crisis of self

by Tinkywinky 4 Replies latest jw friends

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  Tinkywinky

  I dont know where to start this but maybe someone out there understands..

  I have a crisis of not having faith in my judgement of religion.
  Whats right-or whos right and wrong.
  Jehovahs witnesses are wrong about so much especially with aview to the governing body etc.
  But what if they are right about the rest of it?
  My kids are so precious,and the decisions are up to me.
  I arent up to choosing,and I cant make up my mind.
  This war is bringing world conditions to peoples front door,and is affecting everyone.
  This might not affect New zealand much,at all whatever but the whole state of mankind.
  I cant ever see it improving.
  I want to see my kids grow up,have their own kids and no I dont want to see death.

  This is geniune guys.
  If you dont wanna know please skip this thread.
  Im wondering if anyone else is honest enough to say they feel the same?
• 

  Quester

  When I first left the jw religion I doubted my ability
  to know what was right or wrong for me because I
  had been deceived by the the jw religion into thinking
  they were the one and only organization God is using
  today.

  It took time for me to work thru that.
  I would never go back to that religion.
  I don't think a person has to join any religion to have
  a relationship with God.
  Quester
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  individual

  Tinkywinky - I for one share your feelings, the things that you say are the things that I have found difficult to get over myself. Currently I am reading In Search of Christian Freedom by Ray Franz in which he discusses the search for truth and for Christ. This book is of enormous help to me at the moment especially in view of the reaction of some JWs to the horrendous events in America. There have been several good posts on this board which have looked at past publications of the organisation and the pictures that they displayed, I now see these pictures in an entirely different light. I am ashamed that I ever was a JW and view their outlook on the future as totally misguided and evil. Christ came to the earth because he loved man, and that included all mankind, what he hated was the evil that man was capable of.

  In my research I am coming to the conclusion that Christ came as not only a ransom for mankind but to also change our view of God himself. The Jews in the Old Testament had a very harsh view of God and committed many acts of horror in his name. Christ Jesus came to the earth and turned that view of God on its head. He came in the name of love.

  The JWs have returned to the old view of God - one of destruction and they want what happened in America to happen in every building in every city in every nation of the world. Are there not any good people in the world? When you look in the street around you are there not any good people in the world - would Jesus not find any good people? When I look around the area in which I live I know that if God brought destruction onto people it would be not only unjust and unrighteous but would also destroy the image of God that Christ gave. He wanted God to be seen as a God of love and although there is evil in this world there is also sincerity and goodness.

  I recommend that you read the book I mentioned above as Ray Franz is searching for the God of love and gives hope to people who are searching or worried about what happens in the world, that they can find Christ and God within the bible without the organisation. In so doing it helps the person to cope with what they see in the world. Remember there is not only evil in the world but also a whole lot of goodness.
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  Teirce

  Well, you're obviously mentally prepared for the big step, but your heart isn't just yet. What it takes is a leap of faith that there are good people out there. It takes some strength and some determination to bear being loney, if only for a bit, before your feet hit gorund and you meet some non-JW's that you mesh with. As for the question of fearing that some of the GB's statements may have some impending truth, I would refer you to Benjamin Franklin, who says "The only sure things in life are death and taxes". Plus the old stand-by, the only constant is change. If you haven't done your homework yet, digging into the copiously available research that articulates the lies and backpeddling (meaning, you know it but you can't prove) - until you do that and have something to take hold of for balance, you're vulnerable to their tractor-smiles and blame-throwers. At your current level of doubt, you might want to do some hard reading on doctrinal subjects that just absosmurfly piss you the hell off, and this will help your conviction grow regarding other things. Those subjects are out there. You got internet. There's nothing to stop you.
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  Introspection

  Tinky, to me it all gets down to a matter of fearing the unknown. If I'm being honest with myself, I have to admit I don't know what's right and wrong if I'm to judge everything, but I think it's enough to start with a few important things. Do you remember the scripture about 'perfect love throws fear outside'? If someone promotes the idea that fear should be the motivating factor in serving God, then how loving can that be? If you believe that love is one of the more important things, you have a place to start.

  By the way, I think it's good that you're honest enough with yourself to admit that you don't know what the answers are. Just don't let people who have blind faith put any pressure on you. It may take a little time to sort things out, but for now the best thing to do may be to accept the fact that you're not sure. You can spend time reading and researching before you draw any conclusions. Also, know that you're not alone.