Which Church do I go to now?

by jwfacts 32 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Billygoat

  jwfacts,

  Like so many others said, the great position you're in now allows you freedom of choice. One thing I might warn you about though is don't fight about doctrine right off the bat. Don't necessarily try to find a church that does or does not believe in the Trinity or Hellfire or whatever. Look for churches that live by the two rules that Christ laid out, "Love God, Love your neighbor". I think you'll be surprised at how many good churches there are out there that focus on that and not doctrine. You don't HAVE to believe in everything a particular religion believes. It's not black and white, all or nothing like JWs were. Should you happen to enter a church and discover that, then I say turn around, walk out the door, and find another church. I had to do a little church shopping myself to find what I was looking for.

  I wish you the best!

  Andi
• 

  IP_SEC

  Chuch o' Matt Foster enterprises.
• 

  jgnat

  I really like this comment of greendawn's

  Being very sensitive about doctrine is a carry over from the JW past,.... One must look into things like are they friendly and accepting, are they reasonable people or helpful?

  Now, if the Trinity is a key doctrine for the exiting JW, there are denominations who reject it. These include the Christadelphians and the Bible Students. I think one of the glories of Christendom is the variety. Revel in it.
• 

  Rooster

  7 A woman of Sa·mar´i·a came to draw water. Jesus said to her: "Give me a drink." 8 (For his disciples had gone off into the city to buy foodstuffs.) 9 Therefore the Sa·mar´i·tan woman said to him: "How is it that you, despite being a Jew, ask me for a drink, when I am a Sa·mar´i·tan woman?" (For Jews have no dealings with Sa·mar´i·tans.) 10 In answer Jesus said to her: "If you had known the free gift of God and who it is that says to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water." 11 She said to him: "Sir, you have not even a bucket for drawing water, and the well is deep. From what source, therefore, do you have this living water? 12 You are not greater than our forefather Jacob, who gave us the well and who himself together with his sons and his cattle drank out of it, are you?" 13 In answer Jesus said to her: "Everyone drinking from this water will get thirsty again. 14 Whoever drinks from the water that I will give him will never get thirsty at all, but the water that I will give him will become in him a fountain of water bubbling up to impart everlasting life." 15 The woman said to him: "Sir, give me this water, so that I may neither thirst nor keep coming over to this place to draw water."

  16

  He said to her: "Go, call your husband and come to this place." 17 In answer the woman said: "I do not have a husband." Jesus said to her: "You said well, ‘A husband I do not have.’ 18 For you have had five husbands, and the [man] you now have is not your husband. This you have said truthfully." 19 The woman said to him: "Sir, I perceive you are a prophet. 20 Our forefathers worshiped in this mountain; but YOU people say that in Jerusalem is the place where persons ought to worship." 21 Jesus said to her: "Believe me, woman, The hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will YOU people worship the Father. 22 YOU worship what YOU do not know; we worship what we know, because salvation originates with the Jews. 23 Nevertheless, the hour is coming, and it is now, when the true worshipers will worship the Father with spirit and truth, for, indeed, the Father is looking for suchlike ones to worship him. 24 God is a Spirit, and those worshiping him must worship with spirit and truth." 25 The woman said to him: "I know that Mes·si´ah is coming, who is called Christ. Whenever that one arrives, he will declare all things to us openly." 26 Jesus said to her: "I who am speaking to you am he."
• 

  Gregor

  After escaping from one "Organized Superstition" I would be reluctant to get into another one. I tell people that I'm a devout athiest.

  But if you really feel a strong need to belong I agree with others that the CatLicks are best. For one thing, all you have to do to join is say "I'm a Catholic" . You can aquire a few accessories, crucifix, Rosary, etc. and it is easy to learn to genuflect.
• 

  2112

  A lot of great answers, yet I wonder if we are missing the point.

