Past, present, and future beliefs

JimmyPage

I still believe in Jesus. My favorite books of the Bible have always been the Gospels. I love the movie "Jesus of Nazareth". I still don't believe in the Trinity though.

I never liked the God of the Old Testament. He always seemed so angry.

I still don't believe in Hellfire. But Armageddon seems just as cruel. Billions of people- look out for the hailstones!

I'm glad I'm not a racist. But I've also grown not to be prejudiced because of a person's beliefs. Or their sexuality.

I never thought there was much scriptural evidence for the blood transfusion ban.

Ditto for birthdays. Mentioned twice in the Bible, something bad happened at each, so God is putting it in a bad light, right? Uh, no.

It's amazing how open your eyes become when you get past the WT's faithful and discreet slave teaching. One little parable. So much mind control.

How have your beliefs morphed over time?

I believe Jesus set out to set man free from all religion. And so what did Paul go and do? Mistake his teachings for yet another system of guilt and rules. Then the early Catholic church went and handpicked the books that would fit its nefarious purposes the best and assembled it into the Bible.

I don't think Jesus' teachings were meant to be full of guilt and shame for natural functions. He was very tolerant of people that did fornication, were liars, or had issues with drunkenness. What he didn't tolerate were those who were dishonest and wanted to force mankind into submission. Jesus had zero tolerance for such people. I wonder if that would have included the Watchtower Society.

Gopher

Isn't it good to be able to form one's own belief system and figure out what works best without being told how to by some religious or political overlord?

After I decided to never go back to the JW's, I reconsidered every concept I'd ever been taught about religion and spirituality. I knew JW's didn't have magical answers, and I soon learned that other religions made it up as they went along too. I learned that the Bible was a very flawed book, and that people who believe in things they don't understand are superstitious (with apologies to Stevie Wonder). To me, faith is a kind of hopeful superstition. Others may not agree, and I don't intend to offend believers, but that's the conclusion to which I came.

I became agnostic and defined myself that way for several years, because it seemed right to admit we really don't know whether a God exists (not to mention the difficulty of selecting from the many god-figures mankind has created).

When I learned that atheists aren't necessarily proclaimers that there is no God, but rather ones who personally don't see enough evidence in favor of that idea, I accepted atheism. Atheism is not a belief, but rather a choice to not believe until overwhelming evidence comes in such that something becomes a "fact" rather than a "belief".

nomoreguilt

Gopher..... Did they clone me into you?? My but we think alike.

NMG

Undecided

I guess I'm still undecided. I go to church with my wife and daughters and sit there trying to figure out what the bible means when it says something or other. It says if you believe you will never die, then says to wait for the resurrection at the last trumphet, that you must be called by God but anyone that has faith will be saved. It says works are not important but you have to have works to be saved. There are so many contridictions, and Jesus talked so far out you don't understand what he was meaning unless you are part of his little group. He was David's ancestor but had none of his sperm unless God saved it up and stuck it in Mary, then he wasn't God's sinless boy.

Don't ask me what I believe, I can't figure it out.

Ken P.

Hope4Others

The jury's still out for me to what I actually believe about things, I still believe in a higher power though. I feel I have

put everything and anything on the back burner till coming to the board. My husband has been researching and

reading for sometime with this site and so many others since we left in the 9o's.

I never thought there was much scriptural evidence for the blood transfusion ban.
Ditto for birthdays.

He is at the point now that if I were unconscious and needed blood he'd be giving a thumbs up to the Doctors.

And Birthdays well I don't make a issue any longer we do little things on our birthdays.

Good thread,

hope4others

flipper

JIMMY PAGE - I've been out over 4 and a half years now and I have become an agnostic. I feel there is something up there, like the native americans perhaps a great spirit in the sky, but not sure still. I believe the Bible was an interesting history book with some really good advice that's practical, but also some far out outlandish illustrations of beasts and such which indicate to me there must have been hallucigenic drugs or LSD back then as well ! So, I'm big on studying psychology, and what makes people tick, kind of how I roll these days ! Peace out, Mr. Flipper

jaguarbass

How have your beliefs morphed over time?

If you want to hang on to those beliefs dont read, and dont google those subjects.

When I turned about 50, I had read the bible enough times and read all kinds of literature that I can no longer have the child like innnocense that is neccesarry to enter the kingdom.

I have become agnostic, or weak atheist. Since God hasnt given enough information to show he cares about man, I dont see any need to follow any rules that man has made up trying to pass off as coming from God.

When the Wactower Society blew 75, I thru out the blood transfusion rule. If they couldnt get the date of the end of the world correct, coming from God no less, I wasnt going to sacrafice myself or my loved ones. Back in 72, my wife almost died from refusing blood when she hemoraghed after delivering our son.

You say you believe in Jesus then dont read this and dont read the internet, because there are no eye witness accounts of Jesus in the bible. Multitudes saying they saw them is not an eye witness account. The only references to Jesus in the bible are hearsay. And If anyone knows I am wrong please state the verse of an eye witness account and I will either change my position or point out to you that you do not know the difference between, I witness and hearsay.

I know I was happier and more peaceful and optomistic when I believed. Damn internet.

On the positive side belief in God and the bible require faith. Faith is believing something that you know just aint so. At least that's Larry Kings deffiniton. And that's the way it seems to be about the bible and God. You have to believe things that you know just aint so.

Tired of the Hypocrisy

I used to believe that all jw's were honest and sincere people with a desire to please God.

I now believe there are very few that fit that description.

I will one day believe that I was once alive and am now roasting in hell.