Hi pimojw, I don't often comment on here anymore though I still read quite a bit but just felt I had to say hi as your words touched a cord with me. I too have struggled with many thoughts and teachings , trying to get my head round everything. Once you lose your faith in the WT it's so easy to lose faith in everything else too. I'm still unsure what to make of everything so I have just decided to enjoy the present, discard the WT teachings and try and live a good life. I still believe in God and still pray but not sure how much of the bible to still believe. I too love reading meletivivlon's website and it does help me to keep my faith somewhat, even though I still have lots of questions. I've had a little dabble with buddhist teachings too and like some of them very much. I found a good book to read called 'without buddha I could not be a christian' by Paul F Knitter. His wife is buddhist and he found a lot of ways to consider buddhist teachings and incorporate them into his christianity. It made a lot of sense to me. Hope you can find your way!
tornapart
JoinedPosts by tornapart
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61
Saying hello for first time
by pimojw ini have been sneakily looking at this forum, almost every day, ever since it began!
it has taken me till now to actually register and contribute.
(actually i did register with a different name in the beginning but never commented).. i am a pimo elder with a fairly long history of senior "positions" in the organization.
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US Republican congressman, others injured by shooter in Washington DC
by sir82 intragic occurrence:.
http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/steve-scalise-shot-in-virginia-aide-also-hit/ar-bbcfakv?li=bbnb7kz.
i saw another report indicating that the gunman may have targetting gop members.
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tornapart
Just had to login to give Outlaw's post a like! Only someone with hate in their heart and a screw loose in their head goes around shooting people!
In the UK guns are not so easily come by, so they pick up a cheap bread knife from the local supermarket. If their hatred makes them want to kill they'll do it with whatever they have at hand.
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Disfellowshipped Brother Gives Public Talk in Kingdom Hall
by The Searcher inabsolutely beautiful!.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vbmfx4isku.
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tornapart
Brilliant! I wonder if this made a few in the audience think a bit!
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Christian agnosticism
by tornapart ini never realised there was such a thing as 'christian agnosticism' until recently.
i've been wondering for a long time where my beliefs where at.
i still believe in god and still believe in jesus but not sure exactly what else.
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tornapart
Yes, it does seem like a misnomer which is why I was surprised the term even existed. Being a follower of Christ doesn't necessarily mean believing in a talking snake. What if it was a metaphor for something else? A legend or a parable for some kind of rebellion? Were Adam and Eve real people? Or did they represent 1)Man of the earth- mankind 2)Mother of humankind- womankind. This is the thing... we don't know, we weren't there. A believer is someone who believes and has faith in something that cannot be explained. That's why it's called 'faith'. So I actually think 'christian agnostic' is quite a good term for someone like me, who has faith that God exists and that Jesus exists but isn't too sure about what to believe about them, other than the writings of Bible, which can be very confusing at times.
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Christian agnosticism
by tornapart ini never realised there was such a thing as 'christian agnosticism' until recently.
i've been wondering for a long time where my beliefs where at.
i still believe in god and still believe in jesus but not sure exactly what else.
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tornapart
I never realised there was such a thing as 'Christian agnosticism' until recently. I've been wondering for a long time where my beliefs where at. I still believe in God and still believe in Jesus but not sure exactly what else. So I have just discovered that this is what a 'christian agnostic' is. I've been reading about others who think the same way and it's quite comforting. After having been with an organisation for decades that 'had all the answers', I had found myself not sure what to believe anymore, even wondering if God really exists and while I obviously have no proof that he does exist, I can't completely reject his existence. I have come to the conclusion that evolution is a process set in motion by God and the bible was written by men who had their own idea of who and what God is and what he wants. Some may be right, some may be wrong. I have felt very uncomfortable for a long time, floundering almost. I don't ever want to have anything to do with any kind of organised religion ever again and that is freeing. My family have come to accept my decision, including my elder husband. If I go to a meeting, it's as an onlooker, an outsider. A hello to old friends and nothing more. I feel a lot happier now. It really doesn't matter what I believe or don't believe anymore. Maybe 'christian agnosticism' is just a label but it sums up quite well where I'm at right now.
