i don't mean the basic moral code of behavior (that many non biblical lands also just happen to have) that people use to model their lives, but the 'deeper' stuff.... assuming that god has had his divine plan for vindicating himself etc ever since he figured that adam may screw up, and he needed to let faithful mankind know the 'plan' and how to survive it all.... why is the important stuff all gobbledegook?.
the time frame, prophecy, signs and so on are all so obscure that even the cleverest theologians can't understand it or agree on it.
the 'truth' is so muddled and juggled up that every understanding can be logically challenged with an equally challengable one.
Exactly! An excellent read is "Who wrote the Bible" by Richard Elliot Friedman. Sorry if I have repeated what someone else has said - don't have time to read through all the posts.
IMO, if an intelligent God existed then he would have communicated his existence, intentions, the meaning of life etc etc., in a clear and concise way that left no doubt whatsoever. The fact that he is hasn't shows that he either doesn't exist, or doesn't care.
i've found the following:.
1. the phone calls stop after about 9 months, then they just trickle.. 2. you get an opportunity to mentally detox.
this is not possible unless you quit drinking the koolaid.. 3. you know you're going to leave, and guess what?
I agree with all you say. I left suddenly, whilst still a reg pioneer. that was at the beginning of last summer. The thought of leaving and all my worries were much worse than the reality.
today, one of the few jw friends that i'm close to got baptized.. i always knew he was a little more into it than i was, but i thought that with high school coming for him (i'm a year older than he is), maybe it would open his eyes a little, and he would see the world differently.
with little contact with him because of seperate schools for the past year, i didn't find out the news until just before our convention started.
when he told me, i had this singular moment of panic and deflation, but i gave the guy a big hug and squeaked out a "congratulations" knowing he's two hours from shooting himself in the foot.
Baptising children is an issue that makes my blood boil. Your friend has my sympathy, and more of it should he ever decide to leave and be shunned by all those who cheered him on as a minor!
first of all even if i'm not a jw i believe in jehovah much more than myself.
when i was 6 my aunt(she is a jw) has started to thought me about jehovah.
at the beginning the religions things wasn't so impotante for me couse i was so young but as i grew i've started to understand the impotance of jehovah in my life.
Welcome Parminder. You will learn a lot about Jehovah's Witnesses if you stay on this forum. Then you will see that your Father is right not to like them. So read all you can and listen to your Daddy!
was it a long process?.
is it still ongoing?.
did you have a long range plan?.
Decided I needed a couple of weeks break last June. Enjoyed the vacation and decided I would like a long one, so never went back.
iwill be the first to say that i did.
not surprising considering how they treated me all my life.
i had conseling for it ( wordly counselor) but between us neither one could work out where this issue came from.
I dont know about self hatred, but definitely felt crappy about who I was. I never felt good enough, what with all that constant self examination. Now I have a much healthier and more balanced view of myself. As a song says "learning to love yourself is the greatest love of all"
http://www.flickr.com/photos/46785033@n08/sets/72157623121065163/show/.
lots of easy literature placements.
i won't give you the vomit worthy comments that covered the email i got these in..
Cantleave didnt say the relief work was vomit worthy. He said the comments that covered the email were.
I am very happy you can speak to those you love again. I know how it feels to be cut off. However, how sad that you have to live a lie for those who care about you to be allowed to talk to you.
I hope it works out for you.
we were supposed to "love" jehovah god.
we were taught how wonderful a god he is and how fortunate we were to be his people.
of course, you can't see jehovah god.
ps....and if he is 'speaking to us' through JWs then he better send someone better to the door than the babbling idiot that has just been to mine.
we were supposed to "love" jehovah god.
we were taught how wonderful a god he is and how fortunate we were to be his people.
of course, you can't see jehovah god.
I thought he was at the time. Now, looking back I realised he was just my imaginary friend. Worshipping a God, if he is there, that you cant see, have meaningful two way communication with, or get definite answers from without having to search through a psycho Bible, is like spending your life trying to grasp the wind - pointless.
If he is there then he is completely crap at communication.