  If someone leaving the WT is asking "Where (what church) do I go to now?", then we must show them that they are still thinking with their witness mind. That is a "proof scripture" they miss quote within their circular reasoning to trick newbies. We need to show them that in the scripture Jesus was asked "Whom do we go away to, you have the sayings of life". Meaning singular, one person. We can then ask them does the WT not deny Jesus his place by putting themselves in his place.

  God, how were we all so blind as to not see how simple this really is?
• 

  Rooster

  God, how were we all so blind as to not see how simple this really is?

  My brother asked me that the other day. My answer was "our parents, we trusted our parents!"
• 

  mdb

  jwfacts,

  I have been dieing to check out the Bahai, I personally think all religion points the same direction and Bahai is a pacifist religion that seems to recognise that. I also love the concepts of Buddha, however many exJWs are not ready to start on that journey.

  Here's the Baha'i Faith in a nutshell. they are as much a "false" religion as the WTS. Why go from one to another? Not all religions lead or point to the same place. Unless you have Christ Jesus, you will die. Harsh? You might thinks so, but God's judgements are righteous and who are we to talk back to God? He is the only true God, the creator of all things, the Holy One who gives life and the only one who can destroy both body and soul. Men have such a lack of reverent fear for the Lord - always going their own way. The Baha'i Faith does not point to Christ Jesus for salvation, therefore it is a wrong path leading to destruction. Be careful of the path you choose, the concequences are eternal.

  The Bahá'í Faith

  • In reality, there is only one religion, the religion of God. This one religion is continually evolving, and each particular religious system represents a stage in the evolution of the whole.
  • In the Bahá'í view, the purpose of this life on earth is for each individual to develop the spiritual and moral qualities that lie at the core of his or her nature.
  • Bahá'ís believe that there is only one God, the Creator of the universe. Throughout history, God has revealed Himself to humanity through a series of divine Messengers, each of Whom has founded a great religion. The Messengers have included Abraham,
  • Although we may have different concepts of God's nature, although we may pray to Him in different languages and call Him by different names--Allah or Yahweh, God or Brahma--nevertheless, we are speaking about the same unique Being.
  • Bahá'ís view life as a sort of workshop, where one can develop and perfect those qualities which will be needed in the next life.
  • The soul lives on after the body's death, embarking on a spiritual journey towards God through many "worlds" or planes of existence. Progress on this journey, in traditional terms, is likened to "heaven." If the soul fails to develop, one remains distant from God. This condition of remoteness from God can in some sense be understood as "hell." Thus, heaven and hell are regarded not as literal places but descriptions of one's spiritual progress toward the light of God.

  • The duties which God has given to us are only for our benefit: God Himself has no need of our worship or allegiance, for God is entirely self-sufficient and independent of all His creation.
  • The Bahá'í Faith does not teach that the physical desires of human beings are "evil" or "bad." Everything in God's creation is regarded as essentially and fundamentally good. In fact, the very purpose of the human body and its physical faculties is to serve as a proper vehicle for the development of the soul. As the energies of the body are gradually brought under the conscious control of the soul, they become instruments for the expression of spiritual qualities. It is only undisciplined physical passions that become causes of harm, and hinder spiritual progress.
  • Bahá'u'lláh sets before us the highest standard of morality and urges us to strive to attain it. To do so is the only path to true happiness and fulfillment.
• 

  RodentBoy

  There is more to religion than appears at first sight, there is a mystical dimension that can be very negative as the JW org shows so well, one must proceed with utmost care.

  Virtually every religion has its mystical side, even the JWs. When I was a kid, there was an old (and quite senile) fellow who was said to be a member of the 144,000, and we all were in awe of him on that day.

  The trick with the JWs is that they have managed to even more than the Roman church to remove the mystical from the every-day follower into the hands of an elite. While the mystical elite in Catholicism and Orthodoxism (and in many strains of Anglicanism as well) is still very accessible because it is through the priest, to the average JW mysticism has been corporatized into the Governing Body, who, let's face, are given an almost mystical aura.
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  Clam