by toweragent 40 Replies latest jw friends
when I first left I can recall thinking, but what if they are right...
That was more a symptom of my anxiety I think....
but it really doesn't matter if there is any divine being or not, what does matter is that I live my life with ethics and treat other people well.
besides that, there is nothing more
What you exhibit, dear Toweragent, is the mind-controlled fear of leaving. A fear that I am sure nearly all of us felt as we took those first baby-steps to freedom.
It is a similar fear to the fear felt by the Institutionalized person who steps in to the Big Wide World.
So, if god exists, do you really think he/she/it will blame you for leading your life as if there were no god, when said god has provided NO evidence for its existence ?
You ask if the Bible may be true, read a few books on it by non-believers, Bart Ehrmann et al, or even by a half believer like Karen Armstong, and you will be in no doubt that it is merely the writings of men.
When I walked away from the Scam posing as a religion that is the Jehovah's Witness Org, from being in from birth for 58 years, I realised just how uneducated and ignorant I was, I proceeded to educate myself, I now know that my position is in line with rational thought, and in line with the facts.
My journey started with a question I was asked: "what is the gospel in one word?"
This led me from a RBNS (Religious But Not Spiritual) orientation to a SBNR (Spiritual But Not Religious) orientation.
A radical transformation and awakening.
Yes, there is still a lot of mystery and wonder.
But for me, no other framework is as whole, comprehensive, unified, satisfying, validating and scientific.
toweragent: I'm at such a crossroads... I don't know if God exists or not.
It's brave to accept uncertainty.
But then I hear comments like: "Ignore the bible, only listen to the words of Jesus."
How does anyone even know who Jesus is without the bible? If we don't believe the entire surrounding text, why believe cherry picked quotes of Jesus written down after his death, frequently by people who didn't even meet him?
The lack of quotes condemning something, for example, homosexuality, is not impressive IMO. He said he didn't have time to teach them everything but more would be revealed with time and through his other followers. Does his silence on something equal condoning it? If so then I guess pedophilia and snorting cocaine is fine too.
(For the record, I do NOT believe homosexuality is morally wrong, and I have lobbied FOR gay marriage. I just don't understand the use of the bible to support that position.)
Jesus defined marriage as between a man and a woman. While he's on the subject, he could have mentioned man and man/woman and woman too. That would have saved millions of people from hate crimes, discrimination, etc. for doing something that is quite natural for them (born that way) and harms nobody. 1-2 lines in a speech one day and he could have saved the world so much pain and violence.
Jesus lied too.
The bible is not inspired of any loving god or loving son of his.
Jewish teacher Hillel asked the Three Questions.
If I am not for myself who will be?
If I am only for myself, who am I?
If not now when?
I too was a ministerial servant when I began to fade from the organization. My atheism came many years later. You should not rush yourself in whatever change process you find yourself in. I can say that I am much happier now than when I was part of the borg. I cannot say for certain that there is nothing out there beyond the physical world, but until evidence is presented that proves it, I will be an atheist (without a god).
Donny
Thank you everybody for your replies and insight. You've given me a lot to think about!
Just out of curiousity, could anyone narrow down some sources to read about the Bible's "real" history? (The four sources, editing, lies, growing legends, myths, etc.) I've done some searching, but there are so many choices! I'm just curious if anybody would recomend something that was particularily useful to them?
Thanks!
toweragent
No i don't. ERVs killed that idea of a god. (See my post on creation a few days ago) So no BS then. I was going to die.
As for life after death I don;t worry because if I die... i won't worry if there is nothing lol
If there is something after and my mempries continue as quantum flucuations... so be it...
The Bible as History by Werner (Warner?) Keller is a good one to start with. Once in a university library, I found some commentaries by John Calvil that I liked very much. Also read as much as you can of Summa Theologia by St. Thomas Aquinas. There is some deep thought in the latter, and it will take a long time to digest it. Happy researching!
toweragent, I haven't read these books yet for lack of time as I work on my move and because my home library is being monitored, but I often see recommendations of these books and am familiar with some of their contents:
- Misquoting Jesus (why Jesus may not have said much of what's in the gospels)
- The Jesus Puzzle (explains how Jesus might have founded a religion without even existing)
- Reading the Fractures of Genesis (explains all the contradictions and dual accounts in Genesis; this one will be a real eye-opener)
- The Early History of God (explains the different Gods in the OT like Yahweh and El)
- The Bible Unearthed (history vs. the Bible)
