by meems101 44 Replies latest jw friends
kids from a young age were expected to sit through all the meetings and be quiet, never think about anything else, even the really young ones were not permitted to have something to play with, ie coloring books, kids books, etc.
what i meant for me is that even though my mom has nothing to do with it anymore, i almost feel like that kid that needs her approval for thinking outside the box. does that make sense?
kinda
i guess some of this never really goes completely away. i'm so glad i left before i had kids so that they never have to deal with any of this.
I think that those of us born into it will have a harder time coming to terms with going to a new church.
Have to disagree on that thought, I was born-in. Actually when I was still attending the hall I used to go with my father and help clean a church. Strange but true. Found out that churches are just buildings and nothing to be scared of.
Josie
I have yet to address this. I still feel like I would be replacing one religion with another, again based on impulse. (long story for elsewhere)
I do feel like going to different churches though, just to get that sense of ritual and power.
It is one thing to attend services of a certain congregation in whatever building they meet in; it is another to formally join that congregation and/or the denomination they are part of.
Eventually, most of us will be attending weddings and funerals of people who are not JWs and many of these will be held either in a building used for religious purposes or at least the ceremony will have certain religious customs observed.
Thus it would be good to learn something about these people and their customs.
It is good to re-examine your own beliefs regarding God and the Bible and not just toss them because the WTS taught them. I also found it helpful to examine the beliefs of Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, Bahais, etc.
Blondie (finds all of it fascinating)
I will never attend a "church" for religious/ spiritual intstruction again. I mostly miss the social aspect of the KH but I can get socialization in other ways.
glad you've found a place for you though. sounds lovely.
i've had discussions with friends who are members of different churches. i find them all quite interesting. although, none of them know of my past. not quite ready to share that with many people. this is a search for me to help my children have a strong belief in god, which they seem to have, my younger son now 9, attended a preschool at a nazarene church, he learned so much about god, christ and the bible at such a young age. i do have a strong faith in god and christ and do pray, those are things that i would never leave behind.
I go to Gaia's Temple, an earth-based, Goddess spirituality based temple. The first two services I actually cried because I had at last found my home and others who believe what I do. Very powerful.
Sherry
I regularly attend church for several years now. But I'm not sure if I would or could actually become a member of any of them. Guess it is the old fear of being obligated to an organization! The one I go to is an Evangelical Free Church. However, the church I like the most is Calvary Chapel. They have many churches all over the country but unfortunately, there isn't one that is convenient to me.
There is also the Assembly of God churches which are quite nice. The best one I ever attended is in Fort Myers, Florida.
HappyDad
