How many of you who decided to remain Christian and started to go to church had a hard time building your faith back up again after leaving the WTS? I'm having a hard time. It's been 4 months since I began attending the Penticostal Assembly of God church in my town, and I love it. I just don't have any faith, yet.
Difficult to build faith up at church after leaving WTS
by White Dove 34 Replies latest jw friends
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ex-nj-jw
Since leaving the BORG I have no desire to be a part of any organized religion.
nj
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kwintestal
What is that telling you? What is your gut saying?
When I left, I tried the same thing. Going to a church regularly, but once my critical thinking started (with the JW's) I couldn't turn it off.
Kwin
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White Dove
Yeah, that's true of a couple of my friends. It makes me think that they are right, but at the same time, I want Jesus to be true very badly. I sorta joked on another post about getting an Oija board to settle the debate within me once and for all. If it works, Jesus could be true. If not, I'll know.
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White Dove
That's the problem, critical thinking is running full steam ahead. How can people have such strong faith again after leaving?
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The wanderer
Dear WhiteDove:
The issue stems from having been burned by the
Watchtower Society. A major distrust forms with
any religious institution after leaving the
organization.
Personally, I would say acquire a Bible that
offers more than one translation and either
read it or study it on your own; absent
from the influence,ideology or philosphy
of any religion.
Respectfully,
The Wanderer -
frankiespeakin
When I first left I had the same problem too. Eventually as critical thinking caused me to ask more and more questions and do more and more research on the bible I can to realize that the bible is not the inspired word of god but a book of myths. It was hard to come to this conclusion as my indoctrination started from infancy first as a catholic and latter as a jw, over 50 yrs of indoctrination total. All I can say is don't abandon critical thinking in order to have faith in a myth. Faith in the bible often lead to manipulation by those who claim to be preachers, they want your money, time, and attendance at thier indoctrination sessions(meetings, or church). Faith is a requirement for these religions and a powerful mind control device, so if you want to be under mind control and let a preacher indoctrinate stop critical thinking and just beleive, it may give you some comfort but in the end your left with nothing, and possibly even worse off than when you were a jw.
While all christians preach that God is love a more critical look at the bible reveals god to be rather selfish, jealous, demanding,murderous, wrathful. I guess christians are so afraid of him they still insist he is love in the highest form more out fear of getting god mad at them them as a result of critical thinking, I think they put the blinders on in the form of faith to quiet down any critical thoughts of god murderous ways that are so plainly evident in the bible naration of his actions.
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What-A-Coincidence
Same here. So God has to clean up his religious mess before taking chances like a did with the BORG. In the meantime, I turned Athiest. It's Gods turn.
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Bumble Bee
Faith is something I struggled with - even as a JW.
I attended a few churches after I left the JW's but have realized it's not for me. I could never belong to another religious organization again.
You said you want Jesus to be true very badly. Do you have to attend a church for this to be so? Going from being a JW to attending a Pentacostal Church (which I've been to) is going from one extreme to the other (that's just my opinion - based on my experience attending a Pentacostal church).
For me, it was critical that I take some time away from any and all religion, and see how I felt. I also had to take some time away from DB's, from other peoples beliefs and come to terms with what my beliefs were.
When you have figured out what you believe, what you want - the faith in those beliefs and the choices you make will follow.
BB
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blondie
Rather than find another religious organization to tell you how to believe, now is the time to examine the Bible for the first time with a minimum of outside influence.
You have lost faith in what you can see, humans who have lied to you. First you must find trust in yourself and your ability to think and reason
You might enjoy reading "A Question of Conscience" by Charles Davis.
Davis was clear that he both continued to be a Christian and a theologian and had no interest in joining another denomination. He grappled in the last section of his book with how to define being a Christian in "creative disaffiliation" from denominational churches. The problem of the use of magisterial power to stifle the authentic search for truth, he felt, was a particular problem of the Roman Catholic institutional system. But Davis saw problems with church institutions generally that barred him from simply transferring to another denomination, such as the Church of England.
He sought to define a new way of being Christian in small faith communities that intertwine with daily life immersed in the world, rather than setting off church from society as a separate sphere.
Davis was clear that he both continued to be a Christian and a theologian and had no interest in joining another denomination. He grappled in the last section of his book with how to define being a Christian in "creative disaffiliation" from denominational churches. The problem of the use of magisterial power to stifle the authentic search for truth, he felt, was a particular problem of the Roman Catholic institutional system. But Davis saw problems with church institutions generally that barred him from simply transferring to another denomination, such as the Church of England.
He sought to define a new way of being Christian in small faith communities that intertwine with daily life immersed in the world, rather than setting off church from society as a separate sphere.
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1141/is_15_35/ai_53924379