by AllTimeJeff 61 Replies latest watchtower bible
AK Jeff and AlltimeJeff:
How much to do you think the JW beleife system you used to belong to and defend, influenced you in your views of christianity and God?
I mean, you SEEM to h ave done a radical 180, no?
From total belief as a JW to total disbeliefe, yes?
Christianity as a percentage is somewhere in the 12-15% range depending on the numbers you choose to use. Hardly an overwhelming number for the one true religion.
Actually there are 2 billion professed "Christians" worldwide so the number is closer to 30%.
While on the one hand, they feel their way worship is best, their god superior.
So why believe that you have the best religion, the best god, ...
I just want to point out that "Christians",Jews, and Muslims all believe in the same God. Which means 53% of the world's population believe in the God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob.
"Christians",Jews, and Muslims all believe in the same God
Good luck with that one.
I just want to point out that "Christians",Jews, and Muslims all believe in the same God.
How can you say they believe in the same God? Jews, Muslims and Unitarian Christian state that God is one and indivisible (that's 50% of those professing an Abrahamic faith), while Trinitarians (the other 50%) state that the One Being of God is composed of three divine persons. They consider the other's theology heretical and cast anathema upon one another.
Good luck with that one.
Jews, Christains and Muslims believe in the same God, they just have a different view of his Nature.
From total belief as a JW to total disbeliefe, yes?
For me, yes - except that even as a JW the belief was not total. I have a real problem with a religion who tells me I MUST believe and DO certain things or else their god is going to destroy me. Especially when that god is totally silent, but other men (men just like me) claim to speak for him.
For me, yes - except that even as a JW the belief was not total.
Did you try the middle ground?
Did you try the middle ground?
Pretty much so as a witness. I did not really believe in the closeness of the end, certainly did not believe in their medical BS, certainly did not believe in the global flood or the 7,000 year long creative days.
It is not really possible to partly believe something and partly NOT believe it - if you are honest with yourself.
Finally, I just decided that I didn't believe any of it.
Pretty much so as a witness. I did not really believe in the closeness of the end, certainly did not believe in their medical BS, certainly did not believe in the global flood or the 7,000 year long creative days.
It is not really possible to partly believe something and partly NOT believe it - if you are honest with yourself.
Finally, I just decided that I didn't believe any of it.
I can understand that, and respect that.
I mean, you SEEM to h ave done a radical 180, no?
From total belief as a JW to total disbeliefe, yes?
Well, one does a 180 when he finds himself going 180 the wrong way I suppose.
You are correct. I was one of those 110% Jw's. When I spit out the hook, line and sinker, I began to see that all the other fish were pretty well feeding on the same thing, just different bait sometimes. So I left the fishin' hole.
Jwism was of course a big part of that transformation, since that is where I was spawned. But it didn't take long to see it as all very similar. A couple of years perhaps. It has only been in the past year or so that I have begun to label myself [I hate the word actually] as Agnostic.
I allowed myself to dwell in a sheltered environment for decades. I now spend a great deal of my free time actually looking at the ideas I had spent years ignoring. I think that Jwism - and more particularly the hatred that is shown when someone dares to leave - was the propellant that let me look at philosophy, science, and open free-thought from clean perspective. It cannot be doubted that the influence of Jwism was powerfully part of the formula - both good and bad one supposes, if such can be truly categorized.
Jeff
