by Luo bou to 65 Replies latest jw friends
From comments here and elsewhere, it seems that a number of ex-JWs are in Stage IV of Spiritual Growth. This is far different than the faith they had while they were JWs (Stage II).
http://www.hsuyun.org/Dharma/zbohy/Literature/Special/StagesOfSpiritualGrowth.html
Thank you for all the interesting responses to my topic
Because the bible is stooopid...
Leaving the witnesses was stressful and it was hard. I was constantly lambasted with questions about why why why why why, so I had to study and think critically. Once you think about god and jebus critically your days as a person of faith are over.
I would suggest that ANY believer in ANY religion has not looked at their beliefs with an honest critical eye...
Some good comments on this thread.
I have to agree with a few of the posters who argue that most (though not all) JWs are not really religious people at all. The whole system is geared to getting people to go out on the service, which is primarily simply a door-to-door selling activity, rather than building up faith & trust in God. I’ve spoken to brothers who are very high up in the Org admitting that they aren’t use whether there is a God at all , yet they comfortably hold very responsible positions , give talks at conventions , even pioneer or serve as Circuit or District Overseers.
Many in the churches have their faith strengthened by a strong relationship with Jesus , which of course JWs don’t have , as the WTS simply teaches him as an “example”. You very rarely hear anyone express appreciation for Jesus in congregation or assembly prayers , whereas the “Organization” or the “Governing Body” are thanked constantly. So when belief in the WTS evaporates , the average JW is left with nothing other than a residual notion of a belief in God. In time , this often disappears as well.
For the same reason why I lost my faith in Zeus, Thor and the tooth fairy.
I like what PrimateDave said, excellent questions any believer should ask themselves.
I did believe in the beginning, but as I progressed through the Organization, I began questioning things which then led to more questions. When I finally had answers for most of them, I not only came to the conclusion that the Society was a product of several mens imagination, but I also concluded that every religious belief system was basically the same. I wanted to be sure that I did not leave the Witnesses for another faith that might be more believable, yet equally untrue.
When you stop and really think about it, a being who has the power and omnipotece to create the entire universe surely would have the intelligence and confidence not to act like a spoiled child and go zapping folks because they made a statue and prayed to Baal. Or go and destroy most of earths life via a flood because some men were following their carnal desires.
However, like Alltimejeff, I do not try to convert one who seems to be happy in their religious persuasion if it seems to being them comfort. One of my emploees is a Jehovah's Witness and it seems to helped him get through his recent treatment for cancer and I have no intention or reason to disrupt that source of comfort. Now if he asks me why I don't go, then I will tell him, but I am not about to go door to door or put in field service to spread the good news of Agnosticism.
Don
I think many throw the baby out with the bath water so to speak, but then go to form their own beliefs. In my experience some JW's replace their beliefs step by step or brick by brick and never lose a faith in God. Others, including myself, demolish everything, then start with a clean slate.
Once we begin to question the teachings, we begin to question everything. It's a massive thing to realise that just maybe the WT is wrong, when a JW begins to question this, a big wide world appears before us that isn't as bad we've been told. Only then we begin to think for ourselves, discover new teachings, we have an opinion on just about everything from politics to the existence of God and what a great feeling it is to think for ourselves.
Why lose a faith in God? Because we can now to do whatever we want. Ex JW society then becomes a resemblence of society itself, some people believe, some people don't, we're now free to choose our path.
Paul
Sure the WT deceived you with its claim to be God's channel but why for so many is there a subsequent loss of faith in God ? It puzzles me and makes me wonder why they were JW's in the first place.
I personally now have a very strong faith in God. This was after 14 or so years of having none after leaving the WT.
How many types of shit do you have to eat before you realize they all taste bad? How many religions do you have to investigate before learning they all have something wrong with them?
Life is too short to waste valuable time searching for a God who intentionally remains elusive. I'm done with screaming at the wind waiting in vain for a response. If he wants a relationship with me let him come to me and say so. I'm easy to find. I'm in the phonebook. It's not too much to ask for since I already gave him the best part of my life for nothing.
W
I agree with Garbuss' sarcastic remark. It all needs investigation.
After investigating WTS seriously and seeing the flaws, I kept going and investigated the book they twisted. Could the book be twisted by anyone, could the book be flawed? I was fascinated by what I discovered. There are apocryphal books of the OT that seemed to fit the general doctrines of Bible-belief such as the book of Enoch. The book of Enoch is heavily quoted in the NT, but it is not canonical. The "Lost Gospels" found at Nag Hammadi offered a different perspective on Jesus.
If all these "other" books didn't make the canon, then I needed to know how it was decided. I needed to know how the Bible came about. I needed to look at archaeology and see if it supported ANY of the OT account.
I fall into the same trap as the question poses: "why the LOSS of your faith in God?" But really, that's not it. Many didn't lose their faith, they found out more than faith allowed.
