Yes, either you believe the Bible and trust in it or you don't!
How can you be faithful yet not gullible or misled?
by The Dragon 26 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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The Dragon
Read it on your own and pray for understanding?
That is a good idea..except..how will you ever know if you are really truly understanding it? Who is grading your work?
Everyone who agrees with my guesses will say I am right..and everyone who doesn't will say I am wrong.......
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freefly
hey,
i have instinct, inborn emotional impulse, intuition that i trust with confidence and have strong faith in.
Maybe this is stronger because i was raised by a single independant mother that instilled self convidence.
Not having a father led to me not trusting men, especially salesmen; preachers, car mechanics, teachers,...
When my ex-partner in life (26 yrs.) announced after 9-11 that he was going to start reading the JW bible, my instincts told me he was afraid. He expressed that he felt his mother was right...(raised by JW mom) In a short time I found watchtowers & JW bible hidden under his side of the bed so became aware that he was not just reading the bible, he was studying the watchtowers. My instincts? -sad that he was hiding this and no longer communicating his feelings with me. At this time I asked him to express what he thought would change in our relationship if he made the choice to follow through with his studies. His reaction was on the defensive....a silly question to ask, nothing would change as he loved me. I was not able to understand and in denial. One day I was out watering in our yard and he pulled in- I turned my head just in time to see him running to the door....he was dressed in his "wedding clothes" and had just come home from outing with his mom and little brother (hall meeting.) As his brother is very ill with schizophrenia my reaction was immense...instincts screaming louder than ever- why involve his mentally ill brother??? How the hell was that "true christian?" my emotions (instincts) were totally against taking his brother to be misled, when he was at the highest stage of gullible. This didn't show love or caring in my books, my instincts were to protect his brother.
Well, as it goes...according to him "I was over reacting (PMS) and haven't even read the bible so in no position to judge him." He had faith and was "in the truth." In my panic I called the nearest church (United) and asked for help. A minister came to my home and I expressed how afraid I was and didn't understand why. I asked for help from the bible that JW's interpreted wrong...I was angry at the time because the minister said he was in no position to judge them! He said if I did feel like reading the bible, to do it for myself and mentioned a few chapters. He invited me to come to church if I wished. He taught me a huge lesson that I am just learning now.
I spent many years trying to understand, this website is listed in "my favorites" and thanks to many that post here have found unlimited information. When 2 gentlemen JW's came to my door I asked questions....I had read that JW's want to be your friend, they want to share with you what they feel about this world, and they want to answer your questions. So I asked questions about their organization and was told that they would only answer questions about the bible. I asked my partner for information about the organization and he replied "what for? you just want to pick it apart" The JW's didn't come back for along time but when they did it was 2 ladies. I said I understood they wanted to answer my questions. They said "just give us six months with you, and then make your own decision...." they asked to come back for visit in my home, I said sure as long as they understood that this visit was not for a bible study. They came right on time and I invited them in. I started asking questions about their organization re: I had searched the bible on line for any verses relating to "organizations" and commented my feelings about....writing them down. I handed my paper to one lady to read. She appeared to be reading but stopped 1/2 way through and turned my paper down on the table commenting that "this was appostate material." I asked what appostate meant, she replied that the material was "against her faith." I asked how she could possibly make that decision so quickly....she replied my comments were not correct and felt I needed to study the bible with them.......I told them my interest was to study the WTO's history....they replied "there wasn't need to study history of the organization." I showed no interest in any published work they offered as my partner had tons of watchtowers, the JW bible, books, awake....... The next week I heard a knock at my door and when I answered found a watchtower, I ran up the street to find a JW lady and explained I did not request to have this delivered and gave it back to her. The next week the same 2 ladies came to my door, I answered and said "you are out door to door separating the sheep from the goats"....one started yelling and pointing her finger in my face "we are doing this because we love you" the other was yelling at the same time "what are you so afraid of?." I said I am not afraid, just wanted to ask questions about your organization and read the history. I asked what happened when they were door to door and someone refused their publications? Were they ticked off the list as "goats?" I asked how they considered that this was the process of spreading the good news? They told me that I would not be able to understand the bible without studying it with their help...I told them they were not welcome to my home and slammed my door (pure instinct and faith in myself and what I feel)
Soon after my partner stated we could no longer have intimacy but could still live in our home together- sleeping in separate bedrooms, no kissing, hugging, holding hands. Then proceeded to sit at the table and eat the meals I cooked, make arrangements socially visiting with friends and family together like everything was as before- I made the decision that intimacy was far more than sexual and couldn't live in the same home without being intimate.
I have had many emotions separating from my partner in life: agonizing despise #1, betrayal, distress, agitation, heartbreak, abandonment...oh, he says...no way did I abandon you...I say yes you did the moment you decided to become captive of your concept...you abandoned our relationship, your relationship with our sons, our family, separated yourself from the world. I never had any plans to be married as we were comitted to each other and raising the boys without marriage (26 yrs.) In his heart our relationship has been "sin" without marraige...(#1 step of abandoning our relationship) and if i really loved him I would marry him.......so he could be baptised? when 9-11 happened he thought armageddon was happening and has accepted this concept bred by his mother out of "fear." He thinks he is faithful but never gullible or misled- i cannot see in his actions a "christian" as he is not honest, a man dressed up in righteousness. So, it's taken me many years to follow my lesson learned from the minister of united church---if he was in no position to judge JW's, I certainly am not in that position. My life has certainly become brighter since I was judging him and the WTO, maybe one day I will sit down and read the bible on my own choice!
freefly
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funkyderek
Sasha:
Yes, either you believe the Bible and trust in it or you don't!
Well, that's true but only in a trivial sense. It's not really a good way of dividing people. I for one would say that many people who believe the Koran and trust in it have more in common with Bible-believers than with those of us who reject both books as the superstitious imaginings of primitive barbarians.
Also, of course, you fail to take into account that belief in the bible ranges from the absurd extremes of those who believe everything written in the bible to those who reject it entirely, the majority of people (believers and unbelievers alike) being somewhere in between.
Really, the difference is between those who believe based on faith and those who believe based on evidence - or more accurately, since many people fall into both categories, the difference is between beliefs based on faith (bad beliefs) and those based on evidence (good beliefs)
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Narkissos
The Dragon,
"Faith" to me is accepting to live in uncertainty.
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reneeisorym
I want to believe because it makes me happy and because (you've heard this): If I believe and I'm wrong, I'll have the same fate as someone who didn't believe. If I don't believe and I'm wrong, I go to hades.
So, I also think of atheism like this: If I pull out something from my pocket, hold my hand closed around it, and tell you its a quarter, you have a choice to believe me or not. You can believe it's nothing, you can believe its a paperclip, or you can believe its a quarter like I said. Your best choice is to go with a quarter. The quarter to me is Christianity. The best possible solution to all the facts I know is Christianity.
So how do I go about practicing Christianity? I believe that putting my trust in God and letting him be the Lord of my life is the way. The rest is fun to study (end times eschatology/predestination ... etc.) and helps you to learn about God but not essential to my salvation. The other good part about reading the Bible is you learn what God says is best for you and you get to learn about God's will that way.