Does Anyone Miss The Religion They Were Brought Up In?

by choosing life 12 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  choosing life

  For those that were not raised witnesses, do you ever miss the religion of your youth. I was brought up in a Catholic church and I started missing it before I ever left the so called "truth." I miss communion. It made me feel a special connection to God and Christ. The Memorial always felt so hollow to me. To not partake seemed like we were missing the point somehow.

  And the choir and beautiful music, the candles and incense, even the rituals I remember so fondly. The church buildings are beautiful with the stained glass and high ceilings. Caused a sense of reverence.I attended some other churches too and they all gave me these feelings. But a kingdom hall is more like a classroom. They have taken away all the reverence and awe from religion. I just didn't feel I was really in a religious building.

  I know you can worship God anywhere and I do, especially in nature, but I will take a beautiful cathedral over a secular feeling kingdom hall anytime. I have not been back to any church yet, but I feel like I may just have to revisit those special feelings. After all, didn't God have a beautiful temple built for him? Would any old building have done. Didn't he supply the Building plans?
• 

  fullofdoubtnow

  My mum and dad a were nominal Church of England members, but rarely attended and never made me go, though I did go a little pre - teen, and occasionally as an adult. I wasn't really brought up in a religion, so there is nothing to miss.
• 

  Mysterious

  It reminds me of when I studied the reformation in school. There were pictures of a protestant and a catholic church with the caption asking which you would prefer and why. I of course chose the austere building though I realized the other was more attractive, yet it was somehow wrong to want.
• 

  Vic-ex

  i find i miss not having a faith and belief anymore
• 

  Sparkplug

  Vic-Ex Welcome. I see this is your first post. And this is indeed one of the hardest things if not the hardest thing to loose. It causes the anger issues, abandonment issues and years of being mind screwed. I hope you post a welcome thread so that we can know a bit about you soon. Welcome again.
• 

  james_woods

  Hi vic-ex...I sometimes have that feeling too. We were Presbyterian when I was a little kid - up to about 12 years old when Mom decided she liked the witnesses.

  I went back a couple of times to the Presbyterians, and they do seem like nice people. It was, however, not the same for me anymore.

  Just a couple of thoughts on this, one mine, one from a very important figure in the resistance movement against the WT hyprocrisy...

  Mine: I think that most people have to start completely over with faith after leaving the witnesses. The problem is that we have an awfully hard time trusting anybody on anything religious ever again. If some do go back to a former church (but I think not very many do), then they must find some way to "re-learn" the former doctrine and probably do so in a different and more enlightened way. Many (most, I think) just do not care that much about religion anymore and worry more about their own ethics and purpose of life. That is my personal case, at least.

  My mentors thought: Before he died, this guy told me that the one thing he regreted the most about JWs and what they have done to the world is the huge number of people whose natural tendency to have a mainstraim christian faith has been utterly destroyed by this nutty cult.

  This guy was Marion Dunlap. His brother Ed was a close friend of Ray Franz and both were instrumental in the uprising in about 1979-1980 on the failure of 1975 and other issues with the governing body. He never took up another religion but always stayed a "christian" generically.

  James
• 

  Warlock

  You know, I was just thinking about that this week.

  In answer to the question is another question. Do I?

  Warlock
• 

  Sad emo

  I also left the RC church, but not for the Witnesses I now worship at an evangelical C of E church (for non-Brits, most 'evangelicals' here aren't fundy, bible-bashers!). I miss the ritual of the RC's sometimes too, and the reverent quietness - it seems I'm not allowed to sit quietly and pray alone where I go now

  The biggest thing I missed at first was confession, I wondered if my sins would really get forgiven without confession and that held me captive for a long time, but I know different now - although I do sometimes still miss it for the psychological factor.
• 

  Vic-ex

  sparkplug

  how do i post a welcome thread?
• 

  Carmel

  Born into the cult, so no, don't miss it at all!

  carmel