Is it easier for a witness (vs Christian) to stop believing in God?

by Guest with Questions 15 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Guest with Questions

  I don’t have any statistics but am curious if there could be any truth to it; that it might be easier for a witness to stop believing vs a Christian. I don’t see this at any of the churches I have attended; people leaving in droves with some totally discarding any belief.

  1 The JW Org is the ONLY truth. You question it’s authority, then you question God. If the JW Org is wrong, then there is no God. (What my mother told me)

  2 JW wonder, if this is not the truth, where will I go? You can’t go to another church because they are all of the devil. (I realize that many do end up going to church but I am wondering about the inititial reaction)

  3 You don’t need to think; the Org will do that for you. Even if they teach nonsensical things you are to trust them; trust God.

  4 JW don’t believe in an eternal soul; that when you die, you no longer exist. That fear is taken away. If I stop believing, when I die I will no longer exist.

  5 Because a JW found out that the Org was false they may be humiliated; having believed an untruth; that no one or no faith will ever make a fool of them again.
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  Liberty

  In any Christian dominated culture I don't think it is ever easy to stop believing in God. Who wants to be a hated minority as a matter of simple choice? I am now an atheist but it took me years after leaving the Watch Tower Society to come to this conclusion. I don't think it is "easy" to become an atheist but a hard core believing JW puts much more thought and energy into their beliefs than your average Methodist so if a JW begins to question and see the inconsistancies in these beliefs then they are more willing to research it to it's logical conclusion, which for many leads to atheism.

  There are many JWs who return to mainstream Christianity because they are satisfied that the Watch Tower's corruption was the real cause of their cognative dissonance but for me I left over Biblical issues which went beyond just the teachings of the WT Society and I developed a keen interest in Zen and other Eastern philosophies. Mainstream Christianity still held too many inconsistancies for me to be comfortable with it and I was already seen as odd and part of a pitied if not hated minority...socially retarded ex-JWs so I had nothing to loose. I was driven to research and have my questions and doubts answered so I devoted my young adulthood to study and as such I was way too nerdy to attract any distracting and frightening females (which through Watch Tower brainwashing were all made out to be plague ridden whores anyway). Thousands of dollars were spent on personal books, school texts and University classes which did not progress toward a degree because I was intent on seeing for myself what evolution and science was really all about. I also studied the Bible and religion in University classes as well as secular history. This wide study field (along with working full time to pay for it) is why it took me almost 20 years to finally obtain a degree.

  In short, all of the evidence I weighed in my studies of all the different fields proved the Bible wrong over and over again. Perhaps a mainstream Christian wouldn't care that the Bible doesn't jibe with science and history but it was vital to me so when it didn't I concluded that the Bible was just another man made writing and then I couldn't see the point of in believing in a God who didn't even bother to communicate with us. The random and seemingly cruel Universe I saw dailey really pushed me to conclude that if there was a creator God He must be one sick sadistic bastard. I really found inner peace when I concluded that there was no intelligence behind the horrors I knew were happening every second of every day. I can live in a Universe like ours and I sleep better knowing that there is no God behind it just random and uncaring chaos.

  To answer your original question, I would say that an intensley devout JW who has doubts is probably more likely to become an atheist than a mainstream average Christian because Watchtowerism claims to be a reason and study based religion whereas traditional Christianity does not. "Easier" is the wrong word, however. I think "more likely" fits better.
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  JamesThomas

  Though there may be some merit in what you have presented, I feel it basically comes down to courage -- rather than belief systems -- when it comes to letting go of our favorite little deities.

  There is generally a huge amount of personal identity invested in our religious beliefs. Many people are too afraid -- as it's almost like a death sentence -- to step beyond the "protection" and comfort which our warm delusions and fantasies seem to offer.

  j
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  AllAlongTheWatchtower

  I will take that one step further, and say that in my opinion it is easier for any cult/high control group member to stop believing, than for a typical mainstream Christian. Many mainstream Christians are only going through the motions, compared to groups such as LDS, JWs, or WWCG. So much more is demanded of such high control groups. I think it often takes a bit of bitterness toward god/religion to get one started down the atheist path, mainstream Christianity doesn't usually have that much bite, unless say, someone has a very personal tragic event...like the death of a loved one in a tragic or senseless manner, or something to that effect.
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  Cold Creek Swimmer

  I personally think that it is much easier for this to happen. A dub hears his whole life how "this is the only way to life." When a dub starts to question his beliefs, a landslide begins. From what I personally have experienced, it begins with a trickle and goes all the way to no god. When your whole life is only one correct way to life, then once the questions start, nothing is sacred any longer. As this process goes on, you suddenly feel the freedom to look at all things with new eyes and your mind is free to explore all possibilities. It is a wonderful thing to no longer be under the chains of control that have been heaped upon us all our lives.

