by JH 31 Replies latest jw friends
One reason solidified my fade, the different politics of different congregations, one wouldn't sweat you for college, another would be up your ass...the inconsistency of power hungry elders was my main reason.
then the other 50 or so reasons finally hit me upside the head after i left and could look at it from the outside.
Reason one was the lack of honesty about their history, reason two (main reason) was the ridiculous stance taken vis-à-vis Noah's flood, a third reason might be the hypocritical and selective way they apply Jesus' teachings about love, forgiveness and the so-called "fruits of the spirit."
Further research into Genesis turned me into an atheist, so I guess total loss of faith was reason four.
Further research into Genesis turned me into an atheist
HOLY MOLLY I can't believe you said that. It is the same reason I became an atheist. I would be sitting there at those borefest of Sunday meetings mind wandering and thinking of Genesis and thinking it was so much of a fairy tale and if Genesis were wrong that ment the whole Bible was the same. WOW...
1 Found out that it was not the true religion( I didn't mind it was not perfect within congregations but the fact that it was not "the truth" bothered me more than anything)
I believe that any kind of organized religion is barrier to having personal relationship with God and His Son.
2. Education is taboo
3. Double standard(unfairness and favortism....too much like politician)
4. Reading Ray Franz's books and Question of Conscience by Charles Davis ruined it( Can't never go back to any kind of rigid organized religion)
5. I am free(I have choice and free will to exercise my relationship with the God, Jesus, and other human beings) I believe now that basically I only need to exercise these two things: love God with whole soul, mind and heart and love your neighbor(anyone I encounter in my life and not just motivated by following some rules and regulations of church)
There are many things I hate about the JW cult, but the major reason is that it's all a huge deception.
Maddie
I started researching because I had been very unhappy for years, hanging on by a thread. I sensed something was wrong with the organization, especially the GB. I researched the internet and read Crisis of Conscience. I was surprised at how many reasons I found to support my leaving.
I left because there was a lack of true love towards me. I wonder if they would have shown love, if I would still be there... Guess I'll never know cause they won't change.
Your comment, JH, seemed to leave the door ajar if only a teensy. Suppose, just for a moment and because of some weird and freakish cataclysm -- they suddenly began to show real and genuine love. Does that mean you'd consider going back?
Len
HOLY MOLLY I can't believe you said that. It is the same reason I became an atheist. I would be sitting there at those borefest of Sunday meetings mind wandering and thinking of Genesis and thinking it was so much of a fairy tale and if Genesis were wrong that ment the whole Bible was the same. WOW...
Yeah it is amazing the bible is so intertwined if you doubt one little bit you really have to throw it all out.
After a series of events, it finally dawned on me that the problems in the religion were systemic. They weren't limited to the few congregations that I was familiar with. I began to understand that the society acted as a business. They changed policies and doctrine in response to outside pressure and the fear of lawsuits. When I came to understand that, I began to give serious consideration to the many doubts I had stashed in the back of my mind. When I allowed myself to analyze the organization and their doctrine clearly, there was only one conclusion that I could come up with, that the JWs were not God's special chosen people but just another religion in a long line of religions that mankind has invented since the dawn of civilization. Their chronology and doctrines lacked any real support. Their structure is one of a totalitarian cult. There was no reason for me to try to live according to their perverse rules anymore. I needed to get the hell out while I could and try to make something out of the rest of my life.
I just plain didn't believe it anymore. So many of their teachings became so transparently false to me that I couldn't teach them to someone else. Neither could I, in good conscience, support an organization that hid pedophiles, encouraged their members to commit suicide for their "god", and broke up families for life over nonsense.