What stage in your beliefs (or non-beliefs) are you at right now?
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Disfellowshipped 2x adultry divorce remarried getting divorce to write my wrong
by IDontKnowMe77 inthis is bit hard for me but im lost and don't know what to do.. 2010-married to a disfellowship person after only knowing him 3 months i began studying baptized few months later and he was reinstated same year.. i committed adultry 3-4 times in first 2 years of marriage he forgave me.
he was a recovering alcoholic and fell off wagon hard when i tried to fix my wrong it was way out of hand he moved in drug addicts in the home we fought constantly i tried to get personal studies with a sister to keep going but i failed at that and left my husband i left for another man 2 in half years later im looking to divorce because well what goes around comes around and he committed adultery on me .
i got what was coming for thinking i would live happy ever after.
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tornapart
It seems to me that you are not ready for a monogamous relationship. Maybe it's best to be on your own for a while, find out who you are, what you want out of life without relationships getting in the way. you are just hurting yourself and hurting the ones you love. Forget religion, it hasn't done you any good. If you want God in your life, do it for yourself personally without anyone else or an organisation to control it for you. I see your username is 'I don't know me'... well... find yourself, without anyone else to confuse you. You will be happier.
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5 Ways to Improve Your Online Security
by Simon inlet's face it, we're all connected now.
we take it for granted that we access our bank accounts from our laptops or phones.
it's so convenient.
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tornapart
Simon.. I've tried to change my password on here for a more secure one. And can't. Could you tell us how we can do it please?
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Potential Muslim convert
by StopTheTears inabout a month ago, i purchased arabic/english gospels of john that contain a commentary for muslims.. .
i went to one of my neighbors and spoke to him and gave him one.
fast forward to today, my brakes need done so i took my car to the shop, walking back into my street i saw my friend abdullah outside.. .
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tornapart
I watched a programme the other night about muslim apostacy. It was very interesting and reminded me very much of the way exJWs are treated for apostacy, especially in this country (where killing someone is against the law).
There were a number of people mainly youngsters who stopped believing in God and wanted to turn their back on religion altogether. They lost their families, their peers, their whole community and became 'kafirs' unbelievers. In some countries it meant their death. Some of these young people courageously took a stand to protest against the way they are treated even when they know it could be dangerous for them.
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Question for Christians: What Religion are You Now?
by LaurenM ini know many on here are atheist.
but for the christians on here...what religion are you now that you are no longer a jw?
i'm still undecided as to whether i believe in god.
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tornapart
Hi Lauren, I'm a christian still and still believe in God but religion has no place in my life. Religion is all about control and I don't want to jump from the frying pan into the fire. True, there may be some liberal churches who are welcoming and tolerant but I'm not going to sift through all the bad ones to find a good one. I believe in evolution but I believe that God set it all off. I don't have all the answers and never will, I always say there are more questions that answers but it's interesting discovering what other people believe and why. I rather like the ideas that Frances Collins has, they make a lot of sense to me.
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What steps did you take to free yourself from the cult? mentally or physically?
by HereIgo infirst i ignored all of the elders phone calls to send my recommendation letter to my new congregation, truth is i had already started my fade and moved across town and didn't have a new congregation.
i deleted all jw friends on facebook.
i also threw away all of my public talks recorded on cd, all literature, even my book bag and my bible.
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tornapart
Physically it's quite hard with family still in but I've managed to become inactive and only go to meetings once in a while. Mentally it's been more successsful as I make sure that in my mind I no longer belong. This makes it easier to react to others as though I am on the outside, not allowing them any power over me (even if only in my own mind). It helps a lot to be able to visualise them as friends who are trapped rather than enemies and allows me to set boundaries that they cannot cross. I really think freeing oneself from a cult is more mental than physical and takes a lot of time and patience. Once you've been able to do it, it becomes a lot easier and you find yourself being accepted rather than shunned.