After years of being told clergymen are shysters, it took over a year before a relaxed and quit worrying 'bout "Babylon the Great"
How long did take to feel comfortable in a church?
by lighthouse19something 17 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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megsmomma
For me, I was just so sick of learning about the "Bible".....that I didn't want to hear anything else about it. Then I saw that I had not learned the Bible at all and learned all about the WT, so I felt like I did want to know about the Bible. This process happened over 7 years...and I just now am feeling comfortable going to church and not thinking I am a devil worshiper because of it.
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Pahpa
I have no compunction about attending a church. But I don't think I ever could become a member. Many main-line churches are focused on social events, building projects and political agendas. These churches relegate the Bible to Sunday School classes or low attended mid-week Bible Studies. Many of the more fundamentalist churches have as narrow a view as Jehovah's Witnesses. They emphasize the Bible and its importance. But unless you accept their interpretation and doctrinal views, you are never considered a fellow Christian.
Thus, I don't feel comfortable in these settings. I enjoy, instead, the discussions and spiritual exchanges where "two or three" are met together in a less formal atmosphere. No clergy! No appeals! No rituals!
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reneeisorym
It was very weird to me for the first month or so. Then I got used to it. I know.. I'm strange.
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Perry
I was impressed at how generally similar the services were actually. Didn't take long.
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moshe
If you want to be comfortable and fit in, then my advise is to never mention being a JW. Only fools join the JW religion, they think- so don't ruin your chances for making firends!
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mrsjones5
I've been comfortable going to churches ever since my father accepted a cleaning contract to clean some church offices when I was 20. I used to go with him to help. Never saw a demon, didn't bring one home. Lost my fear of churches.
Josie
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mrsjones5
If you want to be comfortable and fit in, then my advise is to never mention being a JW. Only fools join the JW religion, they think- so don't ruin your chances for making firends!
Thankfully I haven't found that attitude at my church. Everyone knows I was associated the the jws and don't judge me. Maybe it's because I was raised in it and didn't have a choice. But I think if they knew that I had joined later in life that they still wouldn't judge me. I've had a few say to me that it was a blessing from God that I got out.
Josie
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lighthouse19something
Moshe,
I didn't have a problem with being accepted, I just noticed their favorite scriptures were not the same ones as wts. What I'm not used to is alive band playing music for half the service, flag waving, raising arms instead of bowing heads,hearing 'preach it brother' during sermons, or people passing out during an 'alter call'.
The biggest difference, wts taught you may survive the big A, or be resurrected if you did enough service. This teaches God doesn't realy want anyone to be destroyed, but I'm still not into the 'rapture thing'.
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skyking
Can't do it yet and it has been 5 years for me.