Where do you go for spiritual food?

Princess

This is an update to a thread of Mulan's and a request for some input. Mulan said this in her thread from a few days ago:

"For those new ones who haven't read my cousin's story, I am posting the link here again.
http://www.exjws.net/shunning/sharonkennedy.htm
Today, I received a very nice inquiry about Sharon, and whether this all was true. The woman who wrote me, is studying and really believes the JW's have "the truth", but Sharon's story bothered her. I wrote her and hopefully confirmed it all."

I wrote to the same woman and she wrote back and then called me this morning. She is devastated by what she has found about the witnesses so far and called the UN to verify the NGO story and found out the witnesses had lied. She is an unbaptised publisher and has a friend who found Sharon's story for her. Her friend wrote me as well. They have a very good question they asked me. "Where do you go for spiritual food?" I don't think asking only me is going to be very satistying, so I thought I'd post it here so they can have answers from a number of ex-jws.

I will send her this link. Please tell your relationship to the JW's and whether you were an elder, MS, pioneer, studied, publisher or whatever. I think that will provide a better answer than what I alone could tell.

Thanks so much for your input.
Rachel

Elsewhere

I've never been a "spiritual" person, so I have never needed anything like that.

The closest thing I can think of would be that I like to meditate.

"As every one knows, there are mistakes in the Bible" - The Watchtower, April 15, 1928, p. 126
Believe in yourself, not mythology.
<x ><

Dawn

Relationship with the JW: I've been DF'd for about 12 years now - I was an active publisher and aux. pioneered quite often. The rest of my family is all JW's (brothers are all elders)

Where do I go for spiritual food? A number of great places I have found.

First - I like reading the bible by itself. It just seems to come alive for me now.

Second - I found a great non-denominational church with a terrific pastor. I'm learning a lot there and really enjoy going - although I do not believe that church is a "do all and end all" - it's a tool I use to learn more about the bible and make friendships.

Third - I love the calvary chapel web sites (although I don't go to that particular church) - they have some great articles and information for self-study. There's also a lot of other christian web-sites with self-study articles that are good.

Basically - I no longer believe there is only one organization that can provide you with spiritual food. There is an abundance of places to find information - you just need to find the place that is comfortable to you.

Princess

I didn't actually answer the question myself. I was raised a witness and left at age 27. I don't really have a very strong spiritual need at this point in my life. Raising my children takes all the spare energy I can muster but I think in the future I will look more into spiritual things. I do think about it a lot and my husband and I discuss things regularly. After finding out my entire life structure was a lie, I felt very badly burned by religion. It has been over six years now and I have moved on but don't ever see myself joining up with any kind of organized group. I don't think you have to have a group to worship God, and I know that he does not require us to join anything. I teach my kids about God and we read bible stories. My son is five and views the bible as an authority. I have read him scriptures to show him he has to obey me and treat me with respect. I will also teach him that there is no man who can tell him he has to worship in a certain way to be saved. Both my children know that some people feel the need to go to a church to worship, but they think it is silly because they learn about him at home.

When you first leave the witnesses you do a lot of research and reading. I still read a lot about many different teachings. Someday I will come to a conclusion I hope. In the meantime I treat others with respect, I try to teach my children to be good people but I don't beat myself up with guilt over anything. If God forgives us, he forgives us. I don't have to confess or do pennance or anything like that. I am not perfect.

Rachel

larc

What do I do?

Take a walk in a quiet, peaceful woods.
Look at the stars on a clear night.

Read "upbuilding" books by people like Wayne Dyer, Carl Rogers, and Albert Ellis.

Read a few and only a few selected passages from the Bible, such as, 1Cor. 13 chapter.

elbobbo

Background - I was born and raised a JW but never got baptized. I did the sound system and went out in service and everything else though. I left when I was 20 and have been out with no regrets since then.

Spiritual Food - Nowhere. I have no need or desire to be filled with anything and am actually MUCH happier that way. When I left I looked at the bible as closely as I did the JW's and found that the JW's have a warped version of a warped book.

Dutchie

Hi Princess, I was a third generation witnesses and pioneered for ten years. I brought 26 people into this crazy organization and now I regret EVERY MOMENT I spent marching around blocks selling the society's literature. I am still in the process of contacting those people I studied with to tell them the REAL truth. I am so sorry my family ever got involved in this cult in the first place. It has done nothing but divide us and caused heartbreak.

startingover

Spiritual Food?

I don't need it! Do starving people in Africa ask that question? I don't know but it seems to me that whole "spiritual" thing exists in a person's mind because of the Christian culture they were raised in.

Mulan

I am in about the same situation as Princess, my daughter. I do believe in God, but am unsure about anything else. My life is so busy, caring for my folks, and trying to work my business, that I have little time or energy left to wonder about spiritual things, and whether it's necessary to my life. At this time, I have no spiritual need. I also wonder if it's a part of our culture that we are made to feel we have this need.

Marilyn (aka Mulan)
"No one can take advantage of you, without your permission." Ann Landers

larc

After reading my coments and several others, I would like to clarify my comments. I don't have any need to understand or figure out a higher power. To me, spiritual, means something like being at peace with myself and who I am, what I do, and how I relate to others. It also has to do with enjoying life, from the beauty in nature to the quick smile of my 10 month old grandson.

Where do you go for spiritual food?

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