  I am finally free to be happy about who I am by myself, as myself, without the constant worry that I may offend someone if I don't think and act as THEY think I should. I have finally been able to accept me for who I am, not who I feel that THEY think I should be. What freedom and happiness I now have. Even my wife who is a dub can see the difference-although she would never admit that it took me telling her that I was done with dubs before this great change came about. I am much more confident and sure of my decisions. I no longer worry about whether or not it will affect my attendance or service time. NO MORE GUILT!!!

  I can research all I want to and make my own decision about who or what god is to me. I do not need an organization of any persuasion to help me with my faith. Long story short-when the floodgates of doubt finally begin to open, I believe many will no longer believe in god.

  CCS
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  robhic

  For what it's worth, I was never a JW. I was a "casual catholic" in that I was raised and schooled all my life as a catholic. I went thru the motions (mostly to pacify catholic parents) until I was old enough to move out and get married. I was never very zealous by any stretch of the imagination.

  When I got (much) older, a relationship with a woman who joined the JW's prompted me to read and research this group for my own knowledge.

  In the process, I read CoC, ISoCF and other JW-related material and this website. During this time I read the bible for the first time and read a lot of other literature and books on religion-rerlated subjects. I read and read.

  After a while, I noticed that my ambivalence regarding religion in general and catholicism in particular had vanished. In its place was a fairly strong sense of atheism.

  Using logic and reading all these items made me firmly an unbeliever. It wasn't my original goal but after ingesting these things and asking myself "can this be real?" I answered "NO!"

  So a voyage of learning had a completely different effect and I now feel that science, logic and reasoning are much better substitutes for dogma and blindly following for faith reasons to be my choice.
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  theinfamousone

  its easy for anyone who is abused, as most of us were, so heavily by a group that was supposed to represent a loving god, to no longer believes he exists... i mean ilook to other religions and i figure, what the hell is the point? i mean god let us almost get beaten to death, mentally abused for so long, and he expects us to continue to worship him? its easy for anyone to stop believeing in him

  the infamous one
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  B_Deserter

  I'm atheist but the reasons for my being so have little to do with Witnesses themselves, but my objections to the Bible itself. The God of the OT (and to an extent, the NT) is a brutal, immoral dictator. How could a "perfect" God order his followers to commit rape, murder, and torture? How could a "perfect" God order parents to stone their children to death if they happen to get snippy one day? God then abruptly switches character in the NT, becoming this lovely, forgiving, benevolent father figure. Although, he really doesn't mind slavery. The Bible is a thoroughly fragmented book, filled with contradictions and falsehoods. This book claims that God created the same complex life forms we see today just a few thousand years ago. I know the witnesses say that the days are not literally 24-hours long, but still most seem to be under the impression that the earth is still less than 20,000 years old. This notion of the "young earth" has been proven, repeatedly, to be categorically, undeniably false. Then, there is the embarrassing matter of the fossil record, which shows (contrary to the claims of the blue "Evolution" book) simple life forms getting more varied and diverse as time goes by, instead of complex life forms exploding "in the Beginning."
  
  That said, I think it's easier for a witness to not believe in God because many spend their whole lives refuting the biblical interpretations of all the other Churches. If the JW church isn't right, then no church is right, as someone else stated.
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  pseudoxristos

  Witnesses are much closer to the atheist position than most people realize. After all, they've already discard several myths held by the average Christian (immortality of the soul, the deity of Christ, literal Hell, etc...). Many have discard these beliefs after some amount research. It only takes a little more research to discard it all. Frankly, I'm surprised at how many remain in limbo as Witnesses, not quite Christians but not yet Atheist.

  pseudo
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  lonelysheep

  Witnesses are much closer to the atheist position than most people realize. After all, they've already discard several myths held by the average Christian (immortality of the soul, the deity of Christ, literal Hell, etc...). Many have discard these beliefs after some amount research. It only takes a little more research to discard it all. Frankly, I'm surprised at how many remain in limbo as Witnesses, not quite Christians but not yet Atheist.

  pseudo

  I love your post! This is a very true point, I feel, that reflects witnesses regardless if they were born in or joined as adults.