Did leaving the WT build greater appreciation for or kill your reading of the Bible?

by lepermessiah 64 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  rocketman

  Very interesting thread...

  The WT experience killed religion for me, but not necessarily the Bible. I still read it, and have found that I've been able to finally consider other 'possibilities' such as some accounts being mere stories told to make a point rather than being actual events - i.e., the Flood, the Red Sea crossing, etc. I'm not saying these things did or did not happen (though there's no evidence of a global flood), I'm saying that just being able to consider the possibility of it has freed my mind and allowed me to look at the Bible in a different way instead of the WT way.

  Leaving the Jws also opened my mind to the realities of evolutionary science (not to start a debate or go off-topic). But I now look at life on earth a lot differently than I used to.

  Also, I've found myself more open-minded in looking into various Bible commentaries, etc. In many ways, I've learned far more than I ever did as a jw. The WTS had us believing that only they really understood the Bible; but in fact, there's a heck of a lot of Bible knowledge waiting to be had by simply picking up a good commentary or finding one online.
• 

  pirata

  For the most part, I would keep up with the weekly Bible reading schedule to cover the pages.

  Once I started to realize that what I was taught that I must believe did not necessarily jive with the Bible, it renewed my interest in reading the Bible. It feels like I am really reading the Bible for the first time in my life. Doing a "Borean" and "testing the inspired expression" has been a real eye-opener.
• 

  PSacramento

  People will find in the bible what they are looking for, one way or another.
• 

  superpunk

  Initially it reenergized me - I was determined to read it without the filter, without the ridiculous arguments presented by the WTS - just me, the bible, and I figured I was going to get this relationship with Jesus that I'd heard these ex-JWs talking about.

  I read it, kept reading it, and continued to get more disillusioned. What was I reading? This was a book of atrocities, not God's love. I decided I needed to research the historical validity of the bible, was shocked at what I found.

  Reading the bible, with a careful eye, and without the benefit of carefully constructed apologetics, killed my appreciation for the bible. I don't see how it could do otherwise for any thinking person.
• 

  tec

  I continued to look to the bible for truth. Alas it made no sense to me. -and- In answer to the original question, the WT did not kill my appreciation for the bible - it did that all on its own!

  Gladiator - I'm sorry.

  We all see different things based on our experiences and outlooks. I look to the bible for what was written and taught, and of course to read about Christ (whose teachings and example are truths to me). I take great comfort in the love that I find to be the message of the bible. If I read the OT without the NT, that message might get lost, but the NT balances it... at least for me. But my faith also calls on me to look at life, at science, and at the world around me for truth.

  On the up side, hypnotherapy must serve you very well against opponents in the coliseum.
• 

  no more kool aid

  I tried to read the bible on my own when I first left. The old JW stuff just resonated with every passage I read and I was unable to separate them. It was like I was trying to read with JW sh*t stained glasses. I gave up!
• 

  cult classic

  It totally killed any desire to read the bible for me....Being raised in and taking it soooo seriously I am just sick of anything bible related. Ironically, we used the bible to think our way out of the org and now that we're out I'm just so over the bible. We've had to attend a few funerals since our exit and with each one it's taken longer and longer to find a bible........lol
• 

  THE GLADIATOR

  Thanks for your remarks Tec (Tammy)

  I appreciate that the things Jesus is reported to have said can be uplifting. In most cases, for them to do that, the reader has to 'believe' or have 'faith' for them to make sense. Also Psalms, proverbs, Ecclesiastes & John are worthy writings.

  There are also many secular psychological and philosophical writings that can also be uplifting and helpful in bringing comfort and raising our spirits.

  Having read the bible many times, I now prefer to read new and exciting books that offer different perspectives. There are so many good books to read, ancient and new. In the end there is a basic truth about living that repeats itself no matter which approach to reading we have.
• 

  wobble

  When I first left, I got myself a good translation, and read it ,not all of it, but the whole of the N.T , without "Watchtower goggles" on.

  Much of it flew out of the page at me in a sudden realisation of what it was actually saying.

  I had always known that WT explanations were often downright looney, at best were somewhat lacking in true scholarship, unless they plagiarised the work of other scholars, as they often did.

  I felt at that point that I had a much better appreciation of what the Bible was.

  As time has gone on I have come to conclude that it is not the Word of God, but it is a fascinating piece of literature.

  I have not picked up a Bible simply to read for about a year, I guess.

  I am with Gladitor, in reading new and excitng books that educate me, usually by modern philosophers, religion does not enter in to it much.

  Wobble
• 

  joeblow

  I didn't really appreciate the bible when I was "in", so... now that I'm free and clear... I have zero interest in it. I do acknowledge that people can read it and gain helpful life advice from it, but you can do the same from any number of books both modern and historical.

  I threw away all my WTS publications, bible included, and I don't miss them at all.