tehran. One can believe this is legitimate or illegitimate. I lean to the former for many reasons.
We have several forms of incentives to prevent or dissuade a nation from taking a given course of action. We are moving through these steps. Full compliance with inspections comes at no cost and would be seen as an excellent gesture. Refusal to submit to an open forum on the issue should lead toward sanctions.
Those who think that Islamic theocrats would like the West and get along with us if we left them alone are ignorant accomodationists. Further, leaving them alone is not a viable moral, economic or military option. All left radicals should firmly oppose Islamic theocracy and actively support the violent overthrow of such nations and the liberation of their peoples.
The best thing for all involved would be if Tehran can be incentivised to play along and become enmeshed with the global community.
"Where goods cross borders, soldiers do not follow..."
One always must choose a side. The early left understood this. My side is the modern seed of secularists in Tehran who long to be peaceful, cooperative players in the global community in freedom.
for many jw's i know personally, who suffer from chronic illness, the hope of 'the new system' is what they look forward to.
you know, being able to throw the cane away, lose the wheelchair, see again etc.. now that you're out of the organisation, how do you deal with chronic illness?
if you suffer with an affliction, disease, impairment, how has your hope changed?
Some of the "chronic illnesses" which plague JW's are psychosomatic manifestations of depression - which they won't acknowledge or seek treatment for.
There is a huge pay-off for this...those who are ill get off the hook for having to waste their time.
The new system is a solution to a problem of its own making. The world is NOT a terrible, wicked cold and empty place. By enjoying life, many people build the character and attitude to deal with real solutions to real problems. For some, making diet and exercise a priority - or at least dedicating large amounts of their time to adequate therapy and treatment - is all that is required.
firstly, thank god i found this forum!
i've spent the better part of today while my kids were in school reading many threads.. some background...i am in my mid 30s, married, 2 kids.
i was born and raised a jw...came from "good" stock...elders, pioneers, etc.
x100 on marriage counseling. You are doing the best thing you possibly can for your children. Even if your marriage goes south, you can raise a better family as a normal person than as a couple in JW's.
Start making some new friends before you drop any bombs. Reconnect with some old school friends or workmates, perhaps.
take the average born again.
they begin their day imagining a powerful imaginary friend, and then go around mocking rational people and daring them to disprove the imaginary friend exists.
some even hear voices from their imaginary friend and claim he exercises magic for their benefit.
Most religious cults and negative aspects of religion are from illusions.
The common sensations people have from...
...singing in large groups
...participating in reinforcing discussions
...sharing common intimate "prayer" discussions
Produce real emotions. To oversimplify, these emotions get "translated" in the vernacular of the particular belief system.
Several totally fabricated religions use these experiences extensively. One HUGE one is the making public of private problems and the "group therapy" type vibes it gives off. This is then related to the theology of the cult.
This can be used in good ways by PROFESSIONAL therapists who are trustworthy individuals. They can manage the bonds and challenges of group therapy better. This is useful for some very sticky personal problems such as addiction, eating disorders and some character disorders.
take the average born again.
they begin their day imagining a powerful imaginary friend, and then go around mocking rational people and daring them to disprove the imaginary friend exists.
some even hear voices from their imaginary friend and claim he exercises magic for their benefit.
The psychiatric community does not define a belief as indicating pathology when it exists within a social support group - this includes things like Santa Claus or even Cult beliefs.
Extreme religiosity is, however, highly correlated with a history of trauma, family disfunction and various mental disorders.
Additionally, those who are drawn to cults have other common character issues.
Those who bounce from extreme groups have other problems.
If you converted to JW's as an adult, get some talk therapy and deal with why you were motivated to join.
Not all who believe they have a relationship with Jesus are crazy. Those who believe this is active and report specific conversations ARE. This kind of talk should not be trusted or encouraged by their less-intense friends and fellow believers.
richard dawkins said this:.
"...well, i think it is fair to say that if you were to...".
you can read it in context somewhere else probably.
In all seriousness, I think theists need to work out their position on the bible and on evolution before it's even worth talking about atheism with them. They tend to want to start at their version of the big-bang.
richard dawkins said this:.
"...well, i think it is fair to say that if you were to...".
you can read it in context somewhere else probably.
Further, if you look at the meaning of the word
"Atheist"
All you really have is an "A" and "theist." So really every last one is "a theist" because the can't testify against the testimony in their heart. Really, we're all made of matter. That should make everyone realize that we matter to Jesus! Why
BECAUSE HE MADE US MATTER!!! That's why
richard dawkins said this:.
"...well, i think it is fair to say that if you were to...".
you can read it in context somewhere else probably.
| besides Jesus would'nt have associated himself with a donkey... |
I seem to see a jack-ass whenever someone claims that Jesus is with them.
